So I started a new manga a while back, called Kingdom. Ever since then, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from people about what I think on it. Specifically, I’ve been getting asked whether Kingdom is a manga worth getting into. So basically, why is the Kingdom manga so reverred? Why is it so respected? And why is it so loved by its fans? I don’t know about other people, but for me, I believe it is rather simple.
Kingdom is a popular manga series because of its heavy realism, which gives it’s characters a sturdy realness and charm, and it’s villains a truly potent sense of intimidation and power. However, the greatest reason will have to be the battles. Kingdom’s battles are extremely advanced, and epic spectacles that keep you on the edge of your seat due to the charm of your heroes, and the dread the villains give you. Finally, Kingdom is popular due to it’s story. Not only is it a retelling of a famous historical time period in China, but also it is told through many turns, and unexpected subversions of typical manga tropes.
Though I tried to do my best, I am sure that the explanation needs a more detailed explanation. Therefore, in this article, we will be covering:
- Why You Should Read/ Watch Kingdom
- The Downsides of Kingdom
- What Writers can learn From Kingdom
Why You Should Read/ Watch the Kingdom manga
1. Realism
Kingdom feels very real.
One of the most common compliment that the TV show ‘Game of Thrones’ used to receive was that it felt real. This is why many people liked it. There are a number of reasons given as to why the viewers felt like that. The nudity was one reason, another being the morally grey characters, and the detailed world building. But the most interesting reason given was that no one was safe. Game of Thrones felt real because anyone could die. That is the perfect description of Kingdom.
Anyone can die in the Kingdom manga
Kingdom is a story that feels like anything is possible. The world of Kingdom is detailed, since it is a story that takes place in the real Ancient China. This means that most characters in the world have to consider the world whenever they take actions. They have to consider if they will have enough food for a journey, or military campaign. Characters have to consider the weather, and whether their men have enough rest before the next battle. They even have to consider the morale of their fighters. It is not uncommon for numerical superior armies to lose a battle against an inferior army, merely because the men did not have the same moral level.
Kingdom feels real because the world feels real, and it seems anyone could die. Consequentially, it makes us get closer to our main characters, and fear for their lives more, while making us cheer for their successes more. Which leads us to the next point.
2. Kingdom manga Characters
The characters are charming, captivating, and awe-inspiring, sometimes they are all these together.
There is a reason why an author may not want to make their world feel too real; either than ability. If the world is real, then the characters themselves will be judged by the readers on real standards. Readers are going to ask if they like a character or not as a person. And most people are not that charismatic. So are kingdom characters charismatic? Absolutely.
The likable ones are interesting
The main characters that we follow are some of the most self-less, warm, and entertaining people you will meet. To watch them interact feels so cozy, like how you would feel with your real friends. Add to that the additional charisma that these characters have and you find yourself constantly surrounded by a charismatic bunch. Take Shin for example, our lead character. He starts of the story as a slave boy, and yet, you could never tell. From the time he was a child till today, he and his best friend, Huo, have always had a dream. To be great generals. This is so that they can win their freedom. Watching this character push through his life with a cheerful personality, and constantly chasing his goal, literally never stopping to cry and pity himself, is an inspirational sight that can only be experienced as you read the story.
The non likeable ones are interesting
Additionally, some characters are not likeable in Kingdom, yet they are not any less captivating. When they appear on screen, it is hard to look away. Such a character is Ousen. This character is not likeable. He is always serious, and literally never jokes. He also does not have extreme anger like Moubu, which can be amusing, nor does he have extreme seriousness like other characters. Instead, Ousen is just emotionless, this blandness being heightened by his face mask. Yet whenever Ousen does make an appearance in a chapter, that is never a boring chapter. He is always followed by some shenanigan’s, and it is captivating to see him use his mind to solve unrealistic situations.
The awe-inspiring characters are… well, awe-inspiring
Finally, you have the awe-inspiring characters. There are few characters in fiction that have a weight to them, and Ouki is one of those characters. The mention of his name makes other characters in the story stumble, and it is so weird, because it makes even me, the reader, start. This shows you just how much weight this character has.
Kingdom has a number of characters like this throughout its story, which makes it hard to hate any of the characters. Even the villains. Speaking of which…
3. The Villains
Kingdom’s villains are tragic, sympathetic, frightening, and despicable.
Kingdom has some of the most fleshed out villains that you could ever read about in fiction, who carry a certain energy to them in the plot. The technique that Yasuhisa Hara uses to make sure his villain’s weight felt throughout the story is distinct introductions.
When Kingdom begins, we already on the back-foot, not knowing why nor from who. This goes on for a number of chapters, and ends with our lead characters barely surviving. At the end of this arc, and only after all this, the characters finally meet the main villain. When that man walks into the room, and he hovers over all the other characters, it is unspeakable. The amount of power that he holds over our heroes, and thus the level of threat he has, is absolutely terrifying.
How Hara characterizes Kingdom manga villains
After sufficiently displaying his villain’s power, Hara will then start to characterize the villain before our eyes. Without even knowing the villains backstory, we usually know exactly who the villain is, and what he wants. This is further used to inspire fear, as we realize that the reason the villain is not harming our heroes is like a paper chain holding back a lion.
Then, Hara will do the unthinkable. He ties the villains to our heroes. It is not uncommon for our heroes to fight a villain, and kill many of his men, and he kill our friends, then the battle ends. Following that, a new villain appears, and suddenly, our heroes find themselves having to fight side by side with the man they know is super powerful, and has reason to want them dead. I hope I do not have to stress to you just how nerve wrecking these story spans tend to be. Usually, they do end with a final battle against the partner-villain.
Finally, we learn of our villains backstories. The tragic nature of the villains backstory is such that it shows us why the villain believes what he does. This fleshes out the villains, and makes us realize how human they are. Also, it makes us realize how bad our heroes are. It is not uncommon to find yourself entirely convinced you are cheering for the bad guys. Yet you can’t help but push for it, as there is no other choice. or maybe there is. Man! I still don’t know and that’s what makes it so beautiful!
4. The Battles
The battles in Kingdom are the most epic, and intelligent spectacles in manga that I have read, and maybe even in fiction.
Manga tend to have the same resolution to battles. At the height of the battle, the heroes will power up and defeat the villain. If it is a battle of multiple people, the power up takes the shape of reinforcements arriving, and thus they slay the enemy. In the Kingdom manga though, magic power ups and scarcely used. Even if a character has something similar, they are not able to take on an army alone. They need back up. So that leaves the reinforcement option, which is also not often used in Kingdom‘s manga. Instead, reinforcements are always from the same army as the heroes. No, what is used to win battles in Kingdom is strategy. And boy is it used for a lot.
Logistics win the battle
From reading the weather, calculating food and the logistics for food, to using the wind, flags, and even morale, Kingdom’s battles require the optimal level of all these things for one army to be able to overcome another. This is not even counting basic things like terrain. Since only those with the optimal position of these can win, that means Kingdom’s battles feature a strategic, mind tug-of-war. Also, Hara will fluctuate the battle such that some times one party holds the upper hand, and at other times, another holds the upper hand. This creates a roller-coaster of emotions.
Finally, the climaxes. The climaxes of the battle usually feature the losing side realizing what the enemies plan was all along. in this way, we see that the enemy had a winning strategy all the while. This is how all Kingdom manga battles end. Knowing this, you may begin starting to figure out what the plan of winning is. This fun technique makes the story feel like a game for the viewer, and it is so rewarding.
5. The Story
The story of Kingdom is gripping, and shows someone who has mastered the basics of storytelling.
The core premise of the story makes it good, but what makes the story better, is how it is told. The premise of the story is a king trying to unify all of china. This can be a good and interesting premise. it promises massive fight scenes, battles and political intrigue. However, that’s when Hara takes a basic good story, and makes it great. And it is through a simple use of perspective.
This is something that cannot be explained in words, as it would only be spoilers, so I will give a rough draft of what I mean. Basically, the story tells a number of misdirecting stories, and makes us bond with a number of characters, who turn out to not be that important to the overall story. This creates this gripping feeling of insecurity, and the thought that you may not know what is going to come next. That keeps the story fresh, and makes a basic, good premise to be something that is great.
The Downsides of Kingdom manga
As great as Kingdom is though, it would not be fair to not warn you about a number of things that you may see when you read the manga. This is so you can prepare yourself.
- Gore: The battles in Kingdom tend to be so detailed, that you may see a man cut in half, and his internal organs fall out. While this raises the stakes, and fear factor, it can be quite surprising to see at first.
- Sexual Violence: Kingdom does not glorify war, and tries to go a long way to show the type of atrocities that wars could lead to. One of those being sexual violence.
- Child endangerment: Again, due to the nature of the world, it is common to see children growing up without parents. As a result, these children suffer terrible frightening things, and may do somethings themselves in order to survive.
- Slavery: Our main character was a slave too, so there’s that.
What Writers Can Learn From Kingdom
You need to make your stories as real as possible.
A common misunderstanding that authors have, especially fantasy writers, is that their story does not need to be realistic. This is not true. Your story should be as real as you can make it, even if it is fantastically. If not physically real, then there should a be a sort of spiritual/thematic realism in the story.
The back bone of Kingdom is its realism. It makes the characters brighter, the villains scarier, the world bigger, and it makes everything feel that much more grounded. It is not that hard to do either. You may not wish to kill your favorite character, or have them fail. The next best thing is tell the story from the perspective of characters you know do not matter that much. That way you may do all you wish with their storyline. You will also be beginning your road to mastering mastery.
