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Episode 13 of Ousama Ranking, or Ranking of Kings, was released today, and the new arc truly picks up the pace from this episode. As speculated before, Hilling’s forces battle Miranjo’s lackeys while Bojji rushes to save his mother. The episode contained quite a few flashbacks, giving rise to more questions than answers.
Ousama Ranking episode 13 is titled “The Kingdom in Turmoil.”
Ousama Ranking (Ranking of Kings) episode 13 focuses on queen Hiling and the people loyal to her
Recap of Ousama Ranking episode 12
In Ousama Ranking episode 12, we see Bojji and Kage continue their journey towards the Kingdom of Bosse, with Despa following close behind. Miranjo brought the six criminals to the kingdom and led them to the throne room, where they captured and imprisoned King Bosse, still in Daida’s body.
One of the criminals, Kingbo, was fatally wounded by another, Ouken. In the past, Kingbo was the heir to a great kingdom before his father went mad and set fire to the castle, killing his entire family. Bebin made his way towards the castle while Domas and Hokuro started their journey to the underworld.
Another criminal, Zokku, crowned himself king, while Miranjo and Apeas confronted Hiling, who had arrived at the castle gates. Dorshe immediately recognized Miranjo, who was supposed to have perished in the great war. Miranjo reveals that she wants to see this country in ruin.
Hiling commands her subject’s loyalty in Ousama Ranking episode 13
Undoubtedly, Ousama Ranking episode 13 was centered around Queen Hiling. While Miranjo set her hounds upon Hilling’s party, Dorshe and Hiling's four knights moved in to protect her. Her head-knight, Ann, seemed to have known her and followed her for a long time. Dorshe learned from past mistakes, and this time he managed to overpower the hounds.
Along with the hounds, assassins Red and Black, and Gigan attacked the knights as well. Ouken arrived and fatally injured Ann. Hiling managed to temporarily blind Ouken, sending him out of the castle and into the village, while she tried desperately to heal Ann.
Although she succeeded, her retinue was crushed by Gigan, especially Dorshe. Unexpectedly, Apeas, who was observing the situation while carrying Miranjo’s Mirror, threw a spear to clear a path for Hiling. Miranjo understood Apeas’s loyalty to Hiling, but she warned him not to betray her again.
Instead of fleeing by herself, Hiling tried to save Ann. This caused Apeas to call out to Dorshe, who fought back against Gigan in order to protect the queen. It all came to naught, however, as Dorshe, Ann, and Hiling were surrounded by the hounds, and Dorshe lost an arm. Hilling’s death seemed imminent.
Ouken goes berserk and Bojji arrives at the village
Outside, Ouken appeared at the market where a mob was rioting to be let into the castle, and promptly began killing people. The glee on his face indicates that Ouken derives a sadistic pleasure from killing, something that was hinted at in the previous episode as well.
The Knights of the Underworld arrived at the scene with Bojji and Kage. The Head-Knight referred to Ouken as Lord or Prince Ouken (Ouken-Sama), coupled with the fact that Desha and Despa seem to have some connection with Ouken.
Ouken is called the Sword King of the Underworld, and might have been the king before Desha.
Despa had warned the Knights that they could not defeat Ouken, at most, they can hold him off until Despa himself arrives. Additionally, Despa considers Ouken to be Bojji’s natural enemy and gives strict orders to the Head-Knight to never let Bojji face Ouken. Accordingly, the Head-Knight sent Bojji and Kage to the castle to save Hiling, and prepared to kill Ouken.
Considering that in episode 12, Ouken had used his powers to freeze Kingbo mid-movement, Despa’s assessment seems to be correct. Bojji’s greatest strength is his agility and speed, both of which would be useless against Ouken.
Miranjo and Apeas in Ousama Ranking episode 13
The complexity of Miranjo and Apeas’s relationship was explored in Ousama Ranking episode 13. Apeas is loyal to Miranjo, but he crossed her twice to save Hiling. He does not understand Miranjo’s grudge against Hiling, and it is explained that Miranjo wants Bosse to achieve his dream of being the greatest, and his family is a hindrance to her.
She had killed Bosse’s first wife after finding out that Giants can give birth only once. In her opinion, Bosse needed another child from whom he could steal strength. To this effect, she arranged for Hiling to become Bosse's second queen, a human who can give birth multiple times.
However, Hiling, being a mage herself, sensed the evil in Miranjo and ordered her mirror to be put away. It is interesting that Daida did not have to share Bojji's fate.
As Apeas and Miranjo headed towards the dungeon, they were confronted by Red and Black. Here, Miranjo displayed her proficiency in Alchemy by turning her mirror into gold to distract them. While Apeas overpowered Red and Black, Zokku soon arrived to their rescue and managed to defeat Apeas by using deception. The criminals took Miranjo’s mirror away.
Elsewhere, Bebin appeared in front of Bosse's prison cell. Hokuro and Domas continued their journey.
Final thoughts
Ousama Ranking episode 13 shows the staunch loyalty Hiling commands. Her followers prioritize her and she prioritizes them in return. In Apeas’ flashback, we see that it was Hilling’s love for Bojji that won over Apeas. Hiling is indeed attached to her sons, as shown by her desperate attempt to save Daida in this episode, and her violent reaction to being informed of Bojji’s death in Part 1.
However, the intro foreshadowed Hilling’s absence in Bojji’s life, and Hiling herself had the premonition that she would never see either of her sons again. While Bojji is rushing to save her, it is quite possible that Hiling might perish before he gets there.
Hopefully, Episode 14 will shed light on Miranjo’s past with Bosse, and Ouken’s past with Despa. Hilling’s fate will also be known. Ousama Ranking episode 13 can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
