The Tenchi Trees of Continuity: Core Contradictions and Quantum Conundrums

Tenchi is the secret descendant of a great alien empire. That, essentially, is the gist of a tale that otherwise combines Japanese mysticism with comedic, romantic action, some old-fashioned derring-do and a dose of interplanetary drama. There’s nothing quite like Tenchi Muyo!—then or now—but even the franchise’s greatest fans often miss the obvious. Yes, the franchise is usually, and correctly, cited as being the first great “harem” anime. But such is an almost ignominious distinction. Taken superficially, then yes—the show is about a boy being chased by a number of smitten women. But at its grandest, the story ascends to the heavens, offering a peek into the cosmos, a glimpse into the infinite. Tenchi Muyo takes the Creation Myth and multiplies it by a hundred.

As originally conceived, the premise is exactly as the title implies—roughly translated, “Tenchi Muyo” means No Need for Tenchi, or, even more loosely, Useless Tenchi. Indeed, that’s the joke in the OVA’s earliest episodes—Tenchi, after dismissing the warnings of his grandfather, proceeds to awaken a 700-year mummified “demon” at his family shrine. Turns out, this creature is actually a beautiful alien woman of great supernatural power. And naturally, she now wants to kill him.

Or does she?

And so goes the pattern—like a young King Arthur yanking Excalibur from its stone, Tenchi finds himself the holder of his own mystical sword…the key, both literally and figuratively, to his own slowly-manifesting powers (indeed, the sword itself is coined “Tenchi”). But more than a key, the boy and sword are body and soul; a beacon, in a sense, that begins attracting all kinds of intergalactic attention. Positive or negative, it’s not the attention Tenchi wants or needs.

Or does he?

Enter Ayeka, a Juraian princess searching the galaxy for her missing fiancé, the warrior Yosho. The hero went missing after saving the planet of Jurai from the dastardly Ryoko—that demoness Tenchi foolishly released in the first episode. Now, with the pirate now in her clutches, Ayeka can finally learn the whereabouts of her lost love while exacting her own brand of justice. And Tenchi, being Ryoko’s resuscitator, is looking extremely suspect. No need for Tenchi, indeed.

More women eventually join the mix: Ayeka’s kid sister Sasami, Galaxy Police Officer Mihoshi, eccentric scientist Washu, the little “cabbit” Ryo-Ohki, and, in some continuities, Mihoshi’s police partner Kiyone. Happily, Tenchi eventually makes peace with all these capricious ladies; the bad news, maybe, is that they come to worship him instead…to epic, obsessive proportions.

Is the man blessed? Cursed? The luckiest dude in the universe or the unluckiest shmuck alive? These questions are the joke, the yoke, embedded at the center of “Muyo.” But, as Tenchi’s marriage possibilities continued to increase no matter the continuity, spin-off, or alternate timeline, an even greater question emerged:

Which girl is best for Tenchi? Just whom would Tenchi choose?

Tenchi University : Lots of Universes, Lots of Plots

Planet Jurai uses celestial trees as its primary energy source--trees as numerous as the Tenchi Multiverse itself.

Tenchi's sword is a sort of Arthurian Excalibur--it's literally the key to unlocking his latent abilities. His destiny. His many, many would-be girlfriends.

Although the basics stay the same, the Tenchi Saga branches into an almost incalculable number of alternate realities, including the PC-FX game Tenchi Muyo!: Ryo-Ohki, the Tenchi Muyo! American comic, and the Tenchi in Tokyo anime series.

The Three Primary Timelines, the Dark Horse Fourth, and a Shortlist of the Many Spinoffs and Alternative Realities

Tenchi Muyo Ryo-Ohki! (1st OVA by Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi, OVAs 2-5 by Masaki Kajishima)

The foundational universe, or template, from which all other Tenchi media is derived. Despite beginning with the most basic of premises—a “demoness” awakens from her slumber and proceeds to destroy Tenchi’s school (with him inside)—the series quickly explodes into a Big Bang of ever-expanding, Tolkien-level lore. Eternal goddesses, anamorphic spaceships, and sapient, ethereal trees. Galactic federations, material conversions, space pirates, and divine assimilations. What begins as a wacky fairy tale soon balloons into a mythology spanning galaxies, even universes, with a cast of characters that multiply faster than an isle of stranded cabbits.

The OVA soon spawned two separate TV shows which greatly trimmed the original’s many excesses…keeping the roots, so to speak, while pruning the thornier, wilder branches. For hardcore lovers of dense, almost inscrutable lore, the original series (13-episode run) is the better pick, offering a superior mix of action, romance, and layered world building. But for those caring more for the slapstick and the romance--that “which girl will Tenchi eventually pick” pickle--many liken the original series to a slick website slowly overgrown with ads and bloatware.

Indeed, despite an excellent start, one could say Tenchi Muyo!: Ryo-Ohki! eventually loses sight of its first-generation tree for a thousand smaller, intervening leaves—the forest lost for the logs. OVAs 3-5, all of which arrived many years after the original two, almost feel like an entirely different series. Approach them with a very open-mind…or just avoid them altogether.

The OVA (canonical) Spin-Offs:

The original timeline, despite careening into some convoluted, confusing directions, continues even today in the form of new OVAs, doujinshi, and a slew of sometimes tenuously connected spinoffs; Tenchi Muyo! GXP, Tenchi Muyo! War of Geminar, and Tenchi Myuo! GXP Paradise Shido-hen are the most significant of these, but Photon: The Idiot Adventures, Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure, Spaceship Agga Ruter are also considered to be, by virtue of also being created by Tenchi-creator Masaki Kajishima, canon to the original series.

Tenchi Universe (26 episodes by Hiroshi Negishi, plus two movies – Tenchi Muyo in Love, Tenchi Forever):

Superficially, Tenchi Universe mirrors much of its OVA predecessor. Tenchi is still a relatively sheltered boy who lives alone with his dad and grandfather. His life is ordinary, quiet, boring…and that’s just how he wants it. But then the alien women show up. Then he learns about his alien, Juraian heritage, his hidden potential—even his right to the royal throne.

Guess he’s not so “normal” after all.

But while the OVA frontloads its most epic moments in the earliest episodes, Tenchi Universe takes its time, beginning like a traditional sitcom with its greater focus on slice-of-life, character-driven humor. Only gradually, only incrementally, is Tenchi ushered toward his true destiny—a climactic final fight between pretender and heir fighting for the waiting throne.

Lore-wise, Universe simplifies the mythology while still adding its own details and alternate characters. The most prominent of these is Kiyone, Mihoshi’s partner, and Nagi, a bounty hunter who holds a kind of personal rivalry with Ryoko. And though Kagato, the OVA’s chief villain, also exists in this version, he’s radically different in terms of appearance and ultimate intent. The biggest contrast, however—and biggest controversy—might be in how the show portrays its female cast. Tenchi’s harem has been crimped into a more manageable love-triangle between Ryoko and Ayeka…and there’s a clear bias for the former. The pirate wins more often or not at the poor princess’ expense. Mihoshi fares even worse, going from endearing bubblehead to incorrigible incompetent—a tradeoff that makes Kiyone more sympathetic, but at the cost of Mihoshi’s inherent likability.

So, Ryo-Ohki! or Universe? Which is the superior version? Many fans feel Ryo-Ohki!, despite boasting a wonderful start, only got worse as it progressed, losing much of the fun and fervor that made its earlier installments so enthralling. Universe suffers from the exact inverse, its early episodes comparatively middling before blossoming into a satisfying finale. But Universe has an advantage the OVA lacks—its two sequel films, Tenchi Muyo in Love and Tenchi Forever, are truly excellent pieces of fiction which not only serve as fitting capstones to the series, but for many, the entire franchise. For some, Universe is the saga’s go-to, default representation.

Tenchi in Tokyo (26 episodes, Nobuhiro Takamoto):

Many assumed Tenchi Universe would, naturally, receive a second season. It didn’t. Despite some uncovered Universe Season 2 concept art, AIC opted for another reboot—the inexplicable Tenchi in Tokyo. On the surface, the show does resemble a theoretical extension of Universe’s mythos, but by episode 7, this series is clearly a different tree completely. A tangled, pink and green, polka-dotted Angel Oak tree that dances the Russian Hopak under a chortling, purple moon.

Which is to say that Tokyo is bizarre, irreverent, and, at times, pretty darn funny.

Arguably, the show is the complete anti-thesis to the original OVA—a reductionist take that treats the cast more like Looney Tunes characters than real human(oid) beings. The drama, the deeper characterizations, the lore…are all dropped, changed, or severely cut in favor of goofy jokes and ludicrous scenarios. Indeed, the premise is so simple, it’s the very title—Tenchi sets off for school in Tokyo, leaving his alien harem behind…or does he? As expected, the women refuse to let him slip away so easily, with every episode revolving around their attempts to spy and cry and otherwise hound their wary, paranoid guy. Each tale is akin to a collection of gag manga strips stitched together to form a tenuous whole. Nothing is sacred. Life’s a laugh.

And that’s a problem. Although Tokyo does somewhat course-correct in its second half, introducing its own brand of drama and villainy, the series feels almost sacrilegious to what came before. It subverts as much as it honors, losing that tenuous balance between humor and heart that Universe managed to (mostly) hold.

After Tokyo, the Tenchi franchise began to stagnate, then languish. There would not be another new, mainline Tenchi series for fourteen years…and some see Tokyo as a leading reason for the property’s demise. Fair accusation or not, the series isn’t bad so much as it’s tacky—a show not without merits, but also not what fans were expecting at the time. More OVA episodes, another season of Universe, even an adaptation of Hitoshi Okuda’s excellent manga. But this? Once Tenchi left for Tokyo…the franchise just seemed gone for good.

The main Tenchi "family" tree for the Ryo-Ohki (OVA) timeline. Top row, left to right: Ayeka, Tenchi, and Ryoko. Next row, left to right, Washu, Sasami (with Ryo-Ohki hitching a ride), and Mihoshi. At the bottom from left to right, Nobuyuki (Tenchi's father) and Katsuhito/Yosho (Tenchi's grandfather). The latter two characters enjoy expanded roles in the later two-leading continuities.

The main Tenchi "family" tree for the Universe timeline. Top row, left to right: Ayeka, Tenchi, and Ryoko. Next row, left to right, Washu, Sasami (with Ryo-Ohki hitching a ride), and Nagi. At the bottom from left to right, Nobuyuki (Tenchi's father), Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Katsuhito/Yosho (Tenchi's grandfather). Both dad and grandpa enjoy more visibility this time around compared to their ephemeral nature in the original show...

The main Tenchi "family" tree for the Universe timeline. Top row, left to right: Ayeka, Tenchi, and Ryoko. Next row, left to right, Washu, Sasami (with Ryo-Ohki hitching a ride), and Sakuya. At the bottom from left to right, Nobuyuki (Tenchi's father), Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Katsuhito/Yosho (Tenchi's grandfather). As in Universe, both dad and grandpa enjoy more visibility this time around--especially Nobuyuki who's portrayed as hapless comedic relief.

That fourth one: Ai Tenchi Muyo! (60 mini-episodes, Hiroshi Negishi)

In 2014, Tenchi would resurface in an odd series comprised of sixty five-minute episodes. Directed by Hiroshi Negishi, who also helmed Tenchi Universe, fans hoped this new installment would serve as aproper sequel to the earlier canon. Unfortunately, not only does it fail to capture the former’s charm, it struggles to even justify its existence with a weird nonsequential story, gargantuan cast of additional femme fatales, and drastic change in art style.

It’s not entirely bad…exactly, but the show feels robbed of that intrinsic “Tenchi feeling” so appealing in the earlier series (even Tokyo). Oh, and there’s no Kiyone…and at this point, that’s just abominable.

No need for a tree here...just hold your nose and keep scrolling down!

Yep, outside the leading three continuities, the Tenchi franchise has spawned numerous off-shoots and sub-continuities that may or may not belong to the greater canons. For example, Hitoshi Okuda’s No Need for Tenchi manga began as a continuation of the OVA’s timeline following the events of episode six. It has since, sadly, been stripped of this distinction as newer OVA episodes ignored/displaced its many (excellent) stories, leaving the manga stranded in a weird bubble quasi-verse of its own.

The following list isn’t complete or even entirely accurate, but it serves to highlight just how fractured and convoluted the property ultimately became.

No Need for More?

Okuda’s aforementioned manga series (and its sequel) did what the OVA failed to do – keep its focus centered on the core Tenchi cast of characters, offering a healthy balance of adventure, romance, and wacky antics. Some his stories or so good, in fact, it’s a wonder they weren’t used, if not for the OVA itself, then at least adapted for a movie or televised production. Sadly, his efforts seem destined to remain in their paper tombs, er, tomes. No need for another series?

Manga: No Need for Tenchi! and The All-New Tenchi Muyo! (Hitoshi Okuda)

Okuda's excellent manga came in two separate series: No Need for Tenchi! and The All-New Tenchi Muyo!. Note the "Viz Graphic Novel" header atop the first two books--in those days, the term "manga" was more stigma than asset, so VIZ essentially had to create its own category for skeptical bookstores. Also, check out that $15.95 price! In the late 1990s, that was an astronomical cost for a foreign trade paperback that could be read in under an hour.

Under the “Panime” banner, Pioneer Entertainment experimented with an American version of the Tenchi Saga. It’s a strange amalgam of both the Ryo-Ohki (OVA) and Universe canons that focuses more on the franchise’s action/adventure elements than its many backstories and complicated bluster. Writer Jose Calderon and Artist Matt Lunsford do a capable job retaining the spirit and look of the series while providing a subtle but important Western touch—a touch, frankly, that would have benefited both Ryo-Ohki’s later episodes, and Universe’s hypothetical second season.

American Comics: Tenchi Muyo! (Jose Calderon and Matt Lunsford)

The first (and only) story Calderon and Lunsford were able to provide was a slick, outside-the-box take on the Tenchi cast and their topsy-turvy world. Everything feels a bit "off" compared to, say, Okuda's take on the property...but that's what also makes it interesting. If multiple writers and artists can work on Spider-Man and Superman, why not Tenchi Masaki? The potential is certainly there, the possibilities endless.

Like a lot of early Tenchi media, this unique, one-shot of a release was originally an extension of the OVA canon, taking place between episodes 6 and 7 before being unceremoniously dumped from the timeline. Although essentially an exercise in silliness, its significant lies in the introduction of Kiyone, Mihoshi’s beautiful, capable, but downtrodden partner. Although stricken from future OVA legend, Kiyone would become a fan-favorite of the two TV series. As for the Mihoshi Special itself, it exists in isolation now in its own, lonely dimension.

Mihoshi Special (Galaxy Police Mihoshi’s Space Adventure)

The Mihoshi Special also provided one of the first appearances of Magical Girl Pretty Sammy, the franchise's popular spin-off.

Less of an alternate timeline than its own contrivance and property, Pretty Sammy sports the familiar faces of its Tenchi cast, but offers a story completely divorced from the original mythos; its inclusion on this list is merely perfunctory. “Sammy,” of course, is Princess Sasami, now repurposed as a “magical girl” not unlike Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura, and numerous other angelic little ladies. The concept began as a CD audio drama…and apparently, the idea of Sasami being a secret, super heroine proved popular enough to warrant a three-episode OVA based on the premise. Later on, Sammy would continue her frilly adventures in two different TV series, Magical Project S (a continuation of the 3-episode OVA) and Sasami: Magical Girls Club (an entirely separate continuity).

Magical Girl Pretty Sammy

The existence of Pretty Sammy proves just how outrageously popular the Tenchi IP had become in the mid-90s--AIC was literally treating its characters like living actors and starring them in completely different shows and roles. Why a magical girl show starring the adorable Juraian Princess? Well, why not?

Tenchi Muyo! (Light Novels, Naoko Hasegawa)

Ms. Hasegawa actually served as the head scriptwriter of the OVA’s original six episodes before detouring into her own universe of stories with twelve light novels based on, but not in, the initial canon. Her books have never been officially translated and remain obscure beyond the borders of Japan; even in their native land, the stories have become largely forgotten. Her most famous tale, no doubt, is Tenchi the Movie 2: Daughter of Darkness (Midsummer’s Eve in Japan), which is the only one of her novels to receive an animated rendition. Opinions on her series—what little can be found, anyway—is mixed, but she is credited for creating Galaxy Police Office Kiyone, a long-time favorite of the TV series.

Hasegawa's novels are tiny little things not much bigger than the average hand. All twelve of them are arrayed here, listed in order from the top left corner (1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12). Oddly, they aren't numbered, forcing the curious and Japanese illiterate alike to read each book's copyright date and discern their proper sequence of release.

As expected, a wide-range of video games were produced to also capitalize on the early Tenchi Muyo! phenomenon. Most of these games were visual novel-style adventures inspired by either the OVA or Universe continuities while never being truly beholden to either. The best of these is probably Tenchi Muyo!: Ryo-Ohki for the PC Engine Super CD ROM2 System, which includes a new character, fun domestic hijinks, and a considerable threat in its second half. Its PC-FX sequel is also worthwhile, as is Tenchi Muyo!: Game Edition, a clever if brief RPG for the Super Famicom (SNES). Tenchi Muyo! Rensa Hitsuyo for the Sega Saturn is also notable if only for the beautiful art—it’s a falling-block puzzler in the vein of Puyo Puyo that, if nothing else, offers a cheerful, rotating showcase of the girls.

Like most of the other entries on this list, these games were of dubious continuity for their time, and have been relegated to irrelevancy a quarter-of-a-century hence. That’s a shame; some of these interactive tales are as entertaining as the shows they crib from, offering what could be seen as Ryo-Ohki’s or Universe’s lost episodes.

The Video Games?!

The Tenchi IP received plenty of exposure in the realm of video games, too...at least in Japan. Westerners got jilted in what were some pretty inventive adventures. Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki for the PC Engine (above) is probably the best regarded, but superfans will probably want to seek them all out by one means or another. For the merely curious, YouTube is a great start.

Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki Toko Muyo is like a lost episode for the Universe TV show. A really weird lost episode.

Zany Miscellany: Gag Strips, Audio Dramas, Doujinshi, etc.

Daughter of Darkness is the middle of three Tenchi films, but stands unique in terms of continuity.

As expected, a wide-range of video games were produced to also capitalize on the early Tenchi Muyo! phenomenon. Most of these games were visual novel-style adventures inspired by either the OVA or Universe continuities while never being truly beholden to either. The best of these is probably Tenchi Muyo!: Ryo-Ohki for the PC Engine Super CD ROM2 System, which includes a new character, fun domestic hijinks, and a considerable threat in its second half. Its PC-FX sequel is also worthwhile, as is Tenchi Muyo!: Game Edition, a clever if brief RPG for the Super Famicom (SNES). Tenchi Muyo! Rensa Hitsuyo for the Sega Saturn is also notable if only for the beautiful art—it’s a falling-block puzzler in the vein of Puyo Puyo that, if nothing else, offers a cheerful, rotating showcase of the girls.

Like most of the other entries on this list, these games were of dubious continuity for their time, and have been relegated to irrelevancy a quarter-of-a-century hence. That’s a shame; some of these interactive tales are as entertaining as the shows they crib from, offering what could be seen as Ryo-Ohki’s or Universe’s lost episodes.

Doujinshi? Roughly translated as "fan comics/fiction," this is a somewhat unofficial market in Japan that specializes in the creation, and sometimes sale, of manga and other merchandise. However, even prestigious anime veterans like Mr. Kajishima (Tenchi Muyo's creator) will use this unassuming venue to write his own official addendums to the Ryo-Ohki timeline.