Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato (Japanese: 天空戦記 シュラト, Hepburn: Tenkū Senki Shurato, lit. “Shurato of the Heaven Wars”, occasionally spelled in the Siddhaṃ script on the logo and related merchandise) is a Japanese manga created, written and illustrated by Hiroshi Kawamoto and later adapted to anime by Tatsunoko Productions. It ran 38 episodes on TV Tokyo from April 6, 1989 to January 18, 1990 and also received a 6-episode OVA followup series named Shurato: Dark Genesis (シュラト 創世への暗闘, Shurato Sōsei e no Antō, lit. “Shurato: The Secret Feud of Creation”), that ran from August 16, 1991 to March 16, 1992. It was one of the most popular shōnen anime series of 1989.^{[citation needed]}

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, interdimensional travel, destiny, and spiritual energy.

Plot

The plot revolves around two boys, 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.

Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato
Promotional image for Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato
天空戦記 シュラト (Tenkū Senki Shurato)
Genre	Action, fantasy, mythic
Manga
Written by	Hiroshi Kawamoto
Published by	Shōnen Gahōsha
Magazine	Shōnen King
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	January 1988 – May 1988
Volumes	2
Anime television series
Directed by	Mizuho Nishikubo
Produced by	Heita Ezu Michio Shimizu Masakatsu Kozuru Motoki Ueda
Written by	Mayori Sekijima Takao Koyama Toshiki Inoue
Music by	Hiroya Watanabe
Studio	Tatsunoko Productions
Original network	TV Tokyo
Original run	April 6, 1989 – January 18, 1990
Episodes	38
Original video animation
Shurato: Dark Genesis
Directed by	Yoshihisa Matsumoto
Produced by	Ippei Kuri
Written by	Mayori Sekijima Mizuho Nishikubo Satoru Akahori
Music by	Hiroya Watanabe
Studio	Tatsunoko Productions
Released	August 16, 1991 – March 16, 1992
Episodes	6
Novel series
Written by	Satoru Akahori
Illustrated by	Matsuri Okada Sho Sawada
Published by	Enix Kadokawa Shoten
Imprint	Enix Bunko Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko
Original run	December 1989 – June 1991
Volumes	7
Novel series
Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato – Dark Genesis
Written by	Mayori Sekijima
Illustrated by	Matsuri Okada
Published by	Enix
Imprint	Enix Bunko
Original run	November 1991 – March 1992
Volumes	2