, also known as ''Battle Vixens'' in North America, is a Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series written and illustrated by Yūji Shiozaki. Loosely based on the classic 14th century Chinese novel ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...

'', the series revolves around an all-out turf war in the

Kantō region The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...

of Japan where fighters known as from seven schools battle for supremacy. The story centers on Hakufu Sonsaku, a fighter who transfers to Nanyo Academy, one of the seven schools involved in the turf war. The manga was serialized in the

seinen manga is an editorial category of Japanese comics marketed toward young adult men. In Japanese, the word means "youth", but the term " manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like '' Weekly Manga Times'' and '' Weekly Man ...

magazine '' Comic Gum'' from April 2000 to August 2015. The series was collected in 24 ''

tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...

'' volumes released between October 2000 and September 2015. The manga was licensed in North America and the United Kingdom by

Tokyopop Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licens ...

, with adaptation from

Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (November 30, 1952 – October 9, 2023) was an American comics artist and writer. He was known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of ...

under the title ''Battle Vixens''; and in Australia and New Zealand by

Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, stylized as MADMAN, is an Australian film and television production, distribution, entertainment, and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising ...

. The original manga has inspired four

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television series and three OVAs. A 13-episode adaptation animated by J.C.Staff aired between July and October 2003, on AT-X and other channels. It would be followed by a second 12-episode season, subtitled ''Dragon Destiny'', which was animated by

Arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

and aired on AT-X between February and May 2007. The third and fourth anime series, ''Great Guardians'' and ''Xtreme Xecutor'', would deviate from the manga's plot and feature original storylines and new characters. The third season was animated by Arms, and aired on AT-X between June and August 2008; while the fourth anime season was animated by TNK, and aired on AT-X and other channels between March and June 2010; both spanning 12 episodes. The first OVA, ''Shūgaku Tōshi Keppu-roku'', would be released in Japanese theaters on November 12, 2011. The second, two-episode OVA subtitled ''Extravaganza Epoch'' was released between December 21, and 28, 2014. A 3-episode OVA, ''Western Wolves'', was released between January and February 2019. The first anime season was initially licensed in North America by Geneon Entertainment. After Geneon withdrew from the anime market, the season would be re-licensed by

Funimation Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...

. The second and third seasons were licensed in North America by

Media Blasters Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment company that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American mar ...

. Funimation would later re-licensed the third season, while acquiring the fourth. A sequel manga titled ''Shin Ikki Tousen'' began serialization in

Shōnen Gahōsha is a Japanese publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refer ...

's '' Young King OURs'' magazine in November 2015. A three-episode anime adaptation, once again animated by Arms, aired on AT-X in May 2022.

Synopsis

In the Kantō region of Japan, seven high schools compete in a turf war for territorial supremacy: Nanyo Academy, Kyosho Academy, Seito Academy, Yoshu Academy, Rakuyo High School, Gogun High School, and Yoshu Private School. The fighters of each school bear the sacred jewels called magatama, which contains the essence of warriors from the Three Kingdoms era of Ancient China 1800 years ago, as well as their fates. Hakufu Sonsaku, the descendant of legendary conqueror

Sun Ce Sun Ce () () (175 – 5 May 200), courtesy name Bofu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the eldest child of Sun Jian, who was killed during the Battle of Xian ...

, is a highly skilled fighter with a strong sense of personality who goes to Nanyo Academy where her cousin Koukin Shuuyu attends under her mother's request. Her destiny, as with her predecessor, was to conquer all of the schools. But there is a darker and more dangerous side to her fate, one that may change the entire course of history forever.

Media

Manga

''Ikki Tousen'' began serialization in the

magazine '' Comic GUM''. The first bound volume was published by

Wani Books is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books. The company was established in November 1979. It publishes a manga magazine called ''Comic Gum''. In March 2007, Yoshimoto Books Co., Ltd. was ...

in October 2000, with a total of 24 volumes available as of September 25, 2015. The manga was licensed in North America and the United Kingdom by

under the title of ''Battle Vixens'', and sold fifteen volumes between April 6, 2004 and April 27, 2010. The manga is also licensed in Australia and New Zealand by

, in France by Panini Comics, in Argentina and Spain by Editorial Ivrea, in Germany by Carlsen Comics (under the title of ''Dragon Girls''), in Taiwan by Sharp Point Press, in Brazil by Nova Sampa. In October 2015,

announced that the sequel ''Shin Ikki Tousen'' would be serialized in '' Young King OURs'' magazine starting in its January 2016 issue released on November 30, 2015.

Anime

Television series

=2003

= A 13-episode anime adaptation of ''Ikki Tousen'' animated by J.C.Staff and directed by Takashi Watanabe aired on AT-X from July 30, 2003 and October 22, 2003, with subsequent runs on TV Kanagawa, Mie TV,

Chiba TV , doing business as , is a Japanese commercial terrestrial television broadcasting company headquartered at 11-25 Miyako-chō 1-chōme, Chūō-ku, Chiba serving Chiba Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kan ...

TV Saitama abbreviated TVS, doing business as is a Japanese fee-free terrestrial commercial television broadcasting company headquartered in Urawa-ku, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located ...

, and Sun Television. The opening theme for the first season is "Drivin' Through The Night" by

M.o.v.e Move (styled as M.O.V.E or m.o.v.e, and previously as move) was a Japanese band. The band consisted of producer t-kimura (), rapper motsu () and singer Yuri (Japanese singer), yuri (). t-kimura left the band in 2009. History t-kimura formed the ...

while the ending theme is "Let me be with you" by Shela. Seven DVD volumes were released by

Media Factory , formerly known as , was a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing. History The company was founded on December 1, 1986, and was a subsidiary of Recruit (Japanese company), Recruit Co., Ltd., based in Shibuya, Tokyo. ...

between November 22, 2003 and May 25, 2004. A DVD box set was later released on January 25, 2008, and a

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

box set was later released on April 27, 2011. The series was licensed in North America by Geneon Entertainment, who released the series on four DVD volumes between August 10, 2004 and March 1, 2005. The English dub was produced by New Generation Pictures in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. A box set was later released on July 19, 2005 by Geneon. The series is now licensed by

after Geneon closed its doors to the North American market, and released a box set of the series on May 26, 2009. The series is also licensed in Australia and New Zealand by

, and in the United Kingdom by MVM Films.

=''Dragon Destiny''

= A second season, called , animated by

and directed by Koichi Ohata, aired 12 episodes on AT-X from February 26, 2007 to May 14, 2007, with subsequent broadcasts on

, KBS Kyoto, TV Kanagawa,

Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV (channel 9), branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent station, independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city and parts ...

, Sun Television,

TV Aichi Aichi Television Broadcasting Company, Ltd. (TVA; ), also referred to as , with the callsigns JOCI-DTV (channel 10) is a Japanese television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity ...

, and

. The opening theme for ''Dragon Destiny'' is "HEART&SOUL" by Mai Kariyuki while the ending theme is by IORI. Six DVD volumes were released by

between July 25 and November 22, 2007, each volume containing an

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

titled , featuring the female cast in a

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

setting. A DVD boxset was later released on December 22, 2009. The anime is licensed in North America by

, who released the series on three DVD volumes between November 24, 2009 and April 20, 2010. Unlike the first season, the English dub for ''Dragon Destiny'' was recorded at Headline Studios in Irvington, New York. A box set was later released on August 31, 2010. The anime is also licensed in Australia by Madman Entertainment, as with the first season. However, due to the series' violent and sexual scenes, the Office of Film and Literature Classification banned ''Ikki Tousen: Dragon Destiny'' in New Zealand.

=''Great Guardians''

= A third season, , animated by Arms and directed by Koichi Ohata, aired 12 episodes on AT-X from June 11, 2008 to August 27, 2008, with subsequent broadcasts on

, TV Kanagawa, Sun Television, and

. The series focuses on an original storyline featuring new characters; such as Shokyo, Hakufu's younger sister and the Japanese counterpart of Xiao Qiao, and "another" Genpou Saji as an antagonist. The opening theme for ''Great Guardians'' is "No x limit" by Ami, while the ending theme is by Rio Asaba. Six DVD compilation volumes were released by Media Factory between September 25, 2008 and February 25, 2009, each volume containing an

titled . A DVD box set was released on March 25, 2010. The series was also licensed by

, as with the second season, and was scheduled to be released in a complete box set on March 31, 2012. The series was originally planned to be released in two half-series sets on August 30, 2011 and October 25, 2011, respectively, prior to its rescheduled date. Media Blasters later announced on February 3, 2012 that the North American release of ''Great Guardians'' was placed on an indefinite hold. At

Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...

2012, Funimation announced that they had acquired the licensing rights to ''Great Guardians''. Funimation released the DVD box-set of ''Great Guardians'' on December 31, 2013. The English dub for the third season was once again produced by New Generation Pictures whom not only recorded the original voice actors in California, but also managed to get several voice actors from ''Dragon Destiny'' to record in New York at DuArt Film and Video. On January 3, 2014,

had release the series on Blu-ray on March 19, 2014.

=''Xtreme Xecutor''

= A fourth season, called , was announced. Animated by TNK and directed by Koichi Ohata, the series aired twelve episodes on AT-X between March 26 and June 11, 2010, with subsequent broadcasts on

, TV Kanagawa,

, and Sun Television. The series introduces two new schools, Nanban High School and Ryoshu Academy, and introduces Kentei, the Japanese counterpart of Emperor Xian, as an antagonist. The opening theme for ''Xtreme Xecutor'' is "Stargazer" by Yuka Masuda of

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol musical girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48 has sold more records than any other female musical act in Japanese history. AK ...

while the ending theme is by Masumi Asano and Aya Endo, the voices of Hakufu Sonsaku and Bachou Mouki, respectively. Six DVD and Blu-ray volumes were released by

between June 25 and November 25, 2010. The DVD/BDs contains an

called . At Anime Expo 2012, Funimation announced that they had also acquired the licensing rights to ''Xtreme Xecutor'' alongside ''Great Guardians''. Funimation released the DVD box-set of Xtreme Xecutor on March 11, 2014 in North America. As with the third season, the English dub was produced by both New Generation Pictures and DuArt Film and Video in California and New York, respectively.

OVAs

, titled was announced by Media Factory, and a promotional video was posted on their YouTube channel. The OVA was released in Japanese theaters on November 12, 2011. It was later released on DVD and

on February 22, 2012 by

. The opening theme for the OVA is "FATE ～on the way～" by MAI & AMI. Funimation included the OVA as part of their ''Xtreme Xecutor'' DVD Box Set in North America. A 3-episode OVA titled ''Ikki Tousen: Western Wolves'' was released between January 3, 2019 to February 27, 2019. The anime's director is Takashi Watanabe, while Masaya Honda returns as series composition.

''Shin Ikki Tousen''

An anime television series adaptation of ''Shin Ikki Tousen'' was announced on July 2, 2021. The series is produced by Arms, directed by Rion Kujo, from scripts written by Masaya Honda, with character designs by Rin-Sin and Tsutomu Miyazawa, while featuring music composed by Yasuharu Takanashi. The series ran for three episodes, and aired on AT-X from May 17 to 31, 2022. The series theme song was "Proud Stars" by Konomi Suzuki.

Internet radio show

internet radio Internet radio, also known as online radio, web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio and IP radio, is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not ...

show promoting the ''Dragon Destiny'' anime titled was produced by

and aired on MediaFac Radio starting November 25, 2006 and aired 31 episodes. The show was hosted by Masumi Asano and Hitomi Nabatame, the voices of Hakufu and Kanu, respectively. A CD of the radio show was released by Media Factory on June 27, 2007. Another radio show promoting ''Great Guardians'' called , also produced by Media Factory, aired on MediaFac Radio between March 26, 2008 and March 2009, spanning 23 episodes. Masumi Asano and Hitomi Nabatame reprise their host roles as Hakufu and Kanu. A CD of the show was released by Media Factory on March 25, 2009. A radio show promoting ''Xtreme Xecutor'' called aired on HiBiKi Radio Station between December 25, 2009 and December 3, 2010, spanning 41 episodes. Like the last two radio shows, the show was hosted by Masumi Asano and Hitomi Nabatame reprising their respective roles as Hakufu and Kanu.

Video games

A video game of the series, , was developed by

DreamFactory DreamFactory is an American software developer based in Las Vegas. It develops both commercial and open-source software that provides Self-hosting (compilers), self-hosted integration and API generation services to multiple applications in cloud ...

and released for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

in Japan on July 26, 2007 by

Marvelous Entertainment (MMV) was a multinational corporation that produced animation, music, video games and television series. MMV is known for its involvement in the Story of Seasons (series), ''Story of Seasons'' series. They merged with AQ Interactive in 2011 an ...

. The game has an original storyline with Hakufu, Ryomou, and Kanu as the main playable characters. The game introduces a new character named Chousen, the Japanese counterpart of Diao Chan. Along with Hakufu, Ryomou, and Kanu, Ryubi, Ukitsu, Chouhi, Choun, Ryofu, and Kakoen also appear as playable characters, with Shuyu appearing as an extra character in Hakufu and Ryomou's story arcs respectively. The game's international release was completed by 2008 but formally cancelled by the distributor in May 2009, with the M rating being listed as the most damaging factor. A second video game, , was developed by Tamsoft for the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...

and released on October 2, 2008 by Marvelous Entertainment. The game is a hybrid between fighting and adventure, and it features 15 ''Ikki Tousen'' heroines and a new character named Kanpei, the Japanese counterpart of Guan Ping and the protagonist of the game. New characters include Sousou (Berserk Dragon Ruler Mode), Teni, Shokatsuryo, Ryubi, Saji, and Ouin, along with EX-Hakufu (Berserk Dragon Ruler Mode) and EX-Ryubi (whom technically is the non-Berserk Dragon Mode (as the Berserk Mode was a playable character in the first game)) (''Shining Dragon''). ''Eloquent Fist'' omits the presence of Ukitsu, and new finishing maneuvers and altered movesets have either been buffed, or have been nerfed. A third installment based on the ''Xtreme Xecutor'' anime, called , was developed by Tamsoft for the PlayStation Portable and released on April 28, 2010 in Japan. It features a new character named Ato, the Japanese counterpart of Liu Shan along with the return of Ukitsu as a playable character, and Chinkyu, Bashoku, Kyocho, and Shibai are added as playable characters. The game adds a "Super Arts" bar, tag-team battles and combos, and the addition of the alternate striker system. The gameplay was also revamped to include an aerial pursuit rave and a Finishing Screen. The characters Sonsaku, Kan'u and Ryofu made a DLC playable guest appearance in '' Senran Kagura: Estival Versus''. However, due to a temporary licensing issue, these characters did not appear in the Western version of the game, until it was announced to be released along with the PC version of the game in March 2017. The mobile game ''Ikki Tousen: Extra Burst'' was released in 2020 by Marvelous as a special project celebrating the 20th anniversary of the ''Ikki Tousen'' series.

Notes

References

External links

Comic Gum page

Tokyopop page
*

TV series/OVA

Official anime website
()

*Arms Corporation page

Geneon Entertainment page

''Ikki Tousen''
at

Funimation Entertainment Crunchyroll, LLC is an American entertainment company based in Coppell, Texas. It currently operates the anime-focused eponymous over-the-top subscription video on-demand streaming service. The company was founded as Funimation in May 1 ...

''Ikki Tousen''
at MVM Films
''Ikki Tousen''
at

page
ITITDD
*

' at

Enoki Films is a Japanese studio based in the Enoki Building in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Shinjuku, Tokyo.Company Profile
...

USA *Genco page
ITITDDITGGITXX

Video games

Official ''Ikki Tousen: Shining Dragon'' website

Official ''Ikki Tousen: Eloquent Fist'' website

Official ''Ikki Tousen: Xross Impact'' website

Ikki Tousen Extra Burst website
{{Navboxes, list1= {{Takashi Watanabe {{Takao Yoshioka {{J.C.Staff {{Arms Corporation {{TNK {{Studio Signpost {{Romance of the Three Kingdoms {{Young King OURs 2000 manga 2003 anime television series debuts 2007 anime television series debuts 2007 video games 2008 anime television series debuts 2008 video games 2010 anime television series debuts 2010 video games 2011 anime OVAs 2014 anime OVAs 2019 anime OVAs 2022 anime television series debuts Anime and manga set in schools Anime Works Arms Corporation AT-X (TV network) original programming Fighting games Funimation Geneon USA J.C.Staff Japan-exclusive video games Japanese LGBTQ-related animated television series Kadokawa Corporation franchises Madman Entertainment manga Martial arts anime and manga PlayStation 2 games PlayStation Portable games Seinen manga Sharp Point Press titles Shōnen Gahōsha manga TNK (company) Tokyopop titles Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Wani Books manga Works based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Synopsis

Media

Manga

Anime

Television series

=2003

=''Dragon Destiny''

=''Great Guardians''

=''Xtreme Xecutor''

OVAs

''Shin Ikki Tousen''

Internet radio show

Video games

See also

Notes

References

External links

TV series/OVA

Video games