another contender to Pars' throne. In the second part, Arslan, now king of Pars, divides himself between defending his country against several external threats, including Silvermask, who is still at large, seeking to claim the throne for himself, and addressing the needs and hopes of his subjects. Inspirations The protagonist's name appears to have been taken from the popular Persian epic Amir Arsalan. Arslan and his Parsian enemies and allies primarily share many parallels with Cyrus the Great and other historical figures of 6th century BCE Persia (albeit with several liberties taken), whereas the conflicts with the Lusitanian forces (which bear the Byzantium Orthodox cross, also used by the Varangians of Kievan Rus') – despite mostly French names and a certain religious zealotry implying a connection to the (Catholic) Crusades (again, with liberties taken) – appear to be based on the East Roman–Persian Wars, specifically those of the 6th century CE. Furthermore, several names of prominent Parsian characters appear to be taken from known important figures throughout Persian history as well as the historically unsubstantiated legendary parts of the historiographic Persian epic Shahnameh. Additionally, supernatural elements mostly based on ancient Near East mythology increasingly play a role as the series goes on. Media Novels The original novel, Arslan Senki, was written by Dr. Yoshiki Tanaka. There are sixteen novels in the Arslan Senki storyline. The Kadokawa edition (which includes first ten novels only) is illustrated by manga artist and character-designer Yoshitaka Amano (whose other works include the character design for several Final Fantasy games and for Vampire Hunter D), while the Kobunsha edituion is illustrated by Shinobu Tanno. Manga The novels were adapted into a manga illustrated by Chisato Nakamura. The manga was published by Kadokawa Shoten in the Asuka Fantasy DX shōjo magazine from 1991 to 1996 and compiled into thirteen volumes, adapting the first seven novels. A second manga adaptation of Arslan Senki started serialization in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in July 2013, illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa, best known for the manga titles Fullmetal Alchemist and Silver Spoon. This adaptation is simul-published by Crunchyroll, while Kodansha Comics is publishing the manga in North America since 2014. Films and OVA series The popularity of the novels led to the creation of two films and subsequently a series of OVAs with character designs adapted by Sachiko Kamimura. The films were released in 1991–1992, which is why each one is hour