Ya Boy Kongming! (Japanese: パリピ孔明, Hepburn: Paripi Kōmei; lit. "Kongming of the Party People") is a Japanese manga series written by Yuto Yotsuba and illustrated by Ryo Ogawa. The series was serialized on Kodansha's Comic Days website from December 2019 to November 2021, before being transferred to Weekly Young Magazine; its chapters have been collected in 26 tankōbon volumes as of August 2026. Set in Shibuya, Tokyo, the series centers on Zhuge Kongming, who is transported from ancient China to modern Japan and uses military tactics to transform his new friend, Eiko Tsukimi, into a music star.
An anime television series adaptation produced by P.A. Works was streamed from March to June 2022 and aired on television from April to June of the same year. Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series outside of Japan and streamed it on its Hidive platform.
A live-action television drama aired from September to November 2023 on Fuji TV's Shinsui 10 Drama programming block. A sequel live-action film was released in April 2025.
Contents
Premise
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 Tsukimi (月見 英子, Tsukimi Eiko)
Voiced by: Kaede Hondo, 96Neko (singing voice) (Japanese); Juliet Simmons (English)
Portrayed by: Moka Kamishiraishi (drama), Haruki Iwata (stage play)
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 Kongming (諸葛 孔明, Shokatsu Kōmei)
Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu (Japanese); Joe Daniels (English)
Portrayed by: Osamu Mukai (drama), Ray Fujita (stage play)
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.
Kabetaijin (KABE太人)
Voiced by: Shōya Chiba (Japanese); Antonio Lasanta (English)
Portrayed by: Ryubi Miyase (drama), Fumiya Takao (stage play)
Media
Manga
Written by Yuto Yotsuba and illustrated by Ryo Ogawa, Ya Boy Kongming! was serialized on Kodansha's Comic Days 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 tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on April 8, 2020. As of August 6, 2026, 26 volumes have been released.
The manga has been licensed for English digital release in North America by Kodansha USA, with the first volume released on June 1, 2021.
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 "Chikichiki Banban" (チキチキバンバン; "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang") by the music unit Queendom, while the ending theme song is "Kibun Jōjō ↑↑" (気分上々↑↑; "Feeling Good ↑↑") 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.
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 Shinsui 10 Drama programming block from September 27 to November 29, 2023.
Live-action film
A live-action film sequel to the series was announced in December 2024. The film features the same staff and starring roles from the television drama. It premiered on April 25, 2025.
Stage play
A stage play adaptation was announced in December 2023. It was written and directed by Akira Ishida from the comedian duo Non Style, and starred 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.