# The Legend of Condor Hero

The Legend of Condor Hero (神鵰俠侶 コンドルヒーロー, Shin Chō Kyō Ryō: Kondoru Hīro) is a Japanese/Hong Kongese anime adaptation of The Return of the Condor Heroes, a wuxia novel by Louis Cha.

## Plot

The Legend of Condor Hero is set in the 13th century at the time of the Mongol invasion of China. Nearly a decade after the end of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, the Mongols have now conquered the Jin Dynasty and are now setting their sights towards the Southern Song Dynasty. The citizens of Southern Song, many of them great martial artists of the Central Plains, band together to defend their country from the onset of the Mongol horde. The story culminates in the historic Battle of Xiangyang, which was a critical battle that led to the fall of China to the Mongols.
The story revolves around the young martial arts fighter Yang Guo (Youka), who falls in love with his martial arts master, Xiaolongnü (Shouryuujo), and the trials and tribulations he goes through while searching for his love in war-torn China.

## List of episodes

There are 78 episodes released of The Legend of Condor Hero. Season I is composed of two parts—episodes 1–12 and episodes 13–26. Season II takes after the end of Season I, starting from episode 27 to 52. Season III broadcast began in Taiwan and Canada in 2008.
The Japanese version was only made for the first series.
In all three series, Taiseng released the respective DVDs months before respective television broadcasts.
Season I 神鵰俠侶 I：古墓奇緣 :
| Episode # | Title |
| 1 | Trouble at the Temple 義弟之子 |
| 2 | The Toad Stance 蛤蟆神功 |
| 3 | The Dragon of Ancient Tomb 活死人墓 |
| 4 | Fulfilling the Promise 古墓門下 |
| 5 | Lin Chaoying's Sutra 玉女心經 |
| 6 | The Serpent Deity 斷龍石 |
| 7 | Love Thy Enemy 重陽遺書 |
| 8 | A Taoist Loses His Soul 誤解 |
| 9 | Fair, Beautiful Lady 追尋夢幻 |
| 10 | Secret Ally 復仇 |
| 11 | The Past Catches Up 痛苦回憶 |
| 12 | Winter on Mount Hua 雪山怪人 |
| 13 | The Last Great Fight 武林二老歸天 |
| 14 | Heroes' Summon 英雄大會 |
| 15 | The Head of Wulin 武林盟主 |
| 16 | A Love Forbidden 禁忌之愛 |
| 17 | Sayonara 被拆散的戀人 |
| 18 | By the Stone Ruins 追憶身影 |
| 19 | Announcement of Death 火焰狂宴 |
| 20 | An Empty Tomb 命運之線 |
| 21 | Hidden Fortress 絕情谷的新娘 |
| 22 | Love Me Not 情花地獄 |
| 23 | The Dark Abyss 地獄谷底 |
| 24 | A Woman Scorned 地底秘密 |
| 25 | The Wedding and the Reckoning 染血婚禮 |
| 26 | The Beginning 隨風而去 |
Season II 神鵰俠侶 II：襄陽風雲 :
| Episode # | Title |
| 27 | Exacting Vengeance 父仇 |
| 28 | Bloodshed in Xiangyang 血染襄陽 |
| 29 | Murderous Intentions 俠中之俠 |
| 30 | Fight Till the End 捨身一戰 |
| 31 | Deep into Enemy Camp 深入虎穴 |
| 32 | Sublimation from Vengeance 超越恩仇 |
| 33 | When Life Comes to an End 生命終結之際 |
| 34 | Born in the Fire 戰火之子 |
| 35 | The Nightmare Reappears 惡夢重現 |
| 36 | The Condor Valley 神鵰谷 |
| 37 | A Duel at Dawn 黎明的決鬥 |
| 38 | Gloomy Xiaolongnü 憂傷的小龍女 |
| 39 | Fate Take Its Toll 命運多劫 |
| 40 | Seriously Wounded 身負重創 |
| 41 | Tomb of Swords 不説話的師父 |
| 42 | Condor's Sword 神鵰重劍 |
| 43 | A Distant Dream 遙遠的夢想 |
| 44 | A Duel Between Two Ladies 女傑決鬥 |
| 45 | Tragedy on Mount Zhongnan 終南山烏雲 |
| 46 | A Bloody Farewell 血色的再會 |
| 47 | Honeymoon 洞房花燭 |
| 48 | The Secret of the Chilling Jade Bed 寒玉牀的秘密 |
| 49 | Hope 希望 |
| 50 | A Crisis Approaches 危機逼近 |
| 51 | A Destined Calamity 劫難重重 |
| 52 | An Unexpected Encounter in the Snow 雪中邂逅 |
Season III 神鵰俠侶 III：相約十六年 :
| Episode # | Title |
| 53 | Walking Towards an Unlucky Ground 走向不吉之地 |
| 54 | Yang Guo in Love 楊過戀愛 |
| 55 | Rescue Guo Xiang 奪回郭襄 |
| 56 | Bitter Love 苦戀 |
| 57 | Pitiful Lü'e 悲慘的綠萼 |
| 58 | The Mountain of Offering Condolences 弔喪之山 |
| 59 | 南海神尼 |
| 60 | Drifting Away 飄流四方 |
| 61 | Snowy Night 雪夜 |
| 62 | The Nine Tailed Fox 九尾靈狐 |
| 63 | Vision of the Hero 憧憬的英雄 |
| 64 | Heilongtan old Lady 黑龍潭老婆婆 |
| 65 | Fading Days 已逝去的日子 |
| 66 | Golden Needle Agreement 金針的約定 |
| 67 | Mysterious Saviour 神秘救星 |
| 68 | Evening before the Storm 暴風雨前夕 |
| 69 | Exposure Conspiracy 陰謀暴露 |
| 70 | The Lie of Sixteen Years Ago 十六年前的謊言 |
| 71 | Guo Xiang Kidnapped 郭襄被捕 |
| 72 | Gathering Time 相聚時刻 |
| 73 | The Date of Agreement 約定之日 |
| 74 | Entrance to a Different World 通往其異世界的入口 |
| 75 | Fate Meets Again 命運再相逢 |
| 76 | Fierce Combat in Xiangyang 激戰襄陽 |
| 77 | Breakthrough Hatred 超越恩怨 |
| 78 | The Real Hero 真正的大俠 |

## Theme songs

* Opening theme song (Japanese version): Yuu performed by NoR
* Opening theme song (Chinese version): True Love is Bitter performed by Andy Lau
* Ending theme song: Blása performed by Yae

## Production

After Nippon Animation had obtained the rights of the series, it produced the animation version with association with Jade Animation (TVB's animation studio), and decided to split the series into 3 parts.

## Video releases

Taiseng Entertainment released the first season for English-speaking audiences. Since the show was much more popular in Chinese-speaking nations than in Japan, the second season was not produced in Japanese like the first season, but in Cantonese and Mandarin.
VCD video of the series was released by Warner Bros. in Hong Kong.