WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Ranking of Kings Episode 6, "The King of the Underworld," now streaming on Funimation.
Ranking of Kings Episode 5 appeared to explain the late King Bosse's power as something that could be transferred between individuals via a dark magic ritual. This was a lie. In Episode 6, both Prince Bojji and King Daida must deal with the deceptions of enemies who are closer than they appear. Needless to say, viewers will be less likely to take any information revealed in the show at face value anymore.
Daida's deception is the more disturbing of the two. After rejecting the chance to gain his father's strength via the Resurrection Stone blood potion last week, he now ends up being forced to drink the potion anyway -- and it turns out it's not even going to give him strength. What exactly it's going to do to him remains a mystery, but it seems even Daida's attempts at independence won't stop the machinations of the woman in his magic mirror.
Episode 6 also reveals more about the mirror woman. Her name is Miranjo, and well before she started communicating with Daida through the mirror, she was already messing with the king's court. A flashback shows her doing... something to a young Apeas (it's not clear what, but it involved a griffon and a lot of screaming). Whatever happened back then, it seems to have given her some sort of power over Apeas. "The Spear of the King" tries to kill Daida for breaking the dying wishes of King Bosse, but just hearing Miranjo's voice is enough to stop him; his loyalty to her may very well outweigh his loyalty to his King.
The other less malicious but still annoying antagonist in Ranking of Kings Episode 6 is a king ranked even higher than Bosse: King Desha of the Underworld, the #2-ranked king. This weird Waluigi-esque fellow is seemingly Bosse's son, making him a half-brother to both Bojji and Daida, but it also feels hard to take anything he says at his word. Desha takes advantage of Kage forgetting names and pretends to be capable of granting Bojji strength.
After challenging Bojji to a duel with one of his knights, Desha claims Bojji is so weak that there's nothing he can do to help him become stronger. It's another heartbreaking setback, bringing the prince to tears as he tries desperately to lift a heavy rock, but the knight, feeling sympathy for Bojji, reveals the truth that Kage and Bojji were actually seeking Desha's brother, Prince Despa, and that Desha is usually a great man but has a rough streak in matters regarding his brother. By the episode's end, Bojji and Kage find themselves at Despa's doorstep, hoping to find someone who can honestly train them.
New episodes of Ranking of Kings premiere Thursdays on Funimation.
