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 manga created, written and illustrated by Hiroshi Kawamoto and later adapted to anime by Tatsunoko Production. It ran 38 episodes on TV Tokyo from April 6, 1989 to January 18, 1990 and also spawned a 6-episode OVA series named Shurato: Dark Genesis (シュラト 創世への暗闘, Shurato Sōsei e no Antō, lit. "Shurato: The Secret Feud of Creation"), that ran from August 16, 1991 to March 16, 1992. It was one of the most popular shōnen anime series of 1989.

Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato
Promotional image for Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato
天空戦記 シュラト
(Tenkū Senki Shurato)
GenreAction, fantasy, mythic
Manga
Written byHiroshi Kawamoto
Published byShōnen Gahōsha
MagazineShōnen King
DemographicShōnen
Original runJanuary, 1988 – December, 1988
Volumes2
Anime television series
Directed byToshihiko Nishikubo
Produced byHeita Ezu
Michio Shimizu
Masakatsu Kozuru
Motoki Ueda
Toshiki Inoue
Written byMayori Sekijima
Takao Koyama
Music byHiroya Watanabe
StudioTatsunoko Production
Original networkTV Tokyo
Original run April 6, 1989 – January 18, 1990
Episodes38[1]
Original video animation
Shurato: Dark Genesis
Directed byYoshihisa Matsumoto
Produced byIppei Kuri
Written byMayori Sekijima
Mizuho Nishikubo
Satoru Akahori
Music byHiroya Watanabe
StudioTatsunoko Production
Released August 16, 1991 – March 16, 1992
Episodes6
Novel series
Written bySatoru Akahori
Illustrated byMatsuri Okada
Sho Sawada
Published byEnix
Kadokawa Shoten
ImprintEnix Bunko
Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko
Original runDecember 1989 – June 1991
Volumes7
Novel series
Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato - Dark Genesis
Written byMayori Sekijima
Illustrated byMatsuri Okada
Published byEnix
ImprintEnix Bunko
Original runNovember 1991 – March 1992
Volumes2

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 was heavily based on Hindu and Buddhist mythology, and covered a range of topics, including brotherhood, reincarnation, camaraderie, interdimensional travel, destiny, and spiritual energy.

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 main character and protagonist of the show, 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

Anime and OVA

The TV series premiered on TV Tokyo, where it ran for 38 episodes between 1989 and 1990. Following its success, it was dubbed in Brazil, France, Spain, Venezuela, Indonesia, Philippines, Korea, Taiwan and China releases. The 6-episode OVA series began release on August 16, 1991 and ended on March 16, 1992.

Theme songs
Opening theme
"Shining Soul" by Satoko Shimizu (epi. 01-22)
"Truth" by Satoko Shimizu (epi. 23-38)
"Keep Your Pure Love" by Satoko Shimizu (OVA 1-6)
Ending theme
"Sabaku no Meizu (Desert Labyrinth)" by Satoko Shimizu (epi. 01-22)
"Caravan" by Satoko Shimizu (epi. 23-38)
"Garasu no Shōnen (Glass Boy)" by Satoko Shimizu (OVA 1-6)

Other media

Aside from the TV series and subsequent OVA, Shurato's popularity also spurred the release of myriad related merchandise, including books, trading cards, action figures, pencil boards, school notebooks, novels and drama CDs.

Mechanical designers
  • Studio " Ammonite " (Hiroshi Ogawa , Hiroshi Okura , and Takashi Ono.)
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References
  1. "Tatsunoko Pro". Tatsunoko.co.jp. Retrieved 2012-07-30.
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