Tenchi Masaki

Tenchi Masaki is an ordinary Japanese teenager whose life is upended when he accidentally releases the space pirate Ryoko from a cave shrine, drawing a colorful cast of alien women — including the exiled princess Ayeka — into his everyday world.

Tenchi Masaki made his North American comics debut in Viz's Mangazine #34 in 1994, bringing a beloved manga hero to English-language readers right at the cusp of the Modern Age. His catalog presence spans titles like No Need for Tenchi and even the pages of Ranma 1/2, reflecting the lively, interconnected world of Viz's manga lineup during that formative era of Western manga publishing. Throughout his appearances, he keeps remarkable company — sharing pages with the likes of Ryoko Hakubi, Ayeka Masaki Jurai, Washu Hakubi, Mihoshi Kuramitsu, and Sasami Masaki Jurai, a cast that any fan of the era will recognize with a grin. With only five catalog appearances, Tenchi is a compact but charming piece of '90s manga history worth tracking down.