What's good y'all, another Kingdom thread. This time we're gonna discuss Gakuki, the God of Military. I'm gonna try my best to go as indepth as I can about Gakuki using historical information and of course every single detail we have of him in the manga. I hope you all enjoy this read. THE THREAD WILL CONTAIN HISTORICAL INFO, READ AT YOUR DISCRETION.
Portrayal
We are going to start with portrayal first rather than feats, since portrayal is the big thing he has due to not having done an on-panel battle. But we will break down the available achievement/feat that we do know in detail with the help of historical info later in the thread. So here's the portrayal.
The very portrayal he gets is that of individuals who an era has revolved around. Among them we have the 4 lords, politicians who had immensely powerful vassals with power rivaling that of actual Kings, Kanchuu who was a crucial politician in the 700s-600s BC in China's porgression. Then we get military figures, and the 1st one mentioned is Gakuki of Yan. Notice the emphasis given to Gakuki as an entity vs the other generals, by Hara adding on "Who shook the very earth". So in his first mention he gets established as this greatly powerful individual within the Kingdom-verse.
The next portrayal he gets is right before the coalition arc (and Hara does this for a reason, which we'll get into later in the feats section). The man who earlier is stated to have "Shook the very earth" is then elaborated on by the narrator to have balanced out the Zhao 3 - Qin 6, all by himself. Hara also then gives historical backing to his portrayal of Gakuki by bringing up two other crucial historical figures. The 1st being Zhuge Liang, for those who don't know he's mostly agreed upon by everyone as the top strategist of the 3 Kingdoms era. 2nd being Emperor Gaozu, also known as Liu Bang, he is basically the combination of Ei Sei & Shin combined into one as a military commander who would then become, the very 1st emperor of the Han Dynasty. So two great figures of era very close to the warring states era, considered this man Gakuki as the God of Military, despite knowing feats of Riboku/Hakuki/Ouki/Ousen/etc. No other general within the Kingdom-verse comes close to this portrayal at all.
This insane portrayal of Gakuki is then pushed further when Hara releases his experience chart in which he ranks 2 other very crucial generals of that era as well alongside him. We see Ouki & Hakuki having similar experience, with Hakuki just edging out Ouki slightly, then Renpa below both of them (all of it is justified in the manga, but I don't think anyone needs the explanation, but if anyone does feel free to let me know). Then above them, in a tier by himself, not even close to them, is Gakuki.
Now last but not least, getting into "Stats", while they don't tell the whole story, I think we can use to pain a rough picture or get a rough Idea of his standing.
Strength stat - Same as Ousen/Kanki.
Leadership stat - Same as Yotanwa, completed at 100
Intelligence - Same as Karin & Gouhoumei
Experience - completely unrivaled at SS
Then "Great General Factor" - Same as Renpa's
So just from a talent point of view, he's on par with the top generals. But then has the experience to further boost that talent. And experience is something that has been stressed numerous times throughout the series whether it before the importance of Martial Might (Weight and etc are experience driven) or Strategically (Ie, somebody like Tou being able to match and even outdo top strategists).
The size of this dude is insane. Gekishin is about the same size as Houken, who is about the same size or slightly bigger than Ouki.
This dude Gakuki on the other hand? This mf is towering over Gekishin. So even physically dude is a bloody specimen.
Now with his portrayal being unrivaled, let's get right into the feats section.
FEATS
I've been on record saying that to me Gakuki has the best feat in the manga when it comes to a general. And I really want to break this down as much as I can to try and convince y'all (since I'm aware I'm in the minority here for this stance).
Setting the stage:
There are only two states in the entirety of Kingdom story that have been referred to as "Superstates" so far. The 1st one is Chu, called a superstate in the Coalition arc, possessing the likes of Man'U/Sent'Ou/Jukou/Kanmei/Karin/Shunshinkun/Kouen + Lord knows how many more powerful military commanders we'll see. Possessing at that time nearly half of China's landmass. Hara even labeling the chapter "Superstate's invasion", and this is with them not fully utilizing their resources and what have you. This is a status that even the present Qin has yet to receive.
Qi about 40 years ago, was a superpower of a state much like the Chu. Instead of being east to west, Qi was north to south.
The state of Qi has pushed Yan to the brink of destruction. Where his advisor Guo Wei, came up with the idea to spend money to attract talented men. And lucky enough, they attracted a general who was from Zhao, but didn't get the opportunity in Zhao.
And near the brink of destruction is when Gakuki joins Yan for the riches.
Saving Yan:
In China right now, what people thought was that Gekishin + Gakuki saved Yan and countered the Qi, which is what Karyo Ten tells when explaining how Gekishin's reputation is.
However, in the following chapter, the narrator clarifies that and makes it clear it wasn't some teamup that saved the Yan, it was 1 single man who turned it all around. So while Yan is nearly about to be wiped out of China by Qi. Gakuki comes in and turns it around for the Yan, gaining all of the territory of Yan back in a devastating counterattack. This a bit like Riboku's return, except a more dire situation, and unlike Riboku, Gakuki recovers the lands of Yan. (The Coalition has not yet been formed).
After he recovers the lands of Yan, he proves his worth to the entirety of China. Remember what Riboku had to do in order to gain the credibility to form the Coalition? And even then he didn't have the credibility to become the face due to Shunshinkun, who was appointed the supreme commander of the coalition. So Gakuki in his counter to the Qi achieved feats superior to taking out Ouki + Gekishin in an overwhelming manner, to the point not only he had the credibility of actually forming the coalition army, he was appointed the supreme commander of that army.
Unlike the coalition army that was led by Riboku & Shunshinkun, the coalition army led by Gakuki went after all of the cities of Qi. The coalition of R+S only targetted crucial cities they needed to and aimed straight for Kanyou to try and finish off the Qin as quick as possible. This mf Gakuki on the other hand was doing a complete takeover. Furthermore, Gakuki in the 1st battle west of the River Ji, sent rest of the coalition armies home and only used the Yan army to attack the Qi's capital & rest of the remaining cities outside of two (historical info).
Before he could completely finish the state of Qi, something crucial happened, there was a change in the King of Yan. The new King of Yan had become insecure and saw Gakuki as a potential threat who would end up overthrowing him after the Qi was finished. So before Gakuki could completely take over the state of Qi with the Yan army, he was removed from command. And to show the insane impact this man had on the army, the moment this man was removed from command, Qi was able to launch a counter attack, recovering the land it now holds.
To me this is damn near insane unprecedented of campaign management, strategy, and leadership of a general. And some people try to discredit it with the idea "oh that era was weak" "oh they didn't have as many good generals back then"... but based on what? Hara goes out of his ways to tell us that he kept the power balance by himself in counter to Zhao 3-Qin 6, that's who Hara is comparing him to. As for the competition, to say it was weak is about as headcanon as me saying it was superior to now. Hara has yet to make a single statement on the present Qin generals surpassing the OG Qin 6, something he would def go out of his way to clarify since it's a main theme.
Conclusion
Now some have said Renpa/Riboku/Hakuki/Ousen are irl more recognized historically. Sure if you're talking about present day, Ousen specifically is recognized as the top dog of that era. However, people who lived closer to the Warring States era like the 1st emperor of Han and Zhuge Liang, they recognized Gakuki as the top dog. So it ain't like this mf doesn't have historical recognition. And what matters is how Hara is viewing it, and Hara is holding the words of those two entities over the present day historians' opinions on Renpa/Riboku/Hakuki/Ousen. Hara also doesn't agree with the takes of modern day historians who generally view Hakuki over the likes of Riboku. And there's a reason for that.
Gakuki - starting point was a nation on the brink of destruction and changing it into a powerhouse, then dealing with political BS.
Riboku - starting point was a nation who had no GG with Renpa's leaving and the massacre Chouhei, and turning that arround.
vs
Renpa - was the top dog of Zhao when Zhao itself was military wise at it's peak
Hakuki - was the top dog of Qin when Qin under King Sho's rule had been turned into a military powerhouse (King Sho had an insane impact)
Ousen - Samething, unlike the manga, Qin was already a powerhouse historically and recognized as the top power (even though in the series it's Chu)
The above two dealt with adversity way more and bigger than the other three. Which is why we can see how Hara holds those two in different light than the other 3. Wanna hype up SHK? compare him to Riboku, Wanna hype up Ousen? compare him to Riboku, Wanna hype up Kanki? compare him to Riboku. Like you wanna hype somebody up as a monster strategist in the series? The go to thing for Hara is comparing them to Riboku. lmao.
With that said, I believe only two people will surpass Gakuki or have the chance to do so.
1st. Ousen, I believe he will be the one to reach the peak of that SS tier when it's all said and done due to the amount of farware he'll be taking part in.
2nd. Shin, I also believe he could potentially reach that SS tier in experience but below Ousen. However, from a talent point of view he'd be capable of making it up by not only being the most talented general in history, but also having the most damn powerful underlings that he raised.
But until those two do that, Gakuki remains the GOAT of Kingdom. The greatest to do it in China's history (Kingdom-verse cause there are better generals in China's history outside of the warring states era lmao)
ANYWHO GUYS LET ME KNOW Y'ALL OPINION ON GAKUKI. WHETHER YOU AGREE, DISAGREE, MASSIVELY DISAGREE or whatever the case maybe!!! Please share your thoughts!
We are going to start with portrayal first rather than feats, since portrayal is the big thing he has due to not having done an on-panel battle. But we will break down the available achievement/feat that we do know in detail with the help of historical info later in the thread. So here's the portrayal.
The very portrayal he gets is that of individuals who an era has revolved around. Among them we have the 4 lords, politicians who had immensely powerful vassals with power rivaling that of actual Kings, Kanchuu who was a crucial politician in the 700s-600s BC in China's porgression. Then we get military figures, and the 1st one mentioned is Gakuki of Yan. Notice the emphasis given to Gakuki as an entity vs the other generals, by Hara adding on "Who shook the very earth". So in his first mention he gets established as this greatly powerful individual within the Kingdom-verse.
The next portrayal he gets is right before the coalition arc (and Hara does this for a reason, which we'll get into later in the feats section). The man who earlier is stated to have "Shook the very earth" is then elaborated on by the narrator to have balanced out the Zhao 3 - Qin 6, all by himself. Hara also then gives historical backing to his portrayal of Gakuki by bringing up two other crucial historical figures. The 1st being Zhuge Liang, for those who don't know he's mostly agreed upon by everyone as the top strategist of the 3 Kingdoms era. 2nd being Emperor Gaozu, also known as Liu Bang, he is basically the combination of Ei Sei & Shin combined into one as a military commander who would then become, the very 1st emperor of the Han Dynasty. So two great figures of era very close to the warring states era, considered this man Gakuki as the God of Military, despite knowing feats of Riboku/Hakuki/Ouki/Ousen/etc. No other general within the Kingdom-verse comes close to this portrayal at all.
This insane portrayal of Gakuki is then pushed further when Hara releases his experience chart in which he ranks 2 other very crucial generals of that era as well alongside him. We see Ouki & Hakuki having similar experience, with Hakuki just edging out Ouki slightly, then Renpa below both of them (all of it is justified in the manga, but I don't think anyone needs the explanation, but if anyone does feel free to let me know). Then above them, in a tier by himself, not even close to them, is Gakuki.
Now last but not least, getting into "Stats", while they don't tell the whole story, I think we can use to pain a rough picture or get a rough Idea of his standing.
Strength stat - Same as Ousen/Kanki.
Leadership stat - Same as Yotanwa, completed at 100
Intelligence - Same as Karin & Gouhoumei
Experience - completely unrivaled at SS
Then "Great General Factor" - Same as Renpa's
So just from a talent point of view, he's on par with the top generals. But then has the experience to further boost that talent. And experience is something that has been stressed numerous times throughout the series whether it before the importance of Martial Might (Weight and etc are experience driven) or Strategically (Ie, somebody like Tou being able to match and even outdo top strategists).
The size of this dude is insane. Gekishin is about the same size as Houken, who is about the same size or slightly bigger than Ouki.
This dude Gakuki on the other hand? This mf is towering over Gekishin. So even physically dude is a bloody specimen.
Now with his portrayal being unrivaled, let's get right into the feats section.
FEATS
I've been on record saying that to me Gakuki has the best feat in the manga when it comes to a general. And I really want to break this down as much as I can to try and convince y'all (since I'm aware I'm in the minority here for this stance).
Setting the stage:
There are only two states in the entirety of Kingdom story that have been referred to as "Superstates" so far. The 1st one is Chu, called a superstate in the Coalition arc, possessing the likes of Man'U/Sent'Ou/Jukou/Kanmei/Karin/Shunshinkun/Kouen + Lord knows how many more powerful military commanders we'll see. Possessing at that time nearly half of China's landmass. Hara even labeling the chapter "Superstate's invasion", and this is with them not fully utilizing their resources and what have you. This is a status that even the present Qin has yet to receive.
Qi about 40 years ago, was a superpower of a state much like the Chu. Instead of being east to west, Qi was north to south.
The state of Qi has pushed Yan to the brink of destruction. Where his advisor Guo Wei, came up with the idea to spend money to attract talented men. And lucky enough, they attracted a general who was from Zhao, but didn't get the opportunity in Zhao.
And near the brink of destruction is when Gakuki joins Yan for the riches.
Saving Yan:
In China right now, what people thought was that Gekishin + Gakuki saved Yan and countered the Qi, which is what Karyo Ten tells when explaining how Gekishin's reputation is.
However, in the following chapter, the narrator clarifies that and makes it clear it wasn't some teamup that saved the Yan, it was 1 single man who turned it all around. So while Yan is nearly about to be wiped out of China by Qi. Gakuki comes in and turns it around for the Yan, gaining all of the territory of Yan back in a devastating counterattack. This a bit like Riboku's return, except a more dire situation, and unlike Riboku, Gakuki recovers the lands of Yan. (The Coalition has not yet been formed).
After he recovers the lands of Yan, he proves his worth to the entirety of China. Remember what Riboku had to do in order to gain the credibility to form the Coalition? And even then he didn't have the credibility to become the face due to Shunshinkun, who was appointed the supreme commander of the coalition. So Gakuki in his counter to the Qi achieved feats superior to taking out Ouki + Gekishin in an overwhelming manner, to the point not only he had the credibility of actually forming the coalition army, he was appointed the supreme commander of that army.
Unlike the coalition army that was led by Riboku & Shunshinkun, the coalition army led by Gakuki went after all of the cities of Qi. The coalition of R+S only targetted crucial cities they needed to and aimed straight for Kanyou to try and finish off the Qin as quick as possible. This mf Gakuki on the other hand was doing a complete takeover. Furthermore, Gakuki in the 1st battle west of the River Ji, sent rest of the coalition armies home and only used the Yan army to attack the Qi's capital & rest of the remaining cities outside of two (historical info).
Before he could completely finish the state of Qi, something crucial happened, there was a change in the King of Yan. The new King of Yan had become insecure and saw Gakuki as a potential threat who would end up overthrowing him after the Qi was finished. So before Gakuki could completely take over the state of Qi with the Yan army, he was removed from command. And to show the insane impact this man had on the army, the moment this man was removed from command, Qi was able to launch a counter attack, recovering the land it now holds.
To me this is damn near insane unprecedented of campaign management, strategy, and leadership of a general. And some people try to discredit it with the idea "oh that era was weak" "oh they didn't have as many good generals back then"... but based on what? Hara goes out of his ways to tell us that he kept the power balance by himself in counter to Zhao 3-Qin 6, that's who Hara is comparing him to. As for the competition, to say it was weak is about as headcanon as me saying it was superior to now. Hara has yet to make a single statement on the present Qin generals surpassing the OG Qin 6, something he would def go out of his way to clarify since it's a main theme.
Conclusion
Now some have said Renpa/Riboku/Hakuki/Ousen are irl more recognized historically. Sure if you're talking about present day, Ousen specifically is recognized as the top dog of that era. However, people who lived closer to the Warring States era like the 1st emperor of Han and Zhuge Liang, they recognized Gakuki as the top dog. So it ain't like this mf doesn't have historical recognition. And what matters is how Hara is viewing it, and Hara is holding the words of those two entities over the present day historians' opinions on Renpa/Riboku/Hakuki/Ousen. Hara also doesn't agree with the takes of modern day historians who generally view Hakuki over the likes of Riboku. And there's a reason for that.
Gakuki - starting point was a nation on the brink of destruction and changing it into a powerhouse, then dealing with political BS.
Riboku - starting point was a nation who had no GG with Renpa's leaving and the massacre Chouhei, and turning that arround.
vs
Renpa - was the top dog of Zhao when Zhao itself was military wise at it's peak
Hakuki - was the top dog of Qin when Qin under King Sho's rule had been turned into a military powerhouse (King Sho had an insane impact)
Ousen - Samething, unlike the manga, Qin was already a powerhouse historically and recognized as the top power (even though in the series it's Chu)
The above two dealt with adversity way more and bigger than the other three. Which is why we can see how Hara holds those two in different light than the other 3. Wanna hype up SHK? compare him to Riboku, Wanna hype up Ousen? compare him to Riboku, Wanna hype up Kanki? compare him to Riboku. Like you wanna hype somebody up as a monster strategist in the series? The go to thing for Hara is comparing them to Riboku. lmao.
With that said, I believe only two people will surpass Gakuki or have the chance to do so.
1st. Ousen, I believe he will be the one to reach the peak of that SS tier when it's all said and done due to the amount of farware he'll be taking part in.
2nd. Shin, I also believe he could potentially reach that SS tier in experience but below Ousen. However, from a talent point of view he'd be capable of making it up by not only being the most talented general in history, but also having the most damn powerful underlings that he raised.
But until those two do that, Gakuki remains the GOAT of Kingdom. The greatest to do it in China's history (Kingdom-verse cause there are better generals in China's history outside of the warring states era lmao)
ANYWHO GUYS LET ME KNOW Y'ALL OPINION ON GAKUKI. WHETHER YOU AGREE, DISAGREE, MASSIVELY DISAGREE or whatever the case maybe!!! Please share your thoughts!
