Gargamel These Nuts - Blog Posts

Diabolik Lovers Analysis: Why is Reiji Associated with the Colour Blue ?

Within any official Rejet art, Reiji is always surrounded by the colour blue, which to me seemed odd. Ayato’s colour is red (the colour of his hair), Laito’s is green (the colour of his eyes), Kanato’s is purple (the colour of his hair and eyes), Shuu’s is yellow to match his blonde hair and Subaru’s is grey to blend his outfit together (black and white). But Reiji’s is blue, it doesn’t match his eyes, hair or even outfit. So why make this design choice...? Well, first we need to establish that colours are symbolic, and with that, we can dive into the colour theory of the correlation between Reiji and the colour blue.

So, shall we begin ?

Here’s a few pictures where Reiji is depicted as being the colour blue:

From Reiji’s personality, it would be natural to assume that his colour would be dark purple or black. Black is associated with strength, authority, and power. Black lends an air of authority and intelligence to those who wear it; it symbolises prestige, formality, and importance. However, dark purple is often associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, power, and ambition; it also represents meanings of wealth, extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, pride, mystery, and independence. Reiji fits into all these traits, yet his colour is blue. At first, this doesn’t really make sense, until we dive into colour theory; only then does it make perfect sense.

While blue conjures images of sky and sea, it’s also the colour of bravery and dedication. Blue represents introspective journeys and symbolises wisdom and depth of understanding. Blue is also a symbol of depression and the depths of the human psyche. Blue stands for serenity, rather than passion, and it’s the colour of all that’s constant and unchanging. The colour blue can feel cold and impersonal, and even unfriendly. Blue’s association with depression and sadness are also pervasive, as blue is a harbinger of night and darkness; this is extremely reminiscent of 'A Certain Prophet's Fate' and how he lives in the darkness of the night - which symbolises his corruption, longing and depression.

Dark blue is also linked to consciousness and intellect, making it a good colour to suggest precision and advancement - which is something that Reiji constantly strives for. Dark blue works well with its direct opposite, orange, and its related colours, burnt sienna (Yuma’s colour) and red (Ayato’s colour). This cooperation comes in the forms of Vandead Carnival and Lunatic Parade. Blue and red are opposites, they are foils for one another, just as Yuma and Ayato are foils for Reiji - but once conflict arises and the foils need to cooperate, they work extremely well. One makes up for what the other is lacking.

A red hue often symbolises valour, courage, enthusiasm, blood and life while the blue colour indicates perseverance, justice, vigilance and respect for God. As a character, Ayato is often portrayed with a red hue or colour scheme and is presented as full of life, enthusiasm and courage throughout his routes; even the fact that Rejet often portrays Ayato as the 'leading love interest' or 'main character' aids this symbolism. Whereas Reiji is often accompanied by his need to endure his troubles and bear the burden of his insecurities - he is accompanied by perseverance; something that his blue hue represents. Additionally, Reiji is the only character aside from Ruki who holds any respect for Karlheinz - someone who is often portrayed as a God-like being; though this respect isn't born from inspiration, it's born from Reiji's need to impress him and feel accepted. Therefore, though Reiji's blue hue showcases his respectful nature towards his father, it is derived from feelings of inadequacy, pain and sorrow..

Renowned for its composed demeanour, blue is a tranquil presence. It doesn’t intrude or pester. Instead, it merely makes itself known, much like Reiji - blue is a passive colour that perfectly encapsulates Reiji’s demeanour. As a peacemaker, the colour blue doesn’t intend to stir the pot. In fact, it loathes the idea of creating conflict - just as Reiji does. Blue doesn’t like being in the spotlight, so it keeps to itself; regarded as one of the more reserved hues, blue is tight-lipped. Though it doesn’t have a strong personality, blue does have a unique spirit.

Anyone who associates with the colour blue thrives on organisation. Blue doesn’t like to disrupt the status quo, and it’s for this reason that there’s so much predictability to it. Since it enjoys order so much, blue can be rather controlling; when things don’t go according to plan, it can be pretty unsettling. We see these traits present themselves in Reiji, he's keen, organised and thrives on order; all these things make him inherently predictable - yet when the situation turns sour, Reiji is quick to become cruel and demeaning, and this showcases how much he depends on order. Colour theory and deep symbolism such as this highlights why blue is Reiji’s colour - it doesn’t represent his better qualities, but his detriments. Blue is a visual representation of what Reiji is behind his ‘polite’ façade. 

Blue symbolises all that is pure and transparent in Japanese culture; ironically, this is the opposite of who Reiji is as a person. Reiji isn't a pure or transparent character, he's corrupt, manipulative and secretive - he never says how he feels or what he truly means; there are always several interpretations and double meanings to his riddle-like dialogue. This can ultimately imply that Reiji being surrounded by a blue hue isn't just to present his hidden nuance but to also showcase his contrast. To present the irony and melancholic truths of his character.

Blue is a sensitive colour, and can hurt easily and deeply. Blue cowers in the face of betrayal and is unsure of how to pick itself back up; this is the core of Reiji’s character, he’s suffering from a wound that he struggles to heal on his own, and so he shuts his emotions off and becomes cold and stern in the hopes that it won’t happen again. This is why blue is Reiji’s colour, it represents his insecurities, and it encapsulates who he is underneath his façade.