Under One Person (一人之下) with subtitle The Outcast is a Chinese webcomic by Dong Man Tang (Chinese: 动漫堂), illustrated by Mi Er (Chinese: 米二), and published by Tencent. It was first published under the title 异人 (Yi Ren, literally: "Weirdo") and with subtitle King of the Weirdo in February 2015.
A collaboration Chinese/Japanese anime television series adaptation titled Hitori no Shita: The Outcast (一人之下 The Outcast) aired from July 9 to September 24, 2016. A second season aired from January 16 to June 26, 2018, and simulcast in Chinese and Japanese.
The comic has been adapted into a movie in 2024.[2]
Plot
Chou Soran was a normal college student until he gets caught up in a terrible incident in a small village while visiting his grandfather's grave. While walking through the graveyard to pay visit to his deceased grandfather, Soran is assaulted by zombies until a mysterious girl wielding a knife appears and leads him to a confrontation with the zombies. After successfully fending off the zombies and further encounters with the knife wielding girl known as Fu Hōhō, Soran's life begins to change as he learns that the martial arts technique taught to him by his grandfather, known as Kitaigen, is a technique being sought after by many martial arts groups with ulterior motives. The story follows Soran's attempt to find out his grandfather's real history and his supposed connection with Fu Hōhō.
A college student and the inheritor of Kitaigen – a powerful martial arts technique that utilizes Qi. After finding out that his grandfather is much more than what he is led to believe, he begins to unravel his grandfather's true history with Fū Hōhō as his only lead. Unbeknownst to him, he is also an Outsider that has acquired his status after being trained by his grandfather.
A young-looking girl with a mysterious past who works for Express Delivery Company and is also an Outsider. She is an adept fighter although without any formal martial arts training. She wields a knife that she usually hides and only uses it in case of serious situations. It is hinted that Fū Hōhō is connected to Soran's grandfather and may be the key to unraveling the mysteries surrounding her past and Soran's grandfather and that she might've been alive for more than a century while still retaining her youthful appearance.
A high-ranking employee of 'Express Delivery Company' – a front company sponsored by the fictional Chinese state government that employs 'Outsiders' to harbor them and prevent Outsiders from causing disruptions in society. 'Outsiders' are people with the ability to control and manifest their Qi to perform superhuman and psychic feats achieved through rigorous martial arts training or being inherently born with the ability to control their Qi. Jo San is also an Outsider with the psychic ability to control objects.
An employee of Express Delivery Company. He is an Outsider that uses his Qi to burrow underground and use tunnels to move quickly from one place to another.
A girl who attempted to kidnap Chō Soran to prove worthy of joining Zensei – a mysterious organization of Outsiders with nefarious motives and considered to be a formidable force in the world of Outsiders. She is also an Outsider with the ability to control deceased humans and turn them into zombies that she can control.
Chō Soran's grandfather has mysterious connections to Zensei, Fū Hōhō, and Tenshifu – an ancient martial arts organization that harbors outsiders and the most influential organization in the world of Outsiders. He is the progenitor of the Kitaigen technique – a technique that involves utilizing Qi to perform superhuman feats.
An anime adaptation, titled Hitori no Shita: The Outcast (一人之下 The Outcast), was produced by Emon,[3] directed by Wang Xin with assistant directors Kazuhiro Toda and Mitsuo Mori, and animated by Pandanium (season 1) and Haoliners themselves (season 2). Tokyo MX broadcast a special "episode 0" on July 2 and the first episode aired on July 9.[3] An English-subtitled version premiered on Crunchyroll on July 9.[4] The opening theme is "ARCADIA" by Lilith while the ending theme is "In the Dawn" by Affective Synergy. Crunchyroll streamed the second season.[5]
"The Chou Family's Secret?" "Chō Ya no Himitsu?" (張家の秘密?)
July 9, 2016 (2016-07-09)
After the grave of Chou Shakurin is violated, a girl named Houhou appears claiming to be the granddaughter. Meanwhile, Chou's grandson, Soran, arrives from the college and is informed about the violation and about his alleged sister. At night, Soran finds Houhou digging up a grave, but is knocked out by her. When he wakes up, she is killing zombies and denies being his sister. She eventually abandons him among the zombies and meets her partner, Jo San; they see a lightning and return to see if Soran is well. They find the zombies electrocuted but not Soran. In the next day, Houhou goes to the same college Soran attends and meets him. In a brief sequence, a pair is shown interested in Chou Shakurin's corpse, as Houhou and Jo San are also revealed to be.
2
"Master and Servant" "Shujin to Geboku" (主人と下僕)
July 16, 2016 (2016-07-16)
After a class, Houhou defies Soran to show his powers by attacking him. Soran is reluctant because his grandfather said he should avoid using it, and his father, Yotoku, beat him every time he used it. Soran realizes Houhou is one of the "outsiders" his grandfather allowed him to use his powers against. However, he is defeated by Houhou, who says he will be a servant to her from now on. Meanwhile, the zombie master who took Shakurin's corpse delivers it to the young boy-like Ro Ryou and the beautiful Natsuka. As Shakurin's body is of no use, Ro Ryou does not allow the zombie master to join the organization but promises to do so if they capture Shakurin's grandson.
3
"Lie" "Uso" (嘘)
July 23, 2016 (2016-07-23)
Soran disobeys Houhou's order to meet her as he receives a date invitation from a girl. After a dinner they go to her apartment, where she blocks Soran's powers and reveals to be the zombie master who dug Shakurin's grave. She brings Soran to Ro Ryou and Natsuka and is accepted as a Zensei member. When Ro Ryou is trying to use his power to get information, Houhou and Jo San arrives.
4
"Chaos" "Konton" (混沌)
July 30, 2016 (2016-07-30)
During the clash, Soran remembers his grandfather said that after bad things happen, good things happen too. However, he does not observe it even when Houhou and Jo San rescue him. As reinforcement arrives, Natsuka departs on a motorcycle, and Ro Ryou and the zombie master, Kenken, go away on a car. In a forest, Ro Ryou abandons Kenken, who is the only of the three to be captured. In the following day, Houhou brings Soran to meet the place where she and Jo San work—an express delivery system.
5
"Welcome to Express Delivery" "Youkoso Sokutatsu e" (ようこそ速達へ)
