The Kingdoms of Ruin (はめつのおうこく, Hametsu no Ōkoku) is a Japanese dark fantasy manga series written and illustrated by yoruhashi. It began serialization in Mag Garden’s Monthly Comic Garden magazine in April 2019. The manga is published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment.
An anime television series adaptation produced by Yokohama Animation Laboratory premiered in October 2023. The anime series is directed by Keitaro Motonaga, with Takamitsu Kono handling series composition, Hiromi Kato designing the characters, and music composed by Miki Sakurai, Shu Kanematsu, and Hanae Nakamura. It airs on the Animeism programming block on MBS, TBS, and BS-TBS. The anime is licensed by Crunchyroll outside of Asia and by Medialink in South and Southeast Asia.
The Kingdoms of Ruin Wiki
| Genre | Dark fantasy Science fantasy |
|---|---|
| Manga | |
| Written by | yoruhashi |
| Published by | Mag Garden |
| English publisher | NA: Seven Seas Entertainment |
| Magazine | Monthly Comic Garden |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | April 5, 2019 – present |
| Volumes | 9 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Keitaro Motonaga |
| Written by | Takamitsu Kono |
| Music by | Miki SakuraiShu KanematsuHanae Nakamura |
| Studio | Yokohama Animation Laboratory |
| Licensed by | Crunchyroll SA/SEA: Medialink |
| Original network | MBS, TBS, BS-TBS, AT-X |
| Original run | October 7, 2023 – present |
| Episodes | 11 |
The Kingdoms of Ruin Plot
The story takes place in a world where witches used to live cooperatively with humans, using their magic to help human society prosper. However, when science and technology began to advance, humans turned against witches, declaring they were no longer needed. The powerful Redia Empire orders the eradication and hunting of all remaining witches.
A witch named Chloe raises an orphan human child named Adonis, and teaches him her magical craft in secret. However, Chloe is caught and brutally executed by Redia’s ruler Emperor Goethe. Her death sends Adonis into despair and he vows to get revenge on humanity for what they did to his foster parent and the witch race.
Ten years later, Adonis allies with a mysterious witch girl named Doroka, who claims to know a way to resurrect Chloe. Together, they plan to take down Redia and its cruel emperor. But Doroka has ulterior motives for teaming up with Adonis and intends to use him for her own gains. Their journey is filled with epic battles using guns, swords, robots and magic as Adonis wages his war on mankind.
The Kingdoms of Ruin Cast
- Adonis (voiced by Kaito Ishikawa) – The human protagonist seeking revenge after his foster parent Chloe is killed.
- Doroka (voiced by Azumi Waki) – The witch who teams up with Adonis, claiming she can resurrect Chloe.
- Chloe (voiced by Ryoko Shiraishi) – The kind-hearted witch who raised Adonis and whose death fuels his vengeance.
- Emperor Goethe – The ruthless ruler of the Redia Empire that eradicated witches.
- Yamato (voiced by Satoshi Hino) – A Redia soldier leading attacks on witches who battles Adonis.
- Madam Ophelia – An elder witch who offers to help revive Chloe in exchange for Adonis’ cooperation.
- Dorothea Grethe (voiced by Inori Minase) – A powerful hidden witch manipulating things to seize control of Redia.
The Kingdoms of Ruin Review
After seeing the first few episodes, I can understand why The Kingdoms of Ruin is proving to be such a divisive anime. On the one hand, it goes completely over-the-top with its dark, edgy tone and tragic events, like the main character Adonis brutally attacking civilians in his quest for revenge. The story contrasts humans and witches in extreme black-and-white terms that come across as juvenile. I agree that it feels like the plot was written by an angsty teenager who takes everything to the most dramatic extreme at the cost of nuance.
At the same time, I can appreciate that this unapologetic edginess also lends the show a morbid sense of humor and makes it entertaining in how utterly self-serious it takes itself. It’s so melodramatic that I found myself laughing at scenes meant to be tragic. The animation and music are high quality, even if the writing lacks depth. So while the characters are thoroughly unlikable and their motivations extreme, I can enjoy The Kingdoms of Ruin as a dark comedy of the “so bad it’s good” variety. It’s over-the-top soap opera theatrics remind me of Death Note and other anime featuring megalomaniacal protagonists that tap into viewers’ morbid curiosities. I wouldn’t say it’s ” very good” per se, but it certainly makes for amusing viewing!
