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For fu-k's sake...How Many Times...Do I Have to tell you this? A Great General of the Heavens!!
„
~ To Hou Ken's question on what he is during their final duel.
“
Ri Boku! Burn this sight into your eyes! The podao that once belonged to General Ou Ki who fell to you and your schemes! The same podao that I have now inherited from him, the last of Six Great Generals!! With this podao, I shall claim your head! The head of one of the Three Great Heavens! I promise you, Ri Boku, one day I will come for you and your head will be mine!!
„
~ To Ri Boku
“
Ah, I get it. I was wondering why I had this odd but nice feeling. It’s `cause it feels like I’m leading this huge ass army while standing out here at the front. I see, I see.
„
~ Shin before the start of 2nd Army charge during the Battle of Dakan Fields.
“
Garbage like you who keep going on about "Reality, Reality" as a way to justify despicable acts like this piss me off the most!! "Everyone else is doing it", what kind of bullshit excuse is that! Inhumane is inhumane! Shin of the Hi Shin Unit will absolutely never forgive scumbags like you!! No matter what reason!! Doesn't matter if you're a 1000-Men commander, a general, or even a king!! None of it means shit!! That's the way I've chosen! It has never changed up until now and will never change in the future!!''
„
~ Shin to Ran Dou
Ri Shin, formerly known just as Shin, is the main protagonist of the historical seinen anime and manga series, Kingdom. He is a General in the Qin Military, the founder and leader of the Hi Shin Unit, and one of the leading figures, as well as one of the youngest, within the military as he fights to conquer and unify the various enemy states during the Warring States era of ancient B.C. China.
Originally just a war orphan who was taken in to be raised as a servant, a young Shin was given the dream of becoming the Greatest General underneath the Heavens by Hyou, a fellow servant and his future adoptive brother, as he inspired Shin to take up the sword and give himself the goal of one day going to the battlefield to earn to glory in order to become Great Generals, with Shin wanting to inch and have their names go down in history. After Hyou's death, Shin would meet Ei Sei, the 31st king of the state of Qin and Ka Ryo Ten, a lookout for a bandit village as they became embroiled in the young king's battle for the Qin throne during his younger brother's rebellion.
In the anime, he is voiced by Masakazu Morita who provides the voices of Ichigo Kurosaki, the main protagonist of Bleach and Marco the Phoenix, a supporting and major character and ally from One Piece of both critical acclaimed. In the live action films, he is portrayed by Kento Yamazaki, who also portrayed Josuke Higashikata in the film adaptation of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable and L Lawliet in the 2015 TV Drama version of Death Note.
Shin appeared as a thin but slightly muscled 14-year boy with hazel, slanted eyes and spiky brown (or blackish depending on the art's coloring) hair styled with a small rat-tail on the back at the start of the series. In terms of casual clothing, the only attire that Shin consistently wears is a sleeveless blue Yue shirt fastened with a cloth belt. And while he used to wear a pair of straw made sandals, he has since changed this to a pair of hanfu shoes and started to wear pants of white coloring that reach down his thighs after becoming a 1000-Man commander while occasionally wearing his black wristbands.
Shin retained his early peasant-like appearance. However, by the start of the Sanyou Campaign Arc, he added on a pair of black wristbands to his attire. And in the aftermath of the arc, he started to wear armor composed of sky-blue colored scale mail, arm bracers designed with the clan markings of Kyou Kai's headband, and leather boots of the same color. He would slightly alter his armor with neck guard spikes oriented on his right pauldron as homage to Duke Hyou. Along with his blue Yue shirt, Shin carries Hyou's sword that he intertied from him.
Personality[]
Overview[]
“
That guy's completely straight-forward when it comes to his conviction. As straight as an arrow shot out from a bow.
„
~ Mou Ten to Ou Hon on Shin's personality
Shin is an extremely brash man that carries a heart of unbreakable gold with a great amount of determination. Shin is also fiercely loyal to his friends and comrades as shown when he vowed to avenge Hyou's death, even at the risk of his own death. His hot temper also makes him clash with Ka Ryo Ten and they tend to bicker like siblings constantly back when they were younger. He is also capable of great rage when provoked by others, making him a deadly opponent to fight against. Shin is also very headstrong and courageous which is evident where he unhesitatingly charges at his enemies often ones that are much stronger than him. Despite constantly being at the front lines, Ri Shin does have an interest in women. As shown when he and Hyou first met Shou Bun Kun he expressed a desire to get married and have children one day but has absolutely zero romantic experience. Shin also shows an exceptional level of charisma, which does not only encourage and empower his soldiers in the Hi Shin Unit with mere words but also has managed to impress even the greatest of commanders and generals after his participation in the different campaigns and battles.
Quotes[]
Said by Shin[]
“
We're strong. We've always been, Kyou Kai...
„
~ Shin reassuring Kyou Kai.
“
I will not lose. I...will not shatter. Because I am...Ei Sei's...The King Who Will Unify This Lands...Unbreakable Sword!! And I...I am...A man who will become a Great General of the Heavens!!
„
~ To Chou Ga Ryuu during their final duel.
“
Of course. My sword is on a different level from you hoodlums! My sword is...Our sword is... Will be known Everywhere Under the Heavens!!!
„
“
Oi! Old Man in the general mask! You've been talking about complicated stuff this whole time, but to make it simple, this guy's in trouble! Just think of it as helping someone out and lend him your strength! Kay?
„
~ To Yo Tan Wa
“
SHUT UP ABOUT YOUR "REGRETS"! The most regretful thing there is when a dream ends as nothing more but an illusion!! ...If you really care about the dead, then Turn the DREAMS THEY HAD INTO A REALITY!!
„
“
Sorry. But I'm dedicating this battle to Hyou, so I'm not gonna go easy on you.
„
~ Shin to Sei Kyou Faction soldiers.
“
If you want to stay alive, then you gotta cut your own path to survival. That's all there is to it, right?
„
~ Shin to the surviving third army members.
“
What the hell kind of crap is this guy on about? Must be touched in the head.
„
~ Shin on Hou Ken during their first meeting.
“
It doesn't matter! I don't give a shit if this guy's a Bushin or whatever the hell it is! It doesn't matter at all! This bastard...Killed a San Ka, Kyou ji, Batsu Ken, and a whole other load of my men!! THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I'M LETTING HIM OFF FOR THAT!! WE'RE GONNA GET REVENGE FOR COMRADES, Kyou Kai!!
„
~ Shin to Kyou Kai as he reassures her during their duel with Hou Ken.
“
Don't sell me short, Ri Boku. I'm not even the slightest bit upset by you not dying here. This isn't the sort of place where a man who defeated Ou Ki should die. And it wasn't just his podao, I've received a ton of other amazing things from General Ou Ki, too. I'm going to become even stronger. I might only be a commander of 300 comrades at the moment but from here on, I'm gonna climb even higher and my unit's gonna grow even larger too. The names of me and my unit will roar throughout all the lands under the heavens. So listen well, Ri Boku. And etch my face and my words deeply into your head. The one who will defeat you will be Shin of the Hi Shin Unit!!
All I'm doing is moving forward, carrying all the thoughts of my comrades on my shoulders. One step at a time, with my own two feet! Rin Ko...My fights with you will also become fuel for me to move forward even more!
„
~ To Rin Ko
“
Rin Ko...you were an incredibly dangerous opponent that brought me to the brink of death numerous times.
„
~ To Rin Ko after delivering the finishing blow.
“
I want to fight him! And feel the sensation from fighting him. The strength of the former Three Great Heaven, Ren Pa, the man who was evenly matched with Qin's Six Generals!
„
“
Listen to what I have say before you sleep, Man Goku. As a man of Qin...as a soldier of Qin, there is only one thing I have to say to you. I will absolutely never commit or allow something like Chou Hei to ever happen again!
Superhuman Strength: Shin's most prominent trait is his monstrous strength. This is evident even at a young age when he overpowered bandits simultaneously despite the huge difference in size. Fueled with rage over Hyou's death, he was able to smash through stone walls with his fist. He regularly applies tremendous force in his attacks, being able to easily cut down entire battalions of soldiers with ease. His immense strength is also shown during his duels with master combatants with immense physically strength themselves.
Superhuman Speed & Superhuman Reflexes:Shin is an extremely fast individual, possessing incredible swiftness and powerful speed due to his years training with Hyou and later honing it further on the battlefield.
Superhuman Stamina: Shin has displayed an immense amount of tenacity to the point he can fight on despite excessive blood loss and numbness from heavy wounds. As shown during his fights with Jo Kan, Muta, Sa Ji the assassin swordsman, and Ran Kai, Ri Shin was able to stay conscious and fight on despite losing a large amount of blood and being hit constantly by physically stronger opponents. His stamina as only grown exponentially over the years as he went to constant battlefields and survived numerous duels with stronger opponents. His ability was pushed to its absolute limit during the 6th day of Battle of Sai as he was able to fight on for days with little to no sleep through sheer willpower alone.
Superhuman Endurance: Shin is capable of fighting on despite excessive blood loss with an immense amount of endurance which has allowed him to fight for four days straight with little to no sleep.
Superhuman Dexterity: Shin is incredibly agile demonstrating quick-witted agility while cutting down multiple opponents in a blink of an eye.
Refined Senses: Having honed his senses from constant training and running through various battlefields, Ri Shin possesses accurate and strengthen senses.
Killing Intent Perception: Thanks to his martial training and inner talent, Shin could feel the subtle hints of Muta's killing intent as he reacted to it without knowing the assassin's exact location.
Hearing: With his accurate hearing, he could hear the silent crawling of an injured Hyou.
Vision: Shin can perceive objects faster than the average person. He even deflected arrows fired by Kou Ri Gen and Haku Rei, members of the Ten Bows of China.
High Awareness: Due to a lifetime of strengthening and training his senses, Shin can feel the subtle hints and changes of his surrounding area. During the first day of the Battle of Kokuyou Hills he was able to pick on a surprise attack from the Ba Tei Army in a frosted area despite the noise of his unit's marching.
High Recovery & High Regeneration: As shown throughout the series and stated by Kyou Kai, Shin also has a higher healing rate than an average person.
Transcendence: Throughout his entire life, Shin has been an expert at overcoming his limitations as he continuously surpasses his opponents with pure and monstrous development.
Adaptive Development: First shown during his fights with Rin Ko of Ren Pa's Four Heavenly Kings, Shin surpasses and broke through his limits each time with his opponents with his monstrous development while in the midst of vicious combat.
Accelerated Development: Whether it be martial arts or his military career, Shin possesses adaptability and development that can only be called monstrous. By the age of 14 years old, he was already a master swordsman as his martial aptitude had already far suppressed the normal limits of an average warrior of the state of Qin's soldier caste and quickly rose through the ranks of the Qin military with incredible ability and talent as he attained the ranks of 100-Man Commander to 5,000-Man commander in his mid to late teens and early 20s. Later becoming a General at 24 in the span of nine years since entering the military.
Instinctual Type: During the invasion of Qin by the Coalition Army at The Battle at Kankoku Pass on the first day, Shin demonstrated an awakening of his abilities as an instinctual type. While he was able to sense that the Duke Hyou Army's rear would be attacked, he moved accordingly. In the following days, he felt that there was something wrong with the enemy as he thought that the Chu army were being strangely quiet and normal in attacking despite their overwhelming numbers. At the end of the Chiyoyou Campaign after the enemy headquarter has been seized, Shin again managed to sense that there is another army moving in the nearby forest. He charged in alone and with that surprise attack, he killed Rei Ou of the Wei's Seven Fire Dragon in a single swoop. And after three years, during the Battle at Shu Kai Plains, his instincts have developed to the level where he could command his unit with. pure intuition and match Gyou’Un - another talented instinctual type with decades of experience.
Fighting Style[]
Master Combatant: Shin's reliability on the flow of the battlefield and crafty comprehension can help solve situations that call for adjusting his fighting style against stronger opponents or using his instincts with tactical maneuvering, and thanks to running through various battlefields and learning from his deadly duels, Shin has demonstrated his ability to adapt very quickly in order to get the upper hand in battle. This skill is first shown during his final duel with Rin Ko of the Four Heavenly Kings of Ren Pa after the former Zhao general crippled his leg and he quickly changed the fight from a mounted horse one to even ground after realizing he would have lost if he stayed on his horse. And after learning how to faint from Kyou Kai's teachings, he was able to lure the speedy and baiting Fu Tei into his sword's ranged during the Zhao commander's attack on the south wall during the Battle of Sai. And has since grown more since becoming a 4000 and 5000-man commander which he demonstrated during his fight with Jo Rin of the left captain of the elite Dojaku Unit of the Chou Ga Ryuu Army as baited and sacrificed his right side to the spear man's attack in order to kill him.
Destructive Power Fighter: Shin utilizes his powerful raw strength in conjunction with his fighting style whether be through his fists or blade. In just his first initial exposure to actual fighting, Shin pulled off incredible feat after feat as he sent Tajifu, a grown man half his size, flying with a single punch, toppled an entire group of armored soldiers while wielding his King's Sword with the same awesome might despite being only a preteenager at the time. And later as a young adult, his destructive power and strength increased to the point of pulling off even more unreal feats as he destroyed an entire cavalry of Zhao soldiers and shield using infantry soldiers with each swing of his podao.
Master Swordsman: Shin is an extraordinarily talented and skilled master swordsman despite being completely self-taught, his ability and skill had already far suppressed the normal limits of an average warrior of the state of Qin's soldier caste at a young age. With just a wooden sword Shin showcased his prowess as he blew away three thugs with a single hit and took on an entire village of vicious killers as he fought them single-handedly. And while wielding the ‘’King's Sword’’, Hyou’s last memento, his skills would go even further as he pulled off incredible feat after feat as he fought trained warriors of the soldier caste and defeated deadly assassins like Jo Kan of the Clan Shukyou, the Basha tribe blowgun expert Mu Ta, and the Ketsu faction's chief of assassinations, Sa Ji during Sei Kyou's Rebellion. And after heading towards to the first real battlefield, Shin honed his skills even further as he killed multiple infantry soldiers and their captain, beheaded a chariot captain in the midair, deflected and blocked arrows fired by a member of the Ten Bows, the greatest archers throughout China, and later dueled and defeated a Wei general with his special jumping technique during the Qin's campaign for the Keiyou regions of Wei. And after becoming a 100-man commander along with his frequent sparring matches with Kyou Kai, Shin’s skills improved to the point of pulling off even more amazing feats as he fought and killed elite swordsmen like a Zhao general's personal bodyguard team with precision-like dexterity, speed and slashes, wounded Hou Ken, a Bushin (God of Martial Arts) and the newly appointed Great General of Zhao's Three Great Heaven, split in half a fully armored adult man while enraged at the sight of General Ou Ki falling in battle.
Podao Mastery: Shin would take up wielding a podao and make it his main weapon to prepare himself in wielding General Ou Ki's Podao two years after the Coalition's Invasion and the Battle of Sai. At first, Shin’s fighting style was amateurish, however, with his immense strength he compensated his lack of skill and technique with his inner prowess as a Destructive Power fighter blowing away entire battalions of infantry or cavalry soldiers with each swing of his blade. This later helping him survived while also holding his own against the likes of Gai Mou, the Raging Bull as the Great General stated it was also his boldness that played a part. And over time in time Shin grew so accustomed to the weapon, that he could fight and humble martial oriented warriors like Ba Tei and defeat soldiers like Kei Sha's personal route of veteran elites. During Gyou Campaign, Shin became proficient enough to pick up General Ou Ki's Podao and which has since become his main personal weapon.
Since then, his mastery of the Great General's treasured blade has grown so much that he is able to kill multiple soldiers with a simple swing, held his own against a far more experienced master wielder like Gyou'un while sending him reeling with a heated strike, instantly slew Gaku Ei with one swing, and later fought in one-on-one duel with Hou Ken, an exceptional podao master himself whom he later killed while cleaving the Bushin in half. But he has yet to fully utilized his speed while wielding it as he still founds it somewhat heavy which was exploited by Gaku Haku Kou during their on the ground duel which caused him to switch it out with his sword instead.
Proficient Hand-to-Hand Combatant: While a first-class weaponry expert, Shin is also a powerful bare-handed fighter. This is evident even as far back in his childhood when he easily defeated the Bi Brothers with simple punches. And later as a teenager Shin would further demonstrate his prowess like when he sent Tajifu, a giant and tall man half his size, flying into the air with a single punch, broke a stateless raider's nose with his knee, both of whom were full-grown adults. He has since grown in power as an adult like when he sent Rai Do, a powerful 5000-man commander of the Kan Ki Army, flying into the air with a stationary punch.
Leadership: Shin has the skill to inspire the people around him to a great extent. It has been stated by Rin Ko that Ri Shin was a greater leader than he was at his age, shown when at the time when the young captain had become the figurehead for the entire central army on the last day of the Sanyou invasion Campaign. Another example is shown when he led 10,000 of Duke Hyou's troops most of whom were in disarray and retreat. Later, during the Battle of Shukai Plains with a passionate speech he was able to "awaken" his entire unit of hungry and tired soldiers to the point where they were able to push back the Gyou'un Army - a feat that was directly compared to Six Great Generals.
Fear Inducement: With the single impact of his podao swing, Shin installed a deep sense of fear within the battle-hardened soldiers of the Gaku Ei Army after instantly killing their leader during the Battle of Shu Kai Plains.
Chi Detection: Shin reacted to Hou Ken, a Bushin's presence during the Battle of Bayou this was possibly due to his martial talent.
Escape Artistry: Along with his training in swordsmanship with Hyou, Shin is self-taught escape artist. He first demonstrated this skill when he broke out of a wooden stockade to save Ten from execution during Sei's audience with the Mountain King, Yo Tan Wa.
Horse Riding Aptitude: Ever since his battle with Rin Ko, Ri Shin's riding skill has improved by leaps and bounds. He quickly became skilled in cavalry warfare, being even able to ride horses that were difficult to control. His horses also displayed great loyalty to him, so it is assumed that he treated it very nicely to deserve that loyalty.
Stealth Ability: At some point, Shin asked Kyou Kai to teach him a few tricks on sneaking around.
Fear Masking: With his dream of becoming the Greatest General underneath the Heavens, Shin has overcome the greatest amount of fear in his pursuit of achieving it, having had a calm composure lookout on the heavy, blood lust filled battlefield during his first war campaign and challenged the deadliest of opponents like the assassination chief, Sa Ji, Hou Ken the Bushin, and the Flying Spear of Ren Pa, Rin Ko without a shred of fear.
Muscle Control: After years of building up his upper body strength, Shin can flex his muscles to instantly close up small cuts and wounds.
Skill Adaptation: After defeating Rin Ko of the Four Heavenly Kings, Shin developed and improved his horsemanship.
Survivability: Displaying an immense amount of tenacity and golden tier luck, Shin has survived the deadliest of wounds and powerful blows to the point of taking a full-force strike from Ren Pa, a Great General of the Heavens and survive the attack along with his sword.
Fear Inducement: With the single impact of his podao swing, Shin installed a deep sense of fear within the battle-hardened soldiers of the Gaku Ei Army after killing their leader.
Weapons[]
King's Sword: also known as Ri Hyou's Sword, is a well-crafted weapon that's worthy of royalty as it is a powerful jian in terms of strength with being capable of blowing away an entire battalion of armored Zhao soldiers with every strike and sharpness, as it's capable of slicing cleanly through a full-grown adult man along his armor and with durability as tenacious its wielder, it withstood and deflected arrows fired by members of Ten Bows of China, the greatest archers throughout the 7 states of China, and took a full-force strike from an enraged Ren Pa's podao, a Great General of the Heavens with the physical power of over 100 men without so much as a scratch.
Weaknesses[]
Lack of Formal Strategical Knowledge and Training: After being promoted to a 1000-man commander, Shin found himself incapable of creating strategic plans centered around the Hi Shin Unit's new size, which made it difficult for them to score victories against even relatively weak opponents as they were using strategical combat.
Easily Provoked: Shin also easily provoked and can be very reckless. The men of his unit often share this trait, as Ryuu Koku mentioned they fall for feints too easily.
Shin's character is based on the real-life ancient B.C. Qin great general, Li Xin.
Shin is one of the youngest men in the series to have become a general at the age of 24 alongside both Ou Hon and Mou Ten at 25. Kou Yoku, and Haku Rei in their 20s.
Shin had no cooking skills whatsoever during his days as a servant.
Shin and Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece share various similarities between each other.
Both are main characters of a popular and long-running manga series of their respective genre that stretch over 800 chapters and 1000 chapters.
Both have watched their adoptive brothers die in front of them and have grown stronger with accepting their deaths.
Both are close and good friends with a monarch of royalty.
Both are usually viewed as simple minded dimwits but are actually incredibly shrewd that possess keen instincts and genius-like aptitude when it comes to matters of combat and tackling extremely dangerous situations with the simplest and quickest resolution.
Both are geniuses when it comes to giving others' weird nicknames.
Both possess incredibly straight forward personalities.
Both are best friends with a powerful and skilled sword master.
Both possess monstrous physical strength and have performed incredible feats of prowess.
Both are shameless gluttons.
Both have shown themselves to be incredible and daring leaders.
Both are compassionate men capable of showing great anger and rage for others.
Both have fought and defeated extremely deadly opponents who are either famous or far more experienced veterans in their respective fields.
Both have incredibly talented rivals that they sometimes team up with.
Both are rivals and enemies to older and powerful opponents.
Both are prominent figures amongst a new generation of their respective occupations.
Both are love interest of ridiculously powerful and extremely deadly women.
Both have survived injuries that would've killed and crippled an ordinary person.
Both have friends who are willing to die for them and with them doing the same for them.
Both have spent their childhoods in poverty-like and rough settings - Shin being brought up as a servant in the lowest caste of society and Luffy left to look after himself while being rested by mountain bandits.
Both have faced the loss of a precious friend/comrade.
The differences
Shin's dream and main goal in his life is to become the Greatest General underneath the Heavens in the form of a Great General and Luffy's dream and main goal in his life is to become King of all Pirates.
Shin is a mc of a seinen series with an older and more mature audience and Luffy is a mc of a shōnen series with a younger audience.
Luffy met his role model, Shanks early in his childhood while Shin met General Ou Ki in his teens and Duke Hyou as a young adult.
Shin is an orphan who lost his entire family at a very young age. And while his mother's status is unknown, Luffy's father and grandfather are still alive and well.
While he is a superhuman, Shin is technically just a normal human while Luffy is a supernaturally powered superhuman.
Shin started his military career at the age of 14 while Luffy started his pirate career at the age of 17.
Shin is a first-class weapons expert while Luffy is a supremely powerful bare-knuckle combatant.
Shin usually kills his opponents while Luffy takes satisfaction in just beating his opponents to an unconscious pulp.
Shin is older than Luffy with him being 26 years old (currently) and Luffy being 19 years old.
Shin has shown an interest in romantic relationships and someday getting married while Luffy has no interest in romance.
Shin is a land conquering military general while Luffy is a seafaring pirate captain.
Shin is a law-abiding soldier while Luffy is a carefree pirate and outlaw.
Shin's character is based around on the famous Chinese military great general, Li Xin.
Generals Ri Shin |
Ou Hon |
Mou Ten |
Heki |
Do Mon |
A Kou |
Den Ri Mi |
Sou Ou |
Ma Kou† |
Roku O Mi |
Kan Ou |
Ryuu Koku |
Shou Taku
Commanders Ai Sen |
A Ka Kin |
Kyou Kai |
En |
So Sui |
Baku Koshin† |
Shi Ryou |
Riku Sen |
Den Yuu |
Den Ei |
Chu Tetsu |
Bi Hei |
Hyou Shiga |
Suu Gen |
Ryuu Sen |
Hai Rou |
Dan Sa |
Na Ki† |
Rai Ki |
Chou Shi |
Ryuu Yuu |
Taku Kei |
Shou Sa† |
Kyo Gai† |
Gaku Rai† |
Ga Ro |
Ban You |
Ko Zen† |
Kan Jou
Heroes