is a Japanese novel series written by Yoshiki Tanaka. It is loosely based on Chinese mythology.
It was written by Tanaka in collaboration with illustrators Yoshitaka Amano (Kodansha Novels edition) and manga artist group Clamp (Kodansha bunkobon). It is written with a humorous and satirical tone. It published the 15th volume as of 2020.
On July 24, 2008, at San Diego Comic-Con, North American publisher Del Rey announced that they have secured the license to the Sohryuden novel series. This would have been the first work by Yoshiki Tanaka to be released in English. This was projected to be released in 2009, but was seen on online bookstores as having a 2011 release date. Due to the closure of Del Rey, the release has been cancelled.
Story
The story features four divine Dragon Kings, rulers of the four parts of the world according to Chinese myths. The brothers are reborn in the modern world, complete with supernatural powers and the ability to become the Dragons which are their true forms. They are content to live ordinary lives as long as nobody meddles with them.
It becomes the mission of the four brothers to defeat the "Four Sisters", organization headed by four tycoons from America connected with the "Bulls" - enemies of the Dragons who have received ownership of the Western half of the world while the Dragons keep rule over the Eastern half of the world - before they use their control over technology and the economy to take over the world. However, as this battle begins, the four brothers must also find their place in the world as they flee from the destructive will of the "Bulls".
Anime
The contents to the 1st through the 6th volumes of an original novel serve as a base for the animation.
Sohryuden has been released as a 12 episode animated series. Each episode is about 45 minutes. In the U.S., Central Park Media has released all of the series on both VHS and DVD. The new releases came out November 22, 2005.
The anime was also released in the UK and Australia under the title of The Legend of the Four Kings by Manga Entertainment across six videos. The series was only released on VHS and is now long out of print.
Manga
The Clamp version was serialized as Mystery DX of Kadokawa Shoten in 1994. Intended to be a comedy, Owaru, one of the Dragon Kings, goes to Osaka to wakes snakes up. There are only three stories, and the story has not been concluded. As research, Clamp went to Osaka. The manga version by Clamp is quite rare and had been previously very difficult to obtain. Because of high demand from fans, the chapters have been compiled into a tankÃ
Âbon format artbook under the title Sohryuden Genga-shu in 2004. Additionally, there is a manga short (only 4 pages) drawn for the Sohryuden drama CD, which had been included in Sohryuden Genga-shu.
In 2004âÂÂ2005, manga artist serialized another manga version of Sohryuden as a comedy starring Owaru. Serialized in Magazine Special of Kodansha, it is Koji's debut work and has received positive reception and reviews. It was compiled into five volumes.
Characters
(Blue Dragon of the East)
At 23, Hajime is the oldest of the four brothers and since the death of his parents and his grandfather, he is the guardian of the family. Extremely intelligent, Hajime taught History at Kyowa College but lost his directorship because of his uncle, Seichiro Toba. Generally, Hajime is very compassionate and will only lose his temper when he needs to - mainly when his family is threatened. Hajime is the strongest of the brothers and his fighting skills are exemplary. He has a close bond with all his brothers - enjoying the company of Tsuzuku, acting as a mentor to Owaru and being very protective of Amaru. Hajime is the Blue Dragon King of the East and controls the force of gravity in his dragon form.
(Red Dragon of the South)
The second brother at 19 years old. Tsuzuku is often seen as the pretty boy of the four brothers as he always attracts female attention, especially when he is at college. That said, he tends to be very humble about this. Well mannered, polite, and insightful, Tsuzuku keeps his attacks to irony and sarcasm and will only fight when absolutely necessary and has an impressive array of attacks at his disposal when unleashed. He also comes up with plans to help his brothers out of tight situations. He is very close to Hajime and often shares advice with him on numerous topics. He often enjoys banter with Owaru and is also protective of Amaru. He is the Red Dragon King of the South and, in his dragon form, controls fire (electro-magnetic and nuclear energy).
(White Dragon of the West)
The third brother at 15 years old. Owaru is the most energetic out of the brothers. He has a huge appetite and, in contrast to Tsuzuku, can never shy away from a good fight. Despite his rather confident and brash exterior as well as showing a disdain for college work, Owaru is a gifted student at Kyowa College. He sometimes displays signs of carelessness that often earns a lecture mainly from Hajime. He is the one most likely to engage in combat out of all the brothers and his athleticism and superb fighting skills always ensure that he comes out on top. Owaru often sees Hajime as a sort of father figure, given that he is the one he called for when he was in danger. He indulges in banter with Tsuzuku while he acts as a guardian to Amaru, more so then his brothers. He is the White Dragon King of the West which governs the air (wind and sound, as vibration of air).
(Black Dragon of the North)
At 13, Amaru is the youngest of the four brothers and appears to be the most vulnerable - in reality has astonishing powers. These powers aid the four brothers, especially when they are in human form. He is very gentle and caring and sometimes displays maturity beyond his years - more so than Owaru. That said, he looks up to Owaru as he always seems to get involved with everything Owaru does. His relationships with Tsuzuku and Hajime is usually based on him looking to them for guidance. Amaru rarely displays fighting tendencies but as the episodes go on, he shows us more of his skills. Amaru is prone to having dragon dreams from time to time and often has them prophesied by Hajime. Because of his youth he is more in touch with his dragon powers as he can't control it as well as his brothers. He is the Black Dragon King of the North which controls the water (and lightning).
Matsuri is 18 years old and the cousin of the Ryudo family. She is greatly adored by all the Ryudos and she often adds a female touch to their household, cooking their meals and cleaning up their mess. She seems to have an extreme soft spot for Hajime, often hinting at a relationship between the two, though the two never step over the boundaries of morality. She enjoys the company of Tsuzuku and acts as a mother figure to both Owaru and Amaru. In return, all the Ryudos are very protective of her. Her father is Seichiro Toba, the self-centered and greedy head of education at Kyowa college and Matsuri is extremely contemptuous of him.
Seichiro is the father of Matsuri Toba, the uncle of the four Ryudo brothers, and the headmaster of the Kyowa Institute founded by Tsukasa Ryudo. Seichiro is driven by financial gain and wants to become head of all education in Tokyo and will stoop to any level to achieve it, even deceiving his own family. Matsuri is extremely embarrassed and contemptuous of him while, not surprisingly, he is disliked greatly by all of the Ryudo brothers despite being their uncle.
Saeko is Matsuri's mother and the long-suffering wife of Seichiro. She is the daughter of Tsukasa Ryudo, the Ryudo brothers' grandfather, making her the aunt of the Ryudo brothers. A director at the college, it is implied that Seichiro may have married her so that he could become the headmaster of Kyowa College. The Ryudo brothers are very fond of her and show her far more respect than their uncle.
Known as "", Funazu is an elderly man in his 90s with huge influence in the political world and the first major foe of the Ryudo brothers. He had known their grandfather for a long time and he became aware of his dragon powers. They both ventured to the Dragon Village known as Ryosenkyu (Dragon Springs) and while there, Funazu killed and drank the blood of a woman who resided there. He noticed a change in his system where he was immune to many weapons such as knives and bullets so he extracted the rest of the blood and had it injected into him over a period of time, expanding his lifespan. His presence in Japan meant that he was able to keep the Four Sisters corporation from influencing the Japanese government. He battles the brothers, where the Japanese army provoke the Dragon Kings.
/
Lady L is a secret agent of the Four Sisters corporation and a representative of the Mulligan Foundation, which is part of it. The Four Sisters corporation is an organization, which influences how governments in all nations are run. They tried to take over the Japanese government in the past but they were prevented by Gozen of Kamakura. She is American by birth but has Japanese blood in her, which she greatly detests. Her Chinese grandmother was raped by a Japanese soldier and her mother was born but they both were not accepted by Japanese society as they were of mixed heritage and were shipped out to America where her mother met an American man. As a result, Lady L decided to try and use the Ryudo brothers' dragon abilities to destroy Japan as the dragon represented 'good' in Japan. She is responsible for the transformations of Hajime, Tsuzuku and Owaru into their dragon forms.
The 54-year-old MP of the Conservative Party who dies in a car accident.
A 53-year-old secretary of the government.
A sadistic surgeon who specializes in live dissection. He was Gozen of Kamakura's personal physician and would keep samples of his blood, believing it to be linked with the blood of the Ryudo brothers. He was a surgeon during the last war for the Canton Army and dissected over 80 prisoners. He was also responsible for Tsukasa Ryudo, the brother's grandfather, becoming ill for the rest of his life after catching Typhus Bacteria from a cloth that Tamozawa gave to Gozen. He often clashes with Lady L, as she tries to assert the Four Sisters' influence over Japan, clashing with his desire for a scientific breakthrough regarding the Ryudos.
Episodes
Sohryuden was animated in 12 episodes. The titles displayed are the U.K. version while the Japanese version titles are in brackets.
List of episodes
References
External links