Tenko and the Guardians of the Magic facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tenko and the Guardians of the Magic |
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Logo of the series
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| Developed by | Roger Slifer |
| Voices of | Cree Summer Webster King Thomas Lee Robbie Matthews Michele Alberts Sofia Coleman Derek Patrick Gloria Bell Michael Sorich Pearl Sutton |
| Theme music composer | Shuki Levy |
| Composer(s) | Michel Dax |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Joel Andryc Eric S. Rollman |
| Producer(s) | Beth Gunn |
| Production company(s) | Saban Entertainment |
| Distributor | Saban International |
| Release | |
| Original network | syndication |
| Original release | September 11, 1995 – 1996 |
Saban's Tenko and the Guardians of the Magic is a fun cartoon show from 1995–1996. It was made by Saban Entertainment. The show follows the magical adventures of a real-life Japanese magician named Princess Tenko, whose real name is Mariko Itakura.
After each cartoon episode, Princess Tenko herself would appear in a live-action part. She would perform a cool magic trick or teach viewers a simple trick they could do at home. Even though it was a cool idea, the show only lasted for one season.
The Story of Tenko
A young, skilled magician is chosen by an old master named Tenko. She goes to his special school to learn real magic. At the school, she meets other young magicians. She quickly becomes the best student there.
The master is very impressed with her skills. He names her "Princess Tenko." This means she will be his successor. She will also become the Master Guardian of the Tenko Box. This is a magical wardrobe holding many special gems called Starfire Gems.
Two older students, twins named Jana and Jason, watch this happen. Jana gets very jealous that the new magician was chosen. She plans to rebel and convinces Jason to help her. They manage to steal two of the powerful Starfire Gems for themselves.
When Jana and Jason are caught, Master Tenko is hurt by their magic. During the fight, the Tenko Box gets damaged. The rest of the Starfire Gems scatter all over the world, and some even go through time! The twins escape. The new Princess Tenko arrives to try and stop them. Master Tenko is happy with her abilities. He gives Princess Tenko and his other students some hidden Starfire Gems. Their new job is to find and protect the other scattered gems from evil forces.
Meet the Characters
- Princess Tenko (voiced by Cree Summer): She is the main hero and leader of the Guardians. Tenko travels around with her magic show. She is always looking for the lost Starfire Gems. The gems she uses let her call on a ghostly animal friend to help her fight.
- Bolt (voiced by Neal McDonough): Bolt is a Guardian from Chicago. He is the team's funny guy. His Starfire Gem gives him the power to use a magic sword.
- Hawk: Hawk is a Guardian who feels a strong connection to nature. His Starfire Gem lets him use a magical shield. This shield can block most other gem powers.
- Steel (voiced by Michael Sorich): Steel is a Guardian who loves to study history. His Starfire Gem lets him shoot magical rings. He can throw these rings to catch enemies or even make ladders.
- Ali (voiced by Amy Danles): Ali is a spirited teenage girl. She feels a bit alone in her life. After helping Tenko on an adventure, she becomes Tenko's apprentice. She trains hard to become a Guardian. In a later episode, she becomes a Guardian and gets her own Starfire Gem.
- Shonti: Shonti is an animal trainer. She is not a Guardian and doesn't get a gem in the show. But she can do magic and is part of the team. She is from Africa and also has a connection to nature, like Hawk.
- Jana (voiced by Cree Summer): Jana is the granddaughter of the Master Guardian before Hikita. She has a short temper. She tried to steal the Starfire Gems when Tenko became the new Master Guardian instead of her. Jana often tries to trick her brother, Jason.
- Jason (voiced by Michael Sorich): Jason is Jana's twin brother. He and Tenko seem to like each other. But he is very loyal to his sister and follows her orders. Jana often uses their close bond to get what she wants.
- Hikita Tenko: He was the leader of the Guardians before Princess Tenko. After Jana and Jason hurt him, he went into the Tenko Box and disappeared. His spirit sometimes appears to Princess Tenko to give her advice.
- Travis Cage: He is a hunter who illegally captures rare animals for money. He finds a diamond Starfire Gem. With Jana and Jason's help, he tries to capture Ninjara, Tenko's snow leopard.
- Vell: He is a bad businessman. He was cutting down a rainforest to find an emerald Starfire Gem. This gem would let him free an evil creature from another dimension.
Starfire Gems and Their Powers
The Starfire Gems give the Guardians amazing powers! Here are some of them:
- Topaz Gem – Summons a Golden Lion. (Used by Princess Tenko)
- Rose Quartz Gem – Summons the Rose Eagle. (Used by Princess Tenko)
- Sapphire Gem – Lets the user breathe underwater and summon the Sapphire Dolphin. (Used by Princess Tenko)
- Garnet Gem – Lets the user use a magic sword. (Used by Bolt)
- Turquoise Gem – Gives the user a magical shield. (Used by Hawk)
- Quartz Gem – Gives the user magical rings to catch enemies or make ladders. (Used by Steel)
- Morganite Gem – Its power is unknown, but it might give super speed. (Used by Ali)
- Amber Gem – Lets the user shoot fireballs. (Used by Jana)
- Ruby Gem – Creates a shield that can hypnotize people. (Used by Jason)
- Opal Gem – Can bring objects to life. (Used by Princess Tenko)
- Amethyst Gem – Holds several animated suits of armor. (Used by Princess Tenko)
- Diamond Gem – Can make a creature bigger, like Ninjara. (Used by Princess Tenko)
- Pearl Gem – Gives the power of flight. Tenko used it to turn her horse, Pearl Rider, into a pegasus. (Used by Princess Tenko)
- Onyx Gem – Lets the user create storms. But if it's not given freely, its power can go out of control. (Used by Princess Tenko)
- Cat's Eye Gem – Lets the user see anywhere in the world and sometimes see the future. (Used by Jana)
- Emerald Gem – This is the most dangerous Starfire Gem. It can free an evil creature from another dimension. (Holder: unknown)
When Jason and Jana touch their Starfire Gems together, they can turn into a two-headed dragon!
Episodes
The first six episodes of the show are available on DVDs in the United Kingdom.
| No. | Title | Written by | Original air date | |
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| 1 | "Let The Magic Begin!" | Roger Slifer | TBA | |
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Tenko saves a child from a burning building. For her bravery, Hikita Tenko chooses her to be a Guardian of the Magic and his successor. Jana is angry and helps Jason steal the Starfire Gems, which Hikita then scatters through time to keep them safe.
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| 2 | "Through the City Darkly" | Marv Wolfman | TBA | |
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A bad guy finds a Starfire Gem, but his bag gets mixed up with Ali's. Jana and Jason chase Ali to get it back. Ali realizes the Guardians truly want to help her, and she becomes Tenko's apprentice.
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| 3 | "Diamond in the Rough" | Rich Fogel Mark Seidenberg |
TBA | |
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A hunter finds a Starfire Gem. Jana promises him the chance to hunt Tenko's snow leopard, Ninjara, in exchange for the gem. The Guardians travel to Africa to get the gem back.
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| 4 | "Strong Medicine, Strong Magic" | Sean Catherine Derek | TBA | |
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Jana poisons Tenko's horse, Pearl-Rider. Hawk takes the horse to his tribe's reservation to find his grandfather, a medicine man, for a cure.
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| 5 | "The Stone of Destiny" | George Arthur Bloom | TBA | |
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Professor Doole, a friend of Steel's, gets trapped while exploring an ancient tomb. The tomb holds the Star of Destiny, a gem that lets you see across time and space.
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| 6 | "Trust and Betrayal" | Douglas Booth | TBA | |
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Jana and Jason find another Starfire Gem, but its energy is unstable. Jason falls into a coma when he touches it. Jana asks the Guardians for help to save her brother.
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| 7 | "Night of the Dolphin" | Sean Catherine Derek | TBA | |
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Tenko performs at a water park and meets a dolphin named Delphy and a young orca named Kaylu. Jana and Jason team up with the park's greedy owner to ambush Tenko.
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| 8 | "The Big Story" | Rich Fogel Mark Seidenberg |
TBA | |
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Bolt likes a reporter named Stacy Roberts. Jason hypnotizes Stacy to lead Bolt into a trap so they can steal his Starfire Gem.
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| 9 | "Troubled Waters" | Stewart St. John | TBA | |
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An old friend of Bolt's is working on a plan to bomb a California fault line. Tenko senses another Starfire Gem nearby, and the Guardians investigate.
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| 10 | "Will the Real Tenko Please Stand Up?" | TBA | TBA | |
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A prince wants to hire Tenko to perform for him and promises her a Starfire Gem. Jana pretends to be Tenko, leading to a competition between them.
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| 11 | "The Forest Emerald" | TBA | TBA | |
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Tenko dreams about a villain and is told by Hikita's spirit to find a purple pouch. This pouch has a map to the emerald Starfire Gem.
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| 12 | "The Magic Skates" | TBA | TBA | |
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Ali is tired of being Tenko's apprentice. She goes home and gets a pair of skates that secretly hold parts of the morganite Starfire gem.
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| 13 | "Cry Havoc" | TBA | TBA | |
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Vell teams up with Jana to steal Tenko's piece of the emerald Starfire Gem. They trap Tenko in a volcano and take the gem.
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Toy Line
A line of Tenko toys was made by Mattel. The dolls were actually based on designs from a toy line that was never released, called Wonder Woman and the Star Riders. Some of the characters in the Tenko cartoon also looked like the Star Riders characters.
