Character Breakdown (Kinda) Red
Red's obsession with pink stems from the idea that pink is, in his world, the ideal version of perfection.
Red views himself as imperfect. This stems from him being extremely talented naturally, but never motivating himself to improve beyond that point, which inevitably leads to him biting off more than he can chew in certain situations. This causes a downward spiral of self-doubt and depression, always leading to the same conclusion of not being good enough, and then forcing himself to move on before he does more harm to himself or others.
This also explains his initial dislike of Blue. Blue has never, ever been naturally good at anything (though that's partly due to his rich upbringing, but that's neither here nor there). Red sees that, yet Blue is the first obstacle he ever faces in the pursuit of Pink. What do you think that does to Red's ego, which is already crushing him under its own expectations?
It pisses him off. It infuriates him and drives him insane. Someone who should have no talent, who shouldn’t be able to hold a candle to him, is the very one stopping him from getting what he wants. And mind you, this is the first time in a while that Red is actively pursuing something he truly desires, with real motivation. It’s that same motivation, mixed with his anger, that inevitably pushes his morals aside—but only slightly.
Now, you see that later in the story, Red gives Blue his challenge to regain his magical power. It’s through this challenge that we see Blue’s character grow. But we never stop to think about it from Red’s perspective.
From the start, Red intended for that challenge to be impossible. It was already established that Red is stronger and faster—that Pink is many times stronger and faster than Blue. Even in his human state, Red knew he was naturally athletic compared to a kid who was skinny, short, and scrawny. He wanted that challenge to drag out. Why? Because he wanted to shatter everything Blue represents.
To Red, Blue is a constant reminder that he is wrong—that his entire perception of himself is flawed. Blue proves that Red could have broken out of his shell and become more. And that realization infuriates him.
He wanted to see blue, stuck at a single part of his life because he cannot grow past it falling into the same cycle he does, and flipping the script, with a red finally becoming an obstacle stopping him from getting what he wants
But as we see, that’s not what plays out. Once again, Blue shatters that reality. However, there’s something important to take note of that after realizing he was wrong, after seeing that he *could* improve, that he *could* move past his failures, this moment presents a crucial opportunity for his character.
Now, you can interpret this in many different ways, but my personal interpretation focuses on key factors.
One, it’s a culmination of everything we’ve discussed thus far…
A great example of this is the "two separate eyes" concept. One side of him wants to accept the reality that he *can* improve, but the majority of him refuses to. That’s why the other eye is more detailed, even marked, symbolizing the part of him that holds greater control over his mind.
But the other key factor is that he’s the only person with a beast transformation who can control it. That tells me one thing—deep down, he fully acknowledges that he has always been wrong about who and what he is as a person. However, due to his overwhelming self-doubt, he refuses to move past it. Instead, he dwells on it until it *literally* consumes him, transforming his pain and insecurity into an actual monster.
A Monster that stop at nothing to get what he wants
I know there’s a lot to say, with some of the more recent chapters but I need to save that for a deep dive on Yuuri
Now I’m going to elaborate on what I said in The beginning and answer a question you probably have been asking or have figured out already
Why is pink in reds eyes The ideal personification of perfection and why has that led to the Source of his absolute obsession
To put it simply, Pink is the absolute perfect reflection of what Red *thinks* he wants to be. Keep in mind, this is from Red’s perspective—someone who isn’t even Pink’s friend until the end of the series.
Red sees Pink as a naturally gifted individual, someone who only appears every so often yet possesses strength beyond comprehension. To Red, Pink is the pinnacle of what it means to be a magical boy from birth—a naturally charismatic and charming person who effortlessly improves the lives of everyone he interacts with.
Pink is a shimmering light in the darkness to him, and he *wants* that light. He *needs* that light—mainly because he truly and honestly believes that Pink is his one-way ticket to becoming better and improving his life.
This belief is only confirmed once Red has his first real interaction with Pink. Pink immediately challenges him to a race, and instead of ignoring him, he simply goes along with it and accepts the results without questioning them. Then, the next day, it happens again. Even when Red oversteps and offers to follow him around, Pink just lets him.
Pink doesn’t have any hatred toward him. Pink doesn’t find him annoying. In fact, Pink *starts wanting* to hang out with him more, even though Red is essentially a total stranger. While this may be a moment of naïveté for Pink, it’s also a significant moment for Red.
This is probably one of the first times he’s been shown genuine human compassion and sincerity—outside of Yuuri.
But unfortunately, For Red this only solidifies that pink is the missing piece, his missing piece.
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