Have you looked at online anime forums in the last few months? People started by declaring their allegiance to King Boji – a fictional character. And yet, Ranking of Kings fans did not hesitate to litter social media with posts demanding and then celebrating Boji’s eventual ascension to the throne.
By the way, the season was not even over. The character’s fate was still up in the air at that point. As the show progressed, the love for Boji kept growing until viewers of all ages took to the internet and threatened to cut anyone that laid so much as a finger on Boji.
If it was not clear before, Boji is not real. He does not exist. And yet, this fictional individual has attracted so much adoration that people online are constantly declaring their love for the pint-sized hero.
At this point, you would be hard-pressed to find a more lovable character in recent fiction. The anime’s title comes from a system in the show that ranks the world’s reigning monarchs based on their power and prosperity.
The king that secures the number one position is granted the opportunity to select a boon from the Divine Treasure Vault. Boji is the first prince of his kingdom. However, no one expects the young man to claim the throne because of his disability. Boji is so small and weak that he can’t lift a sword, let alone swing it. More importantly, Boji is deaf and dumb.
The prince spends his days traversing a silent world that mocks him openly. However, Boji maintains a sunny disposition, facing the torrent of abuse that assaults him daily with a straight posture and a smile.
Ranking of Kings should not work. Shows of this nature they usually fall flat. Why? Because they have no stakes. Even worse, they are populated by shallow, uninteresting characters. But that is not a surprise. Ranking of Kings is an optimistic show, and optimistic stories are challenging to write. Just look at the success of masterpieces like Attack on Titan.
Grimdark is an appealing subgenre because it grounds fantasy. Most story arcs have towering stakes because death is hiding behind every corner, waiting to claim your favourite characters at a moment’s notice.
The consequences of failure are steep, and they stick. You can’t just wave them away with a magic wand. The wounds characters accrue will haunt them for years, creating depth. A few months ago, I would have argued that you could not tell an exciting feel-good story with real stakes and elements of unpredictability. If you know that death barely matters and happy endings are more or less guaranteed, what is the point of following your favourite protagonists on their journey?
But you know what? Ranking of Kings proves that you don’t need a dark and dreary plot and depressing twists and turns to tell engaging stories. Think about this.
Many anime fans are hailing Ranking of Kings as the best show they have ever seen, even better than gems like Demon Slayer, which is why they want a second season, not a one-off anime special.
What does that tell you? Ranking of Kings broke all the rules of modern fantasy storytelling, and it still succeeded. Some people have rejected the show because of the storybook art style, but that is a mistake. The art style actually enhances your experience because this is a fairy tale, and it succeeds on every level.
This show will make you laugh, cry, and cheer. I urge you to give it a chance. It would not be an exaggeration to call it the Ted Lasso of anime. The show is an injection of wholesomeness.
All Hail King Boji!
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