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4[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_tenge.png]]
5[[caption-width-right:350:''Bomb A Head!'']]
6
7Souichiro Nagi and his half-Brazilian friend Bob Makihara are a pair of street smart {{Delinquent}}s itching to prove that they, with their superior martial arts skills, are the toughest new kids in town when they transfer to their new school, Toudou Academy, from the very first day alone. Unfortunately for them, Toudou is no ordinary high school -- it is a school founded on the principles of teaching and integrating various martial disciplines, meaning ''every single student'' can kick ass, physically ''and'' supernaturally... and Souichiro and Bob are but small fry in a fish tank full of sharks.
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9Then there's the Executive Council, which dislikes any independent martial artists. After they were schooled as to how powerful Toudou's students are, Souichiro and Bob, through a series of odd happenings, wind up joining the only viable opposition, the Juken Club. Among its members are Maya Natsume, the voluptuous [[ClubPresident functioning leader]] who can turn into a childlike form to conserve her ki and harboring a long-standing feud with her ex-lover and StudentCouncilPresident, Mitsuomi Takayanagi; her younger sister Aya, who forged an ArrangedMarriage with Souichiro after seeing her in the showers (which led to his and Bob's admission to their club); and Masataka Takayanagi, Mitsuomi's rebellious younger brother.
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11As the battle between both groups rage on, however, it is slowly revealed that their feud goes a long way back to Sengoku Japan, when the characters' ancestors waged a blood feud left unresolved until the present.
12
13''Tenjho Tenge'' ("Heaven and Earth") is a manga series created by Creator/OhGreat and serialized in ''Ultra Jump'' from 1997 to 2010. A 24-episode anime adaptation by Toshifumi Kawase and Creator/{{Madhouse}} aired in 2004, as well as two [=OVAs=] in 2005 and 2006.
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15Its American release by CMX, was rather notorious for severely toning down the fanservice (with Oh! great's permission, which was poorly conveyed to the audience) to make it suitable for a "T" rating rather than the "M" it would otherwise get. Indeed, the series was advertised as "Pure Manga--100% the way the original Japanese creators want you to see it." Many fans were dismayed, especially those who [[JustHereForGodzilla had bought the first volume specifically to see the naked women Oh! Great's manga creations are noted for]]. [[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/anncast/2011-10-28 According to the group editor in charge of CMX at the time,]] this was the result of DC executives habitually agreeing to publish manga without having anybody read them first. They signed a deal to localize Tenjho Tenge based solely on its popularity in Japan, and the deal specified a "T" rating because that was what was perceived as marketable in the US. It wasn't until after the publishing deals were signed and CMX started translation that they realized the mistake they had made. After CMX ceased publishing, Viz rescued the manga's overseas license and put it under its Signature Line, with noticeably less censoring. However, if you want to see it 100% uncensored, you either have to get the Japanese version, or the Argentinian version by Ivrea [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes now long out of print]].
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17The anime adaptation was licensed for a US release by Creator/{{Geneon}} [[note]] who also co-produced the show [[/note]], though the company eventually went under and the DVD release went out of print. Creator/DiscotekMedia rescued the show and released a DVD set in [[https://www.facebook.com/147168055312297/photos/a.196378827057886.55668.147168055312297/784352751593821/?type=1 May 2014.]]
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19----
20!!This manga provides examples of:
21
22* AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil: The members of the Executive Council have the authority to kill people who they think are causing problems in the school.
23* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Being a PowerNullifier, Reiki is a katana that can cut through ''superpowers''.
24* AchillesHeel: Masataka earns the ridicule of his peers by accidently catching his foreskin in his pants' zipper after beating several opponents.
25* AllLoveIsUnrequited: When it comes to Seinen shows this is probably one of the best examples of this, it seems to be that the only exceptions are [[BetaCouple Bob and Chiaki]]. (However, Bob gets less screentime over the course of the series and Chiaki was fairly minor to begin with.)
26* AloofBigBrother: Mitsuomi towards Masataka. The Natsumes are a partial subversion; while Maya may seem aloof towards Aya it is clear that she does look out for her, whereas Shin was almost '''too''' attached to Maya.
27* AnArmAndALeg: Has happened to Souchiro's mother in her backstory. [[spoiler: Happens to her ''again'' when she stops Soichiro from being devoured by his own dark ''ki'']].
28* AntiquatedLinguistics: All of Maya's lines.
29* ArcWelding:
30** All the random battles in the first chapters are just the tip of the iceberg, the iceberg being the battle between the Juken Club and the Enforcers.
31** The battle between the Juken Club and the Enforcers is then revealed to be just the tip of another iceberg, the iceberg being [[spoiler:a battle between superpowered and immortal entities that began hundreds of years ago]].
32* ArtEvolution: The art was excellent to begin with, but Oh! Great has unmistakeably improved. Compare [[http://view.thespectrum.net/series/tenjou-tenge-chapter-136.html?ch=Chapter+136&page=84 this]] to [[http://view.thespectrum.net/series/tenjou-tenge-chapter-136.html?ch=Chapter+136&page=75 this.]]
33* AuthorAppeal: Fighting, big breasts and possibly bondage, depending on how you look at it.
34* BabiesEverAfter: In the DistantFinale, [[spoiler:Bob and Chiaki]] have the most adorable child ever.
35* BadassLongcoat: Soichiro Nagi in his uniform.
36* BadassNormal: Masataka Takayanagi and Bunshichi Tawara become the most notable examples at the end, but every fighter who hasn't won the SuperpowerLottery is one of these. For example, Koji Sagara/SAGA MASK is less powerful than the rest of the cast, but he can still ''kill a bear with his bare hands''.
37* BarbieDollAnatomy: Varies, depending on whether the author felt like drawing nipples or pubic hair on that day. [[{{NSFW}} (Spoiler: he often does)]].
38* BecomingTheMask: Mana is Shin's girfriend as part of her family's efforts to control him. After a while, though, she has started really falling for him.
39* BigOlEyebrows:
40** Mitsuomi sports these.
41** Soichiro's flamed brows cross over into UnusualEyebrows.
42* BlackComedyRape: Bob punishes his girlfriend's rapist by ''shoving a broom handle up his ass'' and ''exploding firecrackers around his balls''. Still, it's [[JerkAss pretty hard to feel empathy for the guy]].
43* BlackAndGrayMorality: The battle between [[BadassNormal Mitsuomi's group]] and Souhaku. The latter is clearly the BigBad, but Mitsuomi is willing to [[WellIntentionedExtremist start a war between superpowered and non-superpowered people]] to oppose him.
44* BookEnds: The last chapter of the series echoes many, many scenes from the first chapter, including the first battle between Souichiro and Masataka, all the way down to the return of the original hairstyles and looks for many of the characters.
45* BrotherSisterIncest: Part of the reason for Shin's madness, though no incest actually occurred between them.
46* BruceLeeClone: Inosanto Dan, who is also a ShoutOut to Eskrima master Dan Inosanto, a real life pupil and friend of Bruce Lee's. He even appears in Game of Death.
47* ButNotTooForeign: Bob is a nearly seven foot tall black man - but he's still half-Japanese. (Despite this, he is still called 'foreigner' by pretty much everyone).
48* CosmicDeadline: Some readers felt that ''Tenjho Tenge'' was wrapped up so quickly after the last flashback arcs because Oh!Great wanted to focus more on ''[[DuelingShows Air Gear]]''.
49* CoversAlwaysLie: One could think Masataka Takayanagi is TheProtagonist by just looking at the manga covers and comparing them; 1) Because he is one of the few male characters to feature on the covers, girls are more prominent, 2) He has ''two'' solo covers,[[note]]Volume 11 and 20[[/note]] while the ''de facto'' protagonist, Soichiro Nagi, has just one solo cover.[[note]]Volume 22 - though he appears as the Ultimate Warrior/Susano'o on it[[/note]] Also the cover page for Chapter 130 has Masataka laying down with Aya and Maya for no real reason besides a visual metaphor, while it is Nagi whom both sisters are more "friendly" with.
50* CrashIntoHello: After being knocked out of a third-story window and falling through a roof, no less.
51* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass:
52** Masataka Takayanagi spends a lot of time being a NiceGuy and/or the ButtMonkey of most jokes, but when [[LetsGetDangerous things get serious]] he shows he's one of the most competent fighters out there.
53** "Asshat" Sougano is a joke for pretty much everyone... until it's revealed that after his [[MyGreatestFailure greatest failure]] he started ''really'' training himself and by the time the story starts he has become a BadassNormal.
54* DanceBattler: Bob finds out this is his natural style, and the only way he can hope to [[CantCatchUp catch up]] with the other main characters.
55* DancingTheme: "Bomb A Head!" by m.C.A.T., though mostly Bob and Aya getting down. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YUWD4BZ81Y Check it out.]]
56* DangerousForbiddenTechnique:
57** Soichiro's "Dragon Fist" lets him absorb other people's ''ki'' and powers. The problem is, the more ''ki'' he absorbs the more he's at risk of losing his personality and becoming the incarnation of the "God of war".
58** Aya's "Dragon Eye" lets her see her opponent's moves in advance and even have visions of the future, but this power isn't good for one's mind either.
59* DecoyProtagonist: Soichiro Nagi is this, to a certain extent. [[spoiler:He's set up to be the grand hero, but in the last five or so volumes, he isn't as involved in the more important conflicts like Masataka is, and in the end, (not that it's his fault) he's gone from being the protagonist to being the antagonist, leaving Masataka and Maya in the sort of "central protagonist" spot]].
60* DemotedToExtra:
61** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] with Masataka: during the middle phase of the story it seems he'll be relegated to this, but after his battle with Fu Chien he starts getting back in the spotlight and even becomes the {{Deuteragonist}}.
62** Bob Makihara starts as Soichiro's best friend and [[TheLancer lancer]], but he CantCatchUp and rapidly loses relevance in the latter part of the series, becoming a pretty strong and very likeable supporting character.
63** Soichiro himself can be seen as this in the last arc, since he's traveling and fighting offscreen while the story revolves around the other characters [[spoiler:finding a way to stop him when he returns]].
64* EarnYourHappyEnding: For such a dark series, it's a pleasant surprise that they do!
65* {{Ecchi}}: One of the main characteristics of this series.
66* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Mitsuomi Takayanagi becomes one of the best fighters around during his first year. Then, Shin [[DeadlyUpgrade blasts his heart with a ton of ''ki'']], giving him supernatural strength and metabolism.
67%%* EroticEating: In ch. 56.
68* {{Expy}}: Several of the characters in Tenjho Tenge can be considered a blueprint for characters in Oh!Great's other manga series Manga/{{Air Gear}}. For example:
69** [[TheHero Souichiro Nagi]]: Itsuki Minami
70** [[SexyMentor Maya]] [[BrokenBird Natsume]]: [[CoolBigSis Rika]] and [[CuteBruiser Mikan]] Noyomano
71** [[CannotSpitItOut Aya Natsume]]: Ringo Noyomano
72** Mitsuomi Takayanagi: Sora Takeuchi (or Kilik for their WellIntentionedExtremist tendencies).
73* EyepatchOfPower: Nagi's mother wears one of those to cover [[spoiler:the scar left by Souhaku removing her eye]].
74* FluffyFashionFeathers: At least on a manga cover.
75* GirlOnGirlIsHot: This, like other examples of fanservice anime, does have its share of sensual encounters between girls. The biggest example is the fairly infamous scene with Aya and Chiaki early in the series, with slightly different ways of Chiaki seducing Aya but Aya ending up getting away. In the Anime [[spoiler: they were both wearing towels covering their naughty bits and Chiaki is trying to seduce her.]] In the Manga [[spoiler: they were both seen nude and while Chiaki is just seducing Aya it really looks like they are having sex.]] Both of them ended in the same way though; Aya using her powers to get away and both of them apologizing over how that happened.
76** The "infamous" part comes from the fact that the above scene comes closely after Chiaki's rape by Ryuzaki.
77* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Aya Natsume certainly feels this way towards Maya over Souichiro. Granted, it seems fairly onesided as we don't yet know what Maya feels towards Souichiro, but given the latter's admission that he loves Maya, one could argue that Aya has good reason to feel like this. It doesn't help that within the school she's usually just referred to as "Maya-chan's little sister."
78* GroinAttack: There is one body part that a man, even one who can beat up 80 other guys without breaking a sweat, can never make stronger, apparently (poor [[ButtMonkey Masataka]]...).
79* GuiltyPleasure: Oh ''yes''...
80* HardWorkHardlyWorks: Played with. While some characters are simply badass by nature and never have to study or train - Bunshichi, for instance - and others are born with amazing powers that give them an advantage in combat - like Aya or Soichiro - other characters are just more or less ordinary human beings who train constantly. Masataka especially averts this, beating a character who is only a few steps away from [[PhysicalGod physical godhood]] with no special powers other than the ones he's earned through a lifetime of grueling effort. Honorable mention to Kusagano who also managed to take down gifted martial artists despite being known as a NonActionGuy - he trained himself like mad for three years to do it.
81* HeroicSacrifice:
82** [[spoiler:Maya]] makes one for Souichiro.
83** [[spoiler: Makiko]] makes two, though the latter is more permanent.
84* {{Hypocrite}}: Sohaku, Makiko, Maya... They all get called on it sooner or later: one of the themes of the setting is how much of a hypocrite most characters are and what consequences this had in the people around them.
85* HypocriticalHumor: In Episode 1 of the anime, Aya keeps trying to make Souichirou eat her homemade bento. She finds him on the roof with Bob...
86-->'''Aya''' (English ver.): Oh, I get it: You wanted to come here so you could eat in peace. *leaps over the fence*
87** This particular humour is lacking in the Japanese version; Aya only comments that one can eat a leisurely lunch on the roof.
88* {{Infodump}}: One third of ''Tenjho Tenge''. The other two thirds: violence and weird sex.
89* JerkAss: Many characters can come across this way at times. Special mention must go to both Souichiro Nagi and Mitsuomi Takayanagi.
90** They both become full-blown [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Jerks With a Heart of Gold]] by the end (in Souichiro's case, [[spoiler:after he manages to get rid of Sohaku possessing him]]).
91* KudzuPlot: Not really, but it can take a dozen readings and a couple of crazy pills to catch half of the plots in the series... probably.
92* LadyOfWar: Nagi's mother. Special mention to when she [[spoiler:replaces her lost arms with arms made of steel and kept together by her ''ki'', which she uses to stop the God of War]].
93* LetsFightLikeGentlemen: Fights with ''no'' rules of engagement are the norm in this series, but Saga Mask grants a concession when Nagi yells "Rope!" with no rope anywhere around, betraying that he is actually rather noble and not brutal like he claims to be.
94* LittleMissBadass: Madoka Mawari and her many swords, including a BFS and a pair of [[FlamingSword flaming ones]].
95* LogicalWeakness: Saga Mask (correctly) points out that no matter how strong you are, the human body is simply not designed to strengthen its joints. This is only an issue if say, you're fighting some MaskedLuchador with an encyclopedic knowledge of wrestling moves.
96* LongRunner: The manga started in 1997, and took thirteen years to finish.
97* TheManBehindTheMan: There's sort of a chain of these, ending with [[BigBad Sohaku]].
98* MistakenForGay: See NotWhatItLooksLike. Thankfully, it's all cleared up in the next page.
99* MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours: How much ''ki'' a fighter can use plays a ''big'' part in his strength.
100* MsFanservice: Most of them, but Chiaki in particular.
101* NakedFirstImpression: Aya and Soichiro, combined with a form of AccidentalMarriage.
102* {{Necromancer}}: Sohaku's power. Later, [[spoiler: Soichiro]] becomes able to use it too.
103* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown:
104** Soichiro Nagi receives one when he attempts to play CombatPragmatist with Masataka Takayanagi, an actual [[KiManipulation superpowered martial artist]].
105** Done again by Shin to his friends (according to paramedics, the girl had her face so mutilated he nearly vomited).
106** Bunshichi suffers one of these from Shin using Reiki, then gets up and delivers one on Shin without Reiki.
107** When Soichiro starts losing himself to the dark ''ki'' he absorbed with his Dragon's Fist, these ensue.
108* [[spoiler: NoRomanticResolution: Maya and Mitsuomi don't really get any actual closure before her HeroicSacrifice in the ending. The manga's ending ''implies'' eventual Souichiro/Aya and Masataka/Madoka, but it's never actually ''shown'' happening.]]
109%%* NotWhatItLooksLike: What would you have thought if you walked in a room and found this?
110* ObliviousToLove:
111** Poor Masataka. Aya just doesn't see anyone but Souichiro. [[spoiler: She later admits, when he confesses his feelings to her, that she ''would'' like Masataka that way if it wasn't for the fact that she just noticed Souichiro first.]]
112** Masataka himself is oblivious to [[DefeatMeansFriendship Madoka's crush for him]].
113* OjouRinglets: Emi Isuzu has these.
114* {{Orochi}}: Though not explicitly stated, Souichiro's MegaManning of the powers of the other Red Feather families (also called Dragons) has caused him to fall victim to WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity[=/=]SuperpoweredEvilSide. Towards the end, when he uses his powers he even LOOKS like he has snake/dragon heads sprouting out of his body. The translation refers to him as 'Snake God' at one point. Add to that the references to Amaterasu, Tsukiyomi, and Susanoo, and we would have the complete set of references to Shinto mythology.
115** In volume 14, Tetsuhito relates a tale about the Takayanagi clan's origins that is presented as the historical event that inspired the myth of Susanoo's slaying of Orochi.
116* PigeonholedVoiceActor: In the anime.
117* PoorCommunicationKills: Used a lot, expecially during the first flashback involving Maya, Shin, Mitsuomi and Bunshichi.
118* PhysicalGod: The BigBad wants to create one of these, making [[spoiler: Soichiro become Ultimate Warrior/Susano'o]], and later possess him.
119* RankScalesWithAsskicking:
120** This is to be expected, considering that the new student council is determined by a school-wide tournament, with the winning group becoming the council. The first rounds of the tournament are essentially a large chaos match where opposing groups can attack one another any time and anywhere, with only the order in which they face one another being determined by the tournament. It becomes a more conventionally organized tournament in the final rounds, but throughout the entire thing, it's acceptable to use ''real'' weapons, potentially lethal moves and a variety of tactics that can easily be lead to the death of the participants. Naturally anyone who makes it out on top of this is undoubtedly one of the baddest of the badasses in the entire school.
121** The Enforcers, and how. The President of the group is officially acknowledged as the strongest fighter in the school. Just look at Mitsuomi's transformation from freshman to top dog: [[http://ak.static.dailymotion.com/dyn/preview/320x240/6628840.jpg freshman]]; [[http://www.nautiljon.com/images/perso/miniatures/Tenjou_Tenge/mitsuomi_takayanagi.jpg topdog]].
122* RapeAsDrama: Happens to Chiaki near the beginning, kickstarting the war between the Juken Club and the Enforcers.
123* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Sohaku's special power allows him to prevent the onset of age in himself and others and additionally allows him to transfer his consciousness from one body to another via eye transplants. This results in Sohaku being considered effectively immortal and it is estimated that he could be thousands of years old.
124* SchoolOfHardKnocks: The school in question is actually part of a scheme to bring the strongest young fighters in one place and breed them by making them fight against each other.
125* SexFaceTurn: How Mana starts actually supporting Shin and helping him control his SuperpoweredEvilSide.
126* ShoutOut:
127** At one point during his TrainingFromHell, Souichiro starts going [[Manga/DragonBallZ Super Saiyan]]. Then his teachers tell him to cut it out.
128** Souichiro asking how Masataka hit him with a "Ka-XX-ha-me-ha" in the first few chapters.
129** All the "heroes" seen in Sugano/Asshat's mental image of a heroic punch, including what appeared to be Superman in a ninja mask and Super Saiayjin Goku with a fu manchu.
130** Late in the manga, the Juken Club fights ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' characters - actually, a cosplaying group.
131* StockForeignName: Japan's idea of a generic black guy name is Bob. Guess what the anime's TokenBlack guy's name is?
132* StrawMisogynist: The whole story is packed to the bursting point with it and includes both villainous and heroic examples.
133* ToughLove:
134** This is the only way to describe the relationship between the Takayanagi brothers. Basically Masataka gets the stuffing knocked out of him by his older brother all in the way of making him "stronger". Then, Masataka returns it by [[spoiler:kicking his older brother's ass to stop him from sacrificing his life]].
135** Towards the end, Soichiro's mother feels guilty for not having done this ''enough'' to her son.
136* VillainousFashionSense: Mitsuomi, all the way. When he's not dressed to fight, he wears clothes that are either intimidating or plain silly-looking depending on the context.
137* WallOfText: Happens quite often during the second flashback. Ohgure really ''loves'' historical Japan.
138* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Volumes 5-7 are 99% flashback, as are Volumes 15 and 16.
139* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: People who possess supernatural powers have difficulty learning to control them and sometimes end up going crazy. A textbook example is Shin, and later Souichiro falls prey to this hard, becoming [[spoiler: the physical embodiment of the Ultimate Warrior Susano'o]].

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