The Best Episodes of Kingdom Season 1
Every episode of Kingdom Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Kingdom Season 1!
In the Warring States Period of ancient China (475–221 BCE), Shin and Hyou are war-orphans in the kingdom of Qin. They dream of one day proving themselves on the battlefield. One day, however, Hyou is taken to the palace by a minister. Winding up on the losing side of a power-struggle, Hyou manages to return to the village, barely alive. Shin then meets a boy who closely resembles Hyou, Ei Sei. For now he is the king of Qin; later he will become the emperor Shi Huangdi.
Season 1 Ratings Summary
The best episode of "Kingdom" season 1 is "The Boy With No Name", rated 7.6/10 from 301 user votes. It was directed by Jun Kamiya and written by Naruhisa Arakawa. "The Boy With No Name" aired on 6/4/2012 and is rated 0.3 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Fated Meeting".
7.6/10 301 votes#1 - The Boy With No Name
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 6/4/2012
Shin and Hyou are two slaves who have grown as sword training buddies and pseudo brothers with a common dream of growing up to be great generals.
Director: Jun Kamiya
Writer: Naruhisa Arakawa
7.3/10 195 votes#2 - Fated Meeting
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 6/11/2012
Xin discovers Ying Zheng, the young King of Qin, who's fleeing his half-brother's uprising. Piao's killer arrives to murder Ying Zheng. Xin, who's learned that Piao died serving as Zheng's stand-in, must decide which to help and which to kill.
Director: Mitsutoshi Sato
Writer: N/A
7.3/10 183 votes#3 - Friend!
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 6/18/2012
Xin and Zheng entrust their escape to young Diao, who knows a secret way out of Heibei Village. Xin still blames Zheng for Piao's death, and even as this simmering conflict boils over, a new and deadly pursuer takes up the chase.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.3/10 178 votes#4 - The King and the Sword
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 6/25/2012
Fleeing pursuit, Zheng and Xin struggle with exhaustion and with each other. When they reach the appointed meeting site, there's no sign of Zheng's sole supporter, Lord Changwen . . . and the murderous tracker Mu Ta is hot on their trail.
Director: Masahiro Takada
Writer: N/A
7.2/10 162 votes#5 - An Unbreakable Heart
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 7/2/2012
Xin, who's vowed in the name of his own ambitions to help the King, must singlehandedly face the treacherous assassin Mu Ta. Meanwhile, General Wang Yi brings a piece of tribute to the Court that seems to spell the end for all young King Zheng's hopes.
Director: Mitsutoshi Sato
Writer: N/A
7.4/10 156 votes#6 - The Path to a Great General
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 7/9/2012
Xin hears a tale of Piao's heroism during Wang Yi's ambush, but he also learns that King Zheng has even fewer allies than he'd been told. With little time left to forestall a civil war, Zheng decides on a dangerous path, to seek out unlikely allies.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10 149 votes#7 - The Terrifying Mountain People
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 7/16/2012
Xin sets out into the western mountains with Zheng and his handful of soldiers, seeking the aid of the mountain king. The mountain folk, though, have little liking for flatlanders, and when he meets them, King Zheng is forced to make a perilous choice.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/10 154 votes#8 - Each One's Dream
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 7/23/2012
In the stronghold of the mountain folk, Zheng treats with their king, who seems determined to kill the young King of Qin in retribution for longstanding grudges. And the arrival of Xin and his companions pushes this confrontation to its crisis.
Director: N/A
Writer: Mitsutoshi Sato
7.4/10 141 votes#9 - Now, to Xianyang!
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 7/30/2012
Zheng and Xin return to where Lord Changwen waits. They make ready to ride to the capital, but they'll need remarkable strategy to overcome the terrible odds. Meanwhile, in the capital, Jie Shi has raised a vast army to face the formidable Lu Buwei.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10 146 votes#10 - Invading the Royal Capital
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 8/6/2012
Zheng, Xin, and their companions arrive at the gates of Xianyang, capital of the Qin Kingdom, with a force far too small to assault such a great fortress. A stratagem may get them inside the walls, but they won't reach the Royal Court without a fight.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/10 144 votes#11 - The Fierce Fighting Begins
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 8/13/2012
Blocked by Wei Xing's elite crossbowmen, the forces of Zheng and the mountain folk split up. Xin accompanies a smaller force to seek out the usurper Cheng Jiao in the palace... but their way, too, is blocked, by the deadly assassin Zuo Ci and his men.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.1/10 142 votes#12 - The Ultimate Blade
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 8/20/2012
Xin, Bi, and the breakaway force, fighting to reach the throne room, face the seemingly invincible Zuo Ci in the "Right-Side Dragon" corridor, while outside, the King and Lord Changwen hold out against Si Shi and Wei Xing.
Director: Masahiro Takada
Writer: N/A
8.0/10 137 votes#13 - The Roar of Lankai
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 8/27/2012
The breakaway force reaches the Throne Room, only to find the traitor Cheng Jiao guarded by his monstrous "pet," who's seemingly impervious to weapons. Ba Jio reveals a previously unseen savagery, but can he contend with the brute strength of Lan Kai?
Director: Mitsutoshi Sato
Writer: N/A
7.9/10 135 votes#14 - The Power of the Sword
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 9/3/2012
His companions battered, Xin must rise to face the monstrous Lan Kai; in doing so he learns something of the true nature of the sword. Outside, Zheng's desperate fight is interrupted by the unwelcome arrival of the mysterious and powerful General Wang Yi.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.3/10 144 votes#15 - Qualifications of a King
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 9/10/2012
A face-off with Jiao Cheng awaits, but before that can come, Zheng Ying, facing death at General Wang Yi's hand, must convince the "Strange Bird of Xin" that his vision of the future makes him a worthy successor to his great-grandfather, King Zhao.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10 137 votes#16 - Lü Buwei
Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 9/17/2012
The recalcitrant and powerful Lü Buwei finally makes his appearance, accompanied by his more-than-formidable "Four Pillars." But condescension and a scarcely veiled threat of violence show right through his half-hearted show of respect to King Zheng Ying.
Director: Masahiro Takada
Writer: N/A
7.6/10 135 votes#17 - First Campaign
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 9/24/2012
Xin's first true campaign as a soldier comes at last, but when Wei makes a surprise move, the battle doesn't go as he expected.
Director: Mitsutoshi Sato
Writer: N/A
8.2/10 136 votes#18 - The Threat of the Chariot Corps
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 10/1/2012
The battle heats up as Wei's forces bring out their trump card. This isn't going to be a fair fight--but luckily, Xin isn't looking for one.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.6/10 142 votes#19 - A Blazing Battle
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 10/8/2012
The Fourth Army's victory against the chariots gives Lord Biao an idea. How far can he push behind enemy lines if the infantry's survival is no object?
Director: Shintaro Itoga
Writer: N/A
8.0/10 133 votes#20 - Wang Qi Intrudes
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 10/15/2012
Just when it seems the battle on the She Gan Plain is finally going their way, Qin's forces are suddenly surprised by the advent of three generals: their own, the enemy's... and one who's not even supposed to be there!
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.2/10 137 votes#21 - The Meaning of General
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 10/22/2012
Xin has his very first conversation with a true general, and Wu Qing of Wei and Lord Biao of Qin are finally batting each other in earnest.
Director: Mitsutoshi Sato
Writer: N/A
8.1/10 140 votes#22 - Wise General vs Courageous General
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 10/29/2012
Lord Biao and Wu Qing are both fighting all-out, and whoever wins this one-on-one battle also wins the war.
Director: Masahiro Takada
Writer: N/A
8.1/10 140 votes#23 - Night Tale
Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 11/5/2012
Xin learns some things about Qiang Lei's past, and Diao has to make an important decision about the future.
Director: Shu Watanabe
Writer: N/A
8.0/10 129 votes#24 - A New Trial
Season 1 Episode 24 - Aired 11/12/2012
When Xin approaches Wang Yi looking for a mentor to make him stronger, he discovers that the great general doesn't make things easy.
Director: Shintaro Itoga
Writer: N/A
7.9/10 132 votes#25 - Appointment
Season 1 Episode 25 - Aired 11/19/2012
Just as Qin is successfully waging war with one of its neighboring kingdoms, Han, another neighbor makes its own attack against Qin.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A