Tenchi Masaki

Tenchi Masaki is the main character of Tenchi Muyo! (duh...his name's in the title). He's known for having a large conflict over all the girls who have a crush on him in one way or another. That is, every girl in the Masaki household arguably have some interest in Tenchi.

Tenchi grew up on Earth with his father Nobuyuki and grandfather Yosho. His mother, Achika, died when Tenchi was still very young. When he was 16 or 17 he met the girls who would eventually become his best friends--Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, Washu, and in the TV series, Kiyone.

All of the girls in the Masaki household like Tenchi. However, most obvious of the girls are Ayeka and Ryoko who constantly fight with each other over who will get to marry Tenchi. Tenchi is reluctant to be with either of them (would you want a wife who could quite easily blow a hole in the ceiling or whose father could destroy the planet with no effort?).

Tenchi has the blood of Jurai in him. This is arguably the source of a lot of his problems. His Grandfather, Yosho (aka Katsuhito) is the son of the Jurai King and his first wife. This makes Tenchi a Prince. Yosho's half-sister is Ayeka. She was destined to marry Yosho, but Yosho left the planet before she had a chance to. Now she has her eyes set on Tenchi.

OAV

In the OAV, Tenchi is of Jurai blood and has the power to create three Lighthawk Wings. He uses this power in battle. He can only create the Lighthawk Wings in times of dire need, meaning he can't do it whenever he wants.

In the OAV, Ryoko has an obvious liking of Tenchi. She, however, is in direct competition with Ayeka who says that marrying Tenchi is her destiny. Mihoshi, though she doesn't show that she loves Tenchi like Ryoko and Ayeka do, seems to like Tenchi as well. In fact, Katsuhito gave Mihoshi his blessing and permission to marry Tenchi. Washu frequently flirts with Tenchi, but I'm not sure if she's serious (she could just be doing this to annoy Ryoko). Sasami cares about Tenchi a lot, meanwhile, and she has a lot more respect for Tenchi than the other girls.

Tenchi's relationship to Sasami is very notable in the OAV. Sasami is a large influence on Tenchi. Though Ryoko and Ayeka constantly fight over Tenchi, Sasami is usually the first one of the girls who gets to give Tenchi a hug, after battle for example. Sasami's innocentness prevails and even though Ryoko would angrily pull and toss aside her own mother for doing such a thing (Washu), she wouldn't dare lay a hand on Sasami.  Sasami is Tenchi's great-Aunt.

TV Series 1

In the 1st TV series (Tenchi Universe), Tenchi plays an equally important roll, but his relationship with Sasami is less obvious. Many things remain unchanged, but several things have. For example, since Lighthawk Wings don't exist in this series, Tenchi doesn't have the ability to create any (each of the series is like a different universe, each a different story, if you didn't already know). Tenchi is still being fought over by Ryoko and Ayeka.

Sasami's relationship to Tenchi in this series is slightly more complicated. Sasami is still Tenchi's Aunt but the fact is somewhat less obvious in this series.

TV Series 2

In the second TV series, many things change. Tenchi doesn't have any Jurai power since he is not a descendant of the Jurai people. Tenchi attended high school in every Tenchi series, but this is the only Tenchi series in which Tenchi is actually seen in school (minus one episode in the OAV). In fact, the series revolves around Tenchi's school life in Tokyo. Tenchi meets a girl at his Tokyo school named Sakuya who he develops an interest in, causing extreme jealousy with Ryoko and Ayeka.

Sasami's relationship to Tenchi in this series is very different from the other series. Sasami is no longer related to Tenchi since Tenchi is not descended from the Jurai Royal Family. Sasami doesn't seem to be as interested in Tenchi in this series than in the other series.

Does Tenchi have a chance with Sasami?

Yes, of course! Sasami is a lot more responsible than the other girls and has a greater respect for Tenchi compared to the other girls. She's a lot wiser and is obedient but is also assertive when the time calls for it. She and Tenchi already get along great. But any relationship between Tenchi and Sasami will likely never happen. This is because of the age difference (physically), because the Tenchi series will likely continue to focus on Ryoko and Ayeka, and also because the directors know that the most people want Tenchi to be with Ryoko or Ayeka and don't wanna lose ratings (ratings=$$!!).

Notes on Tenchi

• Note how Tenchi is rarely seen in school? He must be failing all his classes by now....
• Tenchi's surname, Masaki, is shared with the director of the OAV, Kajishima Masaki (Masaki is the last name). However, his name probably doesn't come from the director since Tenchi's surname uses different Kanji.