The Real Man behind General Ri Shin in Kingdom

General Ri Shin is the main protagonist of the anime series Kingdom. It is a historical drama set during the Warring States period and depicts the Chinese history of that era. As a result, many characters are based on real people.

So, is General Ri Shin, formerly known as Shin, based on a real-life person? If so, how accurate is his depiction in the manga series?

General Ri Shin is based on a real-life historical figure with the same name. While the anime protagonist is an orphan, the real-life person was the son of Nanjun Commandery’s Governor.

This isn’t the only difference between the depiction and the real person. Let’s dive in and find out other interesting facts about this ambitious figure.

Ri Shin (Li Xin) and Ri Boku (Li Mu) are Connected

As you already know, Ri Shin wasn’t an orphan and came from a royal background.

The Real Man behind General Ri Shin in Kingdom
Ri Shin (Li Xin) and Ri Boku (Li Mu) | Source: IMDb

However, in real life, one of the most prominent antagonists of the Kingdom, Ri Boku, is a distant relative of Ri Shin. To be more precise, Ri Boku is Ri Shin’s distant uncle.

The Descendants of Ri Shin became Emperors

While the show depicts Ri Shin pursuing glory and popularity, his descendants are far more famous in real life. While some of them became Generals, there were a few who became Emperors of the Tang Dynasty.

The Real Man behind General Ri Shin in Kingdom
Ri Shin | Source: Official Website

This was between 618 and 907 AD, which is known to be one of China’s most glorious periods in history.

Ri Shin is Known for His Defeat and Not for His Success

While the General has had numerous victories, he’s most widely known for his defeat in the invasion of Chu. He went in with an army of 200,000 when all the ministers said that Qin needed at least 600,000 people to fight in that battle.

The Real Man behind General Ri Shin in Kingdom
Ri Shin | Source: Crunchyroll

But Ri Shin was adamant about not needing more, and Ei Sei trusted him. So the General went into the battle, but halfway through it, Shou Hei Kun led an army from behind and crushed Qin’s forces.

This was completely unprecedented because Shou Hei Kun was a minister of Qin and had been planning a rebellion all along. So, Ri Shin had to face Chu’s General charging from the front and Shou Hei Kun, who came from behind.

This led to one of the most significant defeats Ri Shin had ever faced, and sadly, this is what he’s known for. In fact, it also tarnished his reputation, and in the coming eras, he was used as an example to underline how a General shouldn’t be arrogant.

Overall, these are a few fascinating things we know about the real-life Ri Shin. Considering the manga/anime series depicts the rise of Ri Shin, we witness everything with a myopic eye, most of which is fiction.

However, when you look at it from a historian’s perspective, Ri Shin is merely a tiny spec in the lore that spans centuries and perhaps even millennia.

Watch Kingdom on:

About Kingdom

Kingdom is a Japanese seinen manga series written and illustrated by Yasuhisa Hara.

The manga provides a fictionalised account of the Warring States period primarily through the experiences of the war orphan Xin and his comrades.

In the story, Xin fights to become the most significant general under the heavens, and in doing so, unifying China for the first time in history.

Vansh Gulati

Vansh Gulati

Meet our very own Hinata Shoyo! - There is no anime or manga that he’s not aware of. Also the go-to guy for all things Epic at EML. He’s on a journey to discover life one bottle of sake at a time!
Ps...anime is not a cartoon!

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