Battle Vixens

Battle Vixens, known in Japan as Ikkitōsen (一騎当千), is a manga/anime series by Yūji Shiozaki loosely based on the classic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Terminology

 * Magatama
 * Magatama are jewels worn as earrings by all Toushi which contain the spirits and essence of warriors from the era of the Three Kingdoms in ancient China. How they all wound up in Japan is a mystery. Magatama impart their power and fate upon each Toushi (regardless of age or gender; all of the characters from this period are male but most of the cast are young girls) which range from average to incredibly powerful but come with the will of the spirit within and ultimately their fate, which usually tends to be tragic and painful. However, a few characters seem to be in the process of defeating their fates, even though the cycle has played over repeatedly for 1800 years. Not every fate is the same however; numerous important characters are missing, and some relationships and obviously personalities have been drastically altered, but the end results are significantly analogous. Some magatama are very selective; others can switch their magatamas increasing their own personal power. They also indicate a Toushi's skill and power by a distinctive color related to the Olympic medal system, which often tends to be misleading with certain characters. The ambiguity of it is further enhanced by the anime's introduction of Hakufu's jade magatama (which was briefly replaced with a red when she was possessed by Toutaku).


 * Gyokuji
 * The Imperial seal supposedly found by Sonken, Hakufu's father, it is a large jade seal that serves a role similar to a Royal Crown. Whoever carries it is granted authority over all the other nations but it expectedly becomes a big target for everyone. Seito Academy originally held it before Toutaku stole it, but it eventually went to Ryomou from Ryofu who passed to Saji then finally back to Seito.


 * Dragons of Haou (Haouryuu)
 * The Ruling Dragon or Shouryuu (literally Dragon Lord) is an enigmatic entity or entities resembling a massive oriental dragon conferred uniquely upon the three destined rulers of the Three Kingdom period: Hakufu, Sousou and Ryuubi. It is proof of their birthright as conquerors. They confer massive power onto each of them, putting them well above A-rank regardless of their own skill, though each manifestation varies. Ouin managed to stop Hakufu's first manifestation fairly easily, however Koukin was only able to subdue it the second time with both a Hyakuhekitou and Ukitsu's help.


 * They do, however, create terrible destructive impulses that differ for each character. Hakufu's manifests a berserk, sadistic, psycho-sexual monster but less so than Ryuubi and Sousou. Sousou's is psychotic and the most malicious but otherwise completely in control, while Ryuubi's is completely out of control to the point of suicidal and self-mutilating. It is also the most evil, radiating deathly energy that consumes the life around it.


 * In addition to the three Ruling Dragons, other characters in the series have been shown to harbor dragons as well. Because of the qualities of Ryuubi's dragon, Kaku believed Toutaku may have possessed a dragon of his own. As a result of Ryuubi's dragon first awakening three years ago and the ensuing battle its presence caused, Ryomou possesses a dragon as well, however only Saji, Teifu, and the main characters of Seito, excluding Ryuubi, are aware of this fact. Koumei is believed to harbor a dragon as well, as Ryuubi witnessed it for a brief instant.


 * It has also been hinted several times in both the anime and manga that Chou'un also harbors a dragon, as whenever she opens her eyes, her pupils are cat-like and yellow in color, very similar to those of the awakened Toushi. Likewise in the manga, Kanu displayed identical pupils after Gakushin's aborted attempt to invade her mind, during her fight with Kyoshou's Three-Pillared Gods.


 * Typically when a dragon manifests, the eyes of the Toushi either glow red or turn yellow with cat-like slits. The forearms manifest bulging veins, which can sometimes extend over the entire body; fangs are also sometimes shown. In the second season of the anime, each dragon is of a different color; Hakufu's is blue, Sousou's is red, and Ryuubi's is gold. Unlike the manga, Ryomou's dragon appears to be her own and not Ryuubi's, and is black. Koumei is also shown with a silver dragon referred to as the Crouching Dragon.


 * Hyakuhekitou
 * A set of 5 legendary Chinese jian made of jewels. Supposedly made by Cao Cao in ancient China, they are each named after an animal: Dragon, Tiger, Sparrow, Bear, and Horse. Incredibly evil and powerful swords capable of beating even the Dragons of Hao. Originally all five were embedded in a large boulder on Choushou's property and sealed with chi making them impossible to remove. Toutaku extracted an unnamed sword while studying and failing under Choushou. Kanu also trained under Choushou and extracted but broke a sword named Kusanagi in half, leaving half the blade still embedded in the rock. It is not known which of the five it is. Teni had Dragon likely passed to her from Chiba, and Hakufu managed to remove Tiger completely intact, but Saji recovered it and entrusted it Koukin so he could stop Hakufu's dragon. Toutaku later destroyed the boulder, freeing up the remaining two and the other half of Kusanagi which he brought with him to his grave. Sousou recovered all of them and two of the intact blades were seen under high security at Kyosho. Saji had a sword made of jade; it's also an ancient sword. It is unknown if it is one of the five as it is named Dragon, but Teni had Dragon distinctly named as a Hyakuhekitou so it is likely another ancient sword. On a sidenote a katana named Muramasa lies in Gogun academy. All of these are so far absent from the anime.


 * Seiryuutou
 * Guan Yu's legendary Green Dragon Crescent Blade visually accurately depicted and carried by Kanu at all times though supposedly made of jewel rather than metal – this may in fact be allegory, as a particularly high-quality type of steel in Japan is known as tama-hagane, or "jewel steel". Extremely powerful and possessing massive chi. It was melted during a battle against Ryuubi's dragon 3 years prior to the start of the series, but was apparently repaired at some point.


 * Dragon Jade (anime only)
 * A new artifact introduced in the second season of the anime. It is a gold oriental dragon coiling around a gold orb sealed in a glass orb. Supposedly it has the ability to tame a dragon (though has failed to do so as of yet) and thus change the destiny of any Toushi, something otherwise impossible. For that reason all sides are actively pursuing it; it is not present in the manga on the account that it thematically replaces the Gyokuji. Unlike the manga, the Gyokuji that Kaku gave to Kyosho was a fake which was switched out by Ryofu, who handed the real one to Ryomou. In the anime, the Gyokuji Kaku had was the real one. A lot of plot revolves around antagonists pursuing the Imperial Seal, hence why the Dragon Jade was invented (presumably). It is extremely mythical, and up until Ryomou found it, everyone thought it didn't exist. In fact very few even knew about it in the first place. A mysterious monk (who is presumed to be the same one who was with Kaku earlier on) told Ryomou about who proceeded to find it. Ryomou, however, was ambushed and badly injured by Teni then finally defeated by Shiryu, who stole it and brought it to Kanu. According to the monk, it will only activate when all three dragons are roused and brought together, but Ryomou is seen holding it and activating it creating a blue aura, making her left eye glow blue then summoning a black dragon.
 * But towards the conclusion of the second series the Dragon Jade truly activates, due to the presence of all the three dragons (Sousou's Red Dragon, Ryuubi's Yellow Dragon and Sonsaku's Blue Dragon) in its vicinity and causes the change of fate, that it was destined to do in the first place.

Manga
The manga was released in English by TOKYOPOP under the title Battle Vixens. The official German title is Dragon Girls while in France and Spain it is called Ikkitousen.

Staff



 * Director: Takashi Watanabe (Season 1); Koichi Ohata (Season 2,3 and 4)
 * Script/Series Organizer: Takawo Yoshioka (Season 1); Mosanao Akahoshi (Season 2 and 3)
 * Original Creator: Yuji Shiozaki
 * Character Designer: Shinya Hasegawa (Season 1); Rinshin (Season 2 and 3); Rinshin, Junji Goto (Season 4)
 * Art Director: Yoshinori Hirose (Season 1)
 * Music: Hiroshi Motokura, Project IKKI (Season 1), Yasuharu Takanashi (Seasons 2,3 and 4)
 * Chief Animation Director: Takashi Wada (Season 1); Rinshin (Season 2 and 3); Junji Goto (Season 4)
 * Animation design ending sequence season 2: Satoshi Urushihara
 * Sound director: Tsuyoshi Takahashi (Season 1)
 * Sound Effects: Shoji Kato (Anime Sound Production) (Season 1)
 * Animation Production: J.C.Staff (Season 1); ARMS (Season 2 and 3), TNK (Season 4)

Ikkitōsen: Battle Vixens
The first anime TV series ran on AT-X in 2003, and its license is held by Enoki Films. The whole series was previously licensed by Geneon Entertainment (USA) Inc. (now licensed by FUNimation and Media Blasters) for the North American market, and was available on four separate DVDs. Like many other Geneon series, the anime is distributed in the UK by MVM Films. Unlike Geneon, MVM seem to have some ties with TOKYOPOP, as their releases use both "Ikkitōsen" and "Battle Vixens" as titles, using the title graphic from TOKYOPOP's manga for the latter of these. The DVD covers are reversible, for those who prefer the original title, and a limited edition of the first DVD came in a box set with the first volume of the manga.


 * 1) "The Champions"
 * 2) "A Confrontation at Nanyou"
 * 3) "My Chastity is in Danger"
 * 4) "A Duel! Taishiji vs. Sonsaku"
 * 5) "An Angry Hakufu and a School Wide Counterattack"
 * 6) "The Great Tournament Begins"
 * 7) "A Confrontation With Destiny"
 * 8) "Why! The Betrayal Of Gōei!"
 * 9) "Viva Hot Springs!"
 * 10) "An Encounter Between the Ruler and the Devil"
 * 11) "Ryofu - Love and Death"
 * 12) "Summer Comes to the Watermelon Patch"
 * 13) "Farewell to Hakufu and the Days of Fighting"

Ikkitōsen: Dragon Destiny
A second season began airing in February 2007. An accompanying radio series named "Ikkitōsen Dragon Destiny Radio" was hosted on Media Factory. A DVD for chapter 0 was released on Comic Market 71 for 1000 yen, featuring an unedited Dragon Destiny promotional video, voice actor interviews, and DVD for Ikkitōsen Dragon Destiny Radio, recently Ikkitōsen: Destiny was licensed by Media Blasters.


 * 1) "The Movements of a Newborn Dragon's Spirit"
 * 2) "Awakening of the Devil King"
 * 3) "Dripping Blood, Shedding Tears"
 * 4) "Chance Meeting Between Two Dragons"
 * 5) "Cruel Toushi"
 * 6) "An Encounter with The Crouching Dragon"
 * 7) "Kanu's Surrender"
 * 8) "A Minor Leader's Glorious Defeat"
 * 9) "Shattered Friendship"
 * 10) "Koukin's Vicissitude"
 * 11) "The War of Toushi"
 * 12) "Chibi Ablaze!"

OVAs were also created to accompany DVD and soundtrack releases. It is a short series of OVAs focusing on elements of fan service and are uncensored with scenes involving full frontal nudity with in-themed censoring of the genitals for legality.

OVAs:
 * 1) "Seito's Big Boobs"
 * 2) "Nanyou's Wild Breasts"
 * 3) "Let's Cosplay Glorious General"
 * 4) "Unparalleled Explosive Breasts Yakyuuken Part 1"
 * 5) "Unparalleled Explosive Breasts Yakyuuken Part 2"
 * 6) "The Party Remains Left by the Fighters"

Ikkitōsen: Great Guardians
A third season began airing in the summer of 2008, involving a brand-new storyline and added characters. One of the new characters introduced is Sonken Chuubou, based on Sun Quan.


 * 1) "The Military Is A Great Matter Of The State"
 * 2) "All Warfare Is Based On Deception"
 * 3) "The Dead Cannot Be Brought Back To Life"
 * 4) "Love Your Soldiers Like Your Children"
 * 5) "Do Not Fight Unless The Situation Is Critical"
 * 6) "Use The Highest Intelligence Of The Army For Purposes Of Spying"
 * 7) "At First Like A Young Virgin"
 * 8) "To The People And Not For The People"
 * 9) "Many Calculations Result In Victory, Few Calculations Result In Defeat"
 * 10) "The Best General Will Aim To Ruin The Enemy's Plans"
 * 11) "Taking the Initiative Insures the Enemy's Defeat."
 * 12) "Bound to reunite after a long separation."

OVAs:
 * 1) "Lifeguard Hakufu"
 * 2) "Nurse Ryofu"
 * 3) "Kanu's Fantasy Part 1"
 * 4) "Kanu's Fantasy Part 2"
 * 5) "Trapping Kanu"
 * 6) "Maids Of The Joint"

Ikkitōsen: Xtreme Xecutor
A fourth season began airing in March 2010. A volume 0 DVD was sold at Comiket 77 at the end of December 2009, and was available for regular sale in January 2010 (Notably on January 22, 2010). This new season features most existing characters from previous seasons and a new character  made its appearance. The animation was done by TNK in collaboration with ARMS.


 * 1) "Wet Warrior"
 * 2) "Gathered Comrades"
 * 3) "The Training Lion"
 * 4) "Beckoning Demon"
 * 5) "Bonds of the Soul"
 * 6) "Swarming Fangs"
 * 7) "Silent Tears"
 * 8) "A Reunion of Fists"
 * 9) "Kanu and Ryoumo's Love"
 * 10) "The Slashed Darkness"
 * 11) "The Burning Castle"
 * 12) "Eternal Future"

OVAs: Yume Rokkei


 * 1) Ova 1

Ikkitōsen: Battle Vixens
Opening: Drivin' Through The Night by M.O.V.E.

Ending: Let Me Be With You by Shela

Ikkitōsen: Dragon Destiny
Opening: Heart & Soul by Mai Kariyuki

Ending: Garasu no Hana by I.O.R.I.

Ikkitōsen: Great Guardians
Opening: No x Limit by Ami

Ending: Shape of Shadow by Rio Asaba

Ikkitōsen: Xtreme Xecutor
Opening: Stargazer by Yuka Masuda

Ending: Endless Soul by Masumi Asano and Aya Endo

Spinoffs and merchandise
Many toys and other products, including statues and figures, are released in Japan.

Video games

 * A video game of the series, Ikkitōsen: Shining Dragon, was released for the Sony PlayStation 2 in Japan on July 26, 2007. The game has an original storyline with Hakufu, Ryomou and Kanu as the main playable characters. The game introduces a new character named Chousen, which is the Japanese name of Diao Chan. Compared to her counterpart, Chousen is much more aggressive and brash, carries a sword as her main weapon, and does not have same romantic feelings for Ryofu [as Original Diao Chan did for Lu Bu], but is still on friendly terms with her. It is also noted that Chousen in Shining Dragon had desired to awaken her own Dragon Potent to crush Hakufu and Ryubi [which explains why she shapeshifted into various Nanyo and Seito representatives (varies among whom's storyline one plays as)]. Though in Kanu's story mode, once you defeat Round 2 Chousen, she holds her head as if she was possessed by something, then Sousou comes out and chides her for losing to Kanu in the first place. In the next Ikkitousen game installment Chousen has been relegated to that of a mid-boss type badguy who seeks revenge for her plans being halted, so she sided with Kyosho faction to seek revenge on Nanyo/Seito but was defeated, she then returns to China to train some more. Along with the final boss. Hakufu Sonsaku, Ryomou Shimei, Kanu Unchou, Ryubi Gentoku [dragon potent unlocked], Ukitsu, Chouhi Ekitoku, Chouun Shiryu, Ryofu Housen, Kakouen Myousai all appear as playable characters with Shuyu Koukin appearing as a extra within Hakufu and Ryomou's arcs respectively.


 * A second video game, Ikkitōsen: Eloquent Fist, was announced for the Sony PlayStation Portable, and released on October 2, 2008. The game is a hybrid between fighting and adventure, and it features 15 Ikkitousen heroines and a new character named Kanpei, which is the Japanese name of Guan Ping. Kanpei being the new heroine of Eloquent Fist is seeming a member of Seito [wearing the Seito colors] but comes to find out that like Chousen [who wore Rakuyou colors] she too doesn't have a legitimate school home, and is only interested within Dragon Potent [though her desire is towards saving Kan'u Unchou (which implies that she does have a girl crush on Kan'u]. She too harbors a dragon, in which one could see as you finished Chapter One with her going berserk after [either Kanu or Hakufu defeats Sousou]. In Nanyo/Seito arcs you see Kanpei return, this time as a bad guy either after a) Ouin and Ryomou defeat stage 4, and Ryomou senses a wicked aura which causes Kanpei to snap and threaten Ryomou and vanish. Or b) after Kan'u defeats Stage 4, she laments that Kan'u has appeared, attacks Ryuubi and vanishes. Then Kanpei returns yet again in the Nanyo arc prior to the Sousou boss fight as an enemy who confronts Hakufu and the Nanyo gang along with Shibai. The timing of her appearance in the Seito arc is different, as she arrives as soon as Ex-Hakufu had been defeated by Ekitoku and attacks Kan'u who was saving Ryuubi [who was Hakufu's original target] much to everyone's surprise. Afterwards, she exclaims her feelings to Kan'u and uses her power of Sealing stop Hakufu's rampage and heal Kanu's wounds thus concluding the Seito arc, after the events of Eloquent Fist, she joins with Chousen to China to train and enjoy the hot springs there. We are also introduced to Sousou Moutoku [Dragon Potent Unlocked] Teni Shiman, Shokatsuryou Koumei, Normal Ryubi Gentoku, and True Saji as well as Ouin [blonde hair Saji] along with EX-Hakufu [Dragon Potent Unlock] and EX-Ryubi [Shining Dragon's Ryubi] as playable characters. Chuubou and Shibai Chuutatsu are also cameoed in this game [Chuubou arriving at the very end, and during Kyoshou arc Shibai makes regular appearances throughout] The characters from Shining Dragon subtract Ukitsu all return as well with new finishing maneuvers and altered movesets and depending on characters have either been buffed [the art of adding overall ability to a character (applies to a virtually weak character) (Example: Ryomou, Ryofu, Chousen [now that she lost Final Boss stats])] or have been nerfed [the art of weakening overall ability for a character (usually applies to characters with higher-than-usual ranges and damage as to balance a game) (Example: EX-Ryubi, Chouun)].


 * A third installment from Marvelous Entertainment called Xross Impact will be released (on to PSP like Eloquent Fist) around the time Ikkitousen Xtreme Xecuter aires. and it features a new character named Ato along with the return of Ukitsu, and the additions of Chinkyuu Koudai, Bashoku Youjou, and Kyocho along with playable Shibai Chuutatsu. Along with the additions to character slots, three main notable gameplay changes also are noticeable. First, a super arts (ala Street Fighter Alpha Saga and DarkStalkers) and the adjacent bar at the bottom of the screen. Second, character switch ability plus the tag team combos (ala Marvel vs Capcom Saga, The King of Fighters 2003/XI) and lastly the addition of the alternate striker (enjun) system (ala Sengoku Basara X, or King of Fighters 99/2000). The confirmed strikers are currently Goei, Ouin Shishi (male Saji), Sonken Chuubou (as of January 21, 2010). Along with these additions, the gameplay has also be revamped to include a aerial pursuit rave (ala Marvel vs. Saga or Guilty Gear), and a Finishing Screen reminiscent of Tatsunoko versus Capcom's super bg.