Crunchyroll’s Forgotten 2-Part Fantasy Anime Is a Masterpiece From Start to Finish

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Published Jul 10, 2026, 5:24 PM EDT

If there’s one thing to know about starting Ranking of Kings, it’s that, by the end of Episode 1, you’ll be cheering and, by the end of Episode 2, you’ll be crying. This anime knows how to enthrall and enrapture. Beautiful animation, captivating characters, and a stunning storyline all come together to create a series that is sure to please. The show follows Bojji (Minami Hinata, Emily Fajardo), a young prince, and his friend Kage (Ayumu Murase, SungWon Cho), a member of the Shadow Clan, as they attempt to bring Bojji’s dream of becoming the Number One King to life.

First and foremost, the character design in Ranking of Kings is some of the most creative and exciting in modern anime, invoking the imagery of storybooks while harkening back to series like early One Piece and Dragon Ball Z, as well as Western animation such as Steven Universe. Each character has a unique design — even those who are related look similar without feeling identical—and there is no mistaking one character for another. Adding to this is the fact that no character feels without purpose. Side characters are given storylines that, while contributing to the main plot, never feel redundant.

No character is introduced simply to serve as that episode’s antagonist or as a one-time catalyst for the main character to reveal a new power or skill. Rather than feeling weightless, as though their sole purpose is to further the protagonist’s journey, the characters in Ranking of Kings seem to have lives and ambitions of their own, acting like real people rather than plot devices.

Bojji Is an Unforgettable Anime Protagonist

Bojji in a diaper and cape sitting on a throne in Ranking of Kings

Perhaps the most intriguing character of all, however, is the main character. Bojji, the young prince and king-to-be of the Bosse Kingdom, is not your typical anime protagonist. He does not possess some great hidden power or secret knowledge. In fact, his most defining characteristics are viewed by those around him as weaknesses. Bojji is deaf and non-speaking and, despite being the son of two giants, is incredibly small and physically weak. As such, the people of his father's kingdom view him as an idiot and unfit for the throne, believing that he cannot wield even a child's sword or communicate with the average person.

Yet, contrary to their beliefs, Bojji is highly perceptive, if a bit naïve. He is painfully aware of what others think of him, as well as his own physical limitations. Even so, his determination to become a great king is unmatched—except, perhaps, by his younger half-brother, Daida (Yuki Kaji, Justin Briner). Bojji puts on a brave face for those around him, determined to appear unbothered by his critics, while, in reality, their harsh comments cut him to his core. Despite the constant ridicule, however, it is difficult not to root for Bojji whenever he steps up and refuses to be acknowledged as anything less than capable.

'Ranking of Kings' Handles Bojji's Disability With Care

With a main character who is both deaf and non-speaking, some viewers may have reservations about Ranking of Kings and how it approaches disability. It doesn't take long, however, to see that creator Sōsuke Tōka, along with the show's writers and artists, took great care to ensure that Bojji's portrayal is both respectful and compelling. Neither dismissing nor overplaying Bojji's deafness, Ranking of Kings explores both the hardships he faces and the fulfilling life he leads — not despite his differences, but with them as an integral part of who he is.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the series is its use of sign language. Harkening back to the show's incredible animation, sign language is notoriously difficult to animate accurately. It requires extensive research and dedication, especially because incorrect signing can easily lead to misinterpretation or misunderstanding. Yet Ranking of Kings embraces the challenge, featuring multiple characters—including Bojji — who communicate through sign language.

Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek

Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.

🚀Star Wars

💍Lord of the Rings

🧙Harry Potter

👑Game of Thrones

🖖Star Trek

FIND YOUR UNIVERSE →

What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.

ABeing part of something larger than myself — a cause, a rebellion, a fight for freedom that outlasts me. BThe journey itself — the places I'll go, the companions beside me, the world I'll discover on the way. CLearning — unlocking what I'm capable of, understanding the world's hidden mechanics, growing into something more. DLegacy — the name I leave behind, the power I build, the mark I make before the world moves on without me. EUnderstanding — exploring what exists beyond the horizon and asking what it means to be alive in a universe this vast.

NEXT QUESTION →

Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.

AA galaxy of planets, each with its own culture — connected by conflict, trade, and the Force. BAncient lands of breathtaking beauty, deep history, and a creeping darkness at the edges. CA world hidden inside our own — full of wonder, community, and magic waiting to be learned. DA brutal, beautiful continent where power is everything and every alliance is a calculation. EA future where humanity has reached the stars — and must decide what kind of species it wants to be.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world's conflicts tells you everything about its soul.

AThrough sacrifice and courage — someone has to make the impossible choice so others don't have to. BThrough fellowship — the impossible becomes possible when the right people walk the same road. CThrough growth — confronting what you fear, understanding what you lack, and becoming equal to the challenge. DThrough strategy — outthinking, outmaneuvering, positioning yourself so the outcome was never in doubt. EThrough dialogue — finding the third option, the peaceful resolution, the answer that doesn't require a body count.

NEXT QUESTION →

Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.

AA small crew — a pilot, a rogue, a warrior — each broken in their own way, unbeatable together. BA fellowship of different kinds of people, bound by purpose and deepened by the long road. CFriends who grew up alongside me — who knew me before I knew myself, and stayed anyway. DAllies whose loyalty I've earned — and tested — and whose ambitions align with mine, for now. EA crew of brilliant, curious, principled people from every corner of known space.

NEXT QUESTION →

What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.

AI want to use it to protect — and I'm terrified of what I might become if I'm not careful. BI distrust it. The most important power in this story is the courage to give it up. CI want to earn it — through knowledge, through effort, through becoming someone worthy of it. DI want to wield it. Preferably before someone else decides to wield it against me. EI want to understand it — its structures, its limits, its ethical dimensions. Power without accountability is the real threat.

NEXT QUESTION →

How does your universe treat good and evil? A world's moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.

AThere is a dark side and a light side — and the choice between them is always present, always personal. BEvil is real and ancient and patient — and goodness, however small, is the only thing that can undo it. CGood and evil are real, but they live inside people — and people are complicated, always capable of both. DGood and evil are mostly a matter of perspective and proximity. Power is the only honest currency. EEvil is usually the result of ignorance, fear, or broken systems — and understanding it is the first step to solving it.

NEXT QUESTION →

What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?

AThe reluctant hero — ordinary origins, extraordinary moment, changed forever by the choice to act. BThe unlikely carrier — the one nobody expected to matter most, quietly bearing the weight of everything. CThe student — not yet who I'll become, learning through every mistake, growing into something the world needs. DThe player — sharp enough to see the game for what it is, ambitious enough to try to win it. EThe explorer — drawn to the unknown, driven by curiosity, most alive when standing somewhere no one has stood before.

NEXT QUESTION →

What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.

AThat hope is real — that even in the darkest galaxy, a new hope is always possible. CThat even the smallest person can change the course of the future, if they have the courage to try. CThat love and friendship and doing what's right will matter in the end, even when everything says otherwise. DThat the wheel keeps turning — that power shifts, winters end, and what endures is those willing to fight for it. EThat humanity — or whatever we become — is capable of extraordinary things, if we choose to be.

REVEAL MY UNIVERSE →

Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…

Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.

Star Wars

You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.

You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
You'd find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.

Lord of the Rings

You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world's beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.

Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
Tolkien's universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.

Harry Potter

You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what's right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.

The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
Harry Potter's universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.

Game of Thrones

You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.

Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don't confuse the world as it is with the world as you'd like it to be.
Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
Winter always comes. You are already prepared.

Star Trek

You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.

Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
The Federation is the universe's most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
You don't just hope that's possible. You think it's the only thing worth working toward.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

Furthermore, while signing is often paired with spoken dialogue, it is not always translated for the viewer. Instead, the series relies on its superb character acting and animation to convey what is being said. A great example comes in the first episode, when Bojji is commanded to fight "like a king." His instructor, Domas (Takuya Eguchi, A.J. Locascio), signs the phrase to him, but it goes untranslated, allowing the audience to understand its meaning through Bojji's actions rather than explicit narration. Alongside its characters, the series also respects the viewer's intelligence. Rather than relying on the classic "anime narration," in which characters constantly explain the action, Ranking of Kings allows its visuals to take center stage.

Reminiscent of older anime styles, Ranking of Kings' artwork and animation are colorful and fluid, encapsulating a sense of whimsy that perfectly suits the show's fantasy setting. Through its abundant use of squash-and-stretch animation, movement becomes a character in its own right, heightening expression and emotion while reinforcing the sense of magic that permeates every episode. This is especially noticeable during the action scenes, where the care devoted to each character's fighting style and more complex movements is evident. Even the series' backgrounds evoke the feeling of fairy tales, with beautifully rendered castle towns and forests that resemble watercolor paintings. There's something about the art style that feels reminiscent of a Studio Ghibli film, particularly Howl's Moving Castle or Castle in the Sky.

Bojji and Kage's Friendship Is the Emotional Core of the Series

However, perhaps the biggest reason to watch Ranking of Kings is its ability to draw out emotion with seemingly effortless precision. As mentioned before, by the end of the first episode, viewers can't help but cheer for Bojji as he takes a stand and prepares to fight his half-brother, Daida. Throughout the episode, Bojji is built up so beautifully that, by the time he steps forward to prove himself in swordsmanship, it is abundantly clear what kind of person he is: kind and playful, yet exceedingly determined and perceptive. He is the kind of protagonist who captures the audience's heart almost immediately.

The same is true of Kage. While initially introduced as somewhat cold, he quickly wins viewers over through his unwavering belief in Bojji and his perceptiveness when it comes to his new friend's struggles. Together, Bojji and Kage form the kind of friendship everyone longs for—supportive, loyal, and one that allows both of them to become the best versions of themselves.

So, when they fall, so too does the audience. As heartwarming as it is to watch Bojji succeed, it is equally heartbreaking to watch him fail, especially when nearly everyone around him, save for Kage and one or two knights, expects him to. Their complete lack of faith in Bojji and their dismissive view of his abilities are not only disheartening but infuriating. Kage's past is equally devastating. Witnessing the hardships of his childhood and his premature journey into a lonely adulthood is painful, and the series does not shy away from the tragedy of his experiences. It spares no effort in pulling at the audience's heartstrings. In only two episodes, Ranking of Kings not only endears viewers to Bojji and Kage through their triumphs but also captures them through the emotional weight of their hardships. Overall, it won't take long to see why Ranking of Kings deserves to rank so highly.

Ranking of Kings is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll and Funimation.

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