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, is an
Anime ,
Light Novel , and
Manga series about a boy named
Tenchi Masaki and the alien women who loved him.
The original series, ''
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki '', is a six episode
OVA ''(Original Video Animation or Direct-to-Home Video)'' series; released in
Japan in
1992 –93. As its popularity grew, it spurred a seventh episode (also known as the ''Tenchi Special'') and the stand alone ''Mihoshi Special''. In
1994 -95, the second OVA series was created and released, featuring episodes 8–13. From
2003 to
2005 , a third OVA series was released, with episodes 14–19, centering around the three goddesses introduced in the second OVA series. This is then followed by a special twentieth episode which centered around some of the remaining plot threads towards Tenchi's mother, as well as Noike, who was introduced in episode 15. The series can be somewhat confusing to newcomers because it has several continuities.
Before the popularity of series like ''
Love Hina '', ''Tenchi Muyo!'' set the benchmark for
American fans as a series with a somewhat meek but kind male lead surrounded by attractive but often bizarre women, an anime sub-genre (
Harem Comedy ) which would later become common. The TM franchise is also well-known in having a manga developed ''after'' an animated version was released, when typically the reverse is true.
''Tenchi Muyo!'' was one of the early successes for
AIC , the animation company behind it, which went on to create ''
El-Hazard '', ''
Battle Athletes '', ''
Oh My Goddess! '', ''
Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure '' and many other anime series. The main artist for the series is
Masaki Kajishima .
The name of the manga is a play on words. in
Japanese means "This way up", a phrase written, for example, on boxes to show they should not be upturned. The word ''muyō'' also means "unnecessary", thus with a lead character "Tenchi" this name could also mean "unnecessary Tenchi" and is more often than not translated to "No need for Tenchi" (even so far as the episode titles for the first TV series to have the running gag of having the titles start with "No need for...") The name 'Tenchi' also means 'Heaven (or the sky) and Earth' so one could also take the title to mean "No Need for Heaven and Earth."
The three major series continuities are ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki'', ''Tenchi TV/Universe'', and ''Tenchi in Tokyo''. The first series, ''TM!R'', is the original OVA (Original Video Animation) which introduces the core characters. The other two are spin-offs that utilize the same characters, with the addition of Kiyone Makibi, though the back story is quite different from the original OVAs. The first of the spin-offs was ''Tenchi Muyo! TV'' (also known as ''Tenchi Universe''), in
1995 ; it is a twenty-six episode TV series that retells the original series differently. This anime was one of a few anime to be broadcast on
PBS member station
KTEH in
San Jose, California , according to the
ANN .
See Also: Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki
The canon accepted by series creator Kajishima is as follows:
- ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki OVA 1'' (episodes 1-6)
- ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki OVA 1 Special, The Night Before the Carnival'' (episode 7)
- ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki OVA 2'' (episodes 8-13 + the bonus episode 13.5)
- ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki OVA 3'' (episodes 14-19)
- ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki OVA 3 Special'' (episode 20)
- ''''
- ''Shin Tenchi Muyo! Jurai'' (novel, tells of Azusa's life from a boy to the events in episode 13)
- ''Shin Tenchi Muyo! Yosho'' (novel, tells of Yosho's life from a boy until he defeats Ryoko on Earth)
- ''Shin Tenchi Muyo! Washu'' (novel, tells of Washu's life from when she was found 20,000 years ago through the loss of her child to politics. The death of her friend Naja is not discussed.)
- ''Tenchi Muyo! GXP 01'' (novel, novel form of the TV series with very little NB)
- ''Tenchi Muyo! GXP 02'' (novel, 2006 release)
- ''Tenchi Muyo! GXP 03'' (novel, 2006 release; contains lots of stuff not seen in the anime)
- Various Dōjinshi from Kajishima
- Various interviews with Kajishima
- The book ''101 Questions and Answers of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Oh-Ki'' (also titled ''101 Secrets'')
For more details about these materials, see
Tenchi Muyo! FAQ
Naoko Hasegawa, writer of episodes 3 and 5 the first OVA series, uses a different continuity, which includes the following:
- ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki OVA 1'' (episodes 1-6)
- ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki Galaxy Police Mihoshi's Space Adventure'' (also known as the Mihoshi Special), though except for the framing sequence, much of the story is as an exaggeration by Mihoshi and is not considered canon.
- '' Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki Manatsu No Eve '' (''Tenchi Muyo! Daughter of Darkness'')(movie 2)
- ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki Manatsu no Carnival'' (radio drama)
- A series of 13 novels by Hasegawa, including the Manatsu no Eve book upon which the movie was based upon.
A few characters from OVA 2 (episodes 8-13.5), such as Tokimi, Emperor Azusa, and Empress Misaki, make appearances in Hasegawa's novels. However, the episodes and events from OVA 2, as well as episode 7, do not take place in Hasegawa's canon.
Hasegawa also worked on the TV series, which includes her characters Kiyone and (in the movies) Achika, but the TV series is not considered to be in the same continuity.
See Also: Tenchi Universe
Called the "Negishi canon", after , the director who was the main creative force behind the series and connecting movies, ''Tenchi Universe'' (known as ''Tenchi Muyo! TV'' in Japan) has no sentient Jurai trees, Ayeka is not closely related to Katsuhito, and Washu is the person sealed in the cave. Kiyone has a major role in this series. Also, this series has a stronger emphasis on Ryoko, as shown in the show's opening credits and in some episodes, as well as ''Tenchi Forever.''
- ''Tenchi Muyo! TV'' (''Tenchi Universe''), 26 episodes
- '' Tenchi Muyo! In Love '' (movie 1)
- '''' (''Tenchi Forever!'') (movie 3)
A manga, also written by Negishi, was produced as a tie in to TMiL2, though it is uncertain if this manga is part of established Negishi canon:
- ''Tenchi Muyo! In Love 2: Eternal Memory'' (manga)
See Also: Tenchi in Tokyo
''Shin Tenchi Muyo!'' (known as ''Tenchi in Tokyo'' in English), in
1997 , is yet a third version of the story, but this time centered on Tenchi's high school adventures in
Tokyo . It is also a twenty-six episode TV series and many of the main characters had some personality changes.
- ''Shin Tenchi Muyo!'' (26 episodes)
There are also three movies: '''' (''Tenchi Forever!''),
1999 .
Movies 1 and 3 are intended to be in, and match with, the ''Tenchi Universe'' continuity. Movie 3 concludes the Tenchi Muyo! TV (Universe) series.
The continuity of movie 2 is more complicated. It is written by Naoko Hasegawa, who co-wrote the first OVA series and wrote several Tenchi novels in Japanese; the movie is based on one of her novels.
Movie 2 is sometimes believed to be in ''Tenchi Universe'' continuity because of the presence of
Kiyone and because
Ayeka refers to ''my brother's tree'' instead of ''your tree'' while speaking to
Katsuhito . Neither of these are related to ''Tenchi Universe''; Kiyone is present because she originated from Hasegawa's OVA-based novels, and the Ayeka line is a misleading translation. In reality, the movie is an animated version of the Hasegawa novel of the same name, and is part of her continuity. In Japanese, a name or title may be used in some circumstances where English would require a pronoun; saying ''"brother's tree"'' to Katsuhito does not mean that her brother is someone other than him. Furthermore, in the ''Universe'' series it is never demonstrated that she has a brother.
''
''Tenchi Muyo! in Love'' was the first of the Tenchi films, taking place within the ''Universe'' timeline.
The movie is about how the gang must save Tenchi from utter disappearance by capturing a criminal named Kain, which had traveled back in time to destroy Tenchi's mother,
Achika so that Tenchi isn't born to threaten his conquest of Jurai. In order to save Achika and Tenchi, Tenchi and crew travel back in time to the year of 1970 to protect Achika.
''
'''' (''Manatsu no Eve'') is the second Tenchi movie.
The movie is about a girl named
Mayuka who appears out of nowhere claiming to be Tenchi's daughter. Ryoko and Ayeka are jealous and/or suspicious, Sasami befriends her, Kiyone and Mihoshi are the same, and Washu suspects something. Mayuka turns out to have been created by the demonic villain
Yuzuha , who wanted revenge on Yosho because after befriending Yosho as a child she was banished by Jurai.
''
''Tenchi Forever!'' (''Tenchi Muyo! in Love 2'') is a continuation of the first TV series (''Tenchi Universe'') and sequel to the original film.
After a fight between Ryoko and Ayeka, Tenchi runs into the mountains to be seduced by a beautiful woman and disappears. Six months later, he is found with a woman named Haruna and he has forgotten his previous life.
The Tenchi manga consists of two series, ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-oh-ki'' and ''Shin Tenchi Muyo!'' (the ''shin'' here means ''new'' and has no connection to the second television series, ''Shin Tenchi Muyo'') are written by
Hitoshi Okuda . They have been released in America as ''No Need for Tenchi'' and ''The All-New Tenchi Muyo!''.
Unlike most anime/manga combinations, for Tenchi the anime came first, and the manga is considered non-
Canon . It is based on OVA series 1 and 2. Since the manga originally began in Japan before the release of OVA 2, the OVA 2 elements are not introduced immediately at the beginning. Because the manga is non-canon, new elements introduced in the manga do not carry over to the anime.
- ''"No Need for Tenchi" series!'' (Volumes 1-2, earlier half of volume 3, 4-6, first half of 7, and 8-12.)
- ''"No Need for Tenchi: Magical Girl Pretty Sammy"'' (Later half of Volume 3, based on the "Pretty Sammy" OVAs. Not thought of as part of the manga storyline)
- ''"No Need for Tenchi: Tenchi in Love"'' (Second half of Volume 7, based on the first Tenchi movie. Has characters from the ''Tenchi Universe'' timeline. Not thought of as part of the manga storyline)
- ''"Tenchi Muyō: Sasami Stories"'' (A collection or reprint of several of the Sasami related events that happened in the ''No Need for Tenchi!'' manga series. However, the book itself is in the new smaller format, and also features bonus comics in the back that were printed over the years. The bonus comics are not thought of as part of the overall manga story.)
- ''"The All-New Tenchi Muyō!"'' (Volumes 1-10; It continues the ''No Need for Tenchi!'' manga, but with a smaller page format. Introduces several new characters that weren't in the original manga.)
The first Tenchi spinoff is the ''
Pretty Sammy, The Magical Girl '' series, a
Magical Girl series where Sasami is the lead character. The first use of Pretty Sammy was in the ''Tenchi Muyo! Sound File'', a Japanese-only music video release. The same animation was used in the ending of the ''
Mihoshi Special ''. In
1995 , a three episode Pretty Sammy OVA series began, where Sasami, who is known as Sasami Kawai, magically becomes Pretty Sammy. The second ''
Pretty Sammy '' is a TV series (titled in America as ''
Magical Project S ''), which came out in
1996 . This series is a separate continuity from the OVA series. Pretty Sammy also appears in the Mihoshi Special and in an alternate reality sequence in the ''Tenchi Universe'' series.
The second is ''
Tenchi Muyo! GXP '', which was released in Japan in
2001 . The series takes place during the Kajishima version of the OVA continuity, and is set a year after the events of the third OVA series despite being released first chronologically. The main character of this twenty-six episode TV series is
Seina Yamada , a friend of Tenchi Masaki who accidentally joined the Galaxy Police. Many characters from ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki'' make appearances in this series, including the use of
Seiryo as a major character and a full-fledged ''Tenchi Muyo!'' crossover in episode 17.
'''', currently shown in Japan as
2006 , is recognized as the third spin-off with Sasami, known here as Sasami Iwakura, as the main character. The animation style here is saccharine compared to the other titles, but the hold over characters from the franchise (particularly Misao of ''Pretty Sammy'') are still fairly recognizable.
Other versions of ''Tenchi Muyo!'' are also available as
Graphic Novel s,
Video Game s and
Radio Drama s.
The series ''
Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure '' is also thought to be related to the Tenchi Muyo universe. Mecha Jinv from ''Dual!'' appear in ''
Tenchi Muyo! GXP '',
Kiyone ,
Ramia , and
Misao appear in a brief easter egg cameo in the series' OVA special, and there is much speculation concerning the ancient civilization that the character "D" is from. Kajishima has hinted that ''Dual!'' does, in fact, relate to ''Tenchi Muyo!''. The creator of both DUAL! and Tenchi Muyo!, Masaki Kajishima, confirmed that DUAL! is in fact an alternate version of the Tenchi Muyo! universe.
The manga is published in
English in North America by
Viz Communications . In
Singapore it is published in English by
Chuang Yi as ''No Need for Tenchi!''
Pioneer USA (now
Geneon Entertainment ) has brought out most of the releases in the USA up to 2002. They released the Tenchi OVA series, the Mihoshi Special episode, both of the Tenchi Muyo! television series, and all three of the Tenchi Muyo! movies. Pioneer USA has also distributed the ''
Pretty Sammy '' spinoff, with both the ''Pretty Sammy'' OVAs and ''Magical Project S'' TV series. On DVD the ''Mihoshi Special'' is released with ''Pretty Sammy'', not with the rest of the Tenchi series.
OVA1 and OVA2 were released on DVD in the
UK in
2004 . A single boxset was released in the UK which includes OVA1, OVA2 and the ''Mihoshi Special''.
FUNimation Productions licensed the second ''Tenchi Muyo!'' spinoff series ''
Tenchi Muyo! GXP '' for distribution in the United States in 2003, and released it in 2004. FUNimation also licensed the third OVA series and released it on DVD starting July 2005. FUNimation has kept most of the original dub voice cast except for
Petrea Burchard , who dubbed Ryoko's voice in the Pioneer/Geneon releases. She is replaced by
Mona Marshall in the GXP and OVA 3 series.
- – A planet from the Tenchi Muyo ! OVA series, ruins on the planet were attacked by Kagato but otherwise nothing else has been seen or said of it.
- - an autonomous planet within the Juraian territories, named after and ruled by the Balta family, which were also the rulers of the old Balta pirate guild.
- – a planet from the Tenchi Muyo ! OVA series. The only mention in the series is that several people disappeared in the planet's mystery spot once.
- – in the Tenchi Muyo! OVA series and GXP, it is a planet-sized spaceship belonging to the Kuramitsu family and operated by the Galaxy Police. Inside it has oceans, plants, and animal life along with the artificial structures. The ship also has firepower capable of destroying an entire planet.
- - Also known as "Terra", home of the human race-and Tenchi Masaki's house is located here.
- - A giant space station shaped like an arc. It houses many Galaxy Police officers and acts much like a massive police station.
- - Three massive ring worlds together that are the size of a solar system. Many cultures and races co-inhabit this place, which houses both scientific and military schools as well as many civilian merchant areas.
- — The seat of the powerful Juraian Empire, the homeworld of First Princess Ayeka , and the abode of intelligent trees descended from a goddess in the anime ''Tenchi Muyo!''.
- - A unknown number of worlds that borders with the Juraien empire's territory, but not with the rest of the Galactic Union. Are now allies with Jurai thanks to a political marriage.
- - Home planet of the Kuramitsu family and one-time rival of Jurai. The two planets once were involved in a bitter Cold War, but have since became close allies.
- - A planet administered by the Galactic Science Academy, where Kagato had kidnapped Washu and taken Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki as slaves.
- - Actually the home realm of the Chousin, this place is a massive area of altered space and time where all three - Tokimi, Washu and Tsunami - resided at one time. The area is made of many worlds with chaotic geometries.
- The creator of ''Tenchi Muyo!'', Masaki Kajishima, named several of the characters after locations in his Okayama Prefecture hometown. {Link without Title}
- The baby first aid for choking infants depicted in OVA2 episode 1 "Hello Baby" is slightly incorrect. In a proper procedure, one does not hold a newborn upside down, but reinforces their head and holds them in appr. 35-40 degrees. For further direction see Heimlich Maneuver
- When first aired on Cartoon Network's Toonami in America, Cartoon Network did some editing to the character's lines. The girls (mostly Ryoko) often drink 'tea' throughout the series. However, their 'tea' is often poured and distributed like Sake , a Japanese rice wine. Characters often begin to blush, slur their words together, hiccup, and slowly decline in their mannerisms as they chugged down their 'tea.' This was done to prevent backlash from the more conservative American audiences. The delivery of lines from the characters, however, implies that the characters are aware of the Double Entendre (ex.: "You can't drink THAT kind of 'tea' at school!")
- In addition to substituting 'tea' for sake, Cartoon Network also digitally painted swimsuits on several female character to cover up nudity during bathhouse scenes, and carried out extensive edits for language and other adult content, including references to sex, masturbation, and 'peeping'.
- Characters from a second AIC property, '' El-Hazard '', have cameoed in ''Tenchi Muyo!'' and vice-versa. However, these cross-overs are more on the line of Fan Service .
- Guardians Of Order published an English-language Role-playing Game based on OVA Episodes 1-13. The game, now out of print due to the expiring of the license, was moderately successful but is mainly of interest for combining many of the design elements that would be incorporated a few months later into the second edition of Big Eyes, Small Mouth and for the insights its writers gave on Tenchi's dilemma.
- The Japanese title logo of ''Tenchi Muyo!'' makes a cameo appearance as graffiti in issue 1 of the Mark Waid / Alex Ross graphic novel series '' Kingdom Come '', right after Norman McCay leaves Wesley Dodds 's funeral and starts walking through the streets.
