This is a list of characters and organizations in the manga and anime series Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato.
The Hachibushu
In the world of Tenkūkai, the are a group of eight mystical warriors of legend (inspired by the traditional eight guardians of Buddhism tradition). Presumably, they are all the same people repeatedly reincarnated without any memories of their former lives. Their primary purpose is to defend the leader of Tenkūkai, Lady Vishnu and the rest of Tenkūkai from forces of evil called the Asura Gods. Alternatively they are also called the Deva Gods, seemingly based on both the Hindu Deva deities and the Buddhist supernatural beings. They are extremely powerful, possessing large quantities of , the inner essence that is the source of their power, and politically high-ranked, taking direct orders only from Indrah and Vishnu herself.
Each of the Hachibushu possesses a , a murti called , modeled after various mythical beings, which can be used as a lantern. By holding their Shaktis and chanting specific mantras, any of the Hachibushu can transform into a super-powered version of themselves, clad in mystical body armor also modeled after an animal, and wielding a legendary weapon. While armored, the Hachibushu are stronger, tougher, and able to manipulate their Soma into extremely powerful techniques by gesturing specific mudras and chanting specific mantras. Multiple Hachibushu can also work together to combine their techniques. The Hachibushu can also cause a partial transformation of their Shakti, turning it not into armor but a , a hoverboard-like vehicle with four green fireball-shaped wheels/thrusters on both sides used for rapid transportation.
During the course of the anime, two of the Hachibushu, Shurato and Hyūga, are framed for the petrification of Vishnu and assumed evil. They eventually persuade two other Hachibushu, Ryōma and Reiga to their cause. These four become the "good" Hachibushu, whereas the other four become primary antagonists in the show.
Shurato, the King Shura , also and (Su・ra・to) in the Siddhaṃ script. Voiced by: Toshihiko Seki (preview narrator)
Shurato Hidaka or Shurato, the King Shura, is the main protagonist of the series. A 16-year-old from Earth, Shurato is a brash, reckless, rude, impatient, and lazy individual. However, he is also brave, compassionate, and pure-hearted, and his resolve becomes the backbone of the "good" Hachibushu on their quest and the rallying point of the protagonists. His unfit behavior for a hero is remarked upon by many characters. He is an accomplished martial arts, a trait that quickly becomes useful in his time on Tenkūkai.
When he first discovers he is the reincarnation of a god on Tenkūkai, and is destined to fight the Asura Gods, Shurato is reluctant to get involved, although he does find Lady Vishnu extremely attractive. However, after witnessing a fight between Reiga and Ryōma, Shurato resolves to join the fight in order to prevent best friends from fighting each other and restore the peace in Tenkūkai. His other primary motivation is discovering what really happened to his best friend Gai.
Shurato and Gai have been best friends since high school, a seemingly unlikely pair due to their drastically differing personalities, but the two are extremely loyal to each other. Both martial arts masters, they are depicted as perfect equals, and were teleported to Tenkūkai in the midst of a tournament round battle. As Shurato is the best friend of Gai and knows he would never intentionally harm another living being, he is extremely confused and distraught when a changed Gai attempts to kill him and others repeatedly. Shurato resolves to return Gai to normal, an act which he attempts several times but fails.
His Shakti armor is inspired by a lion-like Shura being, and his weapons are a vajra—a one-handed club-like weapon—and a shield. As Shurato has not been trained in the fighting styles and techniques of the Hachibushu, he is the only one of the eight who at first does not know how to manipulate his Soma correctly and perform his Soma techniques. However, he substitutes his Earth-trained martial arts instead, and is eventually taught to utilize the full potential of his powers.
Later, it is revealed that Shurato is one of the successors of Brahma, the Creator of Tenkūkai and presumably Earth. Brahma sacrificed his mortal form to seal away the Asura Gods 10,000 years prior to the events of the anime, leaving behind only his sacred Shakti, which would bestow godlike powers to its wielder. As Gai is also a successor to Brahma, the two best friends battle for control of the artifact, with Shurato ultimately being the victor. However, he initially cannot use it, as in order to unleash the power of Brahma, there must be a balance between light and dark, with Shurato representing the light and Gai representing the dark. This means Shurato and Gai must work together to use the power of Brahma.
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Gai, the King Yaksha , also Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu
Gai Kuroki or Gai, the King Yaksha, is one of the major antagonists of the show and a primary character. He was the best friend of Shurato on Earth, but became his worst enemy on Tenkūkai. He is the second person to find Shurato after he is teleported to Tenkūkai (the first being Laksh), and attempts to kill him. As Shurato does not know how to use his Soma correctly, he is defeated, but before he can be killed, Gai is fought off by Reiga. Gai's apparent hatred for Shurato confuses the hero throughout the show.
Gai was a brother of sorts to Shurato on Earth, having been friends and companions since childhood. Like Shurato, he was a martial arts master, but unlike the reckless, brash Shurato, who only focused on complete offense, the calm and pacifist Gai practiced an almost entirely defensive style. The two were equals, with a record between them of 30 wins and 30 losses each. Gai was also extremely compassionate, having once nursed a pigeon back to health amongst other various good deeds.
However, on Tenkūkai, Gai exhibits a completely different personality, full of hatred and rage towards Shurato and a willingness to hurt and kill anyone in his path. This completely sadistic Gai confuses Shurato, who often attempts to reason with him instead of fight him, initially unwilling to hurt his best friend. As Gai utilizes dark Soma (marked by a dark blue coloring instead of the normal golden), Shurato eventually realizes Gai is under the influence of the Asura Gods and attempts to free him, but is unsuccessful.
Later, it is revealed that when Vishnu teleported Shurato and Gai from Earth, Shiva managed to disrupt the spell, kidnapping Gai and causing Shurato to randomly land somewhere in Tenkūkai in the process. The captive Gai was then filled with Shiva's dark Soma, corrupting him and turning him into the evil warrior of the anime. Shiva did this as she/he knew that Gai was one of the successors of Brahma, intending to groom him as his/her champion so that he could obtain the power of the creator god.
His Shakti armor is inspired by the wolf-like Yaksha being, and his weapons are a longsword, a large chakram, and a shield. He is apparently the most powerful of the Hachibushu, able to match four others at once in a battle, although this may simply be the result of his blessings from Shiva. He attempts to kill Shurato multiple times but fails. He also comes close to obtaining the power of Brahma, but fails in that also. Although Shurato works hard to return Gai to normal, he is unsuccessful until the very end, when a released Gai combines his power with Shurato's to summon the armor of Brahma and defeat Shiva. Gai dies in the battle, appearing later only as a voice and a flashback.
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Reiga, the King Garuda
Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue
Reiga, the King Garuda is the Hachibushu who returns Shurato to Vishnu and teaches him a lot about Tenkūkai, and the last to join Shurato's group of "good" Hachibushu. Extremely intelligent, Reiga is skilled in the manipulation of Soma and knows much of the geography of Tenkūkai and the lore surrounding the Devas and Asura. He is depicted as very effeminate, although this is never stated.
Reiga at first appears as a very lazy and laid-back individual, unwilling to get involved with troublesome affairs and generally not very well liked by some of the other Hachibushu, who are more devout and diligent. However, this demeanor belies an intelligent and serious mind, and Reiga is actually a very calculative and perceptive individual. He discovers the truth behind the conspiracy on his own, realizing that Indrah is the actual culprit and Shurato is innocent.
Reiga strongly respects the like-minded Kūya, who are both very intelligent and masters of manipulating Soma. The two are then pitted against each other while trying to open the Heiseimon Gate, but Reiga refuses to fight, instead trying to persuade Kūya back onto his side. After an exhausting battle, Kūya dies in Reiga's arms, and a resolute Reiga vows to fight in honor of his friend.
His Shakti armor is inspired by the kite-like Karura, the Japanese Buddhist name of the Garuda, and his weapons are a pair of ring-shaped chakrams and a shield. He knows the most techniques of any of the Hachibushu, and most of them revolve around feathers or the fire aspect of his totem animal. As he is not a very physical-minded warrior, he often uses his chakrams in his Soma techniques rather than for combat.
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Hyūga, the King Tennin
Voiced by: Kenyū Horiuchi
Hyūga, the King Tennin is the leader of the Hachibushu, and the most devoted follower of Vishnu. Stalwart to a fault, Hyūga idolized Vishnu and Indrah and for a time could think of nothing but blindly fighting to cure Vishnu from her petrification. At first, Hyūga despised Shurato due to his laziness and sacrilege, but came to regard him as a friend due to their similar ideals regarding camaraderie.
Hyūga's best friend is Ryōma, the two having trained and fought together in the past to the point where they know each other's strategies and techniques by heart. When Ryōma is manipulated into thinking Hyūga is evil, the two do battle, but due to their similar strengths and knowledge of the other's abilities, they fight into a standstill. This battle convinces Shurato to join Hyūga and help Vishnu, if only to prevent best friends from having to fight each other ever again.
Hyūga is also strongly hinted to have feelings for Renge, but he never acts on them or informs her of his feelings. During the opening of the Heiseimon Gate, he is pitted against Renge, and after realizing they were not meant to be together, he regrettably freezes her solid and kills her. A now resolute Hyūga vows to kill Indrah and fight for his love.
His Shakti armor is inspired by Waghoba, a tiger-like deity in Hinduism, and its name is based on Devas, mythical beings known in Japan as Tennin. His weapons are a type of nunchaku, somewhat of a split between a kanabō, a chain whip, and a surujin, and a shield. Many of his abilities revolve around ice, and he is able of creating walls of ice and freezing opponents solid.
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Ryōma, the King Dragon
Voiced by: Kōichi Yamadera (narrator)
Ryōma, the King Dragon is the strongest member of the Hachibushu, a massive warrior and a devoted follower of Vishnu. Ryōma's devotion to Vishnu ultimately trumps his trust for Hyūga, and thinking his best friend has somehow been corrupted, Ryōma sets out to kill Hyūga and Shurato.
Ryōma and Hyūga are best friends, and the two exhibit similar personalities. Ryōma comes to appreciate Shurato's ideals as well, and forms a loyal camaraderie with his fellow Hachibushu. Ryōma is set to fight Gai during the opening of the Heiseimon Gate, and although the group is unsuccessful in releasing Gai from the grip of his dark masters, this event fully convinces Ryōma of Shurato's will and fighting spirit, and he resolves to aid him.