Kingdom: Season 4

So we’re back again today, with the latest overall review of the Kingdom animation, Season 4, written and illustrated by Yasuhisa Hara.

After experiencing the phenomenal season which was season 3, involving the coalition of 6 out of 7 nations all coming together, bringing along with them their top generals and military techniques from each nation against the nation of Qin.

I had thought to myself that I had seen it all and made up my mind that season 3 of Kingdom was by far the best season of Yasuhisa Hara’s historically profound masterpiece but Lord have mercy on me, season 4 was announced and stole my heart quickly ascending to become one of my top 5 animations of all time.

The fourth season of Kingdom first aired from the 10th of April 2022 to the 2nd of October 2022 by NHK Enterprises with the season consisting of 26 spectacular episodes.

So many resolutions, infighting, and matters that all started from the very first season of Kingdom were addressed during this season, so let’s get right into it.

Chancellor Lu Buwei finally makes his move to get his hands on the crown of Qin, which would inevitably make him the King of Qin, and to make this possible he plays every cunning method in his arsenal to achieve his goal.

Everything comes to a full spiral when all three factions within the inner palace come to butt heads as new alliances are formed, old alliances end in betrayal and new nations are born from within.

Love plays a pivotal role in this season which in turn is best demonstrated through the incredible development seen from supporting and main female characters.

There were moments during this season that had me begging for the survival of certain characters and some moments that had me in complete awe.

The Kingdom series isn’t anything like your typical shounen manga and animation, plot armor isn’t used at every turn to give the protagonist of the story a sudden power-up to defeat their opponents, and characters whether supporting or main can die in an instant.

We finally get answers about Queen Dowager/Bi Ki and Chancellor Lu Buwei’s past, which in the end left me feeling completely defeated and overwhelmed.

The storytelling of Kingdom is so good and well done, at one moment you can dislike a character so much, and then within another episode, you are left second-guessing all that you thought you knew.

Not all heroes wear capes and Kingdom does a brilliant job of elaborating on this from the POV of certain characters.

Let’s not forget about the most important aspect of this season, the King’s Crowning Ceremony.

It was at this moment that Kingdom become one of my top 5 animations of all time. When you think about all the CGI that we went through from seasons 1 and 2 to finally see Zheng Ying being crowned the 31st King of the State of Qin.

This moment together with finally hearing how he plans to unite the entire middle kingdom sent chills down my spine and tears down my face.

The animation was crisp, the voice acting felt real and sincere.

Chancellor Lu Buwei’s ambitions are also true to a point but they would not end the endless cycle of killing that has kept pouring fire towards the animosity of nations against one another though they are one.

Happily, the fifth season has been announced however, sadly enough it will only be released in January 2024, that’s the whole year of 2023 without Kingdom but it is what it is.

If you’re looking for something different, something with effect, depth, and strategy elements then Kingdom is the anime for you. The beginning may be tough with the CGI but the story itself should give you the strength to push through.

Let me know what your thoughts are on the fourth season of Kingdom in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading…