Tenchi Muyo Character Guide

With such a huge cast of characters in the Tenchi franchise, it's near impossible to remember every person to date. To help out, we've compiled a list of all the big players (and a slew of the minor ones) to recap who's who. Keep in mind though, that these are just for the shows that preceded the third OAV. If that's what you're looking for, jump on over to our Tenchi Muyo OAV 3 character guide. By the end of this all, you'll be able to name all the Tenchi characters like the letters of the alphabet.

Core Cast Members

Tenchi Masaki: Teenaged Tenchi is the male lead of the story. He is a Jurai Prince, which means that he can use the key of the same name to generate a powerful energy blade. Though a kind and decent young man, he is overwhelmed by all the female attention he receives. His mother died when he was very young, which becomes an important plot point at some points in the series and in the first movie.

Ayeka/Aeka (spelling varies): Ayeka, who is generally considered to be in her late teens in human terms, is a prim and proper princess of the Jurai Royal Family who is destined to wed the Prince who will become the next Emperor. Because of this and Tenchi's inherent kindness, she quickly becomes enamored with Tenchi and duels fiercely with Ryoko (around whom she always loses her cool) for his attention. Her royal bloodline gives her considerable power that is mostly defensive in nature.

Ryoko: Ryoko is a space pirate and the master of Ryo-Ohki. She is a wild, hard-drinking, aggressive, and chaotic soul with a wide array of powers which vary from series to series but always include flight, short-range teleportation, passing through solid objects, and firing energy blasts. Although the circumstances vary from series to series, she becomes engrossed with Tenchi and vies fiercely with Ayeka for his attention. In some Tenchi material, her rivalry with Ayeka predates contact with Tenchi.

Sasami: The much younger sister of Ayeka, Sasami is also a Jurai princess, although she does not demonstrate any meaningful powers during any of the core series. (She does have a magical girl alter ego in one alternate reality episode and a spin-off series, however.) She is a kind and industrious girl who delights in cooking and playing with Ryo-Ohki, who effectively becomes her pet. In some series she has a bit of a girlish crush on Tenchi, who treats her like a little sister. In the original OAV series she experienced a fatal accident at a young age, which caused the sentient tree Tsunami to bond with her to save her life. Thus in that series she is effectively a composite being.

Mihoshi: Mihoshi is an officer in the Galaxy Police, primarily (one gets the sense) because her grandfather is the head of the Galaxy Police. She is the prototypical ditzy blonde, the franchise's resident klutz and the Character Who's Always Hungry, although she does have moments of competent brilliance. In some Tenchi material she is partnered with Kiyone, and in that material she seems lost without her partner. In some Tenchi material she also has a bit of a crush on Tenchi, though it is never a major story issue.

Kiyone: Kiyone does not appear in all Tenchi material, but when she does she is the ambitious, sensible, and long-suffering partner of Mihoshi in the Galaxy Police. She first appears in the Mihoshi Special and is the only regular female character who never expresses a romantic interest in Tenchi.

Washu: Her exact nature varies from series to series, but Washu is always the diminutive mad scientist; she is the self-proclaimed “greatest scientific genius in the galaxy!” Her interest in Tenchi varies between the romantic and seeing him as a subject for scientific examination due to his powers. Although she has childlike qualities and appearance, she is distinctly older than any of the other female characters and, in some Tenchi material, has a background connection to Ryoko.

Ryo-Ohki: This irrepressibly cute creature is a cabbit, a cross between a cat and rabbit. She speaks only in catlike meows in most Tenchi material and has catlike curiosity and responses to danger, but also hops around like a rabbit and is obsessed with carrots. She can transform into a powerful spaceship that is typically used by Ryoko, although Ryo-Ohki is more commonly in the company of Sasami and a mascot of the whole group. In the original OAV series she ultimately takes on a more humanoid form.

Katsuhito Masaki/Yosho: Known to those on Earth as the Shinto priest Katsuhito Masaki, the man who is Tenchi's grandfather is actually the self-exiled Jurai Prince Yosho, who is the son of the Emperor and his human wife and heir to the Jurai throne. Thus it's not surprising that he fell in love with a human woman and settled down on Earth. He is Tenchi's wise trainer and adviser and is very capable in a fight when he needs to be, although he also has a mischievous side.

Noboyuki Masaki: Noboyuki is Tenchi's father. He is an architect by trade, always enamored of the latest technology, and more than a bit of a pervert; he spends a good amount of time in all three series trying to catch glimpses of the young ladies disrobed. When he is shown as a young man, it is clear where Tenchi's looks come from.

Guardians (Azake and Kamadake): These Guardians, which look somewhat like tall wooden barrels, are servants of Ayeka, who obey her without question and protect her. In some Tenchi material they also contain the essences of two Knights of Jurai of the same name. Ayeka can generate smaller versions of them with her Jurai power to use for attack and defense. They appear little or not at all in some Tenchi material.

Other Characters Achika: Tenchi's mother, who died when Tenchi was very young. She only appears as a teenager in the first movie (where she is a main character) but is referenced elsewhere.

Amagasaki: This teenager with exaggerated facial features is the only male friend of Tenchi who appears in any of the series. He appears briefly in the original OAV and more prominently in the second TV series.

Azusa: The Jurain king and the father of Ayeka, Sasami, and Yosho.

Dr. Clay: An immensely egotistical scientist rival of Washu who is one of the main villains of the original OAV series.

Funaho: Yosho's human mother and the First Queen of the Jurai. It is also the name of Yosho's bonded tree on Earth.

Haruna: Yosho's first love, whose spirit draws Tenchi into a parallel universe and pretends to be his love interest in the third movie.

Kagato: A leading villain in the first half of the original OAV series and all of the first TV series. His exact nature and powers vary dramatically between the series.

Kain: A class-A criminal imprisoned 100 years ago in the Galaxy Police subspace net with the personal help of the Jurai emperor. He is the main villain of the first movie.

Mayuka: A cute girl who is one of the main characters in the second movie, she claims to be Tenchi's future daughter.

Misaki: The Second Queen of the Jurai and mother of Ayeka and Sasami.

Nagi: A bounty hunter at odds with Ryoko. She has a male cabbit named Ken-Ohki who gets very friendly with Ryo-Ohki.

Sakuya: One of the major characters of the second TV series, she is a Tokyo classmate of Tenchi who becomes desperate about being close to him.

Tsunami: A powerful sentient Jurai tree who is also one of the main goddesses of the Tenchi Universe. In some Tenchi material she is bonded to Sasami.

Yazuha: A Jurain demon trapped in the Realm of Darkness who has a past connection to Yosho and a distinct grudge against him. She is the chief villain of the second movie.

Yuki: A mutant Jurain girl who is the chief villain in the second TV series.