In this review of Royals #5, it’s an Easter Mass nobody will ever forget, as Castor and Minah rush to save Minee, and Paul makes his decision.
Royals #5
Writer: Derek Kirk Kim
Art and Main Cover: Jacob Perez
Variant Covers: Derek Kirk Kim, Robin Har
Page Count: 40 pages
Release Date: 8/5/2026
The review contains spoilers
As Royals #5 begins, the chase continues, complete with plenty of gunfire and a crash. But that doesn’t deter Castor and Minah’s pursuer. Though he does take a moment to call Daeshim. At which point they start to chase him with intent to kill.
At the church, Park is doing a bit of self-flagellation as he prepares for Mass. People are piling into the church for it.
During the chase, it’s revealed that Park actually is Daeshim’s father, and that his influence is all over the city. Also, Minah and Daeshim used to date.
Meanwhile, Paul keeps listening to the interview with a man whose twin was killed and that spurs him to make his decision. But before he can make a move, Alex shows up and confronts him…
During their hunting trip, Castor clears things up with Minah about that text he’d sent Paul. They see their target, shoot at him, but he gets away, leading Castor to dive into the river to fight him. It ends with his opponent being hit by a boat (which doesn’t kill him).
As he preps for Mass, Park gets a call. Meanwhile, Castor and Minah have arrived, swiped the keys to where Minee’s being held…and then the lights go out and the beatdown begins.
But as it turns out, Castor has help: Paul’s there! He’s in the Easter Bunny costume, and runs into Daeshim. Daeshim brings out reinforcements to deal with him.
Castor and Minah manage to get to the holding cell…only to find that Minee’s not there.
As Paul fights Daeshim’s men, Daeshim eventually has him dead to rights…only for Castor to intervene, the brothers back together again.
The chaos continues and just doesn’t let up, and that’s something this title excels at. Especially as it gets close to the end. And the action, no matter if it’s a chase, a shootout, or a good old fashioned beatdown is choreographed in an extremely engaging way.
Also, between the action, we get a few major character moments. Minah learns that Paul’s not the utter perv she’d initially believed, Castor finds out how Daishim and Minah know each other, and Paul makes up his mind to help his brother out.
But an aspect of Royals #5 that definitely stands out to me? The average citizens just showing up for Mass only for it to devolve into chaos, up to and including the Easter Bunny cursing people out and pushing little kids out of his way. The fact that at least one of the children runs off crying and we’ve got upset parents seriously adds to the whole thing. Seriously, none of those kids are about to forget this Easter celebration.
We get a nice amount of mood whiplash with Royals #5, as well. Dread as one of Daeshim’s men calls him and escapes Castor and Minah. The fact that this same man seems to not die no matter what’s thrown at him. Triumph, tension, more triumph as the brothers get in touch with one another again…But the end, when Castor goes to back his brother up is an utter “Hell YES!” moment. And the way he makes his entrance by tossing the poker chip? The perfect little cherry on top of it all.
With one chapter left and the twins reunited, things are bound to get more intense. I’m wondering if they’d killed Minee, moved her to another location, or if there’s some other crazy twist they’re saving for chapter six. With everything the writer’s been throwing at us, all bets are off, and I’m here for it.
Final Thoughts
Beautiful, beautiful chaos is the name of the game in Royals #5, and if you’re a fan of some insane action, if you’re not already reading this series, you’re missing out. The action never really lets go, but does allow a few moments to breathe before bringing more of the good ol’ crazy.
