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Kenshi Masaki (柾木 剣士, Masaki Kenshi) is the main protagonist of the Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar. He is the half-brother of Tenchi Masaki, his parents being Nobuyuki Masaki and his second wife Rea Masaki.

Background

Kenshi is the younger half-brother of Tenchi and can be classified as human; however, his father is a distant descendant of Juraian royalty and his mother is an artificial human from Geminar. He is introduced as a hardworking 15-year-old boy from Earth. As part of his mother's mission, Kenshi is sent from his home on Earth to the parallel universe world of Geminar. It is only after that series that his back story is detailed in seasons 4 and 5 of Tenchi Muyo!;Ryo-Ohki.

His given name means "Swordsman", which would come to reference his sword-fighting preference while piloting his Seikijin.

Early Life

Ryo Kenshi OVA4a

Young Kenshi with Ryo-Ohki

It was only the night before her wedding that Rea Masaki learned that no one knew of her origin as being an artificial human from a world in another dimension. It was a story she told to Kiyone Masaki, who found Rea after being transported to Earth, and she mistakenly assumed that she had told Nobuyuki or other authority figures. By being sent to Earth, a mission had been imprinted into her being, to have a child with a human from Earth's dimension. That child would be especially well suited to take on Gaia, a great evil that was raging war against her planet of Geminar.[2]

When Kenshi was born, Washu and the others debated what must be done. Eventually, it was decided that sending Kenshi to Geminar could not be avoided. Although Nobuyuki's primary work and home was in the city, it was decided that Rea and Kenshi should make their home at Tenchi's house by the shrine to better facilitate his training. His main daily activity consisted of playing in the hills and fields with Ryo-Ohki (who, in the early days, had to deactivate her higher computer functions to make their games fair). By taking nutritional additives concocted by Washu, through his play with Ryo-Ohki and his training with the rest of his extended family, Kenshi grew in leaps and bounds. Before he was old enough for school he could carry huge loads and jump off the sides of short cliffs with Ryo-Ohki.

After a few years, Washu and Lady Seto led a convention of some of the strongest figures in the galaxy (who all happened to be women) to decide how the next steps in his development would be handled, and to consider one last time if he really needed to go to Geminar. It was shown definitively that not sending Kenshi would result in Rea's programmed directive killing her and it was conclusively deemed necessary, as long as they could completely prepare him and ensure his safety. However, the motherly Mitoto Kuramitsu pointed out how sad and cruel it would be to put such a weight on Kenshi's young shoulders and it was decided that they would lead him though his training without ever telling him that he was going through it all to be the savior of a planet in another dimension. And though Kenshi was destined to be given a great deal of physical training and preparation for his mission, Rea insisted that he be as "pure" as he could be, with no artificial augmentation or advanced weaponry. Geminar was a developing planet that did not have considerably advanced technology and there were no beings with truly superhuman abilities, so Rea wanted him to also only possess human strength, with no artificial bio-enhancement (though his abilities soon advanced to a near superhuman realm).

OVA5-6 Noike Kenshi perp takedown

Luckily, Kenshi was an eager learner who viewed all of his strenuous battle training as merely having fun with his family and friends. And it wasn't only fighting that Kenshi was taught. Of the many skills he acquired, he also learned etiquette, how to cook, sew, mix medicines and construction. Whether it was these domestic chores or sparring with master martial artists like Katsuhito, Ayeka, and Sasami, Kenshi would take everything thrown at him as a new joyful challenge that he wanted to best. This sense of always wanting to meet a challenge continued as he even faced some of the fiercest combatants the galaxy had to offer, including Galaxy Police, pirates, military commanders, royalty of Jurai, and even those with other-worldly or unexplainable abilities like Ryoko, Seina, Mihoshi and her mother. And at no point did Kenshi ever realize that he was facing off extraordinary opponents, these were just his family and friends and he was just having fun.

He even mastered a survivalist lifestyle in the forested hills of his home and on the tropical island (built on a starship) called Tabletop Island. Washu had actually partially terraformed the habitat of the island to resemble areas Kenshi would encounter on Geminar.

There was one particular thing may have helped Kenshi think of his daily life as normal. As a child, he was hypnotized by Washu so that he would not reveal to those outside of his home that he lived with extraordinary aliens or tell others that he would take the occasional trip in a spaceship.[3]

As he would continue to do throughout Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar, Kenshi referred to the girls of Tenchi's house as sisters. When he did this in War in Geminar it seemed to confirm early on that it was because they had all married Tenchi. However, it should be noted that it is common for people in Japan to refer to each other by familial names according to the closeness of their relationship and, throughout the fifth season of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, Kenshi refers to almost every older woman and girl he knows with informal "onee-san" type honorifics, including Seina's wives and the girls on Tabletop Island.

When it was time to send him to Geminar, it actually had to be a quick decision. When Tenchi was informed, he was torn on sending his half-brother away, but he himself challenged Kenshi to a "serious" match. Kenshi proved to be such a challenge that Tenchi apparently had to use his superhuman abilities to counter him and admitted that Kenshi might be a more skilled fighter than he was. He also admitted that it had to be done. By this time, Tenchi had also started forming a family of his own and took the point of his grandfather that he had other people to protect now. So, after a going away party attended by the households of Tenchi and Seina (disguised to Kenshi as a party to celebrate the announced pregnancy of Ryo-Ohki) the procedure to transport Kenshi was held while he was asleep. Attended in person only by his closest family, but observed via communication screens by all that cared for him. The process was carried out in tandem between Washu and Tokimi. It was only after everyone started to feel the loss of Kenshi that Washu cheers everyone up by revealing that they not only have the ability to monitor Kenshi in Geminar, but also have a "one-shot" ability to recall him and bring him home if absolutely necessary.

OVA5-6 Kenshi sent 2

As he had never been informed of his mission, not even on the night of being sent there, he was surprised to be transported to a new world. It is explained in a Masaki Kajishima doujinshi that, upon transport, he was discovered by Babalun Mest and that, initially, Babalun saw Kenshi's potential strength and wished to use him. However, he put Kenshi in the care of his son, Dagmeyr Mest, who was jealous of his skills and rejected him, never even showing him his face under his mask. It is not revealed in the anime, but Kenshi actually spent a number of lonely months on Geminar with no one showing him any friendship, making him desperate to return home.

War on Geminar

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Just like his brother, Kenshi's kindness, strength, and courage have led to most of the girls he befriends to become infatuated with him. He is an incredibly skilled swordsman (Mexiah claims that he's better than she is), a master martial artist (capable of safely catching thrown knives in mid-flight), and is a one-man army inside of a Seikijin cockpit. He has also shown skills sufficient to pick the pocket of an experienced bandit and pickpocket without her realizing it.

In his daily life, Kenshi often exhibits characteristics of Ryo-Ohki (or a Koro, in the opinion of those in Geminar) when startled. Kenshi also has a habit of collecting the crystals from the body of the Swan, as it reminds him of the same crystalline structure of Ryo-Ohki's spaceship.[3] Kenshi even has a pendant made from a crystal given to him by Ryoko. It may be possible that this crystal is not a crystal from the ship version of Ryo-Ohki, as he believes, but a "core crystal" that contains the battle experiences and past life experiences of his mother, Rea.

Kenshi2

Later on, he becomes captain/ruler of the Swan and declares it an independent nation. He later obtains the sword called Tenchi-ken, (lit. "Heaven and Earth Sword"), the same name as the master key/sword owned by his brother. His sword was originally a gigantic stone obelisk from Yukine's home village, a holy site where the locals worshiped the Goddesses. It had such a strong aura that only the "most holy" could come close to it. Much to the priest's surprise, Kenshi walked right up to it After using his ability to compress and shrink the obelisk into the sword, Kenshi and his Seikijin had the power to hold and wield it, but even though Kenshi had compressed its size, it still weighed the same as a stone tower more than a hundred feet tall. Due to its heavy weight, a special anti-gravity ring was installed by Wahanly in order for it to be stored in the Swan (the sword was heavier than the ship).

His Seikijin's unique white color implies that he may be the legendary "Seikishi of Light" destined to save the world of Geminar. However, it is explained that the same prophecy says that the white warrior could cloak itself in darkness and destroy the world. In fact, on a couple occasions, Kenshi's Seikijin, does turn partially black, when Kenshi is consumed by rage and goes into a violent berserker mode. However, when this happens, the mecha's frame deteriorates and crumbles.[4]

Throughout the anime, he shows no clear signs of romantic interest in the women, although it is only hinted he might have feelings for Yukine and/or Doll/Mexiah.

Tenchiisekainoseikishimonogat

Kenshi activating Light Hawk Wings

In the end, when Kenshi defeated Gaia with a Light Hawk Sword, it was generated by way of him controlling the focus of Tenchi-ken's enormous light energy; it was not something Kenshi himself generated from scratch. If he were to try to generate a Light Hawk Wing again, he would likewise have to start from producing compressed matter that holds an enormous amount of energy. In conclusion, Kenshi's power is not like Tenchi's. Is a quote from the series creator regarding Kenshi's ability to create Light Hawk Wings.

Personality

Kenshi

Kenshi, at the start of the series, was not treated well by those that discovered him. This made him a lonely, quiet boy who is desperate to return to Earth. His desperation seemed to lead him to ruthless behavior. Yet, at his darkest moment, when he was tasked to assassinate Lashara, he showed himself incapable of doing so and tried to capture her instead.

Once embraced by his new friends, it was revealed that he was a fairly obedient and carefree boy. He actually cares very much for his friends and companions and needs a supportive environment to truly shine. As soon as he has this group, he stops showing any desperation to return home and instead lets his innate curiosity lead him to explore his world whenever he can.

He is very willing to help others in need, whether it's household chores or actual combat. Neither faze him, nor hinder him in his courage.

He's fairly adhered to his values, as he refuses to look upon the forbidden parts of a female despite the fact that he's already reached the age of 15.

Because of his obedience, he's also fairly easy to manipulate. He has also shown not to doubt the words of other people. This has led to trouble on more than one occasion.

Sometimes, he will disregard what other people tell him to do if they clash with his desires. For example, when he jumped out of the window of his room to explore the forest, even though he was told not to leave.[5]

He is fairly dense when it comes to the emotions of women. This comes from his strong adherence to values. However, he has accidentally gotten into a fairly erotic situation more than once. However, it only flusters him. He appears not to be tempted by such desires.

He appears to have some fear of sexual relations. During Episode 7 of War on Geminar, Kenshi said he'd seen his "sisters" make the same eyes as Mexiah was making, and he didn't like it.

Many have stated he reminds them of a cute creature. In the fifth season of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki they compare him to a cabbit and in the War on Geminar they state that he reminds them of a koro.

OVA5-6 Loving drunk

Relationships

  • Tenchi Masaki - Tenchi is protective of his younger brother and is the last person to convince to send him away. Kenshi seems to recognize Tenchi as the center of the household and is particularly happy when Tenchi's children begin to be born, expanding the happy family.
  • Tenchi's Girls - Kenshi has a good relationship with the girls at Tenchi's house calling them sisters and he is very close to Ryo-Ohki and plays with her all the time and Ryoko gave him a crystal necklace (but he also calls Washu a mad scientist because she possibly uses him like a lab rat).
  • Nobuyuki Masaki - Kenshi has a good relationship with his father. He calls him a weird old man, but he loves him and thinks he is very funny.[6]
  • Katsuhito Masaki - Through his step-grandfather's training (as well as Washu's questionable energy drinks), he became as strong as a beast.
  • Tennyo Masaki - Tennyo is very protective and affectionate toward her little brother.[7]
  • Seina Yamada and Family - Seina moves his main home across the pond from Tenchi's house when he is a child and Kenshi considers him and those that live there as more family.
  • Chiaia Furan - When Kenshi first met her, he was her enemy and she almost killed him but Lashara stopped her. After that, she did not like him being Lashara's servant, but as time went on she became like an older sister to him.
  • Lashara Earth - Kenshi at first was her enemy but she saw he could be a powerful asset, so she stopped Chiaia from killing him.[8] She later comes to be very dependent upon him, to the point that the thought of him leaving almost destroys her.
  • Aura Shurifon - Aura first met Kenshi when he jumped from a fly ship and she saved his life. She respects his wilderness skill but she also develops feelings for him.
  • Yukine Mare - Both she and Kenshi seem to have a little crush on each other.
  • Mexiah Furan/Doll - Mexiah at first seems to think of Kenshi as a pet or a toy, though later interactions show she has developed a deep love for him.

Abilities & Teachers

  • Physical Capability and Endurance: Kenshi is extraordinarily adept when it comes to physical feats such as running for long distances and lifting large loads for long periods of time. He is even capable of kicking a large metal cannon 45 degrees upwards with seemingly no trouble. Although Kenshi was not physically enhanced in any way, his mother was an artificial human with heightened abilities and he also carries the genes of the Masaki clan, also known for strength and endurance. Beyond that, he was specially trained and fed a diet that would bring the most out of his human abilities. The most significant contributor to the development of his physical abilities would be Ryo-Ohki, who challenged him daily in "games" that pushed him to new heights constantly.
  • Learning Capacity: Kenshi has a fair amount of experience with a lot of different things. Even so, he is extremely adept at doing things, even when he has just learned them. Kenshi had dozens of teachers and always seemed eager to learn.
  • Reflexes: Kenshi is capable of dodging high-speed mecha offensives, catching knives in mid-air and dodging bullets. Again, the core of these abilities came from his play with Ryo-Ohki, but in the final years of his training he was also taught by the finest Juraian warriors, such as the incomparable Misaki Masaki Jurai. Kenshi was shown to be capable of running on water because of his training.[9]
  • Survival Skills: Kenshi has great skill in hunting, fishing, and foraging - so much so that he does not need money to buy food for himself. Kenshi seems to have honed his skills here on two fronts, in the mountains and waters of his forested home and also on the tropical paradise, Tabletop Island where the locals often lived off the land. His resistance to using money may have come from the frightening lessons of Ringo Tatsuki, whose economic scoldings strike fear into the toughest warriors.
    Tenchi (54)

    Kenshi's mecha The White Seikijin

  • Piloting Skills: Even at the start of the anime, Kenshi has demonstrated powerful and intelligent tactical attacks and reflexes while piloting his personal white Seikishi. He has even used his tail in combat, something that does not appear to be used conventionally. Part of his abilities would come from abilities inherited from his mother, who was created to be a Seikijin pilot, but he would have also benefited from strategic and tactical training from Galaxy Police officers, existing mecha pilots like Seina Yamada and Kiriko Masaki and from the genius strategist Seto Kamiki Jurai who could be seen training him how to conceptualize the building of virtual fighter from the body to the weapons.
  • Sword Skill: Kenshi's skill with a sword is at a very high level, to the point Mexiah calls him a master.[10] Kenshi learned his swordsmanship mainly from Katsuhito, a master swordsman with knowledge of secret techniques only taught to the most elite Juraian fighters. He also seems to have learned a slightly more forceful method from Katsuhito’s own grandmother, Amame Yotsuga, who was considered a “musclebound berserker” when she was a Juraian princess.
  • Hand to Hand: Kenshi is extremely well-trained in close combat. Easily dispatching entire groups of people. Possibly the greatest teacher for this prowess was his Aunt Minaho Masaki, an aikido master. Characters like Dird Shank are also expert and to hand combatants who could have taught him much.
  • Massaging: His massage is a little too good. It’s unlikely anyone at the Misaki household would have taught him massage directly, but he would have been taught reflexology and medical knowledge he could use to make this effective from the likes of Washu. Washu’s hypnotism probably made him more easily susceptible to Mexiah’s own hypnotic suggestions.
  • Construction: Kenshi learned at the side of his father, an architect and builder. He may have also learned some basic mechanics from Kai Masaki, who possesses a natural expertise in fixing equipment which probably increased from the days he was fixing Seina’s seemingly destroyed bicycles. Prior to his being sent, Kenshi built a house by himself.[9]
  • Domestic Skills: Kenshi is a master chef, craftsman, aesthetician, and can quickly, expertly, and efficiently perform household chores. In the Masaki household Kenshi was exposed to multiple master level chefs including Sasami, Noike, Airi, and the one who inspired and taught them all, Seto. Ayeka is a master seamstress, taught by Lady Funaho, who led the finest clothing craftsmen of Jurai. Aeka and others in the royal court would have also taught him formal practices such as flower arranging, tea service, and etiquette. Sasami and Hakuren’s group (all trained as ladies-in-waiting to Seto, and acting maids for a time) would have naturally taught him all he needed to know to run a household’s chores.


OVA5-6 Tokimi charm close

Tokimi bestowing her charm on Kenshi.

Tokimi is also seen bestowing a charm on Kenshi before he is sent, not specifically explaining it, but saying it should prove useful, if needed. This charm may be what gave Kenshi his momentary ability to manifest a Light Hawk Sword. It's also possible that it was merely a "blessing of the Goddesses," which allows Kenshi the ability to access places such as the obelisk that he converts into his Tenchi-ken sword.[9]

Trivia

  • In order to convince Tenchi and Ryo-Ohki to let Kenshi go to Geminar, Tokimi promised that, in the event of certain death, she would transport him home, though he would be forever banned from returning to that world.[9]
  • He has about 3000 girls chasing after him for marriage by the end of the series, including the main female protagonists.
    • Masaki Kajishima actually devoted more than one doujinshi to the marriage process in Geminar. They describe more of a "studding" process (which are common among Seikishi) in which a talented male pilot (male pilots being very rare) would marry one of them, then after a time, marry another, only being married to one at a time. This should produce talented children capable of piloting as well.
  • Many of the girls at the Academy have requested Kenshi's massage the night before their wedding day.
  • Washu designed and built a mecha for Kenshi's use while on Geminar.
    • Kenshi's mother thought that it would be cheating, and banned the others from giving it to him.
    • It was named Yomotsuookami ("Charon Wolf" being a good fan translation) and was given to Kiriko Masaki, for use in the Renza Federation.
  • His mecha on Geminar resemble a swordfish, given his name "Kenshi" means sword-bearer, fencer, or swordsmen.
  • Yosho presented A (presumed) Master key to the newly-born infant Kenshi [7] maybe from 1st Generation Royal Tree Funaho.
    • In the OVA 4 "Initial Plot Novel," it is just said that he is given a "wooden sword," by Nobuyuki, not Katsuhito, in a ceremonial wish for "military strength." It seems they later decided to depict it as a key, but that was not the initial intention.[11]

Gallery

References

  1. https://tenchi.astronerdboy.com/section-2-4-tenchi-muyo-ism/
  2. Oath and Wish
  3. 3.0 3.1 Project Eden/Pendant (Flashback)
  4. Barrier Workshop
  5. To the Holy Land
  6. Home
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Good Days, Departure
  8. The Black and White Sacred Mechanoids
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 The Max Level(?) Hero Departs
  10. Pendant
  11. 11.0 11.1 OVA 4 Initial Plot Novel "And he gave Kenshi a sword made of wood"
  12. (C85) [Kajishima Onsen (Kajishima Masaki)] Omatsuri Zenjitsu no Yoru Tenchi Ban 13.12 (Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohk) Page 6
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