How are the Tenchi timelines related?


Between Muyo, Universe, GXP, and Ryo-ohki, I'm thoroughly confused. Sometimes
Tenchi series seem to be related (Ryo-ohki and Universe) and sometimes not
(GXP). What are all the Tenchi series, are they related, and if they are, how?




This is a bit complicated. The links are to MAL, but I've found that different
databases index these very differently. Sources are mostly in the links, but I
had to reference [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenchi_Muyo!) and
[Tenchi Muyo Wiki](http://tenchi.wikia.com/wiki/Tenchi_Muyo_Wiki) as well.

* * *

[Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki](http://myanimelist.net/anime/539/Tenchi_Muyo!_Ryo-
Ohki) is the original OVA series, which was brought to the US simply as Tenchi
Muyo (I don't know about other countries). This was adapted into a [manga
series](http://myanimelist.net/manga/855/Tenchi_Muyo!). Simultaneously the OVA
series got a [special
OVA](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1146/Tenchi_Muyo!_The_Night_Before_the_Carnival)
and then [another season](http://myanimelist.net/anime/540/Tenchi_Muyo!_Ryo-
Ohki_2). After that there's a
[special](http://myanimelist.net/anime/10351/Tenchi_Muyo!_Ryo-Ohki_2_Special)
for the second season of the OVA. There's a further [third
season](http://myanimelist.net/anime/541/Tenchi_Muyo!_Ryo-Ohki_3), which ends
the story, and there's a sort of alternate ending special [Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-
Ohki 3 Plus 1](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1147/Tenchi_Muyo!_Ryo-
Ohki_3_Plus_1) as well. There's also a sequel manga series which covers some
more events, [Shin Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-
Ohki](http://myanimelist.net/manga/4479/Shin_Tenchi_Muyo!_Ryo-Ohki). Between
both manga series, they mostly cover the first two OVA series, and are
technically non-canon, though the changes are mostly minor changes.

In addition there are many things in this timeline which are not related to
the main story. There's a spinoff manga series about Sasami, [Tenchi Muyo!
Sasami Stories](http://myanimelist.net/manga/253/Tenchi_Muyo!_Sasami_Stories).
There's also a
[special](http://myanimelist.net/anime/2725/Tenchi_Muyo!_Bangaihen%3a_Galaxy_Police_Mihoshis_Space_Adventure)
for Mihoshi's back-story in this continuity. [Tenchi Muyo!
GXP](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1133/Tenchi_Muyo!_GXP) also falls in this
continuity, 1 year after the ending of the OVA series. The [Isekai no Seikishi
Monogatari](http://myanimelist.net/anime/5781/Isekai_no_Seikishi_Monogatari)
anime takes place 15 years after GXP, and has both a
[manga](http://myanimelist.net/manga/24800/Isekai_no_Seikishi_Monogatari) and
a [light
novel](http://myanimelist.net/manga/24834/Isekai_no_Seikishi_Monogatari)
version. There's also a radio drama (hence no MAL link), Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki
Manatsu no Carnival, which presumably falls in this continuity, but I have not
listened to it.

The second Tenchi movie, [Tenchi Muyo! Manatsu no
Eve](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1101/Tenchi_Muyo!_Manatsu_no_Eve) is sort of
separate from everything else. It's technically not placed in the Ryo-Ohki
continuity, but a separate, closely-related continuity. Sites disagree on
this, but Tenchi Muyo Wiki has the most convincing argument, namely that
Kiyone doesn't appear in the Ryo-Ohki continuity, but does in the movie.

* * *

[Tenchi Universe](http://myanimelist.net/anime/696/Tenchi_Universe) is on a
separate timeline, but is loosely based on the original season of the OVAs.
This is a 26-episode TV series. The first film [Tenchi Muyo! in
Love](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1006/Tenchi_Muyo!_in_Love) is a sequel to
this series. The third film, [Tenchi Muyo! in Love
2](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1144/Tenchi_Muyo!_in_Love_2%3a_Haruka_Naru_Omoi)
is a sequel to the first film. This film has a [manga
adaptation](http://myanimelist.net/manga/25316/Tenchi_Muyo!_in_Love_2%3a_Eternal_Memory).

* * *

[Tenchi in Tokyo](http://myanimelist.net/anime/538/Tenchi_in_Tokyo) is a
26-episode anime series with its own continuity. The only other things in this
continuity are the related
[specials](http://myanimelist.net/anime/8767/Tenchi_in_Tokyo_Specials).

* * *

There are a bunch of other spin-offs, mostly with their own continuities.
[Dual Parallel!
Trouble](http://myanimelist.net/anime/992/Dual_Parallel!_Trouble_Adventures)
is an alternate continuity, except with mostly different characters. It has a
[sequel](http://myanimelist.net/anime/993/Dual_Parallel!_Trouble_Adventures_Special)
of short episodes. There's also the Pretty Sammy series, which have Sasami as
a magical girl and are independent of everything else. There's a 3-episode
[OVA](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1918/Mahou_Shoujo_Pretty_Sammy) for Pretty
Sammy. There's also a 26-episode [TV
series](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1502/Mahou_Shoujo_Pretty_Sammy_%281996%29)
with [short
specials](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1503/Mahou_Shoujo_Pretty_Sammy_Specials),
which in English is known as Magical Project S. This is a different continuity
from the original Pretty Sammy OVA series. A third Pretty Sammy series is
[Sasami: Mahou Shoujo
Club](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1881/Sasami%3a_Mahou_Shoujo_Club), but this
is now following Iwakura Sasami, a new character, yet again in an alternate
continuity, and it's very much removed from the original Tenchi series. It
also has a
[sequel](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1882/Sasami%3a_Mahou_Shoujo_Club_2).
[Battle Programmer
Shirase](http://myanimelist.net/anime/579/Battle_Programmer_Shirase) shares
the character of Misao Amano with Pretty Sammy (where she has the alter-ego
Pixy Misa), who also makes a cameo in Dual.

In addition, there's an [RPG video
game](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenchi_Muyo!_Game_Hen), which is sort-of
based on the Ryo-Ohki continuity. There's also an English-language RPG based
on the Ryo-Ohki continuity published by Guardians of Order. I have not played
either so I don't know how closely they are related to the original series.

* * *

To the best of my knowledge, that's everything major that's been released to
date. If I've missed anything I'll be happy to add it.




This is a bit complicated. The links are to MAL, but I've found that different
databases index these very differently. Sources are mostly in the links, but I
had to reference [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenchi_Muyo!) and
[Tenchi Muyo Wiki](http://tenchi.wikia.com/wiki/Tenchi_Muyo_Wiki) as well.

* * *

[Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki](http://myanimelist.net/anime/539/Tenchi_Muyo!_Ryo-
Ohki) is the original OVA series, which was brought to the US simply as Tenchi
Muyo (I don't know about other countries). This was adapted into a [manga
series](http://myanimelist.net/manga/855/Tenchi_Muyo!). Simultaneously the OVA
series got a [special
OVA](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1146/Tenchi_Muyo!_The_Night_Before_the_Carnival)
and then [another season](http://myanimelist.net/anime/540/Tenchi_Muyo!_Ryo-
Ohki_2). After that there's a
[special](http://myanimelist.net/anime/10351/Tenchi_Muyo!_Ryo-Ohki_2_Special)
for the second season of the OVA. There's a further [third
season](http://myanimelist.net/anime/541/Tenchi_Muyo!_Ryo-Ohki_3), which ends
the story, and there's a sort of alternate ending special [Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-
Ohki 3 Plus 1](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1147/Tenchi_Muyo!_Ryo-
Ohki_3_Plus_1) as well. There's also a sequel manga series which covers some
more events, [Shin Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-
Ohki](http://myanimelist.net/manga/4479/Shin_Tenchi_Muyo!_Ryo-Ohki). Between
both manga series, they mostly cover the first two OVA series, and are
technically non-canon, though the changes are mostly minor changes.

In addition there are many things in this timeline which are not related to
the main story. There's a spinoff manga series about Sasami, [Tenchi Muyo!
Sasami Stories](http://myanimelist.net/manga/253/Tenchi_Muyo!_Sasami_Stories).
There's also a
[special](http://myanimelist.net/anime/2725/Tenchi_Muyo!_Bangaihen%3a_Galaxy_Police_Mihoshis_Space_Adventure)
for Mihoshi's back-story in this continuity. [Tenchi Muyo!
GXP](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1133/Tenchi_Muyo!_GXP) also falls in this
continuity, 1 year after the ending of the OVA series. The [Isekai no Seikishi
Monogatari](http://myanimelist.net/anime/5781/Isekai_no_Seikishi_Monogatari)
anime takes place 15 years after GXP, and has both a
[manga](http://myanimelist.net/manga/24800/Isekai_no_Seikishi_Monogatari) and
a [light
novel](http://myanimelist.net/manga/24834/Isekai_no_Seikishi_Monogatari)
version. There's also a radio drama (hence no MAL link), Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki
Manatsu no Carnival, which presumably falls in this continuity, but I have not
listened to it.

The second Tenchi movie, [Tenchi Muyo! Manatsu no
Eve](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1101/Tenchi_Muyo!_Manatsu_no_Eve) is sort of
separate from everything else. It's technically not placed in the Ryo-Ohki
continuity, but a separate, closely-related continuity. Sites disagree on
this, but Tenchi Muyo Wiki has the most convincing argument, namely that
Kiyone doesn't appear in the Ryo-Ohki continuity, but does in the movie.

* * *

[Tenchi Universe](http://myanimelist.net/anime/696/Tenchi_Universe) is on a
separate timeline, but is loosely based on the original season of the OVAs.
This is a 26-episode TV series. The first film [Tenchi Muyo! in
Love](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1006/Tenchi_Muyo!_in_Love) is a sequel to
this series. The third film, [Tenchi Muyo! in Love
2](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1144/Tenchi_Muyo!_in_Love_2%3a_Haruka_Naru_Omoi)
is a sequel to the first film. This film has a [manga
adaptation](http://myanimelist.net/manga/25316/Tenchi_Muyo!_in_Love_2%3a_Eternal_Memory).

* * *

[Tenchi in Tokyo](http://myanimelist.net/anime/538/Tenchi_in_Tokyo) is a
26-episode anime series with its own continuity. The only other things in this
continuity are the related
[specials](http://myanimelist.net/anime/8767/Tenchi_in_Tokyo_Specials).

* * *

There are a bunch of other spin-offs, mostly with their own continuities.
[Dual Parallel!
Trouble](http://myanimelist.net/anime/992/Dual_Parallel!_Trouble_Adventures)
is an alternate continuity, except with mostly different characters. It has a
[sequel](http://myanimelist.net/anime/993/Dual_Parallel!_Trouble_Adventures_Special)
of short episodes. There's also the Pretty Sammy series, which have Sasami as
a magical girl and are independent of everything else. There's a 3-episode
[OVA](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1918/Mahou_Shoujo_Pretty_Sammy) for Pretty
Sammy. There's also a 26-episode [TV
series](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1502/Mahou_Shoujo_Pretty_Sammy_%281996%29)
with [short
specials](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1503/Mahou_Shoujo_Pretty_Sammy_Specials),
which in English is known as Magical Project S. This is a different continuity
from the original Pretty Sammy OVA series. A third Pretty Sammy series is
[Sasami: Mahou Shoujo
Club](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1881/Sasami%3a_Mahou_Shoujo_Club), but this
is now following Iwakura Sasami, a new character, yet again in an alternate
continuity, and it's very much removed from the original Tenchi series. It
also has a
[sequel](http://myanimelist.net/anime/1882/Sasami%3a_Mahou_Shoujo_Club_2).
[Battle Programmer
Shirase](http://myanimelist.net/anime/579/Battle_Programmer_Shirase) shares
the character of Misao Amano with Pretty Sammy (where she has the alter-ego
Pixy Misa), who also makes a cameo in Dual.

In addition, there's an [RPG video
game](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenchi_Muyo!_Game_Hen), which is sort-of
based on the Ryo-Ohki continuity. There's also an English-language RPG based
on the Ryo-Ohki continuity published by Guardians of Order. I have not played
either so I don't know how closely they are related to the original series.

* * *

To the best of my knowledge, that's everything major that's been released to
date. If I've missed anything I'll be happy to add it.

