# Shinzo

Shinzo, known as Mushrambo (マシュランボー, Mashuranbō) in Japan, is a Japanese anime television series produced by TV Asahi, Toei Advertising, and Toei Animation. It was directed by Tetsuo Imazawa, with Mayori Sekijima handling series scripts, Sachiko Kamimura designing the characters and Katsumi Horii composing the music.
In the series, genetically-altered creatures known as Enterrans take over Earth and rename it in their own image called Enterra. Now three Enterrans have to protect the last human in order to find the hidden sanctuary called Shinzo and restore the human race. The anime focuses primarily on the adventures they undergo while working to accomplish this task, though battle action becomes the main focus in the middle of the series. Due in part to the popularity of Hunter × Hunter in some areas in the competing timeslot, the series struggled with an average viewership of 3.5%, and was cancelled.
In the United States, the anime was licensed and dubbed by Saban Entertainment & Buena Vista Television with all the original Japanese musical score completely replaced with a brand new completely different original American-made musical score and all the Japanese sound effects completely replaced with brand new completely different original American-made sound effects like in all of Saban Entertainment's other edited anime dubs.

## Plot

In the distant past, the Guardian of the Milky Way galaxy named Lanancuras began to harbor a desire for more power. Because of his connection to the galaxy, he was able to absorb parts of planets and add them to his strength. As a result, he began invading the worlds he was assigned to protect. In the wake of his destruction, a following of creatures from across the galaxy pledged allegiance to Lanancuras and became known as the Kadrians. Taking notice of his ever-growing power and followers, the other Celestial Guardians confronted him; however, he had become too powerful, and they were defeated. Unable to subdue Lanancuras, the Celestial Guardians each gave up a part of their power and combined it into a single new Guardian, Mushra. In a final desperate attempt, they used Mushra's core by transforming it into a powerful card with which to seal Lanancuras in a prison. The prison was created from the remains of planets that had suffered under Lanancuras' tyranny. Because planets are themselves large beings, their combined strength (along with the power of the card) was able to restrain him. Thus Lanancuras was successfully sealed in a large meteorite.
The meteorite was sent off into the galaxy to be sealed forever. Meanwhile, the way Lanancuras had increased his strength had consequences on the planets of the Milky Way. On Earth, around the 22nd century, it was in the shape of a virus that merged with human DNA and destroyed the humans that way. In order to eliminate the virus, scientists worked on combining human DNA with the DNA of animals and other creatures immune to the effects. They succeeded and created a sentient race known as Enterrans (a race of engineered Earthlings) which are based on humans, insects, reptiles, birds, sea creatures, wild beasts, and phantom beasts. Eventually, a cure was found and the human race survived.
However, due to Lanancuras' influence, the Enterrans fought their human creators as well as the robots that worked with the humans, driving the human race to a near extinction state. Luckily, a scientist named Dr. Daigo Tatsuro placed his 4-year-old daughter Yakumo in a sleep chamber in hopes that she would save the human race and find the human sanctuary Shinzo and bring peace back to Earth which was then renamed to Enterra. When the meteor that Lanancuras was imprisoned in struck Earth during the earlier parts of the Human-Enterran War, its fragment had struck an infant Yakumo giving her abilities that she would later discover.

### First season (episodes 1–21)

Upon waking up 300 years later at the age of 17, Yakumo Tatsuro stumbled upon her soon to be companion Mushra while he is strung above a waterfall for impersonating a king. After Yakumo rescues Mushra, they soon run into their other companions Sago and Kutal.
Mushra, Sago and Kutal are then shown to be Hyper-Enterrans, Enterrans who can transform into stronger powered-up versions of themselves; these forms allow them to fight the various Enterrans that come after them. Throughout the first season the main characters fight a collection of Enterrans known as the Seven Enterran Generals, and various independent Enterrans where these Enterrans were either minions of the Seven Enterran Generals or bounty hunters that target Yakumo for the bounty on her head. Each of these Generals rules a region that the gang travels through, which have different types of Enterrans, such as King Daku's land having a majority insect based Enterrans. The defeated Enterrans become En-Cards, which are card-like structures that can be used to increase power in both Enterrans and several machines such as Yakumo's sentient vehicle Hakuba.

### Second season (episodes 22–32)

When the timeline was altered due to events caused by Rusephine removing Mushrambo from the past. The Human-Enterran war never occurred with the two species eventually settling their differences and peacefully coexisting. The ultimate cause of the Enterran genocide during the war in the original timeline was revealed. The Kadrians had devised a plan to free their master: they believed that crashing the meteor into Earth would destroy the seal, thus allowing Lanancuras to escape. The Guardians eventually discovered this plan, but it was too late. With the meteorite already redirected and heading towards Earth, the Guardians held a vow that they would not directly intervene. They reasoned it was the duty of the planet and its inhabitants to defeat Lanancuras. In a stroke of luck, the Kadrians' plan was not a complete success. At impact, the seal holding Lanancuras merely ripped due to the impact; therefore, the Kadrian King was still trapped by the planetary pieces.
In the first timeline, Lanancuras used up a lot of energy to influence the Human-Enterran War when his meteor struck Earth, therefore remaining completely dormant. As this there weren't means to cause the war in the second, he was energized and about to break free from his imprisonment there.

## Media
### Manga

A two-volume manga adaptation by Yoshihiro Iwamoto was serialized from the February to September 2000 issues of Kodansha's Comic BomBom magazine. The plot is completely different from the anime version; it is more tragic, and has a happy ending where Mushra and Yakumo get married and raise a daughter. The complete DVD of the anime comes with a "Comic Book Version Mushrambo 3D Sound Special Drama" (audio drama), which includes a digest of the main story and later developments. The voice of Yakumo's father Daigo was provided by Ayumi Miyazaki, who sang the anime's theme song, and the voice of Ganchan in the later part was provided by Yoshihiro Iwamoto, who drew the manga.

### Anime
#### Season 1

| No. | Title / English Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | English air date |
| 01 | "The Explosive Roaring Soldier's Sudden Raging Transformation" / "Awakening" Transliteration: "Gōbaku senshi ikinari dohenshin" (Japanese: 轟爆戦士いきなり怒変身) | Tetsuo Imazawa | Yukito Nonaka | February 5, 2000 (2000-02-05) | July 6, 2002 |
| In the 27th century, a human child named Yakumo awakens, with the mission to find the other humans, and bring peace between them and the mutant Enterrans ruling earth now. After Yakumo's first meeting with Mushra and their ordeal with the Enterran bounty hunter Katris at the remains of the Statue of Liberty, Sago and Kutal will eventually join with them too. Note: Unlike the Japanese dub, this episode of the English Dub has mixed up with the start of second episode, which it's confusing before the next episode and onward continues the story where it was previously left off. ||||||
| 02 | "Ten Billion Force! The Crazy Powerful Angry Clenched Fist!" / "Bee-Ware The Hunters" Transliteration: "100 Oku-riki da!! Suggee zo dotekken!" (Japanese: 100億力だ！！スッゲェぞ怒鉄拳！) | Noriyo Sasaki | Kenichi Yamada | February 12, 2000 (2000-02-12) | July 7, 2002 |
| Yakumo and her new friends land in a nest of Enterran bees ruled by the Queen Bee-Ing as Katris starts to catch up to them. Hyper-Mushra manages to card them where they are regressed back to Enterran cards which are claimed by the group. ||||||
| 03 | "Rage Down! The Heinous Spider Brothers, Gold and Silver" / "Web of Evil" Transliteration: "Dotō!! Gokuaku kumo kyōdai kin to gin" (Japanese: 怒倒！！極悪クモ兄弟・金と銀) | Tetsuji Nakamura | Yoshimichi Hosoi | February 19, 2000 (2000-02-19) | July 13, 2002 |
| A bunch of Enterran spiders kidnap Yakumo in believing a legend that eating a human will make the eater immortal. At the end, when Mushra slashes them after they turned into Enterran cards, Yakumo slaps his face and tearfully throws him out of the group. Thus Yakumo is going with Sago and Kutal by leaving Mushra behind, who was devastated. In another location, the Insect Enterrans' ruler King Daku begins his plot to obtain Yakumo. ||||||
| 04 | "Mushra Riots at the Amusement Park?!" / "Day at the Park" Transliteration: "Mashura, yūenchi de ōabare!?" (Japanese: マシュラ、遊園地で大暴れ！？) | Mitsuo Hashimoto | Mayori Sekijima | February 26, 2000 (2000-02-26) | July 14, 2002 |
| Yakumo, Sago and Kutal are invited to join a festival, while Mushra still roams about. When he gets the chance to do a little revenge for being sent away, he takes it as some Insect Enterrans work on hatching Tombo. ||||||
| 05 | "Too Strong! Dokkak, the Insect King!" / "Kiri" Transliteration: "Tsuyo sugiru! Konchū-ō Dokkaku!!" (Japanese: 強すぎる！昆虫王ドッカク！！) | Harume Kosaka | Kenichi Kanemaki | March 4, 2000 (2000-03-04) | July 20, 2002 |
| Mushra stumbles into a young human girl named Kiri, who is terrified of Enterrans, but promises to show Yakumo the way to Shinzo as King Daku begins his plot. ||||||
| 06 | "The Final Battle! Mushra vs. the Insect King" / "Battling Daku" Transliteration: "Saishū kessen! Mashura VS konchū-ō" (Japanese: 最終決戦！マシュラＶＳ昆虫王) | Tetsuo Imazawa | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | March 11, 2000 (2000-03-11) | July 21, 2002 |
| In an attempt to save Yakumo and Kiri from King Daku, Sago comes up with the plan to be captured themselves. Of course Kiri is not who she seems to be. ||||||
| 07 | "Thrust into the New World! The Mysterious Person in the Jungle" / "Into the Jungle" Transliteration: "Shintairiku totsunyū! Janguru ni hisomu kaijin" (Japanese: 新大陸突入！ジャングルにひそむ怪人) | Noriyo Sasaki | Kenichi Kanemaki | March 18, 2000 (2000-03-18) | July 27, 2002 |
| Arriving in another land roaming with Reptile Enterrans, Kutal's niece and nephews show up and throw the gang on an unexpected adventure. As Mushra accidentally stumbles upon Yakumo bathing, they are ambushed by some Crocodile Enterrans as the Lizard King Waru makes his plans to take out Mushra. ||||||
| 08 | "Mushra Clash! School Wars!" / "Reptiles" Transliteration: "Mashura gekitō! Sukūru uōzu!!" (Japanese: マシュラ激闘！スクールウォーズ！！) | Tetsuji Nakamura | Kenichi Kanemaki | March 25, 2000 (2000-03-25) | July 28, 2002 |
| As Mushra battles Waru, another Enterran named Gyasa, the King of the Snake-Enterrans, appears with the intention of taking out the gang and kidnapping Yakumo. ||||||
| 09 | "Defeat! Kutal and Sago Dead!" / "Gyasa" Transliteration: "Haiboku! Kūtaru, Sāgo shisu!" (Japanese: 敗北！クータル、サーゴ死す！) | Mitsuo Hashimoto | Kenichi Yamada | April 1, 2000 (2000-04-01) | August 4, 2002 |
| After turning Yakumo into stone by throwing her into the water, Gyasa uses dirty tricks to take out Sago and Kutal, leaving Mushra by himself. Can he find a way to defeat Gyasa? Not unless he obtains a new form by taking Sago and Kutal's Enterran Cards into him. ||||||
| 10 | "Invincible Super Warrior Mushrambo" / "Mushrambo, the Ultimate Samurai" Transliteration: "Muteki no chō senshi Mashuranbō" (Japanese: 無敵の超戦士マシュランボー) | Tomoharu Katsumata | Yoshimichi Hosoi | April 8, 2000 (2000-04-08) | August 5, 2002 |
| While Kutal's niece and nephews are making an attempt to rescue Yakumo and prevent her petrified form from being shattered, Mushrambo is able to defeat Gyasa in his first form, but what will happen when he transforms? ||||||
| 11 | "Threatening Power! Gyasa's Defeat!" / "Clash of the Hyper-Enterrans" Transliteration: "Kyōi no chikara da! Gyaza funsai!" (Japanese: 脅威のチカラだ！ギャザ粉砕！) | Tetsuo Imazawa | Yukito Nonaka | April 15, 2000 (2000-04-15) | August 10, 2002 |
| Mushrambo is overpowered by the Hyper Gyasa. Can he find a way to turn the tide of the battle around? ||||||
| 12 | "Introduction to Mushra's Mystery Lao Tzu?!" / "The Test" Transliteration: "Mashura nazo no Rōshi ni nyūmon ka!?" (Japanese: マシュラ・謎の老子に入門か！？) | Harume Kosaka | Mayori Sekijima | April 29, 2000 (2000-04-29) | August 11, 2002 |
| Darba, the supposed wizard of Shinzo, appears with a proposition for the team. But what are his real intentions even when the bounty hunter Huntari makes use of some man-eating plants? ||||||
| 13 | "Friend or Foe? Mushrambo, the God of Destruction" / "Ryuma, Lord of the Reptiles" Transliteration: "Teki ka mikata ka? Hakai-shin Mashuranbō" (Japanese: 敵か味方か？破壊神マシュランボー) | Noriyo Sasaki | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | May 6, 2000 (2000-05-06) | August 17, 2002 |
| The group arrives at another forest after going through the desert, but when Grandora the 3-Headed Ice Dragon attacks the village under Ungra and Ryuma's control, it means trouble for the entire team even when Yakumo runs into the Reptile Enterrans' ruler Ryuma who plans to make use of a black card. ||||||
| 14 | "Non-Stop Rampage! The Dark God of Destruction" / "The Dark Spirit of Destruction" Transliteration: "Nonsutoppu bōsō! Kuroi hakai-shin" (Japanese: ノンストップ暴走！黒い破壊神) | Tetsuji Nakamura | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | May 13, 2000 (2000-05-13) | August 18, 2002 |
| Mushrambo has been turned evil and is now Dark Mushrambo. In the meantime, Ryuma tries to solidify his power by making Yakumo his bride. His wedding gets the most unlikeliest of wedding crashers in the form of Dark Mushrambo. ||||||
| 15 | "Robot Kingdom of the Sky Mechano City" / "Mechano City" Transliteration: "Tenkū no robotto ōkoku mekanoshiti" (Japanese: 天空のロボット王国メカノシティ) | Mitsuo Hashimoto | Kenichi Kanemaki | May 20, 2000 (2000-05-20) | August 24, 2002 |
| The group arrives in a city full of robots, but what will they do when the cops begin to pursue them as their ruler King Nipper is working for the Bird Enterran Caris? ||||||
| 16 | "Giant Robot Launch! The Mysterious Card Factory" / "The Giant Robot" Transliteration: "Kyodai robo hasshin! Nazo no kādo kōjō" (Japanese: 巨大ロボ発進！謎のカード工場) | Tomoharu Katsumata | Kenichi Yamada | May 27, 2000 (2000-05-27) | August 25, 2002 |
| What will the robots do when they learn that Yakumo is a human? Later, Sago and Kutal eventually get killed by falling into King Nipper and Caris' traps and ended up turning into Enterran cards. ||||||
| 17 | "No Weaknesses?! Devil's Invention Egg Card" / "The Great War" Transliteration: "Jakuten nashi!? Akuma no hatsumei eggu kādo" (Japanese: 弱点なし！？悪魔の発明エッグカード) | Tetsuo Imazawa | Kenichi Kanemaki | June 3, 2000 (2000-06-03) | August 31, 2002 |
| Mushra and the robots find out about Yakumo's past and the truth about the robot king, but what happens when Mushra battles Caris to the end in a one-on-one battle? ||||||
| 18 | "The Secrets of the Seven Commanders-In-Chief!" / "The Secrets of the Seven" Transliteration: "7 Daishōgun no himitsu!" (Japanese: ７大将軍の秘密！) | Noriyo Sasaki | Kenichi Kanemaki | June 10, 2000 (2000-06-10) | September 1, 2002 |
| As a machine is using the egg card's power to revive Mushra, Sago, and Kutal, King Nipper sacrifices his life in an attempt to stop Caris and prevent him from killing Yakumo. ||||||
| 19 | "Defeat Lucifène, the Strongest King of Wildlife!" / "The Feathered Fiend" Transliteration: "Taose! Saikyō no chōjū-ō Rushifēnu" (Japanese: 倒せ！最強の鳥獣王ルシフェーヌ) | Harume Kosaka | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | June 17, 2000 (2000-06-17) | September 7, 2002 |
| Mechano City has been destroyed by an attack by Caris' boss Queen Rusephine, so Mushra and company decide to get revenge by attacking the Bird Enterran colonies. What they find is a new challenge, but can they be successful at overcoming it as Rusephine takes in the cards of King Daku and Emperor Ryuma as well as the Enterran cards of Franken: King of the Sea Enterrans, Diehanger: King of the Wild Beast Enterrans, and Kimylas: King of the Phantom Beast Enterrans? ||||||
| 20 | "The Great Clash! Mushra vs. Mushrambo" / "The Two Mushrambos" Transliteration: "Dai gekitotsu! Mashura VS Mashuranbō" (Japanese: 大激突！マシュラＶＳマシュランボー) | Tomoharu Katsumata | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | June 24, 2000 (2000-06-24) | September 8, 2002 |
| Now that the original Mushramo has been brought to the present and has absorbed the Enterran Cards of the Seven Enterran Generals to become a more monstrous version of him called Dark King Mushrambo, Mushrambo must battle his evil self to prevent the young Yakumo from being killed, but can they succeed without gaining some new powers? ||||||
| 21 | "At the End of the Fight..." / "The Battle of One" Transliteration: "Tatakai no hate ni..." (Japanese: 戦いの果てに・・・) | Mitsuo Hashimoto | Kenichi Kanemaki | July 1, 2000 (2000-07-01) | February 7, 2005 |
| The final battle between Mushrambo and Dark King Mushrambo's is at hand, but which side will prevail? ||||||

#### Season 2

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | English air date |
| 22 | "I am Mushra, the Mightiest King!" / "A New Beginning" Transliteration: "Ore wa saikyō-ō Mashura-sama da!" (Japanese: オレは最強王・マシュラさまだ！) | Tetsuo Imazawa | Mayori Sekijima | July 8, 2000 (2000-07-08) | March 1, 2005 |
| Because of the defeat and destruction of the original evil Mushrambo and the Seven Enterran Generals, the timeline is altered to where humans and Enterrans co-exist in peace. Mushra is trapped at the waterfall once again, but freed by the mysterious girl named Binka, who was using her Bazooka. Later on, when Lanancuras' servant Garizani attack them, can they survive without hyper power, or is there another way for Mushra to go hyper? ||||||
| 23 | "The Hyper Form of the Hero's Resurrection!" / "Bear Claws" Transliteration: "Yūsha fukkatsu no haipā fōmu!" (Japanese: 勇者復活のハイパーフォーム！) | Tetsuji Nakamura | Kenichi Yamada | July 15, 2000 (2000-07-15) | March 2, 2005 |
| Binka and Mushra search for Sago and Kutal so Mushrambo can be reformed, but what troubles await them in route? How about two seemingly-friendly furballs. ||||||
| 24 | "The Messenger of Hell Named Eilis!" / "Nightmare Dream Center" Transliteration: "Jigoku no shisha, sono na wa Airisu!!" (Japanese: 地獄の使者、その名はアイリス！！) | Noriyo Sasaki | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | July 22, 2000 (2000-07-22) | March 3, 2005 |
| After discovering a village they had stopped at previously has been ravaged by the Kadrians, leaving Binka severely traumatized, the gang are invited to an amusement park, unaware of it being a trap by Kadrian Commander Eilis to prevent Mushrambo's return. Sure enough, Eilis decides to target Mushra to prevent Mushrambo from ever being reborn. Can the team overcome him and keep Mushra alive? ||||||
| 25 | "Awaken, Mushrambo!" / "Eilis of the Storm" Transliteration: "Mezame yo! Mashuranbō" (Japanese: 目覚めよ！マシュランボー) | Harume Kosaka | Kenichi Kanemaki | July 29, 2000 (2000-07-29) | March 4, 2005 |
| Eilis tries again to take out Mushra, Sago, and Kutal while leaving Binka alive before they can once more fuse to become Mushrambo and prevent Lanancuras' revival. But who will be the victor? ||||||
| 26 | "A Reunion Too Late" / "Reviving Yakumo" Transliteration: "Oso sugita saikai" (Japanese: 遅すぎた再会) | Mitsuo Hashimoto | Kenichi Yamada | August 12, 2000 (2000-08-12) | March 5, 2005 |
| With Eilis carded, the group gets trapped in two different never-ending maze created by Lunaria where one maze contains a Kadrian Pixie and another contains a Kadrian Troll. Their only hope of escape is Yakumo. Can they succeed? ||||||
| 27 | "The Last Hope" / "Lanancuras Arises" Transliteration: "Saigo no kibō" (Japanese: 最後の希望) | Tetsuo Imazawa | Kenichi Kanemaki | August 19, 2000 (2000-08-19) | March 7, 2005 |
| Following Lunaria being carded, Yakumo rejoins the Mushrambo trio and Binka to head to Lanancuras' crash site to try and stop the Kadrian King's revival, but who has the bigger desire to win? ||||||
| 28 | "Yakumo Dies at Sunset" / "Lanancuras Unbound" Transliteration: "Yakumo rakujitsu ni shisu" (Japanese: ヤクモ落日に死す) | Toshiaki Komura | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | August 26, 2000 (2000-08-26) | March 8, 2005 |
| Lanancuras gains his full power and continues the battle against Mushrambo. Who will end up being the victor, especially when it appears that Yakumo is killed. ||||||
| 29 | "Endless Death Struggle" / "Mushrambo Meets His Match" Transliteration: "Hateshinaki shitō" (Japanese: 果てしなき死闘) | Tetsuji Nakamura | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | September 2, 2000 (2000-09-02) | March 9, 2005 |
| Mushrambo continues his battle against Lanancuras, but does he stand a chance without the help of Yakumo and Binka? Unfortunately, Lanancuras is free, and makes his move to ensure that Mushrambo won't be a threat to him, now or ever, with Yakumo having died. ||||||
| 30 | "Mushra's Mission!" / "Mushra's Mission" Transliteration: "Mashura no shimei!" (Japanese: マシュラの使命！) | Mitsuo Hashimoto | Hiroyuki Kawasaki | September 9, 2000 (2000-09-09) | March 10, 2005 |
| Lanancuras's apparent death was unexpected and he appears to be headed toward being the ruler of the world. With help of the hyper forms of Sago and Kutal, Mushra eventually slays Lanancuras with the sword, but it gets broken anyway. After the Celestial Guardians lost their powers and Mushra getting killed with his Enterran card taken and destroyed by Lanancuras, Mushra refuses to give up and calls on a new power source to assist him. Will it be enough to defeat Lanancuras in the end? ||||||
| 31 | "Emotional Conflict" / "Soul Survivor" Transliteration: "Kokoro aru tatakai" (Japanese: 心ある戦い) | Harume Kosaka | Kenichi Kanemaki | September 16, 2000 (2000-09-16) | March 11, 2005 |
| With all hope lost, Mushra vows to destroy Lanancuras one last time, and with the guardian powers revealed he may just succeed, while Binka, Sago and Kutal make an attempt to bring Yakumo back from Lanancuras. What will happen next? ||||||
| 32 | "Farewell, Mushrambo" / "Long Live Yakumo" Transliteration: "Saraba Mashuranbō" (Japanese: さらばマシュランボー) | Tetsuo Imazawa | Mayori Sekijima | September 23, 2000 (2000-09-23) | March 12, 2005 |
| The battle between Mushra and Lanancuras comes to its exciting conclusion, but whose lives will it cost between them, Binka, or the other Celestial Guardians? ||||||

## Background

The series is an adaptation of the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en, transplanting the events to a far-future science fiction setting. Tang Sanzang becomes Yakumo, a girl tasked with reviving the human race rather than retrieving sacred scriptures. Sha Wujing becomes Sago, Zhu Bajie becomes Kutal (who transforms into a liger, and Sun Wukong becomes Mushra (retaining the character's golden headband and telescoping staff).