Kingdom: The Soulful Showdown:Kenji Sakaguchi will play Kanki, Jun Shison will Jun Shison, and Fuju Kamio will Fuju Kamio.

It has been revealed that Kenji Sakaguchi will play the popular character Kanki in the latest installment of the "Kingdom" film series starring actor Kento Yamazaki, titled "Kingdom: The Soulful Showdown" (directed by Shinsuke Sato, opening July 17). It was also announced that Jun Shison Shison will play Mouten, Shin's rival (played by Yamazaki), and Fuju Kamio will play Ouhon.

"Kingdom" is a popular manga series by Yasuhisa Hara that has been serialized in the manga magazine "Weekly Young Jump" (Shueisha) since 2006. Set in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods of ancient China, it depicts the exploits of Shin, who aims to become a great general, and Ei Sei, the King of Qin who would later become "Qin Shi Huang." The live-action film adaptations have so far attracted a cumulative audience of 17 million people and grossed over 24.5 billion yen at the box office.

The latest film, "Kingdom: The Soulful Showdown," depicts the popular "Coalition Army Arc" from the original manga, in which the Qin state faces a desperate crisis when a coalition army of six countries, led by the Shun Oguri strategist Li Mu (Shun Oguri), attacks.

The seven cast members announced this time will play a central role in the Qin army as they face an unprecedented crisis. Meng Tian and Wang Ben are young generals who, like the protagonist Shin, aspire to become great generals. Meng Tian, ​​played by Shison, comes from a prestigious family, the son of Meng Wu (played by Hirayama Yusuke). He is highly intelligent, skilled in military strategy, and a wise general who always calmly assesses the situation on the battlefield.

Fuju Kamio's portrayal of Wang Ben is that of the eldest son of the Wang family, the same family as Wang Qi (Osawa Takao), who was once renowned as one of the Six Great Generals. He is a serious and hardworking individual with calm and collected judgment, while also excelling in spear fighting and harboring an unyielding fighting spirit.

Kanki, played by Sakaguchi, has an unusual background as a former bandit leader and is a general who commands an army full of ruffians. He possesses both unfathomable talent and a charismatic personality that attracts people, and his role is to outmaneuver his enemies with unconventional and audacious tactics.

Furthermore, Ayumu Tanida will play Wang Jian, Ben's father and the current head of the prestigious Wang family, a ruthless general; Yajuro Bando will play Meng Gou, Meng Tian's father, the grandfather of Meng Yi (Riku Hagiwara), a great general also known by the nickname "Old White"; Satoshi Hashimoto Tang, the oldest general of the Qin state who sees the ruthless Huan Qi as his sworn enemy; and Takashi Sasano will play Cai Ze, a diplomat who has served Qin for a long time.

◇Kanki (Kanki) role: Kenji Sakaguchi

When I first received the offer, I remember being surprised at what an incredible opportunity it was. It was the number one movie series in Japan, and it was for Kanki, a uniquely popular character within Kingdom, so I couldn't just say yes right away and consulted with my family and those around me. Everyone told me that there are many actors who want to play Kanki, and that it would be a great honor, which gave me courage. And so I decided to take on this important role.

From then until filming began, I thoroughly researched Kanki, and at the same time, I continued training in horseback riding, sword fighting, and weight training. It was my first time facing a single role for such a long period of time, but the sense of tension, in a good way, changed my life as well.

Once filming began, I was able to spend a dreamlike time thanks to the support of the director and all the staff on set. I still vividly remember the feeling of becoming Kanki on the first day when I had my makeup done, put on my wig and armor. It was the best moment. Even though it was fiction, it was a strange feeling to think that I had really jumped out of the manga and was fighting in reality.

Finally, whenever I felt lost or anxious, I would always whisper these words to myself.

"It's okay, everything will be fine."

Thank you, General Kanki!

◇Meng Tian (played by Jun Shison)

I was offered the role after only having seen the movie, so I read the original work to get to know my character, and I found it really interesting. The character of Meng Tian is also very popular. That's why I was worried about the responsibility I had to take on, but my desire to play the role was stronger, so I participated with the intention of preparing as much as I could and giving it my all. I wanted to play Meng Tian's character without disrupting the world of the original work, so I paid attention to every gesture and every glance, and prepared many different looks within myself so that I could deliver whatever was asked of me on set.

Both the original work and the film are highly acclaimed by many people, and I thought it would be nice if I could be of even a little help to something that Kento Yamazaki, who is the same age as me, has dedicated his life to and created over many years.

◇Ou Hon (王本) role: Fuju Kamio

I've always watched the "Kingdom" series, and I'd always wanted to appear in it if I had the chance, so I was thrilled to hear that I could take on the role of Wang Ben. While Wang Ben possesses the dignity befitting a member of the royal family, he's also a very passionate character, so I focused on portraying how to bring out that passion. The spear action was difficult. I struggled to treat it as an extension of my own body, but I practiced a lot, consciously trying to transfer power from the center of my body all the way to the tip of the spear. I feel it was a valuable experience.

The filming is, of course, about "battle," so the set is tense, but I was really relieved by Kento Yamazaki's gentle personality. I'm a little anxious about how Wang Ben will be received, but as a viewer myself, I want to see a cool Wang Ben, so I hope I was able to embody that.