The Unknown Boy is the 1st chapter of the Kingdom manga.
Summary[]
The story starts in 245 B.C. during the Warring States period of central plains. In a village within the state of Qin, two preteen boys, Shin and Hyou are in the middle of training as they spar against each other with their wooden swords. Taken in by the Village Chief as a show of kindness they are treated practically as slaves they train their swordsmanship nearly every day so that one day when they become strong enough, they can become Great Generals Underneath the Heavens by going the battlefield.
One day, as the boys are training, an old man happens to pass by in his carriage, one look was enough for him to take an interest in them. He laughed at their dreams of becoming the greatest Generals throughout all of Zhongyuan, yet the old man saw something in these boys and a day later arrived in their village where he revealed himself as Shou Bun Kun, a minister of Qin. He proposed to adopt one of the boys, namely Hyou, who would go with him to the capital to serve as a military officer at the royal palace. Hyou pleaded for Shin to go with them to which he was sternly told that he'd be the only one to go to go with him to the capital. Hyou asked for a single night's time to consider it and after discussing it with his friend Shin, Hyou agreed to follow Shou Bun Kun.
After a month had passed rumors about an uproar in the palace started trickling into Shin's village, the second in line for the throne had supposedly performed a coup d'état. After hearing this, Shin worries about his friend's fate. That same night Hyou appeared at his doorstep carrying a grievous wound. As the Chief’s family gathered, Hyou confirmed the rumors about the coup and revealed that his mission was involved with it. Fearing he would be followed there, Hyou took out a map and gave it to Shin, asking him to go to the location marked on the map. Shin begs Hyou not to die, reminding him of their dream. Hyou tells Shin that their wills have become one and that they will achieve their dream together. After embracing his friend, Hyou took his last breath and died.
Characters[]
- Jouto Village
- Shin (flashback and main story)
- Hyou (flashback and main story)
- Village Chief (Jouto) (flashback and main story)
- Village Head's son
- Village Head's wife
- Unnamed local merchant
- Unnamed itinerant merchant
- Unidentified other villagers
- Royal Palace
- Ei Sei Faction
- Ei Sei (indirect mention)
- Shou Bun Kun (flashback and main story)
- Sei Kyou Faction
- Sei Kyou (mentioned)
- Ryo Fui Faction
- Ryo Fui (mentioned)
- Ei Sei Faction
High Points[]
- The era of the 500 year Warring States. The year is currently 245 B.C.
- Both Shin and Hyou's parents died when they were incredibly young, are taken in by the village chief and have been living in a small farmhouse for over ten years now.
- They have to work in order to get food and shelter.
- They are aiming to be the greatest generals in China's history
- Shin vs Hyou 332 wins, 333 loses and 587 ties.
- Shin can’t cook or clean.
- Hyou is bought by Shou Bun Kun, an official, to work at the palace as a military officer.
- Some ministers are using the king's younger brother to seize control of the throne.
- Hyou gets caught in the coup d’état and was severely injured as he was a body double for the king.
- Hyou gives Shin a map and a mission, he needs to go to a village called Kokuhi.
- Hyou dies in Shin's arms.
- Ryo Fui has the highest authority in Qin.
Trivia[]
- This Chapter is the first official release of the manga but came after four related one shots by Hara - Kongo (金刚), Horse and Liquor for 300 Soldiers, Li Mu and Hai Yin, and Meng Wu and Chu Zi.
- The first episode of the anime covers the first two chapters of the manga. The first episode follows Chapter 1 almost identically except for a few details.
- At the cover page of this chapter, Ri Shin is shown in his Great General's attire. If this is a glimpse of the future or just random thematic artwork is still unknown.