Makoto Yukimura’s critically acclaimed manga, Vinland Saga, finally reached its conclusion after 20 years. Set in 11th-century Europe, the story follows Thorfinn, the son of a great Viking warrior, who grew up listening to the stories of old sailors who traveled to the legendary place Vinland. It’s said to be a warm, fertile land where no one needs to fight. That’s strikingly different from the frozen village where Thorfinn grew up, where war looms worse every year. The manga has a total of four arcs, with the first two (the War Arc and the Slave Arc) being adapted into the first two seasons of anime.
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WIT Studio released the first season of the anime in 2019, but it was then handed over to MAPPA, and they released the second season in 2023. Fans are still awaiting the third season, which is still awaiting an official confirmation. Now that one of the best seinen manga has officially ended, all that’s left for fans is to wait for the anime news as well as explore other seinen shows. Lucky for us, this classic historical seinen series is just as amazing, even though it doesn’t have as much popularity in the West… at least not yet.
Kingdom Is Slowly Gaining Recognition Among the Western Audience
Yashuhisa Hara’s epic historical seinen, Kingdom, debuted in 2006 and became one of the best-selling manga series in history. The manga currently has 76 volumes and 110 million copies in circulation. Only 23 manga in history have crossed the 100 million milestone, such as One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, etc. While the list is heavily dominated by the shonen demographic, Kingdom secured its spot in November 2023. In December last year, the series officially had over 110 million copies in circulation.
Kingdom outsells globally famous seinen classics such as Vinland Saga, Berserk, Vagabond, etc. However, all these years, Viz never released an English version on any official platform or distributed the volumes globally. Hence, the series had a comparatively limited global audience, remaining consistently popular in Japan and East Asia while struggling elsewhere, until now. Luckily, in February 2025, Viz announced that the series would release the English version of Volume 1 in Fall 2025. It will take years to get all 76 and the upcoming volumes to be released, even with its current trajectory of a volume a month, but at least the series will finally be able to reach a wider audience.
As for the anime, it also had several issues in the beginning. The anime currently has five seasons, and the sixth season is set to be released in October 2025. Unfortunately, the first three seasons only had subpar animation, which didn’t do justice to the manga’s spectacular art and storytelling. The adaptation significantly improved after Season 3 when Studio Pierrot collaborated with Studio Signpost and did away with the predominantly 3D CG aesthetic. The fifth season covers the Kokuyou Campaign Arc, the 16th story arc of the manga. The manga is publishing its 28th arc, so there will be several anime seasons in the future. With the anime improving its quality and the manga getting an official English translation, it won’t be long before Kingdom gets the recognition it deserves in the West.
What Is the Plot of Kingdom?
The story is set during the warring periods in China, following a young orphan boy Xin, who spends his days practicing swordsmanship with his sworn brother, Piao. The two dream of becoming generals who command armies in war. Although the role is honorable, it’s equally dangerous, but the path to achieving their dream won’t be easy because of their lineage. Despite their talents, for orphans like them, climbing all the way to the rank of general is an impossible dream. However, when tragedy strikes, the 14-year-old 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 further chaos as the battle for the throne continues among the princes. Although Xin and Zheng’s first meeting happens in tragic circumstances, the two must overcome their differences to achieve their goal. Xin decides to protect Zheng to honor his brother, who died in the prince’s place. And thus begins Shin’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. Kingdom may not have the exact same message as Vinland Saga, but now that it approaches a full 20 years of serialization, it’s poised to leave behind a similar legacy while continuing to carry on.
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