Why is the "Legendary" Koi fish worth 42 billion VND, the most expensive in history?

The 9-year-old Koi fish, named S Legend, is of the Kohaku breed and measures approximately 101 cm in length.

Ultimately, collector Yingying from Taiwan successfully bid for and purchased the rare fish from Kentaro Sakai for 203 million Yen (approximately 42 billion VND). This is the highest price ever paid for a Koi fish in history.

According to Business Insider, the 9-year-old koi fish, named S Legend, is a Kohaku variety and measures approximately 101 cm in length. S Legend was the winner of the 2017 All Japan Koi Show and is expected to maintain its position in the next competition.

Accordingly, the Kohaku variety is a type of Koi fish that is white with red patches on its body. To be considered a perfect Kohaku Koi, the white color must be pristine without any yellowish tint.

Koi fish began to be bred in Japan in the 1700s when farmers started raising them for their distinctive colors and patterns. Koi are actually a type of carp, and today they are the most expensive ornamental fish in the world.

Around the world, numerous competitions are held regularly to name the best Koi fish.

A 9-year-old Koi fish is priced at 41.5 billion VND.

Typically, those inspecting and buying Koi fish pay attention to characteristics such as the health of their skin, size and body shape, how gracefully they move in the water, and most importantly, their color. For example, some Koi fish have unusual pale blue spots, or large patches of red on their backs, or are entirely golden yellow.

Highly valued fish usually fall into these three categories. Koi fish with a good balance of color and pattern command higher prices.

Yvo de Wal is a koi seller in the Netherlands and the owner of a popular koi-related YouTube channel. Every year, he travels to Japan to personally select the most beautiful koi.

Koi fish have six types of pigment cells in their skin. These cells determine red, white, black, yellow, blue, and iridescent colors. To be considered a beautiful Koi fish, the colors must blend sufficiently to create an orange-red color, with a white body and many large red patches.

In traditional Japanese culture, red and white are the two main colors, symbolizing joy and purity.

The pigment cells are located in different places on the skin of Koi fish. Some colors are near the surface, while others are in deeper layers. The more beautiful and vibrant the fish's colors, the higher its price.

Although koi fish are capable of carrying millions of offspring at once, raising them is extremely difficult. Koi breeders must make smart and wise choices. Reports show that a breeder might start with 3 million newborn fish but only select about 15,000 to raise in the first year and about 1,000 to raise in the following year.

However, this hard work will not only bring great profits but also prestige to the Koi breeder.