Ya Boy Kongming!

The famous military strategist Zhuge Kongming met his demise in the Battle of Wuzhang Plains in 234. On his deathbed, he wishes that his next life would be in a peaceful place, free from bloodshed. He is reborn (in his youth) in modern Japan, appearing in the middle of a costume party for Halloween in the club district of Tokyo. The partygoers (in Japanese, "Paripi, a contraction of the English 'party people') of Shibuya lure him to a nightclub, where he meets Eiko Tsukimi, an aspiring singer, and his second life begins. ==Characters==

; : : :Eiko is a young singer and aspiring singer-songwriter from Kyoto who works as the resident singer and clerk at the BB Lounge. Her father abandoned the family to pursue a music career, causing her mother to oppose Eiko's involvement in music and creating a rift between them. After being prevented from taking her own life, Eiko is inspired by a performance of American singer Maria Diesel and regains her determination to move people through song. With support from Kongming, she overcomes self-doubt and becomes the lead singer of the record label Fourth Kingdom. Her character is named after Huang Yueying. ; : : :Zhuge Liang, the brilliant strategist and Chancellor of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms Period also known as the Sleeping Dragon, finds himself reincarnated in modern-day Shibuya with a youthful appearance. After encountering Eiko during her singing performance, he is deeply moved by her music and resolves to become her strategist. His high intellect allows him to quickly adapt to the modern world. Kongming later orchestrates a large-scale music event involving major record labels, which leads to the establishment of Eiko's record company, Fourth Kingdom. ; : : :His real name is Taijin Kawabe, a young rapper who has dominated the MC rap contest "DRB" for three consecutive years and has the nickname unrivaled freestyle. However, because he could not stand the pressure, he left the rap world after losing the battle due to stomach ulcers from the MC duel. However, after hearing Eiko's singing in the BB Lounge and his heated confrontation with Kongming's MC Battle, he regained his enthusiasm and decided to make a comeback as a rapper and become a partner with Eiko and others. The name of the person is "Kabe", which is the Japanese word for "wall", which corresponds to Seki (Red) of Sekitoba (Red Hare) Kung Fu. ; : : : Nanami is the vocalist and bassist for the band Azalea, which she formed in high school with guitarist Ichika and drummer Futaba. Forced to follow producer Toshihito Karasawa's commercial policies, the band gradually lost its original passion. After hearing Eiko and Kabetaijima perform, Nanami is moved to tears and recalls her initial love for music. The band chooses to perform in their own authentic style, receiving a strong fan response and achieving 100,000 online likes with strategic assistance from Kongming. They later reconcile with Karasawa as their producer, and Nanami offers guidance to support Eiko's developing career. ; : : :Kobayashi is the owner of the BB Lounge, a man with a strong personality who is also a Three Kingdoms and enjoys playing Go. He once rescued Eiko from a suicide attempt and subsequently employed her as both a clerk and resident singer at his establishment. Deeply impressed by Kongming's intellect during an interview, he hires the strategist as a bartender and receptionist. Though initially concerned that his small venue would limit Eiko's growth, Kobayashi supports the founding of the Fourth Kingdom record label and continues to assist her career. He serves as the key inspiration for Eiko's song "Hot Chill Hot". ==Media==

Manga Written by Yuto Yotsuba and illustrated by , Ya Boy Kongming! was serialized on Kodansha's '' online platform from December 31, 2019, to November 16, 2021. The series was transferred to Weekly Young Magazine'' starting on November 22, 2021. Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was released on April 8, 2020. As of May 1, 2026, 25 volumes have been released. Volumes Anime An anime television series adaptation by P.A. Works was announced in November 2021. The series was directed by Shū Honma, with Yōko Yonaiyama overseeing the series' scripts, Kanami Sekiguchi designing the characters, and Genki Hikota composing the music. It was streamed on Abema and other platforms from March 31 to June 16, 2022, and aired on Tokyo MX, MBS, and BS NTV from April 5 to June 21 of the same year. The opening theme song is by the music unit Queendom, while the ending theme song is by Eiko Starring 96Neko. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series outside of Asia. At their Otakon panel in July 2022, Sentai Filmworks announced that the series would receive an English dub, which premiered on the Hidive service on September 23 of that same year. A compilation film, titled Ya Boy Kongming! Road to Summer Sonia, premiered in Japanese theaters on March 1, 2024. Sentai Filmworks licensed the film, which premiered on Hidive on April 23, 2024. Episodes Drama A television drama produced by Fuji TV and C&I Entertainment was announced in May 2023. The series is directed by Shūhei Shibue, with scripts written by Nonji Nemoto. Osamu Mukai has been cast as Zhuge Kongming, while Moka Kamishiraishi will portray Eiko Tsukimi. It aired on Fuji TV's programming block from September 27 to November 29, 2023. Stage play A stage play adaptation was announced in December 2023. It is written and directed by Akira Ishida from the comedian duo Non Style, and stars Ray Fujita, Haruki Iwata, and Moeka Koizumi, among others. It ran in Tokyo from May 3 to 6 and in Osaka on May 10 and 11, 2024. ==Reception==

By October 2022, the manga had over 1.2 million copies in circulation. The series won the Next Manga Award's U-Next award in the web category in 2020. The series ranked ninth on the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2021" by the Honya Club website. The series was nominated for the 69th Shogakukan Manga Award. Accolades ==Notes==