Controversial Did Kingdom really fell off or is folks on Copium and Hopium as usual?
- Thread starter Warchief Sanji D Goat
- Start date
Zhao conquest has dragged too long for my taste and Hara can't draw anything involving Riboku interesting enough. It is a borefest,hence the reason it became good again for the few chapters he focused on the Han campaign.
He started like what? 2016-2017 The Zhao conquest and we still at it with a small intervals in the middle.... We are surely about to hit 10 years before we move from.that shit..
He started like what? 2016-2017 The Zhao conquest and we still at it with a small intervals in the middle.... We are surely about to hit 10 years before we move from.that shit..
I do think there has been a dip in quality since Post-WZI Arc. That being said, it is nowhere near as bad as some wazzocks are claiming it to be and there are a few reactions that range from overblown niggling at best to negative IQ revisionism at worst because we got users here that have clearly forgotten whole sections of the story. 
What do you think, @MarineHQ @Elder Lee Hung
Kingdom definitely hasn’t reached the heights of Western Zhao, the best manga arc in the history of manga, but it’s still a strong 8/10 series and the best manga of all time.
Kingdom is only hated on WorstGen because a select group of low IQ dogs are running some weird meme trend and the rest of the community are just natural sheeple following that trend, outside of WorstGen the manga still has a very strong following, and Kingdom in 2025 was the fifth highest selling manga in the world.
I don’t discuss Kingdom on WorstGen anymore but as always Wara can’t stop winning baby.
Kingdom is only hated on WorstGen because a select group of low IQ dogs are running some weird meme trend and the rest of the community are just natural sheeple following that trend, outside of WorstGen the manga still has a very strong following, and Kingdom in 2025 was the fifth highest selling manga in the world.
I don’t discuss Kingdom on WorstGen anymore but as always Wara can’t stop winning baby.
There is a dip in quality for sure
I'd say there is problems in older arcs but they used to be 8+/10. The last two arcs tho were shite.
The Han and SBS battle are not Kingdom quality, as much as L'ee tries to cope otherwise. Kanki's arc had problems too.
Overall Kingdom was peak from the beginning until the Zhao civil conflict with a couple dips like the Kisui arc or Shin killing Houken.
you have the Kanki arc which wasn't as good as i expect of Hara (acceptable tho), the shit show of Ousen's defeat followed by whatever that Han arc was supposed to be.
This arc will show If Hara can still do it or not which i personally don't think he can. I expect an above average battle at most and nowhere near the quality this manga used to produce on a weekly basis.
I'd say there is problems in older arcs but they used to be 8+/10. The last two arcs tho were shite.
The Han and SBS battle are not Kingdom quality, as much as L'ee tries to cope otherwise. Kanki's arc had problems too.
Overall Kingdom was peak from the beginning until the Zhao civil conflict with a couple dips like the Kisui arc or Shin killing Houken.
you have the Kanki arc which wasn't as good as i expect of Hara (acceptable tho), the shit show of Ousen's defeat followed by whatever that Han arc was supposed to be.
This arc will show If Hara can still do it or not which i personally don't think he can. I expect an above average battle at most and nowhere near the quality this manga used to produce on a weekly basis.
Unfortunately yes, Kingdom doesn't have the same energy, level of care, detail, etc. it used to have for the first 600/700 chapters.
Not that it's become bad perse, it's still more enjoyable than 99% of manga out there and I'm just here for the memes. 
Its almost like he realized that he spent TOO LONG on the pre-state conquering segment of the manga... that when we actually started getting into the REAL UNIFICATION part, he had to speed up it up, or else he ends up writing another 800+ chapters...
Let me rephrase this: we spent over 800 chapters and yet not a single state has been defeated yet.
Not every mangaka is a crackhead like Loda who is content spending half his lifespan writing the same trash over and over. Hara is around his age, but did not receive the same popularity, advertising and opportunities as the OP franchise did.
Kingdom started in 2006 and has been running for almost TWO DECADES by now. You can already see the cracks appear in the writing and the art. Just compare recent arcs like Hango or Gian to old ones like Bayou and Sanyou and the difference is honestly like night and day.
Its sad to see, but it looks like we'll be slugging through horribly put-together arcs from now on, where there is no more passion put into the writing, so we get lame random melee duels here and there with no clever thought behind them, until Hara can fill his checklist of "yep, this state is done, now next one..."
Let me rephrase this: we spent over 800 chapters and yet not a single state has been defeated yet.
Not every mangaka is a crackhead like Loda who is content spending half his lifespan writing the same trash over and over. Hara is around his age, but did not receive the same popularity, advertising and opportunities as the OP franchise did.
Kingdom started in 2006 and has been running for almost TWO DECADES by now. You can already see the cracks appear in the writing and the art. Just compare recent arcs like Hango or Gian to old ones like Bayou and Sanyou and the difference is honestly like night and day.
Its sad to see, but it looks like we'll be slugging through horribly put-together arcs from now on, where there is no more passion put into the writing, so we get lame random melee duels here and there with no clever thought behind them, until Hara can fill his checklist of "yep, this state is done, now next one..."
I've been a weekly Kingdom reader since around 2012 or 2013. I still remember reading the raw scans of Mougou vs. Renpa because the English translation hadn't caught up yet. I loved this work so much that I even translated over 20 chapters into Arabic—the only manga I’ve ever done that for. Even when One Piece declined, Kingdom took the number one spot for me.
However, nothing stays great forever. Kingdom currently has many issues that have accumulated over the years.
The Loss of Charismatic Generals
The biggest selling point of the series was always Qin generals vs. enemy generals. But since Kanki's death, everything has changed. Tou has essentially retired, and Moubu has been stuck in Chu for ages, leaving us with only Ousen and Yotanwa.
The issue isn't that unique generals like Ouki, Mougou, and Kanki died; it's that Hara failed to replace them with new, interesting characters. I could even overlook the controversy of Shin’s revival because Kanki and Tou were still around. But now? Am I supposed to read for the "vase" Ousen? No way. Hara could have given the Trio the spotlight while still introducing cool new generals, but instead, we are stuck with Rokuomi and the same side characters from the beginning. Compared to the legends of the past, the current cast is boring (except maybe Ouhon).
Fake Hype & Supernatural Elements
I hate "fake hype"—something Oda does often in One Piece. Situations where characters look like they will die (like at Gi'an or with Danto recently) but survive miraculously are frustrating.
Furthermore, Hara is introducing elements that don't fit Kingdom, like the "aura" archers. It feels like he doesn't know what he's doing, similar to when he admitted he maybe shouldn't have written Shin's death/resurrection.
I never thought I’d skip arcs in One Piece, but now I find myself doing the same with Kingdom's Han arc. The series is clearly not what it used to be—and that’s not just because of the stupid Jiaga stuff
However, nothing stays great forever. Kingdom currently has many issues that have accumulated over the years.
The Loss of Charismatic Generals
The biggest selling point of the series was always Qin generals vs. enemy generals. But since Kanki's death, everything has changed. Tou has essentially retired, and Moubu has been stuck in Chu for ages, leaving us with only Ousen and Yotanwa.
The issue isn't that unique generals like Ouki, Mougou, and Kanki died; it's that Hara failed to replace them with new, interesting characters. I could even overlook the controversy of Shin’s revival because Kanki and Tou were still around. But now? Am I supposed to read for the "vase" Ousen? No way. Hara could have given the Trio the spotlight while still introducing cool new generals, but instead, we are stuck with Rokuomi and the same side characters from the beginning. Compared to the legends of the past, the current cast is boring (except maybe Ouhon).
Fake Hype & Supernatural Elements
I hate "fake hype"—something Oda does often in One Piece. Situations where characters look like they will die (like at Gi'an or with Danto recently) but survive miraculously are frustrating.
Furthermore, Hara is introducing elements that don't fit Kingdom, like the "aura" archers. It feels like he doesn't know what he's doing, similar to when he admitted he maybe shouldn't have written Shin's death/resurrection.
I never thought I’d skip arcs in One Piece, but now I find myself doing the same with Kingdom's Han arc. The series is clearly not what it used to be—and that’s not just because of the stupid Jiaga stuff
It did fell off, but I don't think Hara focusing too much on Zhao is the problem. If anything, arcs such as Hango felt rushed and would benefit from some additional details.
Now that a lot of old characters are gone it's time for Hara to give more spotlight to Ouhon and Mouten. It's anoying that they are constantly sidelinened and their battles don't get nearly as much screentime they deserve. Yotanwa was also done dirty by Hara, I don't get why did he make her 6GG in the first place if he doesn't want to give her some hype. Hope there's still time to fix that.
Now that a lot of old characters are gone it's time for Hara to give more spotlight to Ouhon and Mouten. It's anoying that they are constantly sidelinened and their battles don't get nearly as much screentime they deserve. Yotanwa was also done dirty by Hara, I don't get why did he make her 6GG in the first place if he doesn't want to give her some hype. Hope there's still time to fix that.
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Hara's over-reliance on flashbacks is a big part of the issue, imo.
Storytelling feels too ad hoc and impulsive. Nothing gets to simmer so arcs end up feeling rushed.
Hara should have paced their progression better post Coalition War so we could've had more organic entry points for them to take the spotlight with consistency in high leverage moments.
It should not have taken the better part of 700 chapters for them to become generals, or 800 chapters for them to get experience as key players and deputies in charge of large armies in a campaign.
I have no rational explanation for it.
Storytelling feels too ad hoc and impulsive. Nothing gets to simmer so arcs end up feeling rushed.
Hara should have paced their progression better post Coalition War so we could've had more organic entry points for them to take the spotlight with consistency in high leverage moments.
It should not have taken the better part of 700 chapters for them to become generals, or 800 chapters for them to get experience as key players and deputies in charge of large armies in a campaign.
I have no rational explanation for it.
Large-scale battles that drag on for 20 or more chapters were exciting for the first 500 chapters, but seeing the same fight scenes between one big group of Qin soldiers and another big group of enemy soldiers over and over again starts to feel stale. It only really gets interesting when Shin, Ouhon, or another major character actually fights a named opponent and the fight has real stakes or real consequences.
It would also be exciting to see Shin, Ouhon, or Kyou Kai finally get promoted and fill the remaining Great General spots, with the story treating it like the major moment it should be. That would feel like the payoff for all the experience, hardship, and struggle Shin has gone through over the past decade and a half.
Something new that we haven’t seen before could create some hype for people waiting for the next chapter, but at this point large-scale battles alone don’t do it anymore unless a character who we're invested in ends up dead.
Yo Tan Wa’s supposed death came out of nowhere and grabbed our attention for a moment, but too it didn’t actually happen.
Hajime no Ippo might have a similar problem given that it’s been running even longer than Kingdom and has over 500+ more chapters on it. But at least most of the fights in the boxing ring are one-on-one, and almost every moment inside the ring is shown to the readers step by step with a lot of detail. That helps keep the readers’ attention because it gives the feeling that at any moment, something worth noticing might suddenly happen in the middle of the chapter where the fight is taking place.
It would also be exciting to see Shin, Ouhon, or Kyou Kai finally get promoted and fill the remaining Great General spots, with the story treating it like the major moment it should be. That would feel like the payoff for all the experience, hardship, and struggle Shin has gone through over the past decade and a half.
Something new that we haven’t seen before could create some hype for people waiting for the next chapter, but at this point large-scale battles alone don’t do it anymore unless a character who we're invested in ends up dead.
Yo Tan Wa’s supposed death came out of nowhere and grabbed our attention for a moment, but too it didn’t actually happen.
Hajime no Ippo might have a similar problem given that it’s been running even longer than Kingdom and has over 500+ more chapters on it. But at least most of the fights in the boxing ring are one-on-one, and almost every moment inside the ring is shown to the readers step by step with a lot of detail. That helps keep the readers’ attention because it gives the feeling that at any moment, something worth noticing might suddenly happen in the middle of the chapter where the fight is taking place.
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