Its success was partly because the original Tengai Makyō was the first RPG released for the new CD-ROM format, which it utilized to create a bigger game and introduce fully voiced animated cut scenes and CD music to the genre.

The main series is composed of three separate games within the land of 'Jipang' (a fictional feudal Japan using the name given by Italian merchant Marco Polo), each follows a descendant of the 'Fire Clan' and supporting cast in battles against a range of often comical villains.

The plot and characters were inspired by the Japanese folk tale Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari (with the protagonist's name deliberately misspelled, per the fantastic theme).

[1] Sakura Wars adopted various elements from the series, including a pre-modern Japanese setting and the use of animated cutscenes and voice acting.

[8] Entries in the franchise have been released for several different console and mobile platforms, including remakes for newer systems, such as the PSP compilation Tengai Makyō Collection, which contains the main four PC Engine titles.

[12] Tengai Makyō II protagonist Manjimaru Sengoku appears as a playable character in the 2003 crossover fighting game DreamMix TV World Fighters.