Section One: General FAQ
Subsection 2: Tenchi Muyo! Continuities

Ayeka and Washu discuss Sasami and Ryoko.

What are all the different Tenchi stories and when did they come out?

 

1992-3: Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki (a.k.a. Tenchi Muyo!) – the first OAV series, 6 episodes.

1993-?: Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki –a  series of novels by Naoko Hasegawa. NOT available outside of Japan.

1993: Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki Special: The Night before the Carnival – (aka: OAV 1 Special) an OAV special that is episode #7 of the "Ryo-ohki" series.

1994: Galaxy Police Mihoshi's Space Adventure (a.k.a. the Mihoshi Special) – an OAV that was spun-off from the main OAV series. See below for more information.

1994-2001: Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki (a.k.a No Need for Tenchi) – a 12-volume manga series by Hitoshi Okuda.

1995: Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki OAV 2 – the second OAV series, picks up from the end of "Night Before Carnival;" 6 episodes long plus a mini-episode tagged to the end of episode 13.

1995: Tenchi Muyo! TV (a.k.a. Tenchi Universe) –a non-canon, spin-off, 26-episode TV series developed for TV Tokyo.  TU took elements from TM!R OAV 1 and from Hasegawa-sensei such as the character of Kiyone Makibi.

1995-7: Mahou Shoujo Pretty Sammy (a.k.a. Magic Girl Pretty Sammy OAV; Tenchi and Friends Special: Pretty Sammy) – a non-canon OAV series 3-episodes long, spun-off of the Mihoshi Special.

1996: Tenchi Muyo! in Love (a.k.a. Tenchi: The Movie) – a feature-length film based on the Tenchi Universe TV series.

1996-7: Mahou Shoujo Pretty Sammy TV (a.k.a.  Magic Girl Pretty Sammy; Magical Project S) – a 26-episode TV series about Pretty Sammy.  It is a remake of the OAV with several changes to the story.

1997: Shin Tenchi Muyo! (a.k.a. Tenchi in Tokyo) – another non-canon, spin-off 26-episode long TV series.  The story contains all of the same main characters as Tenchi Universe, but their roles are different to varying degrees.

1997: Tenchi Muyo! Manatsu no Eve (a.k.a. Tenchi: The Movie 2: Daughter of Darkness) – a feature-length film based on one of the Hasegawa-sensei novels.

1997: Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki's Day – a six issue comic series published by Pioneer USA (it's included in the Tenchi OAV DVD set; otherwise I think this series is pretty much ignored...).  You can from time-to-time find the comics on eBay, however they are generally considered pretty bad reading.

1998: Shin Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki – three canon novels by Kajishima-sensei; go here for more information.

1999: Tenchi Muyo! in Love 2: Haruka naru omoi (a.k.a. Tenchi Forever)– a feature-length film based on Tenchi Universe TV series.

2002: Shin Tenchi Muyo!–a manga by Hitoshi Okuda that's just recently started. Viz's English version began being published in May 2004.

2002: Tenchi Muyo! Galaxy Police Transporter (a.k.a Tenchi Muyo! GXP) – a canon,  26-episode TV series is a spinoff-sequel  of the Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki universe. It began airing in Japan in April 2002. Go here for more info.

2003: Tenchi Muyo! GXP Vol. 1 -- this is the first novel written by Kajishima-sensei to tell the GXP story his way, thus removing certain elements by the anime director Watanabe (Nabeshin). 

2003 - 2005: Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki OAV 3 - this is the third and final OAV series covering the first chapter of the TM!R story.  It is six-episodes in length.

2005: Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki OAV 3 +1 - the 20th episode of the original series which provides many answers, some new questions, and still leaves us with some unresolved issues.

2005: Tenchi Muyo! GXP Vol. 2 -- this is the 2nd novel written by Kajishima-sensei to tell the GXP story his way.  I believe by the end of this novel, he's gotten up to episode 5 of the anime.  However, there are a lot of differences to the anime, with a bunch of new material added.

2006:  Sasami ~Magical Girl Club~ - the newest spinoff to the Tenchi franchise.  It doesn't have anything to do with the Pretty Sammy titles even though it is another mahou shoujo title.  This series focuses on the characters making up the magic girl club.

2006-2007:  Sasami Magical Girl Club 2- The sequel/2nd series to Sasami ~Magical Girl Club~.  This series focuses on the plot.

2009: Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari - The spinoff-sequel to Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki OVA 3 +1.  Stars Tenchi's half-brother Kenshi, who is 15 (meaning Tenchi is about 31-32) and mostly takes place on the world of Geminar.

Note: Audio dramas have not yet been added to this list.
ARRRGH! What's up with all these different Tenchi continuities?
In the beginning, there was only one Tenchi continuity: the OAV. However, the popularity of the OAV led to a number of "spin-offs" and world re-designs, including novels, television series, radio dramas, and manga. Not all of these Tenchi products have the same plot, and many outright contradict each other. It is not a good idea to assume that if you saw one thing in one series somewhere that it holds true for other series (unless it's something extremely basic, like the fact that Ryoko is a space pirate, and if you count Pretty Sammy as part of the continuities, you can't even hold onto that as a universal Tenchi truth. Confusing, ain't it?)
How many continuities are there?

Five. Maybe six? Well, the manga are sort of a sub-continuity of... erm... maybe I should start over...   The Tenchi franchise is a very profitable one for AIC and as such, they've created numerous spinoffs in anime and manga.
What are the different continuities then, and how, are they related?
The OAV, or Ryo-ohki, Universe
  The OAV universe consists of characters and events from Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki episodes 1-20 (1-13.5 is what Pioneer/Geneon licensed as "Tenchi Muyo" and 14-20 are what FUNimation licesed as "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki"). Because this is he original series from Kajishima-sensei, it is classified as "canon."  The True Tenchi novels are also be part of the canon material for the OAV continuity, as it covers the history of events in the OAV and it is written by the series's original character concept designer, Masaki Kajishima. Tenchi Muyo! GXP takes place in the same universe; its chronology takes up where the OAV ends. As such, GXP is also canon material. The OAV continuity is the only continuity which Kajishima has directly contributed to its development and production. To help understand what events (so far) are part of the OAV storyline, board member Strannik graciously created this timeline.
  Some additional canon material can be found in 101 Secrets of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki in which Kajishima-san answered 101 questions from fans (this was done several years ago).  Go here for additional information about 101.  Note: unfortunately, we've discovered that there are many problems with the current fan translation with some stuff being left out and other stuff being mistranslated.  However, it is better than nothing.
  Also, Kajishima-sensei has done a lot of doujinshi (fan comics).  He has his original artwork as well as nifty tidbits on characters or story that are otherwise unknown.  Links to doujinshi will be provided in the near future, especially as more English-translated materials are done by fans.
Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari starts off in the OVA universe but then shifts to another universe and the world of Geminar.
The Negishi, or TV, Universe
  The Negishi Universe is comprised of characters and events in the first Tenchi TV series, also known as Tenchi Universe, two movies, Tenchi Muyo in Love and Tenchi Muyo in Love 2 (a.k.a. Tenchi Forever), and one manga Eternal Memory. It is called the "Negishi Universe" after the name of the director, who was one of the main creative forces behind the TV series and these two movies. I believe many Tenchi radio dramas are also based on this universe. This series was the first animated spin-off of the OAVs for television, but they re-started the plotline and re-wrote many character histories.
The Tokyo (STM! or TiT) Universe
  This is the universe comprising characters and events in the second Tenchi TV series, Shin Tenchi Muyo a.k.a. Tenchi in Tokyo. Once again, the character histories and plotline are somewhat different.
The Hasegawa Universe
  Naoko Hasegawa, a scriptwriter for the first OAV series (episodes 1-6), wrote a series of Tenchi novels. These novels are based on and continue from events in OAV1, but NOT OAV2 or any other OAV Universe materials, and so is essentially considered a separate continuity and NOT canon material. None of these novels are available in English, although the movie Manatsu no Eve, a.k.a. Daughter of Darkness, is based on these novels. (That's why MnE seems sort-of OAV-like, but not really.) It should be noted that Hasegawa was the person who created the Galaxy Police Officer Kiyone, who later got introduced in the animated Tenchi world in the Mihoshi special and later became a main cast member in the Negishi and Tokyo universes.
The Manga, or Okuda, Universe
 
  Hitoshi Okuda drew and wrote 12 volumes of a Tenchi Muyo! manga, simply entitled No Need for Tenchi! in the US. He also is the penner of the sequel series All New Tenchi Muyo! The manga universe is based on OAVs 1 and 2, and somewhat on other Ryo-ohki universe materials, but it is not considered officially part of the OAV universe because events that happen in the manga will probably not effect events in the True Tenchi novels or third OAV.
The Pretty Sammy OAV Universe
  The three-episode-long Pretty Sammy OAV includes characters based on the major Tenchi series but is very different in plot and style, it essentially using the characters in a parody of Magical Girl anime. The character of Pretty Sammy was introduced in the Mihoshi Special but the Mihoshi Special takes place in a different universe as well.
The Pretty Sammy TV Universe
  Pretty Sammy got spun off into a TV series,  Magical Project S. Of course, it doesn't quite have the same plot as the OAV series it's based on.
 
The Sasami ~Mahou Shoujo Club Universe~
   
  TM!R got spun off into a 3rd mahou shoujo series.  It is not related to the Pretty Sammy titles.  All of the characters have new names, but Sasami-chan, Washu, and Mihoshi will have roles.  The seiyuu for the characters are all new, with actual young girls doing the voices of Sasami-chan, Misao-chan, and the other girls.

There are also other manga, radio dramas, and video games that are not mentioned here, that probably comprise miscellaneous categories of their own. The ones mentioned above comprise the most important and well-known continuities, however.

What continuity is the Mihoshi Special in?
Galaxy Police Mihoshi's Space Adventure came out on video around the same time as "Night before the Carnival" (episode 7 of the OAV). At the time, the only continuity in existence was the OAV Universe, and so many believe the Mihoshi special is part of the OAV continuity. However, Kajishima did not work on the Mihoshi Special (although Hiroki Hayashi, the other OAV series creator, directed it), so some people think it should not be considered part of the OAV universe.

The existence of Kiyone, a character imported from the Hasegawa novels (but with a different background), adds to some people's testimonies that the Mihoshi Special is not technically an OAV universe story. Most of the story of the Mihoshi Special takes place inside Mihoshi's head, as she "casts" her friends into a story she is telling them, which makes it harder to figure out what continuity it is a part of, if any, since we don't see much of them in "real life." Most people assume it's either part of the OAV continuity or stands alone in its own little world. Some fans believe it was a prototype for Tenchi Universe (some of the people who worked on the Special worked on the TV series) and/or for Magical Girl Pretty Sammy. Someone told Death Quaker that Kajishima said at his site that it was a TV prototype–although I was not provided with a direct quote.

Regardless of the continuity it stands in, this title is NOT canon material for the TM!R series.
Is Dual! part of the Tenchi-verse?

The anime series Parallel Trouble Adventure Dual! is created by Kajishima-sensei and according to him does tie in to the OAV universe in some way. In GXP, there are tie-over references to Dual! with a mecha very much like Zinv being found on a distant planet. In the Dual! series, however, none of the characters are directly related to the characters in Tenchi Muyo! however (although the main character Kazuki Yotsuga coincidentally has the same name as King Azusa Jurai's father). Incidentally, and rather amusingly, the otherwise non-OAV continuity characters Kiyone, Rumiya, and Misao appear very briefly at the end of Dual! episode 14.

What about Kajishima-sensei's other works.  How are they related to the Tenchi-verse?
There's an odd thing about all of Kajishima-sensei's anime titles -- they are supposedly related to one another in one way or other.  You just saw the more blatant example in the Dual! series which was then paid back in the GXP series.  Supposedly, Zero appears in Spaceship Agga Ruter, one of Kajishima-sensei's hentai titles.
Note: If you want more detailed (and illustrated) information on the various continuities, Rolf has created an outstanding FAQ on this subject.  Please check out his site here.
What about Saint Knights Tale? 
Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari was originally named Seikishi Monogatari, which was the Japanese working title for the series.  In the U.S., the translated name of Saint Knights Tale was then used since it is easier to remember. The series was announced  in January 2001 by Kajishima-sensei in an interview.  While Kajishima-sensei apparently wrote the story back then, in October 2005, Kajishima-sensei provided some information as published in the doujinshi  Kajishima Onsen 5.12:

As future plans go, there are presently a number of projects in motion, but right now (the month of October 2005) there's hardly anything concrete I can talk about yet. I'm currently working on the "Seikishi Monogatari (working title)" that I've mentioned before. Since I developed Seikishi around the same time as Dual!, I felt that it's a bit past its "expiration date" after sitting on the shelf for a long time, so I'm renovating the story and the designs. Anyway, since it was originally planned to follow the same pattern as Dual! on a different stage, you can let your imagination take you from there.

So what universe does it belong to?  Well, final judgment will depend on watching the series to completion.  It does start out in the canon, "TM!R OVA" universe as Kenshi is Tenchi's half-brother, but most of the anime will be spent on another world/dimension.

Is there a chart or something to break this all down?
Why yes there is, thanks to Michael Arroyo.  Click HERE to see it. 
Why is Galaxy Police Officer Kiyone not in the OAV series or the Okuda manga?
Because Kajishima-sensei didn't make her up; she was invented by Naoko Hasegawa-sensei and didn't see the screen until after OAV 1 was completed. The Okuda manga is based on the OAV series, so it doesn't include her either.
Why are people at the board calling Tenchi's mother "Kiyone"? Isn't that Mihoshi's partner? Isn't Tenchi's mother named "Achika"?
In the first TV series and the movies that were based on it, Tenchi's mother was named Achika. In GXP and OAV 3, however, his mother is called Kiyone, which is rumored to have been the name Kajishima had picked for the character before or during the time Hasegawa gave the name to the teal-haired girl with the orange headband.

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