The original work is a Sengoku battle manga by Yasuhisa Hara. It began serialization in Weekly Young Jump in 2006, with the first anime season airing in 2012, the second in 2013, and the third in 2020. A PlayStation Portable game was released in 2010, and a live-action film was released in 2019, making it a popular work that has been adapted into various media. The story is set in China during the Spring and Autumn Warring States period. The protagonist, Shin, a war orphan, and Sei, who would later become the first emperor of the Qin dynasty, strive to achieve something no one has ever accomplished before: unify China. While the story is based on historical facts, the personalities and appearances of the characters, as well as the war situations of the various countries, have been adapted to make it easier to follow and more interesting for the manga. This time, I would like to introduce the plot of the story, following the original, up to the recapture of the throne. Please be careful as this contains spoilers if you haven't seen it yet!
Shin and Hyo's Quest to Become the Greatest Generals in the World
During the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period, Shin and Hyo train in swordsmanship in the countryside of the Qin state. They are war orphans, cared for by the village chief. War orphans are usually forced into slavery, so even being able to live a normal life is a blessing. However, the two want to escape this life as soon as possible. Shin and Hyo's goal... is to become the greatest generals in the world, with their reputations heard throughout China! The only way for these two poor, unconnected people to achieve a wealthy life was to become strong, achieve military success in war, and become a great general. To achieve this, they devoted all their time outside of household chores to intensive sword training, fighting an astounding 1,253 times. This shows how serious they were about becoming a great general.
Hyou suddenly finds himself serving the royal palace
Kingom Syobunkun, one of the royal palace's ministers, arrives at the house of the chief where Shin and Hyou live. It turns out that Kingom Syobunkun is the wealthy samurai Shin and Hyou met while practicing swordsmanship. It is impossible for a war orphan to suddenly serve in the royal palace, and the leader is overjoyed that someone from his family will be serving in the royal palace. Hyo is happy, of course, but he says that only Hyo can be taken, and that Shin is not OK with it. Hyo, who has shared good times and bad times with Shin, cannot make an immediate decision. Shin, who has secretly overheard the conversation, regrets that he was not chosen, but still wants Hyo to go to the royal palace. Hyo also has feelings for Shin, but he has no intention of missing such an opportunity. "We're both heading to the same place!!" he tells Shin, urging him to catch up with him, and heads off to the royal palace. It is a scene that depicts the bond between the two men and their tenacity in their ambitions! Why was only Hyo chosen? Now that we know, it doesn't matter, but it must have been very frustrating for Shin at the time.
Why Hyo was chosen, and there's another Hyo...
Shin, worried about Hyo, who had gone to the royal palace after hearing rumors of a power struggle within the palace, heard a noise in his bed and opened the door to find Hyo, who was supposed to have gone to the palace, collapsed in a pool of blood. As Hyo lay dying, he was entrusted with going to Kohi Village. Shin didn't know what was going on, but with Hyo's feelings in his heart, he ran to Kohi Village. At the location shown on the map, all he could find was a lone shack. Shin doesn't understand what's going on, but when he goes inside, he sees Hyo, who was supposed to be dead... Hyo is the spitting image of Sei, the king of Qin, and had been scouted by Changwenjun to be a double. Shin is filled with anger, realizing that it was Sei and Seiwenjun who killed Hyo, but an assassin who had been pursuing Hyo closes in on him. Shin defeats the assassin and tries to kill Sei as well, but Sei says he cannot just let himself be killed, for the sake of those who died protecting him. Hearing that Hyo is one of them, Shin's heart wavers. Putting aside the question of whether or not to kill Sei, Shin and Sei decide to work together to pursue them and then escape.
Hyo accepts the job with full understanding
After accompanying Prince Changwen to the royal palace, Hyo is told why he was brought there. Prince Changwen, who brought Hyo, who looks identical to Masa, as a substitute, tries to reassure Hyo that he is in no danger, but to be on the safe side. However, Masa, who has overheard this, bluntly tells Hyo that even though he is confident, he is not certain, which is why he is using a double. Despite hearing that there is no guarantee of safety, Hyo accepts the job with a smile and tells Masa about his and Shin's ambitions. Hyo, who was prepared to risk everything to achieve his ambitions, was probably prepared to risk his life long ago.
Muta, the King's Younger Brother's New Assassin
Shin, Masa, and Diao arrived at the royal summer resort where Masa and Lord Changwen were scheduled to meet. It was the summer resort of King Mu of the Qin Dynasty 400 years ago, and it was still in pristine condition. Mu Gong was a wise ruler who loved people so much that he even showed respect to the slaves of enemy countries, and he even formed an alliance with the fierce mountain people. After Mu Gong's death, the mountain people no longer had any contact with the Qin state, but they continued to protect this summer resort so as not to forget Mu Gong. As Shin and his friends were waiting for Lord Changwen and listening to the history of the Qin state, a new assassin, Muta, appeared. Having defeated the hooded assassin, Shin was feeling a little elated. He had underestimated Muta, assuming him to be weak based solely on his speech and appearance. Shin struggles against Muta, who uses poisoned arrows, but a word from Masa awakens him.
Karyo Ten receives a poisoned arrow from Muta
After being defeated by Shin, Muta quietly seeks his final resting place in the forest. Wanting to become even a little stronger and more useful, Ten sets her sights on Muta's poisoned arrow. She searches through Muta's corpse, trying to steal the arrow, but Muta is still alive. The dying Muta leaves the poisoned arrow to Ten in exchange for leaving him alone. Ten accidentally touches Muta's balls... As we later find out, Ten is a girl, so this reaction makes sense (lol).
Reunion with Syobunkun
Shin defeated Muta, but he had sustained considerable damage. As he lay dying, Muta mustered his last bit of strength, trying to take Masa's life. Then, Syobunkun, one of Masa's few subordinates and the man responsible for using Hyo as a double, appeared. The way he killed Muta with a single slash might make him seem more like a general than a minister. Shin tells him that Hyo has died and tries to blame him, but Syobunkun pays no attention and returns to Masa. Tears flow from Changwen's eyes as he is relieved that Masa is safe. To Changwen, Masa's life is more important than his own, so he must have been very worried. Of course, Changwen wasn't the only one who felt the same; all the generals and soldiers on Masa's side felt the same. Changwen believes that the reason this escape attempt failed was because General Wang Qi had joined the battle. Wang Qi was one of the six generals of the Qin Dynasty, and a great general who had once fought alongside Changwen. Wang Qi had shown no interest in Lu Jie's conflict, so Changwen was off guard, but the situation on the battlefield changed dramatically when Wang Qi entered the battle seeking a fight.
How Shin Can Become General...
After joining up with Lord Changwen's troops, Sei holds a strategy meeting to reclaim the throne. Shin cannot forgive Lord Changwen and Sei for indirectly killing Bai, but after hearing Bai's bravery from the wall, he tries to figure out what he must do now. Bai, who always showed him the way, is no longer with us. Shin asks Sei how he can become a general, but in his current state, he is unable to even reach the stage where he aspires to become a general. While the path to becoming a general is paved by military achievements on the battlefield, conscription is limited to families with above-average wealth among those registered in the family register. With no home and the status of a servant, it was a pipe dream for Shin to aspire to become a general. Hearing this, Shin thought he would be disappointed, but he agreed to cooperate on the condition that he would receive land, a home, and wealth once Sei regained the throne. This marked the beginning of Shin and Sei's journey to reclaim the throne.
Neutral Force: The Mountain People and the Mountain King, Yang Duanwa
After receiving the poisoned arrow from Muta, Diao learned that Lu Buwei, who was supposed to be Sei's ally, would not return to Qin until Sei died. With no allies in the royal palace, Sei and his men head off to meet the Mountain King in an attempt to gain the support of the neutral mountain people. The mountain people view Sei and his men as enemies and will not allow them to meet the king. The mountain people insist that Sei be the only one to meet with the King, so Sei sets off alone. Changwenjun, believing that heading into enemy territory alone would mean death, asks Shin to go and help him. Shin was fully prepared to do so. Shin, Diao, and Bi climb the cliff to rescue Sei... but are discovered by the mountain people and imprisoned. Yang Duanhe, the Mountain King, had no intention of cooperating and intended to kill Sei and his captured companions. However, after hearing Sei's great ambition to "unify China" and hearing Shin's passionate persuasion, she decides to lend her support.
On the way to Xianyang, the capital of the Qin Dynasty!
Shin and his men have gained the mountain people's allies, but they are vastly outnumbered—3,000 to their 80,000. However, Sei and Changwenjun see this as a good sign. Jie had planned to raise 400,000 troops against the 200,000 Lu forces, but only 80,000 actually gathered, and he was worried. If Jie could then offer 3,000 mountain people to join his side, he would welcome them with open arms. Sei, with this in mind, disguises himself as mountain people and marches to Xianyang. Shin and his men successfully infiltrate Xianyang, but only 50 people are allowed inside the royal palace. Reclaiming the throne with only 50 people seems like a foolhardy plan. Hearing news that everyone's weapons would be collected at the Scarlet Turtle Gate, located halfway up the palace, Sei chooses that to be the site of the battle. As soon as he arrives, Sei swings his sword, transforming the palace into a battlefield.
Thanks to Shin's efforts, they break through the Scarlet Turtle Gate
Shin and his men succeed in confusing the enemy with a surprise attack, but they cannot reach the throne unless they break through the Scarlet Turtle Gate. The Vermilion Turtle Gate was tightly closed and could only be opened from the inside. The high wall made the attack difficult, as they were often attacked from behind while climbing. However, Shin used his incredible physical strength to scale the wall and open the gate from the inside, breaking through the Vermilion Turtle Gate.
Shin vs. Saji
Shin and his men split into two groups: one with Masa and his men biding time at the front, and the other with Shin taking a detour to the main hall. The route the flanking force was taking was almost empty, thanks to a man named Saji guarding the path to the main hall. Riding on their momentum, Shin and his men mowed down Saji's troops, but Saji's two swings completely turned the tide. Defeating Saji meant only a short distance to the main shrine... Will Shin be able to defeat Saji, who combines strength and speed, and reach the main shrine?!
Shin Finally Reaches Seikyo
Shin, a flanking force, finally reaches the main shrine where Seikyo is. With the main hall empty of soldiers, victory for Shin and his men seemed certain, but Seikatsu showed no signs of composure. This was because Seikatsu had a monster named Rankai as a pet. Rankai was so strong that even the mountain people united could not defeat him, and Bajio, the strongest of the mountain people, fought well, but was unable to defeat him. Tajifu, Bajio, and everyone else held down Rankai, and Shin managed to defeat him by accurately hitting his vital points. Once Rankai was down, the royal family all tried to flee. Bajio and Tajifu killed Ketsu, who tried to escape by blending in with the ministers, and victory was finally a reality. All that remained was Seikatsu.
Seikyo Reclaims the Throne
Finally realizing he was cornered, Seikyo fled toward the Vermilion Turtle Gate where Sei and his men were. Sandwiched between Sei and his men at the Vermilion Turtle Gate and Shin and his men approaching from behind, Seikyo ordered his soldiers to kill Sei, but upon seeing Jie's head, the soldiers realized they had lost. With the help of Ou Ki, Sei finally reclaimed the throne from Seikyo. After being told by Ou Ki to strengthen his power, Sei begins his quest to unify China.
Summary of Season 1 of the Anime: A Plot Summary of the Story Up to the Reclaiming of the Throne (Spoiler Alert!)
What did you think? The story up to the reclaiming of the throne does not involve conflict between nations, and is merely a prologue to the main event of unifying China. However, it is this episode that deepens the bond between Shin, Sei, and Diao, and is the core of the story.
