Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato

Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato (Japanese: 天空戦記 シュラト, Hepburn: Tenkū Senki Shurato, lit. "Shurato of the Heaven Wars", occasionally spelled in the Siddhaṃ script on the logo and related merchandise), is a Japanese media franchise created by Todoroki Mihara. A manga series by Hiroshi Kawamoto was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's Shōnen King in 1988, with its nine chapters collected in two tankōbon volumes. It was followed by an anime series by Tatsunoko.

Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato
Promotional image for Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato
天空戦記 シュラト (Tenkū Senki Shurato)
Genre	Action, fantasy, mythic
Created by	Todoroki Mihara
Manga
Written by	Hiroshi Kawamoto
Published by	Shōnen Gahōsha
Magazine	Shōnen King
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	January 1988 – May 1988
Volumes	2
Anime television series
Directed by	Mizuho Nishikubo
Produced by	Heita Ezu Michio Shimizu Masakatsu Kozuru Motoki Ueda
Written by	Mayori Sekijima Takao Koyama Toshiki Inoue
Music by	Hiroya Watanabe
Studio	Tatsunoko Production
Original network	TXN (TV Tokyo)
Original run	April 6, 1989 – January 18, 1990
Episodes	38
Original video animation
Dark Genesis
Directed by	Yoshihisa Matsumoto
Produced by	Ippei Kuri
Written by	Mayori Sekijima Mizuho Nishikubo Satoru Akahori
Music by	Hiroya Watanabe
Studio	Tatsunoko Production
Released	August 16, 1991 – March 16, 1992
Episodes	6
Further information Novel series Written by Satoru Akahori Illustrated by Matsuri Okada Sho Sawada Published by Kadokawa Shoten Imprint Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko Original run December 1989 – June 1991 Volumes 7 Novel series Dark Genesis Written by Mayori Sekijima Illustrated by Matsuri Okada Published by Enix Imprint Enix Bunko Original run November 1991 – March 1992 Volumes 2

The anime television series ran 38 episodes on TV Tokyo from April 6, 1989, to January 18, 1990, and also received a 6-episode OVA follow-up series named Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato: Dark Genesis (天空戦記 シュラト 創世への暗闘, Tenkū Senki Shurato: Sōsei e no Antō, lit. "Shurato of the Heaven Wars: The Secret Feud of Creation"), that ran from August 16, 1991, to March 16, 1992.

Set in a parallel world called "Tenkūkai", which exists alongside Earth, evil forces known as the Asura Gods threaten to overcome the forces of good, causing the magical leader of this realm to transport warriors from Earth to their world. It's loosely based on Hindu and Buddhist mythology.

Plot

The plot revolves around two boys, Shurato Hidaka and Gai Kuroki, lifelong best friends who are polar opposites of each other in appearance and personality. While fighting each other in a martial arts tournament, they are suddenly encased in a beam of light and transported to a parallel world, Tenkūkai, where modern technology does not exist and instead the people rely on Sohma, a form of spiritual energy.

Shurato discovers he is actually the reincarnation of an ancient king of the same name, who once ruled this world, and one of the "Hachibushu", a group of eight legendary warriors with large quantities of Sohma, and was brought here along with Gai to fight the Asura Gods, a legion of destructive warriors. However, for unknown reasons, Gai attempts to kill Shurato repeatedly, confusing Shurato as the real Gai is a pacifist and the most compassionate person he knows.

Things quickly go wrong when Shurato and another of the Hachibushu, Ten-ō Hyūga, are framed for the petrification of Lady Vishnu, a powerful divinity and the leader of the people of Tenkūkai. The actual culprit, Vishnu's highest advisor and Asura spy Indrah, and the corrupted Gai manage to convince the remainder of the Hachibushu, as well as all of Tenkūkai's warriors and soldiers, that Shurato and Hyūga are evil and must be killed.

Although at first reluctant to get involved, Shurato eventually resolves to aid Hyūga in uncovering the conspiracy and cure Vishnu. They are accompanied by the young Tenkūkai spirit priestess Lakshu, and two others of the Hachibushu, Ryū-ō Ryōma and Karura-ō Reiga. Along the way, they engage in battle with the other four of the Hachibushu, sinister Asura agents in league with Indrah, and the majority of Tenkūkai's population.

Characters

Main article: List of Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato characters

Shurato Hidaka (日高秋亜人, Hidaka Shurato)

(also Shura-Oh Shurato (修羅王シュラト, Shura-ō Shurato))

The titular main protagonist of the series, Shurato, is a hot-headed, reckless, and impatient 16-year-old. He is depicted as having low tolerance and understanding of Tenkūkai's laws and inner workings, but is strong and pure-hearted. Like Gai, he is a martial arts master, and eventually becomes the most powerful of the Hachibushu and their de facto leader. His shakti and armor are both modeled after the lion, and his weapon is a vajra.

Gai Kuroki (黒木凱, Kuroki Gai)

(also Yasha-Oh Gai (夜叉王ガイ, Yasha-ō Gai))

A primary character and one of the main antagonists of the show, Gai was Shurato's best friend on Earth, but became his greatest enemy in Tenkūkai when he was put in a spell by Indrah. Unlike Shurato, he is cool, collected, and highly intelligent. He was a martial arts master, depicted as Shurato's equal, even though he was also a pacifist. His shakti and armor are both modeled after the wolf, and his weapon is a longsword.

Lakshu of Hōraisan (蓬莱山のラクシュ, Hōraisan no Rakushu)

Based on the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, Lakshu is a young native of Tenkūkai and a fledgling spirit priestess. She is the first person to find Shurato after he is teleported to Tenkūkai, attempting to wake him up with a kiss. She then accompanies Shurato and Hyūga on their journey, and becomes a major asset to the team when her latent Sohma powers manifest.

Media

TV anime and OVA

The TV series premiered on TV Tokyo, where it ran for 38 episodes from April 6, 1989, to January 1990. It was dubbed and broadcast in Brazil, France, Spain, Venezuela, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and China. The 6-episode OVA series began release on August 16, 1991, and ended on March 16, 1992.

In April 2024, in celebration of the anime's 35th anniversary, Tatsunoko announced a remaster of the series for release on streaming services.

Theme songs

Opening theme

"Shining Soul" by Satoko Shimizu (epi. 01–25)

"Truth" by Satoko Shimizu (epi. 26–38)

"Keep Your Pure Love" by Satoko Shimizu (OVA 1–6)

Ending theme

"Sabaku no Meizu (Desert Labyrinth)" by Satoko Shimizu (epi. 01–25)

"Caravan" by Satoko Shimizu (epi. 26–38)

"Garasu no Shōnen (Glass Boy)" by Satoko Shimizu (OVA 1–6)

Manga and novels

The manga series was done by Hiroshi Kawamoto based on Todoroki Mihara's drafts; it was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's Shōnen King from January to May 1988, and then collected into 2 tankōbon volumes. Shurato also spurred two novel series written by Satoru Akahori and Mayori Sekijima, and drama CDs.

Manga volumes

No.	Japanese release date	Japanese ISBN
1	December 1989	4-78-594636-9
Chapters 1 to 4
2	July 1990	4-78-594644-X
Chapters 5 to 9

Mechanical designers

• Studio Ammonite (Hiroshi Ogawa, Hiroshi Okura, and Takashi Ono)

External links

• Tenku Senki Shurato (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Tenku Senki Shurato at IMDb