Kingdom is quite likely one of the longest manga we’ve never gotten a chance to read in English. It’s passed 77 volumes in Japan, and Viz Media finally picked up Yasuhisa Hara’s series for a worldwide release. It’s daunting to think of how much there is to go when we’re only just beginning a new series like this. But the plus side is, after reading the just released first volume, it feels like perhaps a blessing. It means we know this compelling and well-paced series will come out at a steady rate, now that it’s on the way here, and we won’t need to wait months and years for the next installments.
Editor’s Note: There will be some mild spoilers for the Kingdom manga below.
While this is a Warring States manga that offers some historical elements and insights, Kingdom very much feels like a typical shonen series at times. After establishing this is a time of war, we meet Li Xin, who is sparring with Li Piao. The two are orphans and best friends who are basically raised as brothers. While they’re slaves now, they’re constantly training in hopes of becoming the “greatest generals under the heavens.” That all changes when Lord Changwen sees them training in the field while traveling and buys out Piao to work in the capital at the Kingdom of Qin Royal Court.
That’s when we start to get the motivation and impetus for basically all the events of Kingdom. Everyone is telling Xin that the royal court is a bloodbath. That because of the current state of war, nobody’s safe. They tell him Piao is probably already dead. And then, one day after, Piao drags himself back to Xin’s door. He’s in fine attire, but dying. He showed up to warn Xin about the successful coup and provide a map to the village of Heibei, warning him to escape.
It’s because of this intense focus on Xin from the very start that I feel like Kingdom immediately sets itself up to both be a historical manga, but one that uses that character-driven element to keep it compelling. Yasuhisa Hara is setting up Xin as someone to root for. He becomes important to us because of the drive he showed when training with Piao, the heartbreak that came from seeing him half dead, and the mission to accomplish their goal of becoming a great general for the both of them. And all of this is all only happening in the first chapter, quickly establishing why we should care and stick with the series.
The rest of that volume continues the kind of pacing and mentality. Even though the family that owned Xin and Piao treated them terribly, there’s a moment when the son attempted to stand up and respect the fallen servant he cared for. We see that there’s an assassin first pursuing Piao, now Xin. On his journey to Heibei, Xin encounters obstacles. There are even flashbacks that further establish what the two brothers meant to each other.
Then, there’s the fantastic hook to keep us reading the Kingdom manga. Once Xin reaches Heibei, we realize why Piao was scouted. Why he was brought to court. Why he wanted Xin to get to Heibei. There, he finds a hut and meets Ying Zheng. He’s the true king of Qin, determined to unify all kingdoms in China under him. And just like Piao told Xin to head to Heibei so his brother would meet him, he told Zheng that Xin is stronger than him and needed to be at his side. We’re seeing the meeting that could result in both the king and our hero achieve both their dreams.
Which is why now I’m so glad we’re getting Kingdom now. The manga moves at such a fantastic pace, with something constantly happening and vital developments coming up every chapter in the first volume. The characters are compelling, with motivations that immediately catch a reader’s attention. It’s a situation in which we need to know what’s next. And because it took all this time for the Kingdom manga to appear in English, volumes will release at a pace that won’t keep us waiting for the next part.
Volume 1 of Kingdom is now available, and Viz Media will release volume 2 of the manga on December 16, 2025.
