Symbols

the elements compose a magnum opus

Some interesting factoids concerning color and element usage in Jin's design as well as those of his buddies. It's always interesting to see the hidden meanings (or what we think to be hidden meanings) that the makers left us to find.

element: water

An interesting symbol lies embedded in one of "Battlecry"'s lyrics: "no less, walk on earth, water, and fire". I believe the named elements refer to Fuu, Jin and Mugen, respectively, and even match up with their costume colors -- Mugen's red, Jin's blue and Fuu's orange. (Note: Yes, I know she wears pink. However, Fuu is shown wearing an orange yukata in some of the official art, especially the older pieces, indicating that it was probably the writers' original intention to dress her that way.)

The trio's personality types are correspondent as well: Mugen is brash and fierce, Fuu is a neutral, nurturing force between them both, and Jin is cold and tranquil -- not to mention he fights with a flowing elegance befitting of of the water element. His strikes are smooth, graceful and uninterrupted without any excess motion; just think of how water moves. He also ends many of his battles by falling into water -- examples of this would be his first duels with Yukimaru and Kariya Kagetoki -- and is depicted in the opening with sea animals in the background.

color: blue and black

Careful color choice can say a lot about a character, and clearly such thoughts have been taken into consideration when creating Jin's design. The following analyses were taken from Color Wheel Pro and were cut and edited for relevancy and length.

Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness. In heraldry, blue is used to symbolize piety and sincerity.

Dark blue represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness; it is also associated with depth, expertise, and stability.

The color blue strongly touches upon Jin's dedication to honor and calm personality, and strengthens his symbolic connection with water.

Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. It is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown. It usually has a negative connotation. Black denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color. In heraldry, black is the symbol of grief.

Black represents Jin's more hidden side -- specifically, the mysterious side that wants to hide his bloody past. However, it also alludes to his noble demeanor and possible upper-class background.