Tsunami: The Ship of Jurai

Who is Tsunami? The story is long and confusing, and even I don't know all of it. And she is one of the most mysterious characters in the entire OAV series.

Tsunami appears in three of the five Tenchi Muyo! series: The OAV (Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki or Tenchi Muyo, as shown on Cartoon Network), the Pretty Sammy OAV (she was a ditz in this one), and the Pretty Sammy TV series (Magic Project). She didn't appear in eiher the TV series (Tenchi Universe) or Shin Tenchi Muyo! (Tenchi in Tokyo).

Tsunami in the OAV: A Rough Description

Why is Tsunami so mysterious? Well, if you would just watch the OAV series, you may figure it out. Many questions continue to linger about her. Why didn't she appear that much in the OAV? Why doesn't she wander around mindlessly with the rest of the girls? And what IS with that 3 Goddesses mystery, anyway?

Well, let's start with the third question. It's hard to answer, at least not until the 3rd OAV comes out. In the OAV world, there are three Goddesses: Tsunami, Washu, and Tokimi. Of the three Goddesses, Tsunami represents good. Tokimi represents evil. Washu is stuck between; she is of good and evil, and is therefore the most human-like of the three Goddesses, and she is probably the most powerful (the debate of who is the strongest Goddess is long and still full of fuel). It is generally assumed that she is either the second most powerful Goddess or the second one created because she has two dots on her head. Tsunami, in this series, is the most powerful of the Jurai trees, which are quite powerful.

She is also a spaceship, or at least she is the brain of the spaceship. She is the most powerful of all Jurai ships, and therefore she is the flagship. However, she doesn't have a commander. The closest thing she has to a commander for her ship is Sasami.

Exactly what is with her tree form is hard to explain. 700 years ago, she was in her tree form, apparently unable to come out (I could be wrong about this part). Then Sasami, who had been playing in the Jurai Royal Gardens while the planet was under attack by Kagato and his slave Ryoko (and Ryo-Ohki), fell from where she was playing and was within inches of dying. Tsunami sensed her fading energy and saved her life by giving her some of her own. Shortly after that, her two markings on her forehead appeared, showing she was blessed by Tsunami. Since that day, their fates had been sealed. One day, when Sasami is old enough, the two of them will coincide, forming one Sasami/Tsunami. They currently have two different minds but the same body (Tsunami is just a hollogram, or maybe it was the other way around ^^;).

Tsunami played an important role in the OAV series. She was featured while Tenchi was in battle with Kagato, and she was once again shown in episode 9 (Sasami and Tsunami), where the story of Sasami and Tsunami's past was revealed.

However, it should be noted that in the TV series (Tenchi Universe), Shin Tenchi Muyo (Tenchi in Tokyo TV series), and both Pretty Sammy series, Tsunami and Sasami are not one person, they are separate (and in the case of Tenchi Muyo! and Tenchi in Tokyo, Tsunami probably doesn't exist).

Now, why doesn't Tsunami stick around with the other girls? That is unknown. However, I assume this has to do with the fact that she is a Goddess and she probably has more important things to do ;)

Same with the first question.

Tsunami is one of the most powerful people in the OAV. She can create 10 Lighthawk Wings at will (compared to 1 with Yosho and 3 maximum with Tenchi when he's extremely pissed off).

Tsunami, the "Ship of Jurai", as she referred to herself in one episode, is one of the most popular Tenchi characters. Representing all that is good, she will play a huge roll in the Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki 3rd OAV series, currently in production, being directed by the great Mr. Kajishima.

Tsunami in the Pretty Sammy OAV

Ok, Tsunami is probably the character that has the most widely differed personalities in the entire Tenchi series. In the OAV series, Tsunami is serious, smart, a Goddess, mysterious, and totally kewl. However, in Pretty Sammy, she's somewhat of an airhead. I think she'll be a capable leader (hopefully) but sometimes her actions seem to point otherwise. She's sorta a ditz and an airhead but just watch the series and decide for yourself.

In this series she is one of the canidates for Queen of a magical kingdom called Juraihelm. In order to become queen, she must choose a champion who earns points for her by doing good things. Tsunami surprisingly chooses an ordinary 10 year old school girl named Sasami. She gives Sasami a magic baton (totally cute), her powers (of course), and Ryo-Ohki (a male in this series...he can even talk! :S) as a guardian (sort of how Luna is to Usagi from Sailor Moon). Tsunami's rival for the throne creates Pixie Misa to prevent Sasami from doing good things. Pixie Misa is in reality Sasami's best friend from school, named Misao. But Misao doesn't know she's Pixie Misa because she's hypnotized everytime she becomes Pixie Misa.

Trust me, if you're a fan of Tsunami in the Tenchi Muyo! OAV, then you're going to be very surprised at how much of an airhead she is in Pretty Sammy! In episode 2, she talked to a doll that resembled Ramia, and she believed it was the real thing! She talked to it, even danced with it! That got my pity. ^^; It was very funny, though.

Tsunami is the only Tenchi character that I have ever tried to draw. I want to post the art in my fanart section, but I have to find the picture first.