Written by Daniel
A nerd from day one, who will talk about his love for fiction and printed stories for hours!
As you may or may not know, I am a huge history nerd. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that one of these days I would write an article about one of the most anticipated manga in the English-speaking manga community…
In 2006, Yasuhisa Hara started writing a series that was released in Weekly Shonen Jump. It became so popular that not only have 76 volumes been released to this day (with no end in sight), but it also brought in sales that could easily rival other Shonen classics.
However, this series wasn’t something that was easily available in Europe or the USA for the last two decades…
Until now…
Fellow manga fans, we did it!
After begging and hoping for years…
After losing hope because this series might be too long to be adapted into English…
After giving up on ever being able to enjoy this masterpiece…
We did it…
We finally did it!
If you don’t know what I am talking about or why this series is so highly anticipated - fear not!
Let me show you why Kingdom is such a masterpiece!
What is Kingdom about?
It is the year 245 BC, and the Zhou Dynasty, one of the longest-reigning dynasties in China, is facing its final years due to rising conflicts and tensions between the states, known as the Warring States period.
During this time, the different states ruling over their territories in China were attacked and conquered by the large Qin state. This period is characterized by war and reforms across all branches of the political spectrum. It marks one of the most important eras in Chinese history and is the perfect opportunity to tell a historical story.
The main character, Xin, and his closest peer, Piao, are orphans of war and live as servants in a small village in the warring Qin state. Their biggest dream is to become legendary generals and bring victory to their home. One day, it suddenly seems that Piao is able to pursue this dream when he is invited to the palace - and does not return.
A few months later, Piao returns mortally wounded, urging Xin to hurry to a specific village. Once there, Xin meets Ying Zheng, the king of Qin. He looks almost identical to Piao, and this is where Xin learns that Piao served as a body double for the king - an assignment that ultimately costed him his life in a power struggle over the throne initiated by Ying Zheng’s half-brother, Cheng Jiao.
Although Xin is furious with the king, he eventually agrees to help Ying Zheng and joins his army to reclaim the throne.
However, Xin is no ordinary soldier and soon finds himself in situations that prove he may be able to help Ying Zheng achieve his goal of a unified China - and, along the way, become the greatest general of all time.
This Level of Historical and Tactical Depth is rarely seen in any other Manga!
If you read some of my other articles about historically inspired manga, you will know that I am OBSESSED with historical accuracy paired with creative freedom. I just love to see real stories adapted in wonderful new ways with some crazy action sequences and compelling characters.
In Kingdom, you get all of that!
Not only does Kingdom follow the historically accurate timeline of this period and its wars & political affairs, but it also includes real historical figures that are close to what the scriptures and sources of that time tell us. This makes it not only fun for history nerds like me, but it also allows readers to learn a few things about a historical period they may have never heard of before.
It is sad that in Europe and the US, we rarely learn about the history of East Asia, even though it is filled with so much beautiful and fascinating history. That’s why Kingdom is one of the best ways to explore this part of human history and expand your horizon. Especially considering that most historical manga either adapt the big moments of Western history or Japanese history, we are finally getting a manga that looks at other parts of our world – so incredibly thrilling!
But that is not the only thing that makes the reading experience of this story so gripping.
Ever since I was a kid, every single part of our history felt thrilling and captivating to me. I could get obsessed with any possible period and focus for hours once it caught my attention. However, war was never something that I could dive into as much. I just never found joy or excitement in this type of man-made despair. For that reason, warfare and tactics weren’t interesting to me – until I came across Kingdom.
Don’t get me wrong. I still find the history of warfare horrible and appalling, but the way Kingdom portrays tactics makes it feel so incredibly clever and engaging. It is like watching Prison Break or La Casa de Papel, where every time a dangerous or mission-threatening moment happens, you think: “No, this is it. How will they solve this?”
But then they solve it in a way that is just so fun to follow along.
If I had to compare this feeling to a manga, it would be like reading Death Note combined with Vagabond or Vinland Saga.
Doesn’t that sound exciting?
The Manga Community Yearns for Grounded Stories!
Nonetheless, historical and tactical accuracy are not the only points that make this manga so popular in Japan and highly anticipated in the West.
The manga is filled with action sequences that rival other Shonen and Seinen at the top.
We see large-scale battles with details that make you wonder how much time the mangaka spent on each panel.
And of course, the world feels so incredibly real thanks to the impressive worldbuilding that could rival stories like One Piece.
But what also makes this story so appealing is that it fills a gap in the current line-up of manga. At the moment, we have a lot of sci-fi or fantasy plots scattered around, and if we get something more grounded, it is usually romance or slice-of-life. Yet the community loves grounded stories with action and emotional depth like Vinland Saga or Vagabond. And with both being concluded or on hiatus, there is a gap that needs to be filled.
The community, myself included, wants stories with a realistic feel and a more grounded world that feels authentic.
Kingdom delivers exactly that, and with a level of quality that earns it a place alongside the titles mentioned. In that sense, it is almost a savior in a time of desperate need and makes the yearning for this title’s release in English completely understandable.
Kingdom is a Must-Have Series to follow along!
In conclusion, Kingdom is by far one of the most anticipated manga right now not only due to its amazing quality in terms of historical accuracy, depiction of tactics, portrayal of action and fights, but also due to its perfect timing of filling a hole that is now ripped open after Vinland Saga was concluded and the hope for Vagabond finishing is lost for now.
And because this manga has been going for a while and we are definitely way behind the original release, we will have some material for a while. This is why VIZ is aiming for a monthly to bi-monthly release schedule, which is just perfect for a lengthy series like this.
And to make this even better, the series will start this year, 2025. So, the long awaited release and the end of our yearning will finally come soon!
If you may excuse me, I will pre-order the first two volumes – right now!
