Funaho Masaki Jurai

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**Funaho Masaki Jurai** (柾木 船穂 樹雷, Masaki Funaho Jurai) is an empress of the planet Jurai. She is canon to the official continuity as she appears in the *Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki* OVAs, also appearing in its television spinoff *Tenchi Muyo! GXP* and in the *True Tenchi Muyo!* novels*.* She also appears in the Okuda's manga No Need For Tenchi, although it's a non-canon continuation of the OVAs. Being a member of the Royal Family of Jurai, she possess great power and authority. She is the great-grandmother of main protagonist Tenchi Masaki.

## History

Funaho is Emperor Azusa Masaki Jurai's first wife, and the mother of Prince Yosho. She serves as Jurai's Minister of Intelligence and acts as Head of House Masaki as her husband sits on the throne of all of Jurai. She is a distant descendant of Masaki, the sister of the first emperor of Jurai, but considers herself to be an earthling since she was born on Earth.

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Years ago, Emperor Azusa and his Royal Tree, Kirito endured a battle with the ruthless Kagato and the battleship Ryo-Ohki. Defeated, Kirito was then transported away and put near Earth by the goddess Tsunami. While there in Japan, Azusa saves a young Funaho from bandits and she helps him recoup from his injuries received from Kagato. Azusa would later court Funaho and take her back to Jurai to be his first wife.

Azusa took Funaho to be his bride despite the prejudice that came with mixed blood marriages at that time on Jurai as well as his arranged marriage with the daughter of the Lady Seto, the Devil Princess of Jurai -- Misaki Kamiki Jurai. However, most of the problems seem to have been stirred up because of a political opponent of Azusa's, Shuzan Amaki, who had been a contender for the throne, and because Funaho had been made the First Empress. Funaho is a typically quiet and dignified queen. Though some on her planet criticize her because she is an Earthling, her subjects adore her. Funaho gave birth to Azusa's son and first heir to throne, Prince Yosho, though he would later leave his inheritance and family on Jurai for a life on Earth, using space pirate Ryoko's attack on the planet as an excuse to slip away.

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Funaho is bonded to the second-generation Royal Tree, Mizuho. A twin of 2nd Empress Misaki Jurai's Karin, both ships have the ability to join together as well. The relationship being a parallel to Funaho and Misaki, considering each other sisters married to the same husband. In the True Tenchi novels, it's revealed that after a Funaho moved to Jurai, she was a stranger in a strange world until she met a young Misaki and the two became fast friends, even sisters, and finally wives married to the same husband. The two empresses even referring to each other as sister.

Funaho is one of the few who can hold her own in a spar with Misaki, though only when using a staff, which makes her one of the fiercest combatants on Jurai. After Yosho left Jurai, some members of the royal family made disparaging remarks about him, which caused Funaho to start drinking, making her more belligerent. She then displayed her fierce skills with the staff, and thrashed all of them. Ever since then, no one dared to try and get Funaho drunk again.

 File:Funaho.jpg  When she arrives at the Masaki Home on Earth, she sees right through Yosho's elderly "Katsuhito" disguise. Her main reason for coming to Earth, in OVA Episode 13 other than to see Yosho, and to check up on her step-daughters, Ayeka and Sasami, was to ask Professor Washu if she would assist Jurai by mass producing Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki for their defenses. However, Washu already knew about this reason and refused because, to Washu, not only would she not betray Tenchi's trust by accepting the offer, she also felt there should only be one Ryoko. Washu then assured a worried Funaho that she won't mass produce Ryoko or Ryo-Ohki for any of Jurai's enemies, because she has no interest in helping anyone (Washu does eventually create a "sister" of Ryo-Ohki named Fuku, who is, however, not as powerful).

## Voice Actors

* **JAPANESE** - Rei Sakuma **(佐久間 レイ)**
* **ENGLISH** - Grace Zandarski *(OVA 2)*, Kari Wahlgren *(GXP, credited as Renee Emerson)*