Karna’s story has always existed in the shadow of the Mahabharata’s larger war. Now, one of its most complex warriors is getting a story of his own.

‘The Legend of Karna’, an original animated series created by Sharad Devarajan and Jeevan J Kang and produced by Graphic India, will premiere on July 31. The series places Karna at the centre of the narrative, tracing his rise from a young man whose origins become a source of rejection to a warrior whose skill earns him a place among the most powerful figures of his era.

Born to Kunti and Surya but raised in a charioteer’s household, Karna grows up in a world that refuses to accept his abilities because of the circumstances of his birth. His mastery of archery changes the course of his life when he enters the tournament at Hastinapura, an arena traditionally reserved for princes and kings.

Watch the trailer here:

His appearance in the royal court sets off a chain of events that reshapes his future. Duryodhana crowns him king, giving Karna the position and recognition that the royal establishment had denied him. From there, his journey moves between power, loyalty, politics and secrets that continue to shape the Mahabharata’s most important conflicts.

The series explores the tension between the destiny assigned to Karna and the identity he fights to build for himself. At its centre is a warrior whose talent repeatedly challenges the rules of a world determined to judge him by his birth.

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“Karna has always been the tragic heart of the Mahabharata,” Sharad Devarajan, co-creator and showrunner of Graphic India, said. “What the world refused him by birth, his own hands took with skill.”

The series will stream exclusively on SonyLIV from July 31.