Breaking Down Kingdom’s S5 Premiere- What Happened and Ending Explained

2024 has started off strong with the return of the anime Kingdom’s season 5, which will have your veins coursing for more action as it’s set in China’s warring states period.

Fans were on the edge of their seats after the tumultuous 7.5 magnitude hit Japan, which delayed Kingdom’s premiere from the 7th of January to the 13th.

In this article, we will unfold what happens in the first episode and shed light on its ending.

1. What Happened in Kingdom’s Season 5 Premiere?

The Premiere, titled “Monsters Take The Field” showcases the Ri Shin unit working with the Huan Yo army to capture the Kokuyou Hills of Zhao, however, their strategy failed.

The episode begins by giving an overview of the situation at hand – Ying Zheng has been crowned in Qin, which meant that Lu Buwei lost in the power dynamics.

In addition, in the state of Chu things were getting grim as King Kaolie died suddenly and the chancellor, Lord Chunsen had been assassinated.

Wa Lin became the new chancellor, she was an astute warrior as she was able to out wit Teng and Meng Wu in the Coalition battle.

This sudden change in the state of Chu, made the Chin (Royal capital of Qin) halt their invasion of Chu, as it had gotten stronger.

Meanwhile, the Hi Shin unit led by the protagonist Ri Shin advanced to the Kokuyou Hills (aka Heiyong Hills) a part of the state of Zhao.

Suddenly a messenger named Wu Yi Hu arrived at the Hi Shin camp and took them to the rendezvous point with the Huan Yo army, which comprised of a staggering 50,000 troops.

The Hi Shin unit comprised of 8,000 troops were the reinforcements for the Huan Yo army as the battle with Zhao was going to be a formidable task.

However, they were starkly different as the Huan Yo army and their general Huan Yi, were barbaric, they looted the villages as they passed, brought women, tortured and killed prisoners, etc.

Huan Yi was infamous for gouging out the eyes of the enemy.

When Huan Yo met Hi Shin he taunted that the Hi Shin unit was too “Naive” and would have to follow the Huan army’s way of doing things in order to win.

The following day, the Huam Yo army, swapped Na Gui, the battalion commander for the Shin Unit soldier Wei Ping.

Then the army compassing an astounding 58,000 troops moved forward to conquer the Kokuyou Hills of Zhao.

Meanwhile, the Zhao army moved from Liyan to the Kokuyou Hills with their commander Lord Ji Hu, and other officials like Liu Dong and Ma Cheng. In total, they comprised of 30,000 troops.

The commanding general of Zhao, Qing She, and the lieutenants Jin Mao, and Yue Ying also joined them with their staggering 40,000 troops, which amounted to 70,000 troops in total from Zhao.

The Hi Shin unit and the Huan Yo army met for a strategy meeting, where they deduced that to be victorious, they would have to capture the 5 main hills of the region.

In order to put this into action, they would need the Hi shin unit and the troops led by Lei Tu to cut a path through the dense woods and slow down the Zhao army.

So that they would successfully capture at least 3 hills, including the main one.

Huyan Yi had a condescending attitude towards Shin and referred to him as the former “servant”, however, Shin retorted and called him a former “bandit” and declared that he would bring Qing She’s head.

The Hi shin unit advanced into the dense woods towards the central hill. However, they weren’t familiar with the train and were facing some difficulties.

They were ambushed by arrows launched by the Zhao army and once they recovered and decided to fight back, they were attacked from behind with spears.

It’s like they were rounded up, surrounded on all sides. Just when Ka Ryo Ten decided that they should retreat to minimize the death count, the Lieutenant of the Zaho army, Ma Cheng showed up.

2. Kingdom’s Season 5 Premiere Ending Explained

At the end of the Premiere, titled “Monsters Take The Field”, the Ri Shin unit and the Huan Yo army’s strategy of capturing the central hill failed as the Zhao army had outsmarted them and ambushed them.

Since the Kokuyou Hills were a part of the Zhao army’s homeland, they were familiar with the swampy terrain and had an upper hand.

3. About Kingdom

Kingdom is a Japanese seinen manga series written and illustrated by Yasuhisa Hara.

The manga provides a fictionalised account of the Warring States period primarily through the experiences of the war orphan Xin and his comrades.

In the story, Xin fights to become the most significant general under the heavens, and in doing so, unifying China for the first time in history.