I've always been a bit puzzled as to why Kingdom isn't any more popular on this site. Despite having been publishing on a consistent weekly basis for nearly a decade by now, and despite being one of the highest rated manga on MAL, I still essentially never see anyone talk about it. It almost feels like people aren't even aware that it exists. I think this is very unfortunate, because they're missing out on what is perhaps the most inspirational manga I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
The story takes place during the Chinese Warring States period. After a full 500 years of constant warfare
...
between the various states of China, the bloodshed still shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. It is here our story begins with a young man named Shin who has the naïve dream of becoming the greatest general in all of China. After accidentally becoming involved in a conflict over the royal throne of the state of Qin, he eventually ends up serving under the new young king who has the ambition to one day unite all of China under one banner.
As a result, Kingdom is a manga of epic proportions, containing large scale warfare with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, advanced military strategizing and incredible intensity. The battles are long and complicated, but perfectly understandable as the author's style of writing is extremely detailed and also utilizes tons of tactical maps, overviews and time jumps to explain the flow of combat. It's intelligent but without requiring much from the reader in order to keep up with the plot.
At the same time Kingdom also has extremely in-depth national politics and diplomacy between nations, further enhancing the overall sense of realism. Speaking of which, it should be stated that the manga is in fact based on true events and characters from Chinese history. Of course it's only loosely based on it as the historical records only dictate *what* happens, but the author is the one who decides *how* it happens. In other words he manages to create a story which is perhaps exaggeratedly epic, yet still never contradicts the actual true events.
The best part of Kingdom however is undoubtedly the characters. The story covers many years of time, and thus you get to see how everyone gradually grows and evolves over the course of time in very high detail. There are hundreds and hundreds of notable figures in the story, consisting of generals, commanders, soldiers, civilians, politicians, royalty and more. Especially the main military figures are superbly written, with incredible charisma and all with their own individual traits. The vast majority of them are almost impossible to dislike, regardless of which state they may come from. The amount of color they bring to the battlefield simply cannot be understated, and it feels like they're not just raising the morale of their respective soldiers in the manga itself, but the morale of the readers as well. At the same time, some of the death scenes in this manga are some of the most tragic and emotional death scenes I've ever seen in media. When one of your favorite characters passes away, you will truly feel it. Furthermore, the sheer amount of inspirational and downright moving speeches throughout the course of Kingdom is simply astonishing. The author truly knows how to touch the hearts of the readers with the way he's written the story. I really cannot praise him enough for it.
The art is extremely high detail and helps to amplify the level of intensity of the story. Especially the armies and the battlefields look simply fantastic and sometimes it makes you feel like you're really there. While it may not exactly be on the level of something like Berserk in terms of visuals, it's still more than enough to appropriately showcase the cold and harsh reality of the field of battle, and deliver that atmosphere to the readers first-hand.
Kingdom has some very long arcs occasionally during the more drawn-out battles, and I'll just say here and now that when you're in one of those segments, it's effectively impossible to stop reading it. Why? Because every single chapter ends in a huge cliffhanger! This is one of those stories which just keeps teasing you and forces you to keep reading the next chapter. And the next one. And the next one. And the- ...you get the idea. Point being that despite it having over 400 chapters published at the time of writing this, you can still easily read through all of it in just a few days, no problem whatsoever. It's just *that* addictive once you start.
Overall, in my eyes Kingdom is a manga which seriously needs more attention. I'm still not sure exactly why so few people have read it, but I really wish more people would give it a chance because it truly is one of the most influential and impressive manga out there. It stands out as a very atypical manga to begin with, but above all it is exceedingly rare for a story to be so action-packed, so intelligent yet so incredibly emotional all at the same time.
 Alternative TitlesJapanese: キングダム More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: Unknown
Chapters: Unknown
Status: Publishing
Published: Jan 26, 2006 to ?
Demographic:
Seinen
Serialization:
Young Jump Authors:
Hara, Yasuhisa (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #122 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #51
Members: 189,827
Favorites: 16,292 Available AtResources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 54 / 57
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May 15, 2015
I've always been a bit puzzled as to why Kingdom isn't any more popular on this site. Despite having been publishing on a consistent weekly basis for nearly a decade by now, and despite being one of the highest rated manga on MAL, I still essentially never see anyone talk about it. It almost feels like people aren't even aware that it exists. I think this is very unfortunate, because they're missing out on what is perhaps the most inspirational manga I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
The story takes place during the Chinese Warring States period. After a full 500 years of constant warfare ... 
Jun 16, 2013
The community for this manga isn't very active on here so I thought I'd do my bit and promote this manga by writing the first review.
The story itself isn't novel, it starts off normally in a cliché manner with two war orphans who dream of becoming the greatest generals in all of China. The appeal of this series isn't due to originality but more to do with the investment you feel with the characters. There are a number of characters that have been introduced so far and had their pasts explained in some detail. This is definitely a series where a lot of focus ... 
Nov 23, 2013
So, this is the first review for me so some things may not sound as good as the ones you've seen!
The community for the Kingdom manga isn't that big at all and I hope it can expand with a bit more hype! Story: 9/10 As you've probably read the synopsis for the Kingdom manga already, you've realized it sounds simple and not as enticing, but you're completely wrong! Kingdom completely expands then blows away those expectations you had for the manga in general. The story consists of multiple Chinese based wars and a shifts in internal politics and in which each war plays ... 
Sep 11, 2018
Kingdom is a series that people like to hype up these days and indeed has a great premise of ancient Chinese warfare that harkens back to wide spanning stories such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms. However, its poor presentation and repetitive nature causes it to be about as impressive as a second-rate Shonen.
Now, it certainly isn't an absolutely terrible series (though it being rated a 5 and not a 1 should make that obvious). It seems to have some semblance of war strategies and some of the supporting characters do develop as the story goes on to some extent. The main complaint of the series' ... 
Jul 1, 2015
I was confused after seeing that the manga "Kingdom" didn't have that many reviews, considering that it is ranked in the top 10 manga on MAL; hence the review, as it deserves more attention. The title of the manga does not seem interesting at first glance, which is a shame, as it actually is much more intriguing. Kingdom is a military seinen manga, based on true historical recordings, enhanced with a lot of action and drama.
~Story~ The story itself appears to be generic and nothing new at first glance - an orphan,young boy called Xin, who aspires to become a great general, meets the young emperor ...
Feb 16, 2014
I'll be doing my first review in honor of this more than awesome manga. I think it's high time it gets the 10 it deserves. I'll be using the Japanese names as the anime is in Japanese and the manga currently translated with Japanese names and it get's too confusing using the Chinese names.
Story The story is not in itself original. I know what you're thinking, a young boy wants to be a hero, how would that be different from most other popular fighting manga? Well, although it doesn't differ that much, it tells the story in a fantastic way that it really doesn't matter that ... 
Nov 5, 2015
Main plot: Interesting
I didn’t know much about the warring states period, and find it really great to have a manga talking about the subject. Of course, don’t take what you read for taken, but the manga seems to follow the historical story fairly well. (If you are curious about it, try “kingdom manga history” in your favorite search engine. There is some nice work out there.) Regardless of its fidelity, it’s a nice way to be introduced to the topic. Story telling: Redundant and cheesy At first, I quiet liked how the story telling was done. It’s well paced, I ... 
Sep 16, 2024 Recommended Funny  Preliminary
(800/? chp)
Kingdom to me just lacks class. I think series that handle heavy and ambitious topics should be treated with adequate respect and sense of tonality/tact befitting them. Kingdom fails terribly in this regard for me, just feels like a childish iteration especially relative to the only other "War" manga I read that also covers a certain period in ancient Chinese history (The Ravages of Time). I wasn't very fond or impressed with Kingdoms characters or story. Only perspective I found genuinely interesting is Ei Sei's. The Art style wasn't a problem as I was reading it but looking back on it I just don't really
...
Sep 24, 2014
This is one of my all-time favorite ongoing manga series being produced. It seems to be ranked high overall but I think this is a highly underrated manga and the community seems dead or quiet. I hope if you take the time to read this that I will persuade you to pick up this wonderful series. Fans of Vagabond, Berserk, and Vinland Saga should be drawn in to Kingdom.
History Kingdom is a historical Seinen based on the Warring States Period in China. A time of constant war between the 7 states of China, it would last for 500 years until a King would unite all the ... 
Apr 27, 2015
This is My First Review I Hope You Like it,And Sorry For My Bad English(I'm From Egypt).
Story: 9/10 The Story Of This Manga is From The Kind That makes You Stick in Your Chair. This Story Makes You Love Wars. The Story Talks About two Orphans Whose Parents Died From Wars. The Story Starts When Xin Goes To The Village And Meets Piao. In Your First Impression You Will Think That This Is A Traditional Story,But When You Get In The Story You Will Think The Opposite,From The Great Things That The Story Takes Place In China That Means That We Will See A Lot Of Action And Bizarre Great Things. From ... 
Jul 30, 2022
Kingdom is literally a fucking masterpiece for manga in general, i have only very few complaints here and there, but they don't take any points off the score for me in any way, there will be very minor spoilers in this.
For this review instead of using the chinese names, which MAL does, i'll be using the japanese ones. Story The story is about Shin and Ei Sei whom each have their own goals but work together to accomplish them. Particularly what invests me so much into the story is the way it plays out, you are actually going on campaigns here in their own arcs, which is super ... 
May 31, 2023
I have consumed thousands of episodes of Anime-Manga. I've watched and read dozens of different types of content.
I have read many fantasy novels. But I have never seen a series that impressed me so much. There are many reasons for this, but the biggest one is that the story is true. Of course, there are parts of fiction, but when you think that these wars really happened, one is really impressed. The characters are very good, it's also good to witness their their progress. There were dozens of moments that got me excited while reading, and made me wonder "how we're going to get out of ... 
Mar 2, 2019
Have you ever flipped a page of a manga, then suddenly screamed out with a fiery passion that only a shonen protagonist would have after viewing the contents of the next spread?
No? Then you my friend, are missing out on one of the greatest manga series ever. Kingdom is a story that follows a certain servant boy, as he rises up to become a great general of the heavens, during the warring states period in China. In essence, you could say that this is your average shonen protagonist that screams a lot and does the impossible, who slowly matures over the course of the story. However, it's ... 
Nov 27, 2017
What can I say, other than if you enjoy anything related to ancient warfare, and especially China, that Kingdom is one of the best treat that you can get for yourself.
______________________ Enjoyment. The enjoyment that you will get from this manga is simply off the chart. All you need is a bit of epic music in the background to accompany your reading (I recommend two steps from hell). Do not even bother watching the anime unless you feel the need to appoint some voices to your favourite characters (I do admit they didn't mess that up at least). _______________________ ... 
Feb 22, 2015
"An eternal struggle by men risking their lives that never come to an end. Good grief, this is exactly what makes these chaotic times so interesting."
- General Ouki Story: The manga is based on the tumultuous 500 year warring period of China. ... 
Jun 13, 2017
To start it off, I have no problem saying Kingdom is one of the greatest manga out right now. With all the incredible writing, breath-taking action, and page turning intensity, you'd think this manga would be more popular. But alas with poor anime adaptions and a lack of a proper English release, I guess this series is destined to remain underground, which is unfortunate because that means so many people are missing out on how truly fantastic this series is.
To give a cliffnotes version of what this story is about. We have an orphan boy named Shin who has a dream of becoming the greatest ...
Jan 21, 2024
Kingdom is one of the greatest pieces of fiction ever written. The arcs the fights the characters the art everything is master class there is no lack of action of intensity in any given arc. The story is unpredictable not forcing you to pick sides showing you the terrors of war. Shin is a beautifully written main character and maybe seen as a nuisance at times but he is truly one of the greatest developed characters in all of manga history. This is the perfect war manga and a great read for anyone looking for a long yet rewarding story. I 100% with all my
...
Jan 14, 2020
This is THE MANGA, for people who grew up playing things like Dynasty warriors, who know the story of the Three Kingdoms so well they want something similar yet, different, so we go back in time even further to experience the Warring states period. I LOVE THIS MANGA. The art the characters. I'm just about finished with the coming of age arc for the second time(I got about this far before droping it). I wish the story was a bit faster, it seems like a lot of promotions of the characters are just fillers for the main event, and what long fillers they are...
Jun 28, 2025
If you're fascinated by history, military strategy, political maneuvering, and emotionally charged battles, then Kingdom is one of the few manga (alongside Ad Astra and Ravages of Times) that truly delivers on all fronts.
At its core, Kingdom is a war epic unflinching, intelligent, and full of heart. What makes it stand out in the manga landscape is its unique historical setting: the Warring States Period of ancient China, an era vastly underrepresented in modern media compared to the more popular Three Kingdoms or Japan's Sengoku Jidai. By grounding the story in this lesser-known yet incredibly rich period, author Yasuhisa Hara taps into a world brimming with ... 
Aug 23, 2020
Man, kingdom is a manga that really exists in a weird place for me.
One on hand, I think this is one of the greatest pieces of art ever created, with gravitating characters, a fantastic story based on real history, and gorgeous art. On the other hand, I think kingdom has it's fair amount of flaws. Let me say this, although kingdom has it's fair share of flaws, I still consider this series to be amazing out of pure enjoyment. Kingdom is a story about warfare, specifically the warring states period of China, wherein the first unified Chinese empire was formed. Our main character, shin, ... |
