Almost 20 Years Later, One of The Best-Selling Series of All Time Makes Its Global Debut

Yasuhisa Hara’s award-winning historical seinen, Kingdom, debuted in 2006 and became one of the best-selling manga series in history despite never being officially available in the West. The manga currently has 77 volumes and over 120 million copies in circulation, ranking right beside worldwide classics such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, and more. Only 23 manga series in history have crossed the 100 million milestone, and it’s evident that the list is heavily dominated by the Shonen demographic. Even so, Kingdom secured its spot on the list after outselling globally famous seinen classics such as Vinland Saga, Berserk, Vagabond, etc. After almost twenty years, Viz finally released the English version of the first volume in November this year, and many more are on their way.

The dates for the first six volumes have been decided, and they will be available by April 2026. More volumes will continue to be released next year as well, as Viz has its work cut out for them since they have dozens of volumes and years of brilliant storytelling to adapt. Surprisingly, as readers await new volumes of the manga, the official X handle of Shonen Jump confirms that the manga is now available on their app. While only a few chapters have been added so far, there’s no doubt that the app will catch up after some time. Despite being one of the most deeply nuanced and incredible series of all time, Kingdom has had a comparatively limited global audience, remaining consistently popular in Japan and East Asia while struggling elsewhere, until now.

What Is The Plot of Kingdom?

Set during the warring periods in China, the story follows a young orphan boy, Xin, who spends his days practicing swordsmanship with his sworn brother, Piao. The brothers dream of becoming generals who command armies in war. Although the role is honorable, it’s equally dangerous, and only those with a higher social status are able to climb the ranks. Despite their talents, for orphans like them, becoming a general is an almost impossible dream due to their lineage.

However, when tragedy strikes, at the age of 14, Xin finds himself in the middle of palace politics, trying to save Ying Zheng, the rightful heir to the throne, who has been chased out of the palace by his stepbrother. The kingdom plunges into chaos as the battle for the throne continues among the princes. Although Xin and Zheng’s first meeting happens in unfortunate circumstances, the two must overcome their differences to achieve their goal. Despite being reluctant, Xin decides to help Zheng honor his brother, who died in the prince’s place.

After the initial friction between the duo, the story continues Xin’s epic journey as we see him growing from a young boy to a renowned general whose name reaches far and wide in the kingdom. The series also has an anime adaptation, which faced severe backlash during the first three seasons and only improved its quality with Season 4. The anime debuted its Season 6 as part of the Fall 2025 lineup and is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Prime Video.

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