In an anime landscape often dominated by hyper-powered protagonists, tournament arcs, and world-ending threats, Ranking of Kings (Ousama Ranking) arrived in 2021 as a quiet, devastating earthquake. With a storybook art style reminiscent of a Studio Ghibli fairy tale and the emotional brutality of a Dostoevsky novel, it shattered expectations. It introduced us to Prince Bojji—a deaf, mute, seemingly feeble child who aspires to be the greatest king in the land.
Through its various vignettes, the series posits that courage is not just the absence of fear, but the willingness to act in spite of it for the sake of others. We see courage in forgiveness, in the admission of one's own mistakes, and in the quiet moments of domestic life just as much as we see it on the battlefield.
This article explores the significance of The Treasure Chest of Courage , analyzing how it expands the universe, recontextualizes the main plot, and why it is essential viewing for anyone who fell in love with Bojji and Kage. Ranking of Kings- The Treasure Chest of Courage...
: Stories focusing on the three brothers—Desha, Despa, and Ouken—and their war against their father, Satun, flesh out the Underworld’s history and explain the motivations behind Desha's quest for the "Divine Vault". Artistic Innovation Produced by WIT Studio
Prepare the tissues. Long live Prince Bojji. In an anime landscape often dominated by hyper-powered
The original Ranking of Kings (2021-2022) subverted fantasy tropes by centering on Bojji, a deaf, physically weak prince who triumphs through empathy and perseverance. Its conclusion left viewers with a restored kingdom but unresolved emotional debts. The Treasure Chest of Courage (2023) answers a different question: What happens after the catharsis?
There is a gut-wrenching scene in the OVA where Bojji tries to tell a servant that his shoe is untied. The servant ignores him, assuming he is begging for food. Bojji waits ten minutes, trips the servant by untying the shoe himself, and then walks away. He never gets the credit for the kindness. The OVA asks us: How many acts of courage go unnoticed because the doer cannot take credit for them? Through its various vignettes, the series posits that
Released in April 2023, (known in Japan as Ousama Ranking: Yuki no Takarabako ) serves as a poignant and visually stunning expansion of the beloved fantasy world created by Sousuke Toka. Produced by the acclaimed WIT Studio, this 10-episode special series is not a direct sequel to the first season but rather an anthology of side stories .
At its core, the series continues the original’s subversion of traditional hero tropes. Bojji, a deaf and diminutive prince, remains the "secret sauce" of the show, demonstrating that true strength lies in compassion rather than martial dominance. Empathy as Power
Unlike a traditional sequel, this series is an anthology of eight episodes, each a self-contained vignette. This structural choice is thematically essential. It rejects the linear “power progression” model of shonen anime, instead embracing a circular, memory-driven logic. The “treasure chest” of the title is not a physical artifact but the accumulated, often painful, memories that shape identity.