Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato

Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato (天空戦記 シュラト), is a Japanese manga created, written and illustrated by Hiroshi Kawamoto and later adapted to anime by Tatsunoko Production. It ran 38 episodes on TV Tokyo from April 6, 1989 to January 18, 1990 and also spawned a 6-episode OVA series, that ran from August 16, 1991 to March 16, 1992. It was one of the most popular shōnen series of 1989.

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 was heavily based on Hindu and Buddhist mythology, and covered a range of topics, including brotherhood, reincarnation, camaraderie, inter-dimensional travel, destiny, and spirit magic.

Plot
The plot revolves around two non-hereditary brothers, 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 Lakshu, 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.

Characters

 * Shurato Hidaka (日高秋亜人)


 * (also Shura-Oh Shurato (修羅王シュラト))
 * The main character and protagonist of the show, 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)


 * (also Yasha-Oh Gai (夜叉王ガイ))
 * 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 sword.


 * Lakshu of Hōraisan (蓬莱山のラクシュ)
 * Based on the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, Lakshu 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.

Anime
The TV series premiered on TV Tokyo, where it ran for 38 episodes between 1989 and 1990. Following its success, it was dubbed in Brazil, France, Spain, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and China releases.

Theme songs

 * Opening themes
 * "Shining Soul" by Satoko Shimizu
 * "Truth" by Satoko Shimizu


 * Ending themes
 * "Sabaku no Meizu (Desert Labyrinth)" by Satoko Shimizu
 * "Caravan" by Satoko Shimizu

OVA
The 6-episode OVA series began release on August 16, 1991 and ended on March 16, 1992.

Theme songs

 * Opening theme
 * "Keep Your Pure Love" by Satoko Shimizu


 * Ending theme
 * "Garasu no Shōnen (Glass boy)" by Satoko Shimizu

Other media
Aside from the TV series and subsequent OVA, Shurato's popularity also spurred the release of a myriad of related merchandise, including books, trading cards, action figures, pencil boards, school notebooks, and drama CDs.