Tenchi Muyo is a popular anime franchise that spans multiple series, OVAs, and movies. It tells the story of a boy named Tenchi who discovers he is the grandson of a powerful alien princess and becomes embroiled in a complex intergalactic conflict. The series is known for its blend of comedy, romance, and action, as well as a diverse and compelling cast of characters.
Original Tenchi Muyo! The OVA was released in 1992 and quickly became a fan favorite. It was followed by two sequels, Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki and Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar, as well as several spin-off series and movies. The franchise has also spawned numerous manga adaptations and video games.
Tenchi Muyo has a dedicated fanbase and has had a significant impact on the anime and manga industry. Its popularity paved the way for other harem anime series and influenced many creators and artists. Despite its age, the franchise remains relevant and loved by fans around the world.
List of Tenchi Muyo Series in Order
- Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki
- Tenchi Muyo! Mihoshi Special
- Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki 2nd Season
- Tenchi Universe
- Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Muyo in Love
- Tenchi in Tokyo
- Tenchi the Movie 2: The Daughter of Darkness
- Tenchi Forever! The Movie
- Tenchi Muyo! GXP
- Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki 3rd Season
- Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar
- Ai Tenchi Muyo!
- Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki 4th Season
- Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki 5th Season
Also read: Haikyuu Watch Order & Episode Guide
Tenchi Muyo! Detailed Watch Order
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki (1992)
The Story of Tenchi Muyo! Starts when a boy named Tenchi accidentally frees a space pirate named Ryoko from a shrine guarded by his grandfather, Katsuhito Masaki. Ayeka Masaki Jurai, a princess from the planet Jurai, comes to Earth in search of Ryoko and her half-brother/fiancé Yosho. Tenchi, Ryoko, Ayeka, and a galaxy cop named Mihoshi Kuramitsu soon find themselves in the middle of a battle with evil space criminal Kagato.
Throughout the series, the characters face numerous challenges and adventures, including battles with other villains, attempts to win Tenchi’s affection, and messy mishaps caused by their own incompetence. Along the way, they learn more about each other and their own pasts, including the truth about Ryoko’s origins and the identity of Tenchi’s true love. Despite the chaos and drama, the group becomes a kind of family united by shared experiences and mutual affection.
- Type: OVA
- Episodes: 6
- Where to Watch: Funimation (in some regions)
Tenchi Muyo! Mihoshi Special (1994)
Mihoshi Kuramitsu being his usual self and just lying on the patio of the house while everyone does their chores, bothers Ayeka, and she questions his qualifications as a Galaxy cop. He then shares his greatest adventure with his partner Kiyone, the Ultra Energy Matter caper. He then tells the story by portraying everyone in the house as some character, but as he keeps telling it, he stumbles upon a plot to destroy the universe by the mad scientist in the story.
- Type: OVA
- Episodes: 1
- Where to Watch: Funimation (in some regions)
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki 2nd Season (1994)
In this story, Tenchi and his friends are tasked with taking care of Taro, Tenchi’s little cousin. As they struggle to care for the baby, chaos ensues, and it’s up to Washu to show them how. Despite their best efforts, they cannot take responsibility, and Washu takes on the work alone. Later, the group returns to the local hot springs, where they must repair the damage they previously caused.
There, they encounter a ghostly figure, and Sasami begins acting strangely, leading her to discover a secret about her past. Meanwhile, Ryoko accidentally damages a dress belonging to Tenchi’s late mother, leading to a confrontation with Tenchi and a heartbroken Ryo-Ohki. The situation worsens when a colony of shapeshifting creatures is affected by Ryo-Ohki’s emotions.
As the story progresses, Dr. Clay uses his slave robot Zero to capture Washu, but Zero repeatedly fails as he cannot resist the emotions surrounding Tenchi. The group eventually confronts Dr.Clay, and Washu reveals their former connection as contenders for leadership of the Academy of Sciences. Clay tries to manipulate Washu, but Zero eventually betrays him, forcing him to destroy his ship to escape.
Meanwhile, Tenchi’s life is turned upside down once again when his great-grandmother and Jurassic sister visit Earth, forcing Ayeka to marry a man she doesn’t love unless Tenchi duels. Overall, the story is packed with action, drama, and humor as Tenchi and his friends make their way through various challenges and obstacles. From caring for a baby to confronting a mad scientist, they must trust each other and their own abilities to succeed.
- Type: OVA
- Episodes: 6
- Where to Watch: Funimation (in some regions)
Tenchi Universe (1995)
Tenchi Universe is where the main storyline begins (so the people say). It consists of 26 episodes and has many changes compared to what you have watched in the series before. Tenchi Masaki may seem like a normal 17-year-old boy living in the Japanese countryside, but he still doesn’t know what the future holds for him.
When space pirate Ryoko, pursued by two intergalactic police officers, crashes her spaceship on the grounds of Tenchi’s grandfather’s temple, the boy embarks on an adventure that will take him into space and beyond. This series portrays the best form of Tenchi yet through the franchise. It has taken the characters from the OVAs and transformed them to make this series.
It also changes the personality of some characters. Washu is portrayed as a slightly insane egomaniac, while Mihoshi is portrayed as a comical character. It also introduces some new characters to the series, such as Kiyone (from the Mihoshi Special), Nagi (a bounty hunter), and Ken-Ohki, his partner.
- Type: TV Series
- Episodes: 26
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation (in some regions)
Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Muyo in Love (1996)
Kain, a notorious space criminal, successfully escapes from prison and wreaks havoc by destroying the intergalactic police headquarters. Despite police attempts to break the news of the escape, the Masaki family is preoccupied with their own crisis. Tenchi Temple is crumbling and seems to be disappearing.
Washu uses a time shield to protect Tenchi, and they embark on a mission to uncover the cause of the temple’s destruction. You travel back 26 years to when Tenchi’s parents, Achika and Nobuyuki, were teenagers. Here they discover that Kain is also watching Achika, and unless Tenchi and his comrades protect their love, Tenchi’s future will cease to exist.
- Type: Movie
- Episodes: 1
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation (in some regions)
Tenchi in Tokyo (1997)
Tenchi Masaki leaves his hometown to go to school in Tokyo, causing some of his friends to feel unhappy and abandoned. However, Tenchi meets a kind and supportive girl named Sakuya Kumashiro, who helps him adjust to his new life. Their friendship soon develops into a romantic attraction, but when Sakuya Tenchi confesses her feelings, it sends shockwaves through the girls in the Masaki household.
The girls rush to Tokyo to compete for Tenchi’s affection, forcing him to choose between them. Meanwhile, Tenchi faces unexpected events that turn his life and relationships with his friend’s upside down and make it difficult for him to make a decision about his love life.
- Type: TV Series
- Episodes: 26
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation (in some regions)
Tenchi The Movie 2: The Daughter of Darkness (1997)
The story begins on the planet Jurai, where a young demon tries to give a gift to a boy named Yosho but is attacked by guards. He then wakes up on Christmas Eve and sees the Masaki Residence. A mysterious blue-haired girl named Mayuka appears and claims to be Tenchi’s daughter, causing confusion among the girls. Washu discovers that Mayuka is actually Tenchi’s daughter, and the story gets more complex as the girls try to figure out who Mayuka’s mother is.
Ryoko remains suspicious of Mayuka and tries to intimidate her with her sword. Mayuka tries to visit Tenchi in his room, but Ryoko and Ayeka stop her. The situation escalates when Tenchi slaps Ryoko after she tries to warn him about Mayuka’s manipulative behavior. The story also delves into the demon girl’s past and her desire to get revenge on Yosho, who gave her an amulet for the upcoming Startica holiday after killing three people and swallowing the gems inside.
The demon girl orders Mayuka to “burn them all down” as she watches everyone set off fireworks, and Mayuka suddenly has a headache and apologizes for her behavior. Washu and Yosho discuss the disruption to the space-time continuum, pointing out that something bigger than Mayuka’s arrival is at stake.
- Type: Movie
- Episodes: 1
- Where to Watch: (No Official Website)
Tenchi Forever! The Movie (1999)
In this episode of Tenchi Muyo! Anime series, Tenchi finds himself in a parallel world, trapped in a false reality created by the lonely soul of Katsuhito’s ex-lover, Haruna. After a six-month absence, it is revealed that Tenchi was drawn to the tree growing on Haruna’s grave and has lived a life with her as her husband, unaware of his past life with Ayeka, Ryoko, and the rest of the family.
As Ryoko, Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Kiyone desperately search for a way to save him and bring him back to reality, Washu realizes he has been drawn into a world very similar to ours but parallel to it. As they attempt to bring Tenchi back, they encounter Haruna and Tenchi, but he rejects their efforts, confused by his altered memories.
Only when Katsuhito channels his essence into Haruna’s soul, and Tenchi remembers his past, is he able to return to reality with Ryoko? He left the rings and bought them with Haruna when they both left their world.
- Type: Movie
- Episodes: 1
- Where to Watch: Funimation (in some regions)
Tenchi Muyo! GXP (2002)
Seina Yamada is a terribly unhappy boy. The point, while looking for her senpai Tenchi Masaki, she meets a recruiter, and due to a series of misunderstandings, Soon Seina is recruited by the intergalactic police. However, his luck appears to be changing.
On board, he is assigned four beautiful women: Kanak, a former model-turned-intergalactic police officer. Kiriko, Seina’s childhood friend, the mysterious Ryoko, is a former criminal who takes her name from a legendary pirate.
And the childish Neiyu is endowed with supernatural powers. Instead of focusing on her mission as an intergalactic agent, Seina will be forced to reckon with the four women’s impressive personalities and extraordinary beauty.
- Type: TV Series
- Episodes: 26
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki 3rd Season (2003)
After Tenchi Masaki’s awakening of powers, he has managed to attract many popular galactic beings, including the mysterious Lady Takami, who sends her finest warrior, Z, to take care of him. Despite being under strict orders not to harm Tenchi, Z has no intention of following the rules and begins planning his own death.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Tenchi tries to gather more information about his family and the universe. But as usual, his life doesn’t get any easier as his entire family panics when Noike Kamiki Jurai, a woman who claims to be Tenchi’s girlfriend, shows up unannounced.
- Type: OVA
- Episodes: 6
- Where to Watch: Funimation (in some regions)
Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar (2009)
Kenshi Masaki, Tenchi Masaki’s half-brother, is brought into the world of Geminar against his will. In this world, countries fight each other with humanoid weapons called “Sacred Mechanoids.” Kenshi is involved in an assassination attempt on Lashar Earth XXVIII, Princess of the Shtrayu Empire, but refuses to kill her and is captured. After Lashara and her minions decide to help her, Kenshi disguises herself as Lashara’s minion and travels with her to the Holy Land, an academy that trains Seikishi, mechanical pilots.
Kenshi’s caring personality and wide range of abilities endear him to the Academy, but he also draws the attention of a faction secretly working to cause an all-out conflict in Geminar. Despite his talent in areas like cooking and fighting, Kenshi gets into trouble due to his naivety, and his actions have made him a celebrity among college girls and made some college girls jealous. Eventually, a war breaks out that hurts many.
- Type: OVA
- Episodes: 13
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation (in some regions)
Ai Tenchi Muyo! (2014)
In this series, Washu’s experiment has caused a rift in the space-time continuum, which creates problems for everyone. The world is in chaos, but Tenchi Masaki will have to go undercover in an all-girls school to save the girls and the world from the experiments that are being conducted in the school. But trouble comes his way as he has to resolve the issues between the student council and science club when they start to have a fight causing a scene all the time.
- Type: TV Series
- Episodes: 50
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation (in some regions)
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki 4th Season (2016)
Noboyuki and Rea’s upcoming wedding requires a lot of preparation from multiple people. Some are responsible for preparing Rea’s formal kimono, while others, like Airi, must finish their work in time to attend the wedding. Tennyo, on the other hand, is tasked with making sure Airi does her job and doesn’t interfere with other preparations.
Minaho, Noboyuki’s sister, is also looking forward to meeting her nephew Tenchi for the first time, and the meetings are held separately for the bride and groom. However, the wedding preparations become more complicated when some shocking revelations about Rhea’s background come to light.
These revelations require careful planning for the future of the child she will have with Noboyuki. Also, the Masaki family, with their close ties to the Jurai royal family, means many people are interested in young Kenshi’s future. This situation requires a lot of planning and strategy to ensure everyone’s interests are taken into account.
- Type: OVA
- Episodes: 4
- Where to Watch: Crunchyroll, Funimation (in some regions)
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki 5th Season (2020)
Tennyo and Rea discuss Kiyone’s research into the history of Rei and her home planet, Geminar. After five years, Kenshi plays with Ryo-Ohki and Jovia while Tenchi and Seina discuss building a residence for Seina across the lake and where Kenshi should be to avoid Lady Seto’s prying eyes.
Kiriko and her associates discuss making Earth a permanent home for Seina and her family. Lady Seto sends Kuis to force Seina to take over the proxy war on Table Island. Tenchi and the group go to the island and meet Seina. Tenchi uses his powers to protect the island from pirate attacks while Kenshi trains.
After another successful defense of the island, Kenshi continues his training against Minaho, Funaho, Misaki, and Seto. A few years later, an important gathering of the Jura royal family, other kings, the Kuramitsu family, and the Seina family meets with Tenchi and the girls to hear Tenchi’s decision.
- Type: OVA
- Episodes: 6
- Where to Watch: Funimation (in some regions)
Also read: Bleach Watch Order: Anime Episodes & Movies
