What it means to be a Great King: Ousama Rankings

Epic of Gilgamesh

I have gained an interest in the history of kings recently, partly due to my affiliation with the archetype of the King figure. "The Epic of Gilgamesh," a classical example of the hero's journey, struck a chord with me from the moment I learned of it.

Here's a summary of this story: "The Epic of Gilgamesh" is an ancient Mesopotamian poem that tells the story of Gilgamesh, a historical king of Uruk, and his companion Enkidu. Together, they embark on various adventures and quests, ultimately leading to Gilgamesh's search for immortality and his realization of the value of human life. The last arc of this story - the realization of the value of human life - is, to me, the most touching and inspirational portion. It is the tear-jerker portion of the story where you attempt to wipe away your tears discreetly but fail to do so.
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Ingredients of what make a good Hero's Journey

The ingredients that make this arc interesting often revolve around 1) an initial goal, 2) an impossible challenge, 3) a big and personal sacrifice made by the hero, and 4) finding out that the initial goal was not the main goal. So what makes "Ousama Ranking" a modern parallel to "The Epic of Gilgamesh"?

Ousama Rankings: a Modern Parallel

With the first episode of season 2 out, the parallels between Gilgamesh and Bojji's journey are obvious: they start to see what it means to be a great king. Bojji, in episodes 1 and 2, resumes his sword training but is instructed by his mentor to work for money. In this process, he sees the terrible and hopeless conditions that some of the citizens live in. He understands that giving money to the poor is not enough. Instead, teaching them a valuable skill that enables them to earn their own income is a wiser approach. More importantly, this latter approach allows them to make meaning out of their lives. As this season progresses, I am excited to see where this story of Bojji and Kage goes.