The Hakkenden

The Hakkenden is an two season OVA created by studio AIC, based on the epic novel Nanso Satomi Hakkenden written by Kyokutei Bakin during the latter half of the Edo Period. The first season ran from 1990 to 1992 with a total of 6 episodes, the second season running through 1993 to 1995 with an additional 7 episodes. North American distribution is licensed by Geneon.

The story of the OVA follows that of the original novel. Taking place during the beginning of the Sengoku Jidai in Awa, a tiny province that is currently a part of modern-day Chiba Prefecture. Fuse, princess of the Awa-based Satomi clan, spiritually gives birth to eight warriors who are scattered across different areas of the region. Due to the spiritual father of these warriors was a demonically-possessed dog, these warriors came to be known as the Hakkenshi (Legend of the Eight Dogs).

The series can be divided into three parts, the Prologue, the Search, and the Resolution. The Prologue presents events that occur before the birth of the dog warriors and encompasses the majority of episode 1, although numerous Prologue events are also shown throughout the series in flashback. The Search consists of the episodes prior to the warriors' final assembly (episodes 2-11), and the Resolution shows the final climactic battle fought by the Hakkenshi in the name of the Satomi clan.

The Hakkenden is an example of the following Tropes:


 * Badass
 * Badass Crew: The Hakkenshi
 * Jidai Geki