Kingdom

Set during the Warring States era in ancient China, Kingdom follows a young boy named Ri Shin who grows up among soldiers after losing his parents to the chaos of war. He trains relentlessly, dreaming of commanding armies and shaping the fate of a nation. When a curious encounter sets him on a different path, Ri Shin finds himself crossing paths with a boy-king named Ei Sei who has grand plans to unite the fractured kingdoms under a single rule. As the duo navigate treacherous court politics, battlefield campaigns, and the brutal realities of strategy and sacrifice, the story explores ambition, loyalty, and the cost of leadership without revealing its ultimate outcome. Both men confront costs of power and ambition.

Directed by Shinsuke Sato, Kingdom adapts the popular manga by Yasuhisa Hara and brings the epic to the screen in 2019 with a production that emphasizes large scale battles and meticulous period detail for audiences worldwide with wide appeal globally.

Box Office: The film earned about $50,574,061 worldwide, reflecting solid international interest in a high spectacle adaptation of the manga. Its revenue underscores Kingdom's appeal across multiple territories, drawing audiences to sweeping war dramas steeped in history and myth globally.

Kingdom's live action adaptation brought a sprawling world to screens and sparked conversations about faithful period detail, armor design, and choreographed battles. Fans often cite the film's bold scale, production values, and convincing war sequences as a benchmark for manga to film transpositions in East Asian cinema. Within fan communities.

Reception & Themes: Critics praised the film for its ambitious scope and performances, particularly by Kento Yamazaki and Ryo Yoshizawa who embody Ri Shin and Ei Sei. The story examines authority and loyalty, the moral costs of unification, and how personal bonds shape national destiny amid brutal conflict across generations.