What are the seven states in Kingdom?
By the time Kingdom opens, around 245 BC, centuries of fragmentation have left seven major states in China. Qin, in the mountainous west, is the rising power: legally reformed, agriculturally rich and ruled by the young Ei Sei, who intends to do what no one has done and conquer all the others.
Zhao, to the northeast, is Qin's most persistent military rival and the setting of the manga's longest campaigns. Its great generals, above all Riboku, based on the historical Li Mu, are written as Ei Sei and Shin's true equals, and Zhao's resistance gives the middle of the series its weight.
Chu, the vast southern state, is the largest power on the map and is treated as the final boss among the states. Wei, caught between Qin and Chu, and small Han, the weakest state, are the nearer problems, while Yan in the far northeast and Qi in the east watch, scheme and wait for their turns in the chronology.
Hara gives each state a visual and political identity: different armor, banners, court styles and military doctrines. For collectors and readers, the state system is also how the tankobon covers and the anime seasons organize their imagery, with banner colors doing instant storytelling work.
Historically, Qin conquered the states in a known order between 230 and 221 BC, Han first and Qi last. The manga follows that skeleton, so state by state guides double as a countdown: every state profile is also a preview of a future campaign.
