Sakura Wars is a Japanese steampunk media franchise created by Oji Hiroi and owned by Sega. It is focused around a series of cross-genre video games. The first game in the series was released in 1996, with five sequels and numerous spin-off titles being ...

'' is a

video game series This is a list of video game franchises, organized alphabetically. All entries include multiple video games, not counting ports or altered re-releases. 0–9 *''1080° Snowboarding'' *''1942'' *''3D Ultra Minigolf'' *'' 3-D Ultra Pinball'' *''7 ...

developed and published by

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

. Its first game premiered in Japan in 1996 and ''Sakura Wars'' games have later been on nearly every

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally placed i ...

since the

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...

, including

Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, N ...

, Sega Titan,

Game Boy Color The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

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Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

and several models of

mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...

. In addition to the six games released as part of the main series and their many spin-offs and related titles, the ''Sakura Wars'' series has spawned many works in other media including anime, movies, novels and manga, and radio dramas. For the Sakura Taisen World Project, seven games were announced: Sakura Taisen: Atsuki Chishio ni, Sakura Taisen V: Saraba itoshiki hito yo, Sakura Taisen V: Episode 0, Sakura Taisen Monogatari - Teito-hen & Paris-hen, a title that tells the story of the Anti-Kouma Battle Squadron and the Kouma War. Also announced was a game that took place during the Sengoku Jidai and a PC port of ''Is Paris Burning''.

Video games

Main series

Prequels and side stories

Compilations and collections

Spin-offs

Film and television

Soundtracks

The composer of the series is Kohei Tanaka. In addition to the original soundtracks, listed below, many games have inspired orchestral or vocal albums as well as compilation albums featuring music from several ''Sakura Wars'' games. {{Video game table, body= {{Video game table item , title=Sakura Wars Soundtrack: Steam Gramophone , release1=May 2, 1997 , release2={{n/a, none , release3={{n/a, none , notes=*Two CD set (1:35:55) with 51 tracks *Released in Japan by Lipop Record / BMG Japan {{Video game table item , title=Sakura Wars 2: Steam Gramophone , release1=July 17, 1998 , release2={{n/a, none , release3={{n/a, none , notes=*Two CD set (2:20:13) with 60 tracks *Released by Marvelous Entertainment {{Video game table item , title=Sakura Wars 3 Music Collection: Paris Music Hall , release1=May 3, 2001 , release2={{n/a, none , release3={{n/a, none , notes=*Two CD set (2:25:54) with 79 tracks *Released by avex mode {{Video game table item , title=Sakura Wars 4: Fall in Love Maidens Complete Music Collection , release1=April 10, 2002 , release2={{n/a, none , release3={{n/a, none , notes=*One CD (60:11) with 17 tracks *Released by avex mode {{Video game table item , title=Sakura Wars: In Hot Blood Teigeki Complete Music Collection , release1=February 26, 2003 , release2={{n/a, none , release3={{n/a, none , notes=*Two CD set (2:23:00) with 62 tracks *Album containing original vocal tracks and updated music tracks from ''In Hot Blood'' *Released by avex mode {{Video game table item , title=Sakura Wars V Episode 0: Samurai Daughter of the Wild Complete Music Collection , release1=September 23, 2004 , release2={{n/a, none , release3={{n/a, none , notes=*One CD (74:45) with 34 tracks *Released by avex mode {{Video game table item , title=Sakura Wars V: So Long, My Love Music Collection: New York Music Hall , release1=September 7, 2005 , release2={{n/a, none , release3={{n/a, none , notes=*Two CD set (2:13:10) with 56 tracks *Released by avex mode

Novels and manga

Many ''Sakura Wars'' games have been adapted as novels and manga series. With the advent of the Internet, web novels and digital publishing have also become common. These stories act as companion pieces, offering an interpretation of the game's events or expanding the plot of the games by depicting additional scenarios. {, class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", ''Sakura Taisen: Zenya''
1997:{{cite web, url=http://www.sakura-taisen.com/goods/book.html , title=Books {{cite web, url=http://www.sakura-taisen.com/ , title=Sakura-Taisen.com , accessdate=2007-05-16

light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...

, width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * 3-volume light novel written by

Satoru Akahori is a Japanese scriptwriter, novelist and manga author. He is best known for the ''Saber Marionette'', ''Sakura Wars'' and ''Sorcerer Hunters'' series, which comes in anime, novel and manga forms. Works *''Akahori Gedou Hour Rabuge'': Series Com ...

, illustrated by Hidenori Matsubara, and published by MediaWorks'

Dengeki Bunko is a publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks). It was established in June 1993 with the publication of '' Hyōryū Densetsu Crystania'' volume one, and is a light novel imprint a ...

. * Never released outside Japan. , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center" , ''Sakura Taisen''
1999: light novel , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * 4-volume light novel written by Satoru Akahori. * Never released outside Japan. , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center" , ''Sakura Taisen: Gouka Kenran''
2001: light novel , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Light novel written by Hiroyuki Kawasaki. * Never released outside Japan. , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center" , ''Sakura Taisen: Taishou Renka''
2001: light novel , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * 2-volume light novel written by Hiroyuki Kawasaki. * Never released outside Japan. , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center" , ''Sakura Taisen: Katsudou Shashin''
2002: light novel , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Novelization of '' Sakura Wars: The Movie'' by Hiroyuki Kawasaki. * Never released outside Japan. , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center" , ''Sakura Taisen: Pari Zenya''
2004: light novel , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * 2-volume light novel written by Satoru Akahori. * Never released outside Japan. , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", ''Sakura Taisen''
2003:

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

, width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Finished manga written by

Ouji Hiroi , real name , is an author and video game developer. He co-authored ''Samurai Crusader'' with Ryoichi Ikegami. He also created the '' Far East of Eden'' and '' Sakura Wars'' role-playing video game franchises, and wrote the ''Sakura Wars'' manga. ...

, art by Masa Ikku, and serialized in

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...

Magazine Z was a Japanese seinen mixed-media magazine published by Kodansha, aimed at adult males, but particularly at hardcore anime and manga fans, featuring articles as well as manga tied into popular franchises. Original manga were also featured in the ...

. * Based on ''Sakura Taisen''. * Translated and released in North America by

TOKYOPOP Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licensed J ...

Live performances

From 1997 onwards, the

voice actors Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...

of the series performed onstage and in-character as their Sakura Wars counterparts in a series of live-action musical stage shows. By 2001 to 2006, the Imperial Combat Revue performed two major musicals in a year: a New Year's Show and a Summer Kayou Show, in addition to multitudes of other smaller shows where one or more characters make appearances. Some of the stage performances could be seen in the series' other forms of media. In August 2006, the Imperial Combat Revue held their final summer show. Although the live-action shows still continue as of May 2007, they are no longer focused entirely on the Imperial Combat Revue.

Summer Kayou Shows

{, class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", {{lang, ja-Latn, Ai Yueni
(''Because of Love'') , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * First Summer Kayou Show * Performed from July 19 to 21, 1997 * Appeared briefly in ''Sakura Taisen'' and in the manga. , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", {{lang, ja-Latn, Tsubasa
(''Wings'') , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Second Summer Kayou Show * Performed from August 11 to 16, 1998 * First show to include characters Reni Milchstraβe and Soletta Orihime * First to introduce Dandy Boss and his gang , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", {{lang, ja-Latn, Beni Tokage
({{lang, ja, 紅蜥蜴 ''Crimson Lizard'') , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Third Summer Kayou Show * Performed from August 4 to 7, 1999 * Appeared briefly in ''Sakura Taisen: Gouka Kenran'' , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", {{lang, ja-Latn, Arabia no Bara
({{lang, ja, アラビアのバラ ''Rose of Arabia'') , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Fourth Summer Kayou Show * Performed from July 23 to August 4, 2000 , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", {{lang, ja-Latn, Kaijin Bessō
(''The Sea God's Villa'') , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Fifth Summer Kayou Show * Performed from August 10 to 18, 2001 * Based on

Kyōka Izumi , real name , was a Japanese people, Japanese author of novels, short stories, and kabuki plays who was active during the Empire of Japan, prewar period. Kyōka's writing differed greatly from that of the naturalist writers who dominated the li ...

's "''Kaijin Bessō''"{{cite web, url=http://www.usagi.org/~doi/seiyuu/video/s-taisen/kaijin-bessou.html , title=Fifth Anniversary Performance Kaijin Bessou , accessdate=2007-04-26 * Includes the ''Paris Hanagumi Tokubetsu'' (''"Paris Flower Division Special'') ''Mini Live Show'' on August 13, where the Paris Flower Division performed live for the first time. * Appeared near the ending of '' Sakura Taisen: Katsudou Shashin'', though the content was altered

Super Kayou Shows

{, class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", Shin-pen Hakkenden
(''The New Hakkenden'') , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * First Super Kayou Show * Performed from August 15 to 25, 2002 * First kayou show that did not include a live orchestra * Based on

Kyokutei Bakin (), a.k.a. (, 4 July 1767 – 1 December 1848), was a Japanese novelist of the Edo period. Born (), he wrote under the pen name (). Later in life he took the pen name (). Modern scholarship generally refers to him as , or just as n. He is ...

's ''

Nansō Satomi Hakkenden ''Nansō Satomi Hakkenden'' ( ja, 南総里見八犬伝, label=shinjitai; ja, 南總里見八犬傳, label=kyūjitai) is a Japanese epic novel (''yomihon'') written and published over twenty-eight years (1814–42) in the Edo period, by Kyokute ...

'' , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", Shin Takarajima
(''The New Treasure Island'') , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Second Super Kayou Show * Performed from August 15 to 21, 2003 * Based on

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

's ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

'' * Recorded album received the 17th Japanese Gold Disc Award for the best Anime Album of the Year in 2003 * Appeared briefly in ''Sakura Taisen'' , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", Shin Saiyuki
(''The New Journey to the West'') , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Third Super Kayou Show * Performed from August 13 to 19, 2004 * Based on one of the

Four Great Classical Novels Classic Chinese Novels () are the best-known novels of pre-modern Chinese literature. These are among the world's longest and oldest novels. They represented a new complexity in structure and sophistication in language that helped to establish t ...

of Chinese literature,

Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the greatest Classic Chinese Novels, and has been described as arguably the most popu ...

* Appeared briefly in ''Sakura Taisen'' , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", Shin Aoi Tori
(''The New Blue Bird'') , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Fourth Super Kayou Show * Performed from August 13 to 20, 2005 * Based on a 1908 play by

Maurice Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count (or Comte) Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in ...

known as "'' L'Oiseau Bleu''"Maria: "Yes, Squad Leader. I'm looking for Maeterlinck's 'The Blue Bird.' I was thinking if I would reread it again as a reference for this play...... and I've finally found it. A mysterious journey during which Tyltyl and Mytyl search for the blue bird." Translated by Kayama a
GameFAQs.com
Retrieved on 2007-04-26. * Appeared briefly in ''Sakura Taisen 2'' , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", Shin Ai Yueni
(''The New Because of Love'') , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Final Super Kayou Show * Performed from August 12 to 22, 2006 * Last summer live show focusing on the Teikoku Kagekidan

New Year Kayou Shows

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(2001 New Year Show) , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Performed from January 3 to 7, 2001 * First live show featuring the Teikoku Kagekidan performing the

taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming m ...

, - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", Harukoi Shisumireyume Nowakare , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Sumire Kanzaki's retirement performance, in lieu of a regular New Year show * Performed from January 2 to 6, 2002 * Title is reminiscent of kabuki and translates to "''Calling up the image of blooming violets at the time of separation, how far I long for spring...''" , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", Shichi Fukujin
(''Seven Lucky Gods'') , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Performed from January 3 to 7, 2003 * Refers to the seven gods of good fortune found in the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

Shintō Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoist ...

religion,

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

, and

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

. , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", Utae! Hanagumi!
(''Sing! Hanagumi!'') , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Performed from January 2 to 5, 2004 , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", Warae! Hanagumi!
(''Laugh! Hanagumi!'') , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Performed from January 7 to 10, 2005 , - , width="200pt" valign="center" align="center", Tonderu! Hanagumi!
(''Soar High! Hanagumi!'') , width="500pt" valign="top" align="left", Notes: * Performed from January 4 to 8, 2006 * Villain from Super Kayou Show "Shin Aoi Tori" returns, continuing the "Aoi Tori" story arc.

References

{{reflist {{Sakura Wars ADV Films

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...