Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato

It was followed by an anime series by Tatsunoko Production which ran for 38 episodes on TV Tokyo from April 6, 1989, to January 18, 1990, and also received a 6-episode OVA follow-up series named Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato: Dark Genesis (天空戦記 シュラト 創世への暗闘, Tenkū Senki Shurato: Sōsei e no Antō; lit. "Shurato of the Heaven Wars: The Secret Feud of Creation"), that ran from August 16, 1991, to March 16, 1992. Set in a parallel world called "Tenkūkai", which exists alongside Earth, evil forces known as the Asura Gods threaten to overcome the forces of good, causing the magical leader of this realm to transport warriors from Earth to their world. It's loosely based on Hindu and Buddhist mythology.

The plot revolves around two boys, Shurato Hidaka and Gai Kuroki, lifelong best friends who are polar opposites of each other in appearance and personality. While fighting each other in a martial arts tournament, they are suddenly encased in a beam of light and transported to a parallel world, Tenkūkai, where modern technology does not exist and instead the people rely on Sohma, a form of spiritual energy. Shurato discovers he is actually the reincarnation of an ancient king of the same name, who once ruled this world, and one of the "Hachibushu", a group of eight legendary warriors with large quantities of Sohma, and was brought here along with Gai to fight the Asura Gods, a legion of destructive warriors. However, for unknown reasons, Gai attempts to kill Shurato repeatedly, confusing Shurato as the real Gai is a pacifist and the most compassionate person he knows. Things quickly go wrong when Shurato and another of the Hachibushu, Ten-ō Hyūga, are framed for the petrification of Lady Vishnu, a powerful divinity and the leader of the people of Tenkūkai. The actual culprit, Vishnu's highest advisor and Asura spy Indrah, and the corrupted Gai manage to convince the remainder of the Hachibushu, as well as all of Tenkūkai's warriors and soldiers, that Shurato and Hyūga are evil and must be killed. Although at first reluctant to get involved, Shurato eventually resolves to aid Hyūga in uncovering the conspiracy and cure Vishnu. They are accompanied by the young Tenkūkai spirit priestess Laksh, and two others of the Hachibushu, Ryū-ō Ryōma and Karura-ō Reiga. Along the way, they engage in battle with the other four of the Hachibushu, sinister Asura agents in league with Indrah, and the majority of Tenkūkai's population.

Shurato Hidaka (日高秋亜人, Hidaka Shurato) (also Shura-Oh Shurato (修羅王シュラト, Shura-ō Shurato)) The titular main protagonist of the series, Shurato, is a hot-headed, reckless, and impatient 16-year-old. He is depicted as having low tolerance and understanding of Tenkūkai's laws and inner workings, but is strong and pure-hearted. Like Gai, he is a martial arts master, and eventually becomes the most powerful of the Hachibushu and their de facto leader. His shakti and armor are both modeled after the lion, and his weapon is a vajra. Gai Kuroki (黒木凱, Kuroki Gai) (also Yasha-Oh Gai (夜叉王ガイ, Yasha-ō Gai)) A primary character and one of the main antagonists of the show, Gai was Shurato's best friend on Earth, but became his greatest enemy in Tenkūkai when he was put in a spell by Indrah. Unlike Shurato, he is cool, collected, and highly intelligent. He was a martial arts master, depicted as Shurato's equal, even though he was also a pacifist. His shakti and armor are both modeled after the wolf, and his weapon is a longsword. Laksh of Hōraisan (蓬莱山のラクシュ, Hōraisan no Rakushu) Based on the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, Laksh is a young native of Tenkūkai and a fledgling spirit priestess. She is the first person to find Shurato after he is teleported to Tenkūkai, attempting to wake him up with a kiss. She then accompanies Shurato and Hyūga on their journey, and becomes a major asset to the team when her latent Sohma powers manifest.

The TV series premiered on TV Tokyo, where it ran for 38 episodes from April 6, 1989, to January 1990. It was dubbed and broadcast in Brazil, France, Spain, Venezuela, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and China. The 6-episode OVA series began release on August 16, 1991, and ended on March 16, 1992. On April 6, 2024, in celebration of the anime's 35th anniversary, Tatsunoko announced a remaster of the series for release on streaming services like Hulu and Bandai Channel.

Opening theme "Shining Soul" by Satoko Shimizu (epi. 01–25) "Truth" by Satoko Shimizu (epi. 26–38) "Keep Your Pure Love" by Satoko Shimizu (OVA 1–6) Ending theme "Sabaku no Meizu (Desert Labyrinth)" by Satoko Shimizu (epi. 01–25) "Caravan" by Satoko Shimizu (epi. 26–38) "Garasu no Shōnen (Glass Boy)" by Satoko Shimizu (OVA 1–6)

The manga series was done by Hiroshi Kawamoto based on drafts by Studio Ammonite; it was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's Shōnen King from July 8, 1988 to November 11, 1988, and then collected into 2 tankōbon volumes in 1989 and 1990. The manga was released in Italy in 2024 by Sprea Comics. Black Box released the series in France. Shurato also spurred two novel series written by Satoru Akahori and Mayori Sekijima, and drama CDs.

Akahori series Sekijima series (Dark Genesis)

The second OVA series was released on three VHS tapes by Bandai Media Division in 6 volumes: The original series was released on two DVD box sets in Japan, titled "MEMORY BOX", the first on February 25, 2003, and the second on May 23, 2003. On November 22, 2024, the official X (Formerly Twitter) account announced that the MEMORY BOX box sets would be released on Blu-ray, officially releasing it on February 26, 2025.

The first soundtrack, titled Tenku Senki Shurato Tensei Dazzle Original Soundtrack (天空戦記シュラト 転生眩奏 オリジナルサウンドトラック) was released by King Records on June 21, 1989 as a normal version, and then on March 5, 1993 as Normal Board. The second soundtrack, titled Tenku Senki Shurato Tenzan Ming Raku Soundtrack (天空戦記シュラト 天山瞑楽 サウンドトラック) was released King Records on September 5, 1989, and March 5, 1993.

Studio Ammonite (Hiroshi Ogawa, Hiroshi Okura, and Takashi Ono)