Tengai
Buddhist warrior-monk and main character of Sengoku Blade.
Tengai (Tengai Kano) is a Buddhist warrior-monk and the main character of the horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up video game Sengoku Blade, released for arcade machines in 1996 by Psikyo as a sequel to their 1993 shooter Sengoku Ace. He is one of five initially playable characters in the game, which is set in a historical fantasy version of the Sengoku period featuring demons, magic, and steam-powered robotics.
- field
- Video game character
- known_for
- Main character of Sengoku Blade (Sengoku Ace series)
- voiced_by
- Shōzō Iizuka
- first_appearance
- Sengoku Blade (1996)
Lore & Background
Tengai Kano, known simply as Tengai, is a Buddhist warrior-monk who was introduced in Sengoku Blade and became its main character. The game's story involves a militaristic cult named the Shinra Sect scheming to resurrect their dark god by kidnapping the Shogun's daughter, Princess Futsu, for a sacrifice. Tengai joins a group of heroes to stop this plot, and the game features a branching storyline with several different endings depending on the characters chosen.
Reader's Guide
Tengai is significant as the central protagonist of Sengoku Blade, a horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up that was the thirteenth most-successful arcade game in Japan in June 1996 according to Game Machine. The game was ported to multiple platforms including the Sega Saturn, PlayStation 2, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Tengai's character was designed by Tsukasa Jun, based on the works of Hirofumi Nakamura from the original game. The Saturn version allowed players to choose difficulty levels between 1 and 7, configure controls, and set lives between 1 and 4. Tengai's legacy is tied to the series' enduring popularity, with the Saturn version becoming a collector's item and the character appearing in the sequel Sengoku Cannon: Sengoku Ace Episode III for PlayStation Portable in 2005.
Did You Know?
- Tengai is voiced by Shōzō Iizuka.
- He is a Buddhist warrior-monk introduced in Sengoku Blade.
- Tengai is one of five initially playable characters in Sengoku Blade, with one more unlockable in some versions.
- The game's story involves a cult kidnapping the Shogun's daughter for a sacrifice.
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