Sasami Masaki Jurai

The following is a list of the major characters from the anime and manga series ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki'' and its spin-offs ''Tenchi Muyo! GXP'', ''Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar'', ''Tenchi Universe'', ''Tenchi in Tokyo'', and ''Ai Tenchi Muyo!''.

Concept

Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi, who both worked on the ''Bubblegum Crisis'' OVAs, cite the show as being the inspiration for ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki''.

In an interview with AIC, Hayashi described ''Bubblegum Crisis'' as "A pretty gloomy anime. Serious fighting, complicated human relationships, and dark Mega Tokyo." Hayashi and Kajishima thought it would be fun to create some comedic episodes with ideas like the girls going to hot springs, but these ideas were rejected by their sponsors. Hayashi also said there was a trend to have several characters of one gender and a single one of the other gender, and asked if Mackey (Sylia's brother) was a main character, reversing the scenario in ''Bubblegum''. This became the basis for the show.

In designing Ryoko, Kajishima and Hayashi were inspired by the American sitcom '' I Dream of Jeannie'' and wanted to use her in their works. In the first episode, Tenchi would open the sealed cave, which was a reference to the Jeannie's bottle, and a "cute witch" would jump out. Hayashi said that Tenchi is "sort of" based on Mackey, and that after Tenchi and Ryoko, the other girls were designed to be characters to balance the picture in the very early concepts of the series, as original characters.

Main characters

Tenchi Masaki

is the title character of the ''Tenchi Muyo!'' series. Tenchi's name means " Heaven and Earth". It is the same as "Tenchi" in the Shinto creation myth detailed within the '' Kojiki'', which contains some of Japan's oldest myths and legends.

''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki''

In the OVA-based continuities, Tenchi is the first prince of Jurai, grandson of a Juraian prince named Yosho, and of an Airaian priestess named Airi. He obtains of a "'Master Key" called "Tenchi", also known as the Tenchi Sword (Tenchi-ken), that can form a lightsaber-like blade and later receives a special ring from Tsunami that can create a Juraian battle suit for him and acts as a "Guardian System" which protects him. Tenchi also has the innate ability to create kou-ou-yoku ("Light Hawk Wings") (believed to be the only non-ship entity able to do so until encountering Z in OVA 3), and the ill-defined ability of Material-Energy Conversion. Tenchi initially lives in the city with his father to attend school and visits his grandfather's shrine every summer, where he trains to become a Shinto priest and learn his family's special style of swordsmanship (which happens to be particular to members of Jurai's Royal Family). The house is permanently relocated next to the shrine after a battle between Ryoko and Ayeka, and Tenchi lives in the house with the girls while refusing to get intimate with them. Tenchi no longer attends school, after the school was decimated during the encounter with Ryoko in OVA 1 (but rebuilt as of OVA 3).

Tenchi suffers a great deal of stress as he tries his hardest to be a gentleman while most of the women within the household will take every opportunity to display their attraction for him. In the third OVA series Tenchi is discovered to be engaged to Noike (step-aunt of Ayeka and Sasami). The arrangement was done by Tenchi's great-great-grandmother, known better as the "Devil Princess of Jurai", Seto Kamiki Jurai. Tenchi also found out around this time that he has an 80-year-old sister named Tennyo Masaki, who looks like his late mother, Kiyone. Tenchi learned from his grandfather, Katsuhito, that since Earth is a developing civilization, the Masaki clan must keep their true presence hidden since they do not age at the same rate as Earthlings, and those who are born into the Masaki family are also kept from these secrets until they reach adulthood. After a climactic battle between the three Goddesses, the truth behind everything that has happened was linked to the three. They decided to change the timeline in order to repair the damage that they have done, and Tenchi, in his altered timeline, doesn't get to meet Noike. However, Noike, along with Fuku, traveled into the past and altered the message Mihoshi was to send to her family (the message was originally altered by Z) so that she would meet Tenchi.

Tenchi is the most powerful character in the series, but is too young and immature to have full control over his Light Hawk Wings and other abilities. He is a competent swordsman and martial artist capable of superhuman feats thanks to his Juraian blood, but has only displayed his abilities during dire situations, such as during his duel with Kagato, his escape from a black hole, and his final confrontation with Z. The full extent of Tenchi's powers is limitless, as he was stated outright by the Choushin to be as powerful as them, the same beings who created all of existence and transcend space and time. When he started to manifest his higher self, it almost instantly destroyed all of existence, forcing the Goddesses and his own future self to intervene and prevent a catastrophe (in the new "altered" timeline, when Noike secretly fired the Choubimaru's cannon to collide with the Earth, Tenchi projects his Light Hawk Wings to stop it, a total of six wings, rather than the usual 3 wings he had before prior to the event.)

Tenchi is the human embodiment of a dimensionally-boundless entity, as powerful compared to the three hyper-dimensional Goddesses as they are to ordinary beings. Airi notes in GXP (the same continuity) that Tenchi has several powers they haven't discovered yet, namely instantaneous teleportation (immediately teleported off of the planet when Z destroyed a large amount of Earth), and supernatural speed (kept up with Seina in a foot race, despite Seina having drastic body enhancements and going downhill on a bicycle). Tenchi's higher self is the supreme being of the Tenchi Muyo continuity and all its parallel universes, unfathomably transcends infinity by 3-dimensional standards, and has been stated to be above, outside, and beyond even the hyper-dimension that the Choushin occupy. It easily put a stop to Tenchi almost destroying all of existence and effortlessly negated the Counter-Actor, the embodiment of the total sum of the counterforce to the Choushins' experiments in the multiverse over trillions of years.

Although Tenchi is not bound to a royal tree, he is still considered a contender for the Jurai throne, which usually determined by being a part of one of the four royal families; this is due to both to his status as a successor to First Prince Yosho (who was a contender due to his presence in the 1st Generation Royal Tree) and his singular ability among the Jurai to create Lighthawk Wings on his own. However, Tenchi displays little interest in Jurai politics.

In the ''Kajishima Onsens'', a series of doujinshi by the creator of ''Tenchi Muyo!'', Masaki Kajishima, it is revealed that Tenchi has multiple children with various female characters, most notably with Ryoko; their daughter has briefly appeared in a picture with her half-sister, Ryo-ohki's daughter. In one particular doujinshi, ''Tenchi Muyo -if-'', a pregnant Ryoko, Ayeka, and Ryo-ohki are shown. Within its short story, Ayeka and Ryoko have developed a sisterly bond, caring for each other's child as their own and are shown to be very protective of their children upon discovering their daughters' infatuation with Seina's son. In a separate doujin, Tenchi is shown to have a son with a striking resemblance to Washu, although the boy's mother is never explicitly revealed.

''Tenchi Muyo! GXP''

GXP is a spinoff continuation following the 3rd OVA series, but Tenchi himself does not play a prominent role in this series. The GP tried to recruit Tenchi, but they got Seina instead. Tenchi showed no interest in joining the GP. He only appears in a speaking role in Episode 17, wherein his old friend Seina Yamada comes to his house to see Washu Hakubi to talk about the cabit Fuku that she had given him. During his visit Tenchi is able to cook a meal for Seina, however, Seina is on call and has to be retrieved before he has a chance to eat Tenchi's cooked meal. Tenchi also showed that he can move incredibly fast during a race with Seina, since he can keep up with him despite Seina having drastic body enhancements and going downhill on a bicycle. Tenchi, as well as the other girls, also appear in a brief cameo in Episode 26 in which they attend Seina's wedding.

''Tenchi Universe''

In the first TV series, ''Tenchi Universe'', Tenchi is similar in personality to the Tenchi of the OVA, but has no powers beyond the ability to use Tenchi-ken (and, apparently, the blessing of his royal ancestors should he decide to take Jurai's throne). The Tenchi sword is just a weapon and is not a Master Key; there are no intelligent Royal Trees in the TV series. Tenchi does attend school, but it is a long commute for him because he lives at his family's shrine in the mountains. After finding out about his grandfather's true identity and defeating Kagato, Tenchi chose to turn down the Jurai throne and head back to Earth, after realizing that like his grandfather before him he wants to live a simple life without much responsibility. Although Tenchi was bored with living on Earth again without the girls around, he is surprised when they return and Ryoko reminds Tenchi that although a carnival would eventually leave, it would always come back again.

''Tenchi in Tokyo''

In the second TV series, ''Tenchi in Tokyo'', Tenchi's personality and background are different. He has no connections to Jurai and his sword is created from seven gems inherited from his late mother. Ryoko separated the gems to prevent the sword from being used against her again. Each of the six girls took one of the gems as a keepsake. Tenchi moved to Tokyo to train as a Shinto priest under a friend of his grandfather's. Eventually, Tenchi got tired of the girls' frequent visits and ordered them never to disturb him again.

At the end of the series, Tenchi finds out that his family are the Planet Guardians whose job is to protect the planet from evil forces when the need arises. Although it was hard for Tenchi after learning about Sakuya Kumashiro's true identity, Tenchi was able to unite the gems together and chose to confront Yugi alone feeling that he was partly responsible for what happened. With some help from Ryoko, Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Kiyone, Tenchi caught up to Yugi and chose to spare her and give her a second chance. Tenchi explained she should have come to the Masaki Shrine in the first place and become friends with him and the others rather than to wallow away in loneliness. After the final battle, Tenchi moved back to the Masaki shrine.

''Magical Girl Pretty Sammy''

In the ''Magical Girl Pretty Sammy'' OVA series, (as he is known in the show) is Sasami's older brother and a high school student. He is the center of attention for his classmates, Ryoko Orikasa and Ayeka Takada, to the point where they would fight each other for his affections. When Ryoko and Ayeka were transformed by Pixy Misa into Love Love Monsters, they began to fight over him for their affections, until Pretty Sammy intervened. When Pretty Sammy was having trouble against the Ryoko and Ayeka Love Love Monsters, Tenchi was able to get through to them by apologizing for not choosing between them. Even after Sammy turned them back to normal Tenchi still had to deal with Ryoko and Ayeka's bickering as he doesn't understand true love yet.

In '' Magical Project S'' (''Pretty Samy TV''), he only appears in Episode 12 and is known as Tenchi Masaki, a director of the ''Blue Sky Cool Rangers'', a Super Sentai-style TV series. Tenchi was having problems with the production as he was starting out as a director, until Sasami decided to help by guest starring on a Cool Rangers episode as Pretty Sammy. This helped save his career. Sasami developed a crush on him, but was heartbroken, after she learned that Tenchi already has a girlfriend, and that he was moving away when he was given a job offer as a theatrical director.

''Ai Tenchi Muyo!''

Ryoko Hakubi

is a key character in the various ''Tenchi Muyo!'' anime series by AIC. While details of her character differ between the various series, Ryoko is typically shown as an attractive, semi-reformed powerful space pirate who is madly in love with the series main character, Tenchi Masaki. In the various series, Ryoko is portrayed as being impulsive, hedonistic (with a penchant for sake), poor-mannered, often immodest, recklessly violent, and hot-tempered although she sometimes reveals her more emotional and vulnerable side.

In the anime, Ryoko universally holds an intense rivalry with the character Ayeka, who also fights for Tenchi's affections. Often the conflict between the two comes out of their decidedly different personalities, with Ryoko being the tomboyish troublemaker and Ayeka being the well-mannered, but often snooty aristocrat. The level of the rivalry can vary between being equitable to a pair of bickering siblings to an all-out feud.

While the name Ryoko is a common feminine given name in Japan, in this instance it is written with very uncommon ''kanji''. Ryoko's name can be translated as "bringer of demons" and is stated as meaning "The Devil Caller" in the OVA series.

OVA

Ryoko was created by Washu, using one of Washu's egg cells as a base, so she is indirectly (raised in a tube with no contact with Washu) Washu's daughter. Washu's DNA was combined with that of amorphous creatures called the Masu to create Ryoko. She has three red gems that are the source of her full energy, which also came from Washu when she imbued them with her godly powers in her early life.

As a character, Ryoko is very emotional. She easily gets upset, and is short tempered, especially around Ayeka. But she's deeply in love with Tenchi, though not fully admitting how deeply until Episodes 5 & 6, when she tells Ayeka how she first met Tenchi, and later when she offers up her own life in place of his. While she was trapped in the cave, she was able to create an astral body and venture to the entrance of the cave. She watched Tenchi grow up over the years, and she wished more than anything to be with him and hoped that she and Tenchi would play together. It was also implied that Tenchi could sense Ryoko's presence even though he could not see her. This could quite possibly explain the boy's fascination with the cave. However, the way she introduced herself to him was terribly frightening to Tenchi, so he distanced himself from her for a long time. Also, when Washu is first introduced she tells Ryoko that she knows how she (Ryoko) feels about Tenchi and says that Ryoko wants to do "this and that" with Tenchi.

Ryoko also has a bit of an ambiguous relation with Washu, her mother. When Washu first appears, she critiques her daughter's sex appeal and asks Ryoko to refer to her as "mommy". As the series progresses, she starts to fear Washu, especially when Washu starts doing some of her experiments on an unwilling Ryoko. In fact, Ryoko becomes slightly cautious whenever Washu is looking at her with a mischievous smile and intimidating eyes.

Ryoko, when captured and electrocuted by Ayeka in Episode 2, seems to enjoy it until the point when Ayeka uses excruciating force when Ryoko was clearly in pain. Ayeka calls her a masochist, and Ryoko says that she was more of a sadist. Judging by the fact that her ship Ryo-Ohki destroyed twenty-eight planets and sixty-nine colonies when in Kagato's service, and by some of her taunts in the fight with Tenchi, she might not have been joking. Ryoko is also sometimes rather childlike, and can be a bit gullible. Since most of her life was spent either enslaved by Kagato, or sealed inside a cave, she does not have much of a range of experiences. She is also extremely sensitive about her age, being brought to tears when Ayeka called her a "mummy".

Tenchi Universe

In this series, Ryoko is once again a space pirate, but she is not a slave to anybody. She was introduced to Tenchi by crash-landing on Earth during a dogfight with Mihoshi. Tenchi found her and it was almost love at first sight (for her, of course). We have no idea who her parents are or what her origins are; those are never revealed.

Ryoko can still summon an energy sword and shoot ki blasts, she can also fly, teleport, and make copies of herself, but she can no longer summon demons. Gems can still be glimpsed on her wrists, however, there is no mention of them being her power source. Ryoko is generally less powerful than in the OVA, as the bounty hunter Nagi (who has no superhuman powers at all) is able to fight her on at least equal terms.

Again, she's very emotional and brash, but not as much as in the OVA, and enjoys doing things to make Ayeka mad, which includes flirting with Tenchi. By the end of the series, however, her love for Tenchi has become very powerful — to the point that she nearly dies for him.

In this series, Ryoko still has Ryo-Ohki, her pet (or partner-in-crime) cabbit (cat/rabbit animal), which can transform into a well-armed spaceship. She also has an arch-rival, Nagi, who has her own cabbit, a male named Ken-Ohki. Ryo-Ohki and Ken-Ohki love each other, which complicates the lives of their mistresses.

When Kagato, under the name Yosho, assumes the throne of Jurai and has her, Ayeka and Sasami arrested, it is Ryoko who (correctly) guesses there was a coup on Jurai while Washu on the other hand was stumped. Later, Ryoko (again correctly) surmises that the "Yosho" who has taken the throne is a fake.

In the end, Tenchi is seen heading off for school and daydreaming about the missing Ryoko; then, to his surprise and delight, the real Ryoko returns.

It is inferred that Ryoko was also imprisoned for 700 years in this series during a scene between Ryoko and Ayeka where Ayeka exclaims to Ryoko "Well if your case goes to trial you won't get away with a mere 700 years of imprisonment this time."

Tenchi in Tokyo

Once again, Ryoko is a space pirate in this series. She and Washu were in the process of running away with the Jurai Lightstone, which consequently brings everybody to Tenchi's planet all at once. She pilots a pink Sōja, which looks identical to OVA Kagato's ship, except for its color.

Her physical appearance is considerably different in comparison with the other series due to the artwork, which made her look more tomboyish than she used to be. Her attitude is also very different: she's more violent and screams a lot more, so many things get blown up around her.

Ryoko's obsession over Tenchi is still there, but that's basically the only characteristic that remains consistent throughout every series. However, it develops to a greater extent in this series after she goes on a date with Tenchi, and later sees him with Sakuya. Her hurt feelings for Tenchi made her even abandon the group after she sees him and Sakuya kiss.

She still retains the ability to summon an energy sword and fire energy blasts, but Ryo-Ohki doesn't belong to her. Also she cannot survive without oxygen unlike the previous series.

Ryoko falls in love with Tenchi after a major battle between her and everybody else. Unfortunately, she was severely injured, but Tenchi remained by her bedside, taking care of her, and because nobody had done that for her before, it sparked her love for him there.

Pretty Sammy

Ryoko appears in both ''Pretty Sammy'' series in very different roles. In the OVA series, Ryoko appears as a schoolgirl, (she was given the last name of her Japanese voice actress, Ai Orikasa), a ''yankii'' (a Japanese term for a juvenile delinquent). She and Ayeka constantly bicker over Tenchi Kawai's affections. Ryoko is obsessed with Tenchi, to the point where she even hides out inside his bedroom for one night, and even kidnaps him and carries him off against his will. Ryoko was briefly transformed with Ayeka into one of Pixy Misa's Love-Love Monsters in the first episode and became more obsessive over Tenchi, until Tenchi was able to get through to Ryoko, enabling Pretty Sammy to return her to normal. But even after that Ryoko hadn't changed.

In the ''Pretty Sammy'' TV series ('' Magical Project S''), Ryoko appears in the last few episodes starting with episode 23 as Oryo... or , bodyguard to Queen Tsunami of Jurai helm. In contrast to Ryoko's usual characterization, Oryo is a dignified and honorable warrior, ready to lay down her life for Tsunami. Her appearance and powers remain roughly the same, except that Oryo has normal human ears. She fights alongside Pretty Sammy and Pixy Misa against Romio, the would-be usurper. Fittingly, the name ''Oryo'' can be read "most honorable demon." In her first appearance, she disguised herself as "Cool Red", a character from the series ''Blue Sky Cool Rangers'' (a spoof of Japan's live-action Super Sentai series) and easily destroyed Love-Me Eimy's Lovely Monsters Right and Left, after Pretty Sammy had destroyed the antenna that Romio was using to control Eimi.

Ayeka Masaki Jurai

is a key character in the various ''Tenchi Muyo!'' anime series by AIC. While details of her character differ between the various series, Ayeka is typically shown as the beautiful first princess of the planet Jurai who has fallen in love with the title character, Tenchi Masaki. Ayeka is portrayed as being modest, well mannered, traditional, and aristocratic, but can also be snobbish (her proper accent is evidence of her aristocratic upbringing). She can also be very fierce when she feels that anyone or anything she cares for is in danger, such as Tenchi or her younger sister Sasami, of whom she is very protective.

Ayeka is a rival of Ryoko for Tenchi's affections. Often the conflict between the two comes out of their decidedly different personalities and backgrounds, with Ryoko being more blunt, open and sexual in her attempts to gain Tenchi's love. The level of the rivalry can vary between being equatable to a pair of bickering siblings to an all-out feud. Ryoko's teasing and efforts often bring out some of Ayeka's worse aspects. However, there are times when Ayeka puts aside her rivalry whenever Tenchi is in danger, such as the battle with Kagato.

The romanization of her name in the English productions is "Ayeka" instead of "Aeka" to clarify its pronunciation for Western viewers (ah-eh-ka). Her name is believed to be derived from ''aekanaru'', meaning "frail" or "delicate," reflecting her usual outward demeanor. An old reading of ''aeka'' is "willowy," or "requiring the assistance of a man." The tree is referenced in the "soul of the ship," and further connects to "spring" and the "awakening of sexual desire." In Japanese mythology, the willow tree is known as a "demon repeller," which represents her relationship with Ryoko.

Ayeka does not have Ryoko's level of power but is still quite capable in dueling most opponents, including Kagato. She is more powerful than Tenchi in his typical state, but once transformed his Juraian powers exceed hers.

Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki

Ayeka is the First Princess of Jurai's royal family. During this series, she was on a search for her missing brother, Yosho (she and Sasami are Tenchi's great aunts). When her search led her to Earth, she did not find her brother or his ship, but did find Ryoko. Ayeka's apparent age is 20, but her true age is uncertain. It is known, however, that she was in a state of suspended animation for over 700 years when she and Sasami arrived on Earth. Her rivalry with Ryoko started well before the two met Tenchi; Ryoko and Ryo-ohki attacked Jurai, nearly killed Sasami (unintentionally), caused extensive damage and led Yosho, her brother and fiancée, to leave the planet in pursuit of the criminal. As a result, at the start of ''Tenchi Muyo!'', she hates everything about Ryoko and considers her a monster.

Ayeka possesses various superhuman powers: she can fire energy blasts, summon a very powerful forcefield, has the ability to summon guardians that also have various abilities, such as possessing arc electricity, and capturing spaceships. She also has the ability to fly at very high speeds and possesses superhuman strength. For the most part, Ayeka is shy, demure and proper, but can become just as violent as Ryoko. When her temper is roused, Ayeka becomes very loud and aggressive, without regard for current conditions. However, she only resorts to physical aggression with Ryoko, and even these fights have diminished over time. Ayeka's spaceship is named ''Ryu-Oh.'' Unfortunately, it is damaged in a crash landing on Earth after an escape attempt by Ryoko. It did begin to regenerate, but was blown away by Kagato's ship, ''Sōja.'' However, due to help from Tsunami, Ayeka received a seed that would grow into a new ''Ryu-Oh''.

''Ryu-Oh'' has the ability to produce three ''kō-ō-yoku'' ("light-hawk-wings"). Ayeka had bonded with the ship shortly before Ryoko and Ryo-ohki attacked the Juraian castle, Tenju. Despite warnings made by the castle's attendants, 14-year-old Ayeka launched the young, underdeveloped ship to fend Ryoko's attacks. According to the True Tenchi Novels, "Ayeka had just finished the selection ceremony and did not have the key to help her connect with ''Ryu-oh''. Also her ship had just equipped, thus was not fully synchronized with the external armor, so Ayeka and ''Ryu-oh'' could not fully control the power of the Royal tree. But Ayeka did not give up and continued the battle. However, she could not help the situation just by defending herself. It was only by virtue of the second generation Royal tree's power that she could hold off the attack, and it was also because Ryo-ohki and Ryoko were just teasing her and not fighting with full power." Ayeka was also able to use the light-hawk-wings to attack (though their purpose is for defense) and was able to hit Ryo-ohki, which no other ship could do. This feat is noted by Noike when she speaks to Tenchi in OVA 3.

Tenchi Universe

Ayeka is still a princess of Jurai in this series. As shy and demure as before, she seems to fall in love with Tenchi on the very first day she meets him. Ayeka was drawn to Earth by Mihoshi's distress signal, but once again, she finds Ryoko there as well and a massive fight eventually occurs. Here, the rivalry with Ryoko started back during their childhood, which was shown through flashbacks, with both Ayeka and Ryoko blaming each other for their problems. Again, Ayeka has a ship, ''Ryu-Oh'', which crash lands on Earth; however, it becomes incapable of flying when it begins to regenerate, taking root to the wreckage of her old ship. Ayeka is a relatively minor member of the Jurai family, not the daughter of the Emperor as in the OVA. Still, after being kidnapped by Kagato and released by Tenchi, she returns to Jurai because she must remain with the Imperial Family from then on; but as the series concludes, Ayeka chooses to run away from home and rejoin Tenchi on Earth.

Tenchi in Tokyo

In ''Tenchi in Tokyo,'' Ayeka is once again a princess of Jurai. She teams up with the Galaxy Police to capture the space pirate Ryoko and scientist Washu, who stole the Jurai Light Stone. Ayeka's powers are still similar to the other two series, except we never see her fling energy blasts. Instead, she activates her forcefield on many occasions. Her Guardians, Azaka and Kamidake, take on a more combative role instead. After they crash-land onto Earth, Ayeka fights Ryoko, who turns the tide of the battle in her favor by absorbing the light stone herself; it is not until Tenchi's intervention that Ayeka is saved. She is the pilot of the ''Ayesa'' (as shown in Pioneer's subtitles), which is identical to her ''Ryu-Oh''.

Instead of being completely shy and demure, she's similar to Ryoko in terms of explosive emotions. She's a lot more gullible than in the other series and is occasionally ditzy. On the other hand, unlike Ryoko, she does somewhat accept that Tenchi may prefer Sakuya Kumashiro to herself and others, as she confesses to a woman named Masayo whom she and Sasami aided once. Unlike Ryoko, also, she decides to stay on Earth; she aids Washu with her research about Yugi (she's the one who discovers Yugi's background) and attempts to protect Sasami and the Masaki household, ending up seriously injured by Matori. Ayeka is the first to notice that she and the others are being unwillingly separated by Tenchi, which greatly worries her.

Pretty Sammy

In the ''Pretty Sammy'' OAV series, (she was given the last name of her voice actress Yumi Takada) is from a rich family, is the class president and is skilled in martial arts. She has a crush on Tenchi Kawai. Ayeka sends her three female servants, Yuri, Yuka, and Yuma, to spy on Ryoko, who also has a crush on Tenchi. Ayeka is briefly transformed with Ryoko into a Love-Love Monster by Pixy Misa, and becomes more obsessive towards Tenchi until his feelings get through to Ayeka, enabling Pretty Sammy to restore Ayeka to her normal condition. But even after that, Ayeka's rivalry towards Ryoko over Tenchi's affections still continue.

In '' Magical Project S'' ('' Pretty Sammy TV''), Ayeka is known as , the third candidate to be the queen of Juraihelm. After she is not selected in the first episode, Romio disappears from the scene for a time, and later appears before Ramia to help her become queen after Pretty Sammy had restored the balance between Earth and Juraihelm, with Tsunami about to be crowned queen. Much to Rumiya's protests, Ramia accepted Romio's offer and Romio kidnaps Eimi Date (Sasami's classmate) and turns her into her own magical girl, "Love-Me Eimy", for her plan to drain Juraihelm and earth of all magic.

When that fails, Romio revealed her true self to Ramia and attempts to drain Jurai helm's magic with her NT System and use the stolen magic power to send earth into the sun. Its turns out that Romio was once a magical girl, but was unable to fix the balance between earth and Jurai helm, and since then she has felt the earth is evil and wants to destroy it. Romio's plan is stopped by the combined might of Pretty Sammy, Pixy Misa, Ryo-Ohki, and Rumiya with the assistance of Professor Washu, who develops her own NT System. After her NT System is destroyed, Romio is carried off into the distance by an angry Ramia. At the end of the series, despite her defeat, Romio hasn't given up and is now leading the Martians against Earth, as Pretty Sammy and Pixy Misa move in to stop her.

Sasami Masaki Jurai

is a fictional character in the anime series, ''Tenchi Muyo!'' and its various spin-offs.

Sasami has appeared in every ''Tenchi Muyo!'' series, including several based around her as the central protagonist. In almost every incarnation her personality, background, primary outfits, relationships and abilities change. In some incarnations her art style is altered more than others, though her basic coloring and structure remaining the same.

Personality and series role
In most series, Sasami is the younger sister of Ayeka and so is also a princess of Jurai. Within the family group Sasami usually takes on the dual role of younger sister/mother. She may be the most responsible of the group and takes care of all the cooking duties. She has a rarely seen mischievous streak within her however, and takes great delight in fooling the older girls. She has teal-colored hair tied in long pigtails with melon pink eyes (though, throughout most of the original OAV and the TV series (called 'Tenchi Universe'), Sasami had blue hair).

Sasami has a huge fanbase following across the globe and is the inspiration for what VIZ editor Carl Gustav Horn called 'The Sasami Effect', in that any young cute girl within a cast of characters will inevitably become the most popular. Possible examples of this include the Sailor Moon character, Chibiusa, Takamachi Nanoha of Triangle Heart, plus many other "young" female characters in Japanese, French, and American series.

Sasami's personality is more mature in the OVA than in the other continuities, and more aggressive in the second TV and the Pretty Sammy spin offs.

OVA
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki
In the original series, Sasami and her sister Ayeka are the daughters of Emperor Masaki Azusa Jurai and the second of his two wives, second Empress Misaki Masaki Jurai. On her mother's side, Sasami's grandmother is Seto Kamiki Jurai and her grandfather is Utsutsumi Kamiki; on her father's side, Sasami's grandmother is Masaki Amame of Jurai and her grandfather is Yotsuga Kazuki. Sasami has a half-brother called Yosho Masaki Jurai – son of Emperor Azusa and his first wife, Funaho. Shortly into the series, Sasami and Ayeka take to living on Earth with Tenchi's family (Tenchi, his father Nobuyuki, and his mother's father Yosho, now named Katsuhito Masaki), along with the catlike creature Ryo-Ohki and three other women staying in the house. Sasami arrived on Earth by 'accident', stowing away on her sisters ship when she went looking for Yosho. She quickly became close friends with Ryo-Ohki and even Ryoko, despite that Ryoko held a blade to Sasami's throat almost as soon as they met.

Sasami holds a dark secret within her past. Seven hundred years ago, during Ryoko's attack on Jurai, Sasami was playing around in the Royal Arboretum and took a very dangerous fall, and as a result was mortally injured, and she believed that she died that day, that she was now a copy of the 'real' Sasami. The truth is that Sasami survived her injuries when Tsunami-kami-sama, in the form of Tsunami-no-ki, assimilated her. Tsunami-no-ki absorbed and re-created Sasami's body in order to heal her... and merged her spirit with Sasami's. In effect, they are now one being with two souls, and as they grow older their spirits will merge. This may account for her personality in this series. This also grants Sasami several powers that she does not possess in any other series. She now commands the most powerful ship in existence – Tsunami-fune – and can summon it from sub-space at will. Through her link to Tsunami-kami-sama she is linked to every Juraian Ship and their owners, and can sense their location and status. She also has precognitive abilities, but unfortunately these manifest as horrible, disturbing and sometimes even bloody nightmares.

Sasami hid her secret from those around her – including herself – because her greatest fear was that she would be rejected by those she loved. When it was finally revealed, though, Ayeka said she did not care about it and still loved Sasami just the way she was; Tenchi, Yosho and the other girls also accepted the fact.

It should also be noted that, if needed, Sasami is an accomplished combatant, most likely taught by her mother, who is the Supreme Commander of the Royal Bodyguard, and enhanced by the link with Tsunami-no-ki, easily defeating Mashisu Makibi, who was a trained Galaxy Police officer. One of the cherry-like hair bands she wears is capable of becoming a battle staff.

The OVA also contains the ''Mihoshi Special'', In this one-off episode – written as a 'pilot' for both Tenchi Universe and Pretty Sammy – Sasami appears as herself, possibly her OVA version, but in the story told her name and image is used for the role of a Galaxy Police cadet, and has a secret identity as Pretty Sammy, along with her pet Ryo-Ohki. She is also known as the best tea maker in the GXP.

Television and Film
Tenchi Universe
In the first TV series Sasami is still Ayeka's sister and princess of Jurai, but there is no mention of her parents, and Yosho (along with his grandson Tenchi) appears to be only a distant relative. Tsunami does not appear in this series, so Sasami has no alter-ego (other than Pretty Sammy). Sasami is still an accomplished cook. She has a much more happy, innocent outlook on life and does not use any special powers. She does – or did – own her own ship, but it was soon destroyed, stranding her on Earth. She is an expert games player, especially fighting video games, and takes the revived Azaka as her pupil. During the three part special episodes 'Time and Space Adventures', which seem to be homages to various genres or specific shows/films, Sasami is usually side-lined away from the main story, except of course in her own in which she once again plays the role of 'Pretty Sammy'. It is worth noting that even in her own story she starts off as a background character, only taking center stage once she has transformed.

Tenchi Muyo in Love 1 & 2
These two movies are set in the Universe continuity and Sasami's personality remains the same. A manga companion to the second movie, Tenchi Muyo! in Love 2: Eternal Memory, shows what was supposedly happening to Sasami 'off-screen' and introduces Tsunami-kami-sama to the Universe continuity, but it is unknown if this is an official account to be considered as taking place in the same continuity as the movie. The manga implies that Sasami & Tenchi will one day have a child named Izumi, but Sasami will die soon after her birth. However, according to Sasami's narration, that was only one possible future. With every choice they make they can change their fate. It is also told that Tenchi might not choose Sasami but she'll still care for Tenchi the same as always.

Tenchi in Tokyo
As with most of the characters, Sasami's personality became much louder than before. Her moods are more erratic, given to bouts of juvenile anger and sulking. She becomes friends with Yugi, before learning Yugi's true nature, but remains her friend until the end of the series. At the end of the series Sasami visits the now-sleeping Yugi every day. Ryo-Ohki is also her pet in this series.

Manga and Novels
Hasegawa novels
A series of books written by Naoko Hasegawa, a former scriptwriter for the OVA. The novels branch off after episode 6 of the OVA series. These novels were never translated however, so little is known about the character development in this time-line. In Manatsu no Eve/Daughter of Darkness, the Hasagawa novel Manatsu no Eve was made into a movie, and is the only contact most non-Japanese fans have had with this continuity. Sasami's connection to Tsunami-kami-sama from the OVA is not mentioned in the film. Sasami has more screen-time as she befriends Mayuka, Tenchi and Yuzuha's (the antagonist in this film) genetically engineered daughter. She quickly develops a strong bond with Mayuka.

Okuda manga
Two official manga series have been created by Hitoshi Okuda – No Need For Tenchi and Shin Tenchi Muyo! (a.k.a. The All-New Tenchi Muyo!). Based on the OVA series and branching off after episode 13.5. The manga series generally has a lighter attitude than the anime series and the characters personalities reflect this. Sasami has a much more open relationship with Tsunami-kami-sama, who herself is more breezy than her own OVA counterpart, possibly due to Sasami's influence, but more likely by Okuda-sensei wanting to write her that way. Sasami is the only person, in the manga or the anime, that Tenchi has said the words "I love you" to. In volume 5 of the second manga series, Sasami's age is given as 709 years; however, Sasami's age was returned to 708 in volume 7 of the second manga series for unknown reasons. Possibly a mistranslation in either volume.

In spinoffs

Sasami Kawai is the title character in the ''Pretty Sammy'' OVA series and its television series '' Magical Project S''. There, she is an ordinary elementary school student who transforms into magical girl Pretty Sammy.

Sasami Iwakura is the title character in the spin-off series '' Sasami: Magical Girls Club''. Instead of transforming into a magical girl, she is already one who discovers that she, her best friend Misao, as well as some of her other classmates are magical girls.

Tsunami

is a fictional character in the ''Tenchi Muyo!'' universe.

Tsunami appears in the OVA version of the anime series ''Tenchi Muyo!'', as its novels (''True Tenchi Muyo!'') and the manga series written by Hitoshi Okuda. In ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki'' and related works she is one of the Choushin, three Goddess-sisters and powerful beings in the story. She also appears in the series' spin-off ''Pretty Sammy''. Here she is a candidate to become the next queen of the magical realm of Juraihelm.

OVA version

As noted above, Tsunami appears as one of the three Choushin. In fact, she has appeared in several different roles:

Tsunami-kami-sama

The suffix of ''-kami-sama'' can be literally defined as "spirit lord/lady" and adding it to a name implies a superior divine connection; while ''kami'' can mean "god", ''kami-sama'' means "God" (such as The Almighty, Kami-sama, in Oh My Goddess!). Tsunami-kami-sama, along with her sisters Washu-kami-sama and Tokimi-kami-sama, were in existence before time and space began, and have spent at least trillions of years working towards locating a certain individual, a being who was as powerful compared to them as they are to ordinary beings, presumably created them as an experiment, just as they created all of the rest of existence – and as such outside of and greater than even the hyperdimensional space that they inhabit. In fact, the sum totality of all creation was started by them after an unknown length of time spent trying to theorise the existence of such a being. They came to the conclusion that a more practical approach was needed.

As opposed to our own three-dimensional space, there are 22 spatial and temporal dimensions commonly known to exist within the Tenchi Muyo! Multiverse, due to that there are 22 known Dimensional Supervisors, one in charge of each dimensional space. Projective geometry states that each higher-dimensional space is an infinite number of times greater than the last, and Brane cosmology states that a multiverse is 5-dimensional, so the Dimensional supervisors working for the Choushin logically at least exceed multi versal scale times infinity raised to the power of 17.

When the android Zero, who had access to the greatest scientific database in the universe, enormously more advanced than human science, is asked to analyze the Choushin Tokimi, it is stated that despite being able to create a hypothesis for any high-dimensional lifeforms, Tokimi registers as not existing at all, and as impossible to create a scientific hypothesis for (even an infinite-dimensional Hilbert Space), due to being beyond dimensional space altogether.

Little is known of Tsunami-kami-sama's history before 150,000 years ago. It is known that, due to certain extreme circumstances, Tsunami-kami-sama was responsible for annihilating most – if not all – of an ancient civilization who existed before the precursor race. Such massive devastation may not seem typical to the Tsunami-kami-sama known today, but her 3-dimensional shadow recently engaged in a minor fight with Tokimi-kami-sama, which destroyed almost a quarter of our galaxy (all damage was later repaired when time was rewound). The full power of the Choushin is far greater than all of existence can contain, and the sum totality of all of it combined was shown as a glowing mote of dust in comparison to the Choushin.

150,000 years ago, Tsunami-kami-sama met with the boy who would be the First King of Jurai and recognized within him the seeds of what she and her sisters were searching for. She agreed to provide him with her descendants, ''Ouke-no-ki'' or "Trees of the Imperial Family". These trees were sapient and powerful beings who would 'partner' with certain Juraians, providing them with great power and long life-spans. They were also the central core of Juraian ships, acting as power source and computer core, far more powerful than anything else at the time, thus allowing Jurai to become a galactic superpower.

Tenju

The largest tree on Jurai, 5,000 meters high, the ''Tenju'' ("Tree of Heaven") acts as the Royal Palace of Jurai, housing the current Emperor and his family, the main homes of all of the Imperial Houses, and the Royal Arboretum. It is here that all Ouke-no-ki await a partner that they will bond with. Legend has it that the Tenju was created from the giant body of Tsunami-kami-sama.

Tsunami-no-ki

Like ''-kami-sama'', ''-no-ki'' is a suffix (this is a formal version. Simply adding ''-ki'' is also acceptable), this time meaning that the name is for a tree. After creating the Tenju, Tsunami-no-ki came into being at the very base of the Royal Arboretum. It was from this tree that Tsunami created the first seeds that would become first generation Ouke-no-ki. It is believed that at least ten first-generation seeds have been known to exist, two of which seemed to have been created before she became Tsunami-no-ki. Of these two, one was used in the creation of a battle robot known as the 'Idol' and the other may have given to someone from outside this story's universe. Details from this time are sketchy at best. When Sasami was injured during Ryoko's attack on Jurai, she landed near Tsunami-no-ki and it was here that they assimilated. Tsunami-no-ki has now been moved to become the central core of Tsunami-fune.

Although very powerful, later generations of Ouke-no-ki gradually became less powerful as they progress from Tsunami-no-ki. They also lose their 'Will' (that is, their minds and/or soul) if they are rooted on another planet. Funaho-no-ki was believed to be an example of this, but the tree did not lose its Will because of Washu's gems on the pommel end of Tenchi-ken, which provided the tree with power. If a tree loses its Will, then the partner will slowly age and die.

Tsunami-fune

''-fune'' is used for names of ships (in this case spaceships, but it may also be used for other craft). Tsunami-fune is known to be "the most powerful of all ships" (quote from episode 6, 'We Need Tenchi!). This reputation is well justified. For one thing, Tsunami-fune is able to control all Ships of Jurai, since it is from her that the Ships power is derived. Also, Tsunami-fune's defenses are 100% impenetrable by any form of attack in our three dimensions, due to her ability to generate ten Koh-Oh-Yoku, or "Light-Hawk-Wings". Ten Wings represent the maximum force that can be generated at any one point in our dimensions. Any more would shatter the multiverse. Tsunami-fune has demonstrated matter-transportation, multiple-environment generation, energy-based weaponry and sub-space travel. Tsunami-fune is officially listed as belonging to Sasami. It is unknown exactly when or how Tsunami-fune was created, but it is estimated to be between 700 and 695 years ago. An alternate possibility is that the ship has always existed but remains hidden except for select periods when Tsunami decides it is needed, although considering the nature of Jurai ships, this is unlikely.

Sasami

When Sasami was about 3 years old, she assimilated with Tsunami (see Sasami entry) and Tsunami-kami-sama's consciousness now resides within Sasami. In episode 9, 'Sasami and Tsunami', Tsunami appears as a 3D image and says that her form is Sasami's adult form. Since it is known that Tsunami's current image was the same before Sasami was even born, this is either an amazing coincidence or Tsunami and Sasami were connected before Sasami was even born – which is entirely possible due to Tsunami's 11D nature. The two 'souls' of Tsunami-kami-sama and Sasami are merging and one day the two of them will be a single being. In episode 19, it is established that the personalities of the two are one and the same; when Sasami fears for Tenchi's safety, Tsunami must act, even at the risk of a confrontation with Tokimi.

Tsunami has not gone from one form to another, but exists in all forms simultaneously, with the possible exception of the Tenju.

Pretty Sammy

In the ''Pretty Sammy'' series, Tsunami is one of the candidates to be the queen of Juraihelm. After she was chosen, she chose Sasami Kawai to act as her representative on Earth. In doing so, Sasami became known as the magical girl, Pretty Samy.

Personality wise, Tsunami is somewhat more like Mihoshi, a more carefree, relaxed, even slightly ditzy. For example, when she and Sasami first met, she had mistaken the music of Mozart for Beethoven. When Ramia used a cheesy-looking doll to stand-in for her during the episode involving Bif Standard, Tsunami actually thought it was the genuine article.

Tsunami is also clueless about Ramia's efforts to derail her chances to be queen of Juraihelm. When Ramia had disappeared after a caper went wrong, Tsunami, who was grief-stricken, put up posters asking for Ramia's return.

In '' Magical Project S'' (''Pretty Sammy TV''), Tsunami is much the same as her series counterpart, except now with a great love for flowers; in fact, one of her goals as queen of Juraihelm was to "plant flowers across the entire galaxy". Despite this, she eventually managed to win the candidacy.

Mihoshi Kuramitsu

is a Galaxy Police detective in the fictional Tenchi Muyo! anime and manga series. Her given name，"Mihoshi" (みほし、美星), literally means "Beautiful Star", and is derived from a town in the Okayama Prefecture formerly known as Bisei.

OVA

In the OVA, Mihoshi is a Seniwan and a member of the Kuramitsu family, whose power is second only to the Jurai Royal Family.

Mihoshi is known as one of the finest officers in the Galaxy Police, but her career soon hit a major roadblock after an incident hinted at in the 4th episode of the 1st OVA, and the 4th episode of the 3rd one (it has been alluded that the incident involved an arranged marriage, which would factor in Misao's attack later in the series). Now she suffers from frequent difficulties to focus on a single thought track and, due to her clumsiness, she causes a lot of collateral damage during her assignments, which eventually causes Mihoshi to be demoted. The desk of the Section 7 commander is covered with misconduct reports and bills from all the damages she causes. As a result, she is assigned to a special area of the galaxy, the Sol system, which is Juraian territory, in the vain hope that she wouldn't cause any more trouble.

However, when Kagato closed in on this area, Mihoshi's immediate superior, Captain Nobeyama, assigned her to monitor the area and report if Kagato came near. However, Mihoshi misinterpreted those orders and took it upon herself to capture him, which panicked Nobeyama. But when she got near Earth, her shuttle is pulled into an energy vortex caused by a monster Ryoko had created to attack Ayeka. Mihoshi almost ends up getting sucked into the black hole the opening created if Tenchi Masaki had not caught her. As a result, Mihoshi stays with the Masaki family. Like all the other girls living at the Masaki home, she eventually develops an attraction toward Tenchi.

When Kagato attacks, Mihoshi's causality-bending causes Washu to be released from her crystal prison on board Soja's 'reversed universe'. When Kagato's serpent guards attack her, Mihoshi uses her control cube in an attempt to stop them and the interference it creates somehow releases Washu. (The cube's apparent function is similar to that of a Rubik's Cube, and finding the correct combination to produce a desired effect is often problematic for Mihoshi.)

Mihoshi somehow constantly enters Washu's subspace lab and breaks things, (much to Washu's consternation, as she still cannot figure out how Mihoshi can somehow accidentally switch dimensions and bypass all of her lab's security systems), sleeps often, eats like a pig (mostly on junk food, but she exercises often), and is the luckiest officer in the Galaxy Police (though she is also quite competent), though her luck sometimes spells misfortune for others (some what like fellow GXP officer, Seina Yamada). Washu has great respect for her vast causality-bending attributes, and Mihoshi has been repeatedly referred to as the only member of the household who can defeat her.

Mihoshi is actually the great-great-granddaughter of Washu, through her son Mikumo, although this is only stated outside the series itself, and her grandfather Minami Kuramitsu is the Grand Marshal of the Galaxy Police. Mihoshi's mother Mitoto also works for the Galaxy Police, as a cleaning lady. She also has a younger brother, Misao, who had married Mashisu Makibi. Whether her kinship with and ability to constantly circumvent one of the Choushin goddesses is a sign that she's yet another of the series' transcendental anomalies is unconfirmed at this point. However, it is noteworthy that her mother Mitoto has a reminiscent ability to subconsciously travel vast interstellar distances. Whether she shares her daughter's causality-bending talent is unknown at this point, but Minami, Mikami and Misao apparently don't.

Although she tends to eat and sleep a lot, Mihoshi is very serious about her job in the G.P, doesn't mind helping out with regular household work, and seems better at it than Ryoko or Ayeka. She is apparently extremely observant, as she has been known to write very extensive, but very unstructured reports... cluttered with details, so it can sometimes take her superiors a long while to figure them out. In fact, because her report on the Kagato incident included detailed information on the Jurai royal trees, her report is now TOP SECRET with Jurai Intelligence ( Funaho Jurai once confessed to Washu that it took Jurai Intelligence four days to summarize the report). A duplicate report, omitting the sensitive information, was submitted in its place.

Mihoshi's name refers to the planet "Venus", but in the Western sense as "Pretty Star", not the Chinese sense of "metal star".

In OAV 3 (episodes 14-20), she seems to have taken on a few of the characteristics from the other series; she becomes less competent, and appears more confused than usual (though this may simply be a result of her, and much of the regular cast, having less screen time than in the other OVA episodes). She is a former partner of both Noike Jurai and Amane Kaunaq, who seem embarrassed by Mihoshi's affectionate behavior, but Noike handles her through yelling and pushing her around (it is not known how Amane handled Mihoshi).

Tenchi Universe

In the ''Tenchi Universe'' series, Mihoshi is partnered with Kiyone Makibi, and together, they are known as "Miho-Kiyo" (a portmanteau and a "dumb blonde" whose constant bumbling and blunders would often cause trouble for the group (especially for Kiyone and Washu). One of her classic mistakes is when a single hair from her scalp was able to transfer her personality into Mecha Washu.

Tenchi in Tokyo

In ''Tenchi in Tokyo'', Mihoshi is once again partnered with Kiyone. In a flashback story, the Miho-Kiyo duo worked with the Juraian forces (led by Ayeka) to capture Ryoko and Washu to reclaim the Jurai Light Stone (which they stole). Eventually, they were forced to crash-land on Earth after Washu detected great energy emitting from the planet.

She is more or less the same as her ''Tenchi Universe'' counterpart, but she has some of the OAV qualities (e.g., her luck).

Pretty Sammy & Sasami: Mahou Shōjo Club

In the ''Pretty Sammy'' OAV, (as she is known in both series; she was given the last name of her Japanese voice actress, Yuko Mizutani) works at Chihiro Kawai's (Sasami and Tenchi's mother) CD Vision music store with Kiyone Yuri. She is enrolled in college.

In ''Magical Project S'' (''Pretty Sammy TV''), as well as in '' Sasami: Magical Girls Club'', Mihoshi is Sasami and Misao's teacher. In the ''Pretty Sammy TV'' series, she would challenge Kiyone's class in various school activities. It was also implied that she and Kiyone Amayuri have known each other since junior high, whom Mihoshi has always treated her as her best friend.

In all three of these adaptions, Mihoshi is still her usual airhead self.

Tenchi Muyo in Love

In the movie Tenchi Muyo in Love, Mihoshi takes on a teaching job while remaining undercover. She is seen teaching an English class. Her partner Kiyone takes on a janitorial job, and is annoyed or embarrassed by Mihoshi's ditzy mannerism.

Ryo-Ohki

, is a fictional character in the Japanese anime series ''Tenchi Muyo!'' and its spinoffs. Ryo-Ohki's appearance is similar to a cross between a cat and a rabbit, and for this reason Ryo-Ohki is commonly referred to as a cabbit. Ryo-Ohki also served the role of mascot for Pioneer Entertainment before that division of Pioneer Corporation became Geneon.

Ryo-Ohki's appearance as what fans describe as a "cabbit", love of eating carrots, and association with the character Sasami are common among all of the series in which Ryo-Ohki appears. Ryo-Ohki is usually a shape changer, but the shapes, aside from the "cabbit" form, vary according to the series. Ryo-Ohki's background and other traits vary considerably from one series to another.

OVA

In the ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki'' Original Video Animation (OVA) series, Ryo-Ohki is a unique artificial life-form created by Washu. She is initially Ryoko's spacecraft and power-conduit (see below), as well as technically being Ryoko's sister (they are both Masu-hybrids). She and Sasami quickly become attached to each other, however, and she generally chooses to spend her time with Sasami rather than Ryoko. She possesses the ability to transform herself into a small animal form, generally referred to as a 'cabit', a contraction of 'cat-rabbit', which she gained after Ryoko resurrected herself in episode 1. Following an incident later in the series, she gains the ability to shift to two catgirl-like humanoid forms — a child form and an adult form. However, her adult form is rarely seen, both because she has the mind of a child, and because she has trouble walking on two legs.

Ryo-Ohki's personality is that of a carrot-loving animal. She also has a bit of a crush on Tenchi, though it is not exactly romantic. A dive into her mind reveals that it is filled with images of her and Tenchi harvesting carrots. In addition, she likes to entertain people, such as with her small dance number in Episode 13. She has the mental state of a child, and does not appear to think beyond her next carrot or hug.

Ryo-Ohki was originally created by Washu as a means for Ryoko to access and control the vast power contained within her gems, hence the small gem set in Ryo-Ohki's forehead. Seven hundred years ago, the combined power of Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki was as great as a Juraian 1st Generation ship. Another danger is that, despite this power, it is completely possible to mass-produce Ryo-Ohkis, which is a great fear to the Juraian Royal Family. Additionally, unlike some of the most advanced Juraian battle ships (such as the Chobimaru) that can use an elemental tactic for either defense or offense, Ryo-Ohki can use up to three of four elemental tactics at the same time (wind, water, and fire).

In Tenchi Muyo! GXP, Ryo-Ohki appears in episodes 12, 15, and 17. Also in the English anime version of episode 12, Ryo-Ohki has learned to speak human dialect. Ryo-Ohki has also gained a younger sister of sorts, in the form of Fuku.

Manga

In Hitoshi Okuda's two manga series (generally set in the OVA continuity), Ryo-Ohki is much the same. She is shown in a few sequences as not as much an animal as a young girl, however, especially in the more recent ''All-New Tenchi Muyo!'' titles. In these, she's also shown as another rival for Tenchi's affections, and in a sequence judging all of the girls, she is shown as tying them all with a score of 100 (her score is outside the frame, but her score doll is shown in a cheering pose like the others'; she was considered a serious challenger and had a session with Tenchi; there was no mention of any of the six women/girls having been shown as inferior in any way). Generally, Ryo-Ohki prefers her young child form in these stories; she *has* used her 'adult' form twice (once to date Tenchi, once to work out).

Ryo-Ohki has two relatively unusual sequences in the manga. In volume 3 of ''The All-New Tenchi Muyo!'', a short story features her reaction to a prank from Ryoko when she suggests that carrots will make her fat. In this story, she's shown as capable of conversing with Washu clearly, and somehow communicating with Sasami. Her thoughts are shown in clear language.

In volume 8, during the story dealing with the matchmaker (and the aforementioned contest), the matchmaker's robot secretary is shown falling in love with something that resembles a Ryo-Ohki plush or puppet, eventually wishing to marry it. It is referred to as 'Ryo-Ohki', and Washu verifies she can fly herself, although the 'real' Ryo-Ohki is definitely active during this story. This may be one of the 'other' Ryo-Ohki-like creatures seen in one episode of the OVA and one story in the manga, where other "cabit"s are shown. No explanation is given for them, or their relation to the 'main' Ryo-Ohki.

Tenchi Universe

In the Tenchi Universe continuity, Ryo-Ohki is not unique; another "cabbit", named Ken-Ohki (owned by Nagi) appears in the series, raising the possibility of still more "cabit"s – perhaps an entire species – existing. Her origins are not known. She is otherwise similar to her OAV incarnation, serving as Ryoko's companion and spaceship and Sasami's pet. As a humorous plot device, Ryo-Ohki and Ken-Ohki are fond of each other while their owners are bitter enemies. Ryoko suggested that Ryo-Ohki is in love with Ken-Ohki. She also "informed" Sasami in Episode 10 that Ken-Ohki is, in fact, a male, while Ryo-Ohki is a female.

Tenchi in Tokyo

In Tenchi in Tokyo, Ryo-Ohki is Sasami's pet and guardian, as Azaka and Kamidake are for Ayeka. She still transforms into a spaceship from time to time, albeit smaller than in other series, but can also transform into a gigantic pink-colored mecha, which is either piloted by Sasami or autonomously.

Pretty Sammy

In the ''Pretty Sammy'' OAV series, Ryo-Ohki can speak and is male. He serves as an advisor to Sasami, who becomes the magical girl Pretty Sammy. This relationship is a reference to the magical-girl genre convention of the animal advisor; it was most likely meant as a parody of the relationship between Sailor Moon and her cat Luna. He also has a young male humanoid form.

In the ''Pretty Sammy'' television series (also known as ''Magical Project S''), Ryo-Ohki is a boy from the magical dimension of Juraihelm, who takes the shape of a "cabit" in order to serve as Sasami's advisor. Like the OAV version, he speaks while in "cabit" form.

Sasami: Mahou Shojo Club

Not much is known about Ryo-Ohki at this point except that it is the "pet" of Washu Kozuka. However, it has been shown that Washu can be cruel to the animal if it suits her needs. This is why, just like its counterparts in other Tenchi series, it stays with Sasami.

The cabit can shape shift in a manner similar to its Tenchi Muyo self.
It is unknown at this point if it has a human form. It is also unknown if Ryo-Ohki is male, female or perhaps neuter.

Washu Hakubi

, the self-proclaimed greatest scientific genius in the universe, is a fictional character in the anime and manga ''Tenchi Muyo!''. Her character differs depending on the continuity, though she sometimes displays a number of innate