Why didn’t Ou Ki oppose Ei Sei in Kingdom?

Ou Ki was known to be the strange bird of Qin, who know one understood. His intentions, motives, and thoughts were a puzzle to the world, including the young king Ei Sei.

When Ei Sei was storming the palace to take over the throne from Sei Kyou, Ou Ki brought the rebellion to a standstill. The general asked him why he wanted to be the king and what it truly meant. Ei Sei’s response led to Ou Ki leaving the palace and letting the young king accomplish his conquest.

So, why exactly didn’t Ou Ki stop Ei Sei? What did he see in the young prince?

Ou Ki was an ardent follower of King Zhao, Ei Sei’s grandfather. He had instructed his greatest general to serve a worthy king after his passing. Ei Sei’s reply made Ou Ki realize that he could be the one to reunite the six states and hence didn’t oppose him.

In season 1, numerous instances showed Ou Ki’s intentions towards Ei Sei. To begin with, he was impressed with the young king’s determination and hence let him defeat his half-brother.

Later, he helped the army fight in Wei by merely blocking the hill and preventing the enemy from getting hold of the vantage point. Although he didn’t fight in the battle, his mere presence struck fear in the eyes of the enemy and invigorated Qin’s soldiers.

However, we hadn’t seen Ou Ki bow down to Ei Sei. This was because he still wanted to test and understand if he was worthy enough. In the final episode of season 1, it is revealed that Ou Ki was very much willing to bow down to his king. In fact, he even told how he would join Ei Sei in his quest to reunite the Chinese Empire.

This incident occurred before the Sixth Great General of King Zhao went into his last ever war. He kneeled before Ei Sei and told him the last words of King Zhao. He further revealed how the latter wanted his fiercest general to keep these words a secret and only disclose them to a king worthy enough to hear them.

Before calling Ei Sei, ‘My King,’ he told him that he hadn’t shared any of this with Ei Sei’s father. It was an indirect way of telling the king that Ou Ki had finally found a King in whom he could put his faith.

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.