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5th Live-Action Kingdom Film Casts Aju Makita, Mizuki Yamashita
posted on by Joanna Cayanan
The official website for the live-action films of Yasuhisa Hara's Kingdom manga announced two new cast members for the fifth film, Kingdom: Tamashii no Kessen (Decisive Battle of the Soul), on Friday.
Aju Makita as Kō
Mizuki Yamashita as Yō
Previously announced new cast members include:
- Jun Shison as Mōten
- Kenji Sakaguchi as Kanki
- Fūju Kamio as Ōhon
- Satoshi Hashimoto as Chōtō
- Yajūrō Bandō as Mōgō
- Ayumi Tanida as Ōsen
- Takashi Sasano as Saitaku
- Ryoki Miyama as Hakurei
- Kōsei Yūki as Kōyoku
- Takumi Saitō as Shunshin-kun
- Aoi Nakamura as Keisha
- Wataru Ichinose as Rinbu-kun
- Kai Shishido as Ordo
- Katsuya as Kanmei
- Ayaka Miyoshi as Karin
- Kei Tanaka as Gohōmei
- Kento Shibuya as Seikai
Yasuhisa Hara's historical manga centers around the slave boy Xin and his dream of becoming a great general for the state of Qin. Xin helps Ying Zheng, the young Qin king who shares his desire to unify China, rise to power within the state. Xin does all he can to become a superior commander of an army capable of defeating the Seven Warring States.
Kento Yamazaki is reprising his role of Xin (Shin). The cast also includes Ryō Yoshizawa, Kanna Hashimoto, Yūki Yamada, Etsushi Toyokawa, and Shun Oguri.
Shinsuke Satō (live-action Gantz, Death Note Light up the NEW world, Bleach) is also returning to direct. Tsutomu Kuroiwa (Black Butler, Golden Kamuy) wrote the screenplay with Hara. Yutaka Yamada (Bleach, Golden Kamuy -The Hunt of Prisoners in Hokkaido-) is composing the music. Shinzō Matsuhashi is producing.
The film will open in Japan on July 17.
The first live-action film opened in Japan in April 2019, and eventually earned a cumulative total of 5.73 billion yen (about US$53.2 million). Funimation screened the film at Anime Expo in July 2019, and screened the film in theaters in the United States and Canada in August 2019. The second film Kingdom II: Harukanaru Daichi e (To Distant Lands) opened in Japan in July 2022, and earned 5.16 billion yen (about US$37.8 million), making it the highest-earning Japanese live-action film in Japan in 2022.
The third film opened in Japan in July 2023 and ranked at #1 in its opening weekend. The film had the best opening weekend among all three Kingdom films to date. The fourth film opened on July 12, 2024. Netflix began streaming the fourth film in January 2025.
The record-setting manga launched in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump magazine in 2006. Viz Media will release the manga in English starting in November.
The first television anime adaptation premiered in 2012, and a second series premiered in 2013. Funimation streamed both series in North America and released both anime series on DVD in 2016. The third anime series premiered in April 2020. The show went on hiatus after four episodes due to COVID-19, but then resumed airing in April 2021. The anime restarted its airing from the first episode. Funimation streamed the anime as it aired in Japan.
The fourth series premiered on NHK General in April 2022. Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired. The fifth season premiered in January 2024, and aired for 13 episodes. Crunchyroll also streamed the season as it aired. The sixth season premiered in October and ended with the announcement of a sequel.
The manga is also inspiring a second stage play adaptation that will run in Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka starting in August.
Sources: Live-action Kingdom films' website, Comic Natalie
