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Kingdom (キングダム, Kingudamu) is a Japanese seinen manga series written and illustrated by mangaka Yasuhisa Hara. It began its serialization on January 26, 2006, in Weekly Young Jump and was published by Shueisha Inc. where it is still being serialized.

In 2012 the manga received an anime adaptation by Pierrot. On June 4, 2012, the first episode of the anime series premiered. Currently, the anime has 4 seasons with 129 episodes with the fifth season schedule to air in January of 2024. The series has also been adapted into multiple movies and a stage play.

Plot

Millions of years have passed since the times of legends when the worlds of man and gods were still the same. In these times it was the desires of man that moved the world. It is the period of the 500-year war: the Era of Warring States.

Born in the Warring States period of the central plains, Shin and Hyou are war-orphans in the state of Qin who both dream of becoming the "Greatest Generals of the Heavens" to rise from their lowly stations as slaves in life. One day, however, Hyou is taken to the palace by a minister to be used for unknown purposes, leaving Shin alone as a household servant in their hometown.

A few months later, Hyou returns to the village on the verge of death, urging Shin to travel to another village called Kokuhi village, a full of vagabonds and thugs. There he meets a boy who looks nearly identical to Hyou, Ei Sei, the current King of Qin, and a strange lookout for the village called Ka Ryo Ten. Shin learns that his best friend served as a body double for Ei Sei and was mortally wounded in a power struggle for the throne. Though initially enrage at Ei Sei for causing Hyou's death, Shin decides to seize the opportunity and aid the young king in defeating his younger half-brother and reclaim the Qin throne.

Successful in this endeavor, Shin officially starts his life as a Qin soldier on the battlefields of the Warring States with the goal of becoming the "Greatest General in the World" as a Great General underneath the Heavens, and to help the young king of Qin achieve his dream of total Unification of the central plains, ending the incessant strife, warfare once and for all.

Reception

Chronicle of Kingdom 2

Part 2 of the series' timeline.

Chronicle of Kingdom 2

Part 1 of the series' timeline.

The series made its debut in the 9th issue of 2006's Weekly Young Jump. The series ranked fairly poor in reader surveys early on but was able to take off after Hara made adjustments to his style through advice from his mentor, Takehiko Inoue. As of September 2023, the manga has over 100 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. In 2012, the series was adapted into a five-season anime by Studio Pierrot and has since then received multiple animated seasons, live action films and video games. In 2013, Kingdom won the grand prize at the 17th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize event and in the same year, Hara would be appointed the first ambassador of his hometown, Kiyama. In 2023, the series surpassed 100 million copies in total circulation with Vol.70's release.

Manga

Volumes and Chapters

Main article: Volumes and Chapters

There are over 70 volumes with over 786 chapters.

I can't remember the last time I read nearly 30 volumes in a row feeling this excited. A judge for the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.

Anime

Kingdom season 1

The first two seasons of the Kingdom anime are from Studio Pierrot and the third season is by Studio Signpost, licensed by Funimation, that is aired on NHK BS Premium.

Season 1

Main article: Season 1

Season 1 began airing on June 4, 2012, and ended its run with a total of 38 episodes.

Season 2

Kingdom 2
Main article: Season 2

Season 2 began airing on June 8, 2013, and ended its run with a total of 39 episodes.

Season 3

Kingdom Season 3
Main article: Season 3

Season 3 began airing on April 5, 2020, and ended its run with a total of 26 episodes.

Season 4

Kingdom Anime Season 4 Key Visual
Main article: Season 4

Season 4 began airing on April 9, 2022, and ended its run with a total of 26 episodes.

Season 5

Kingdom Anime Season 5 Fourth Visual Teaser
Main article: Season 5

Season 5 began airing on January 14, 2024.

Music

Openings

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

  • Shirubebi

Endings

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

  • RULERS

OSTs

  • Kingdom Season 1 Original Soundtrack
  • KINGDOM CHARACTER SONG MINI ALBUM -Tou-
  • KINGDOM CHARACTER SONG MINI ALBUM -Chi-
  • Kingdom Season 3 Original Soundtrack
  • Kingdom Season 4 Original Soundtrack
  • Kingdom Season 5 Original Soundtrack

Movies

Promotional Short Movie

Kingdom Live Action Special Movie was made for the 10th Anniversary of Kingdom; it was released on 17 April 2016. It shows various important events in the manga spanning from Chapters 1-351.

Movie 1

The first movie, Kingdom (キングダム, Kingudamu), directed by Shinsuke Sato, was released on April 19, 2019. It covers the first arc:

The movie generated a box office revenue of 5.73 billion yen.[1][2]

Movie 2

The second movie, Kingdom II: To Far Lands (キングダム II: 遥かなる大地, Kingudamu II: Harukanaru Daichi e) directed by Shinsuke Sato, was released on July 15, 2022. It covered the second and fourth arcs:

The movie generated a box office revenue of 5,16 billion yen.[3]

Movie 3

The third movie, Kingdom III: Flame of Destiny ( キングダム3 運命の炎, Kingudamu III: Unmei no Hōno) directed by Shinsuke Sato, that premiered on July 28, 2023.[4][5][6] It will cover the third, fifth, and sixth arcs:

The movie generated a box office revenue exceeded 5,13 billion yen after 46 days.[7]

Movie 4

The fourth Kingdom IV: Return of the General (キングダム4大将軍の帰還, Kingdom: Taishogun no Kikan) directed by Shinsuke Sato, is scheduled for the July 12, 2024. [8] It will cover the third and sixth arcs:

Theater

Kingdom Stage Visual Poster

Stage 'Kingdom' premiered at the Imperial Theater in February 2023.[9] Script by Fumio Fujisawa, directed by Kazuya Yamada and music by Kohta Yamamoto.

It covered the first and third arcs:

Videos

Trailers

Interviews

Specials

Trivia

  • A collaboration between the Sagan Tosu soccer team, from Saga Prefecture from which the author, Yasuhisa Hara originally hails from, happened in 2017.[10]

External Links

References

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