The great Ren Pa once said that to be a Great General, a warrior needs the will, knowledge, strength, luck, and knowledge of a hundred men.
In Kingdom, a Great General is the highest-ranking position in any military structure, and those with this rank are considered the best of the best – living symbols of any state’s martial prowess, capable of leading armies of thousands into battle.
Most of the warring states of China, i.e., Qin, Zhao, Wei, Yan, Han, and Chu, use the Great General ranking system. Qin implements the system of 6 Great Generals, the greatest generals in the state, capable of fighting on par with the Great Generals of the other states.
Qin has had 11 Great Generals to date, divided into 2 generations. The second generation still has one vacant spot. But the final Great Generals of Qin will have new candidates.
The 6 Greats of Qin at the end of the manga will be Ri Shin, Mou Ten, Ou Hon, Kyou Kai, Kan Ki, and Yo Tan Wa. Since Kingdom is ongoing, we can assume that the final 6 Great Generals will consist of current Generals and surviving Great Generals from the second gen.
The Future 6 Great Generals of Qin
Here is the order in which they might rank (in terms of “Greatness”):
- Yo Tan Wa
- Kan Ki
- Shin
- Mou Ten
- Ou Hon
- Kyou Kai
While it won’t be much of a surprise to see our main 3 characters as Great Generals, it’s important to analyze how and why they make the cut.
1. Why will Shin become a Great General?
Shin will replace Tou as a Great General and become the new Ou Ki. He is currently the strongest of the younger generals and will grow to become the greatest of all, learning to hone his offense and defense, intuition and strategy, just like Ou Ki.
He has already started using Ou Ki’s glaive, which is a great way for mangaka Yasuhisa Hara to say that this kid is one day going to become as great as his master.
Shin, who has finally reached the rank of General as of the Western Zhao Invasion arc of the manga, has really come a long way.
From leading a squad of a mere 100, to being the commander of a 15,000-Man army, Shin is a worthy candidate to become Great General.
He even managed to slay Hou Ken, one of the Great Heavens of Zhao, and the person who killed his mentor, Ou Ki.
Plus, since Shin is the main character of the series, it’s obvious that he will gain the highest rank.
It has to be said, though, that Tou will either need to retire or die for Shin to be able to become a Great General.
2. Why will Mou Ten become a Great General?
Mou Ten will become the new Ko Shou, who was the grand strategist amongst the Great Generals of his time. Mou Ten is the smartest among the younger generals, and by the end of the series will learn to coordinate the tactical moves of the other generals.
Mou Ten is also Shou Hei Kun’s prodigy. This is a reason some people believe that Mou Ten won’t become a Great General but become like Shou Hei Kun instead – a high-ranking strategist general that oversees the whole Qin army.
I do believe he will become Great General though, because Shou Hei Kun’s master was Ko Shou. It just makes sense.
Mou Ten is also Great General Mou Gou’s grandson. Mou Gou himself admitted that Mou Ten the most talented man to be born into the Mou Family in the last three generations.
Although Mou Ten has hardly grasped the full scope of his talent, he has already managed to snag the rank of General and it won’t be long before he reaches Great General.
3. Why will Ou Hon become a Great General?
Ou Hon will replace his father Ou Sen and take his place as Great General. Ou Hon has the highest overall stats among Shin and Mou Ten and is considers the best spearman in the younger generation.
He is Shin’s rival and definitely deserves a spot on the final set of Qin’s Greats.
He’s come a long way, honing his spear technique to perfection, so much so that his attacks are compared to Wei Fire Dragon Earl Shi.
During the Battle at Shukai Plains, managed to kill the Zhao General Gyou’un, saving his dad in the bargain. For this, he was appointed as a General and put in charge of the Gyoku Hou Army.
4. Why will Kyou Kai become a Great General?
Kyou Kai will become the new Kyou since she is already her reincarnation in terms of battle.
She hasn’t even been appointed as a General yet, but this is only because she refuses to leave Shin’s unit. But Kyou Kai will soon lead her own unit, nevertheless considering Hi Shin Unit as her home, much like Kyou did with Ou Ki.
Her journey began with Shin, and honestly, as far as battle experience and prowess is concerned, Kyou Kai sure is at par with Shin, Mou Ten, and Ou Hon. So if they’re up there as Qin’s 6 Great Generals, Kyou Kai deserves a spot there too.
It’s not like she doesn’t aspire to become one either, since after she attained her revenege by killing Yuu Ren, she vowed that she would work hard to become a Great General next.
So, while she is only a 5000-Man Commander right now, Kyou Kai will eventually grow to become one of Qin’s 6 Great Generals.
5. Why will Kan Ki and Yo Tan Wa remain part of Qin’s 6 Great Generals?
Kan Ki and Yo Tan Wa are 2 members who are already part of Qin’s second generation of 6 Great Generals. Since I don’t see them dying anytime soon, I think they might stay on as Qin’s final 6 Greats.
Besides, they were the last ones to be made Great General in the second generation, so it might be too soon for them to be cast aside.
Unless Hara decides he wants Heki or someone else to become Great General along with the 4 mentioned, Kan Ki and Yo Tan Wa will stay on.
Now, let’s discuss the current and past 6 Great General of Qin to see how my prediction makes sense.
The Past 6 Great Generals of Qin:
Here are the original 6 Greats, i.e., the first generation of Qin Great Generals.
- Haku Ki
- Ou Ki
- Kyou
- Ko Shou
- Ou Kotsu
- Shi Ba Saku
They were the first 6 Great Generals chosen by King Sho, attacking and conquering cities on the King’s behalf.
Kyou, for example, conquered 99 cities before she was killed by Zhao’s Hou Ken. Haku Ki, the leader, killed 400,000 Zhao prisoners in cold blood, going toe-to-toe with Ren Pa multiple times.
Ou Ki, the greatest general Qin has ever known, was so strong that he scared off opponents with his mere aura. His offensive and defensive skills are the standard for the younger generation of generals today.
Since the first generation’s conquests came about 19 years before the main story, we are only meant to sense their abilities and feats if not know the details of them in full.
But their existence holds great significance for all who come after them. Most of the powerful generals of the current generation walk in their shadows. The future Great Generals of Qin will be chosen keeping the greatness of the original 6 in mind.
The Current Great Generals of Qin
With Ei Sei’s reign of power, the Great General system in Qin was revived. Currently Qin has 5 Great Generals:
- Mou Bu
- Tou
- Ou Sen
- Yo Tan Wa
- Kan Ki
In chapter 671, the new generation of 6 Great Generals was announced during the Appointment Ceremony.
(The sixth great general will likely be either Mou Ten or Ou Hon, to add some extra drive for Shin to become better. Alternatively, we may stay at 5 Generals, the older ones retiring or dying, in time to be replaced by the younger generation.)
Mou Bu has unrivaled strength, a complete beast during battle – and incidentally the one who suggest Ei Sei to revive the 6 Great General system in the first place. Comparing him to the first generation, I’d say he replaces Ou Kotsu, known for his brute strength.
Tou is one of the most experienced generals in Kingdom currently, displaying his craft during battles against Chu, Wei, and Han. He follows in his master Ou Ki’s footsteps, replacing his place as Great General.
Ou Sen is a strategic genius, so much so that the readers can never be sure of his loyalty and intentions. His similarities to Haku Ki are hard to ignore.
Yo Tan Wa is basically an outsider from the mountains but her efforts in helping Qin survive the Coalition Army’s invasion and the Western Zhao invasion are commendable. I’d say she probably replaces Kyou from the previous gen.
Kan Ki was bit of a wildcard with many supporters and haters all at once. He loves battle and will wage war just for the fun of it. It’s hard to say, but Kan Ki replaces Shi Ba Saku.
Conclusion
Hara has made sure to have characters that are similar to certain legendary predecessors. If you see, almost every character currently alive in Kingdom has a blueprint to follow, someone’s name and greatness to hold up. Shin, for example, will carry on the legacy of Ou Ki, just has Tou did.
But each character is also unique in their own right. It’s important for each of the future Great Generals to have at least one advantage or one trait over the others to ensure that the 6 Great Generals are well-balanced in terms of power.
Every generation must have Great Generals who are one-of-a-kind but also reminiscent of previous Great Generals. Thus, the future 6 Great Generals I have listed make sense.
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.
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