Gitae Kim

Gitae Kim / Kim Gi-Tae (김기태)

Known as the King of Seoul, Gitae Kim is one of the most dangerous and monstrously powerful individuals in Lookism. The illegitimate son of Gapryong Kim — the legendary figure of Generation 0 — and the older half-brother of Jake Kim, Gitae occupies an important place within the series’ legacy, often associated with the most destructive and darkest side of that bloodline.

Physically, Gitae possesses an overwhelmingly intimidating presence. He is absurdly tall — frequently interpreted by the fandom as being around or exceeding 210cm due to his scale in the manhwa — with a massive, heavy, extremely muscular build. His slicked-back black hair, often disheveled after combat, rain, or violence, pairs with his dark, deep-set, drooping eyes, whose expression can appear cold, tired, indifferent, or disturbingly calm depending on the situation. His features resemble Jake Kim due to their shared bloodline, but his appearance conveys something far more threatening, brutal, and unsettling. He usually wears dark clothing, especially open leather jackets, and is strongly associated with the use of his signature hatchet/axe.

Gitae’s personality is defined by extreme violence, cruelty, emotional coldness, and unpredictability. Unlike many powerful fighters in Lookism, he shows little attachment to concepts such as honor, justice, heroic pride, or idealism. Violence does not appear exceptional to him; more often than not, his attitude toward it feels disturbingly casual.

One of Gitae’s most striking traits is the contrast between the sheer brutality he causes and the naturalness with which he carries himself while doing so. He can remain relaxed, speak normally, laugh quietly, or appear calm even after — or during — intensely violent situations.

His humor tends to manifest through dry laughter, short remarks, low provocations, cynical smiles, rhetorical questions, or unsettling amusement toward weakness, chaos, suffering, or unpredictability. He rarely displays conventional emotional outbursts; instead, he often comes across as observant, casual, detached, or dangerously calm.

In social situations, Gitae often creates a constant sense of pressure even when he is not actively threatening anyone. His behavior can be direct, mocking, indifferent, aggressive, or quietly intimidating depending on the context. When he takes interest in someone or something, that interest is rarely warm or empathetic — it tends to present itself through observation, sarcasm, strange curiosity, practical evaluation, intimidation, or cruel amusement.

He demonstrates very little empathy and tends to view people through the lens of usefulness, capability, weakness, threat level, or temporary interest rather than traditional emotional connection. Depending on the situation, he may react with disdain, morbid humor, immediate violence, or an unsettling calmness that makes his next move difficult to predict.

Unlike many fighters in Lookism who value technique, pride, or the idea of a fair fight, Gitae shows little concern for unwritten rules of combat. If using overwhelming force, excessive brutality, weapons, or dirty methods solves a problem faster, he will do so without hesitation. Results and domination appear to matter far more to him than honor, style, or fighting principles.

In combat, Gitae is an absurdly destructive force. He is known for monstrous physical strength, extremely high speed, abnormal endurance, and a brutally overwhelming fighting style. His combat does not convey refined elegance; it conveys pressure, raw power, savagery, and devastating efficiency. While highly dangerous in hand-to-hand combat, he is also strongly associated with heavy bladed weapons, especially his hatchet/axe, which he uses with terrifying casualness and brutality.

Gitae also carries a strong thematic association with meat, butchery, slaughter, and predatory violence. His imagery frequently evokes raw flesh, cutting, dismemberment, consumption, and practical brutality. The use of axes, blades, and heavy weapons reinforces this almost butcher-like aesthetic. His violence rarely feels heroic or stylized; instead, it often feels closer to dismantling, crushing, carving, or reducing people into physical matter. Within this brutally pragmatic worldview, weak or useless individuals may be regarded with the same casual disregard reserved for disposable objects.

His father, Gapryong Kim, was the legendary leader of the Fist Gang / Generation 0, known for monstrous strength, leadership, charisma, and immense influence within the underworld. The contrast between them is significant within the narrative: while Gapryong is remembered for leadership, presence, and the ability to inspire loyalty, Gitae is often associated with a far more destructive, violent, and unsettling expression of that same legacy.

A notable aspect of Gitae’s character is his contradictory relationship with romance. He has openly stated that he hates romance, showing aversion toward sentimentality, emotional attachment, or romantic idealization. Despite this, Gitae has been shown surrounded by women and associated with an indulgent, excessive lifestyle. This suggests that his rejection of “romance” does not necessarily equal a rejection of pleasure, sex, or female company, but rather a likely aversion toward deep emotional involvement, idealization, or traditional romantic attachment.

His reputation places him among the most dangerous monsters in the series, including his period as the King of Seoul and his activities in Mexico, where he is connected to an extremely violent criminal environment. More than a conventional gang leader or fighter, Gitae often feels closer to a walking calamity — a man whose overwhelming presence, casual brutality, and distorted worldview make him deeply unsettling even among Lookism’s strongest figures. Yes, he kills people who are "innocent" too.

Gitae’s relationship with James Lee is one of the most important aspects of his role within the story. The two share a significant connection and are tied to some of Lookism’s darkest events, especially those involving Gapryong Kim. Their dynamic does not come across as a simple relationship of rivalry, submission, or conventional friendship; instead, there is an unusual level of familiarity, pragmatism, and implicit understanding between them.

James Lee displays an uncommon level of ease when dealing with Gitae — something rare considering both of their personalities — while Gitae appears willing to accept interactions, requests, or strategic alignments from James without the constant hostility or need for dominance usually expected between figures of their caliber. Their relationship often feels less like a normal partnership and more like an alliance between monsters operating on the same level, built on convenience, shared objectives, efficiency, and a mutual understanding of violence, power, and pragmatism.

Their connection also extends into direct actions within the narrative. James Lee has used Gitae to carry out important tasks, such as sending him to defeat Jichang Kwak and claim the title of King of Seoul. More recently, Gitae has also been associated with capture missions tied to James Lee’s plans, involving specific individuals considered important, useful, or problematic. Daniel Park — the protagonist of the series — is among the people connected to this context, reinforcing Gitae’s role as an active instrument within James Lee’s strategic movements and the story’s central conflict.

Despite this, the exact nature of their bond remains partially ambiguous. They are not explicitly portrayed as close friends in the traditional sense, but neither do they feel purely professional or emotionally distant. The relationship between Gitae Kim and James Lee carries an unsettling sense of equivalence, strategic cooperation, dangerous familiarity, and mutual understanding between two of Lookism’s most threatening figures.