Grander Musashi(グランダー武蔵,Gurandā Musashi), also known as Super Fisher Grander Musashi and Musashi the Great, is a Japanesemanga series created by Takashi Teshirogi that was adapted into two anime seasons. It is a fishing sport anime that teaches audiences fishing methods. The target of this anime is usually families and children; it teaches them to appreciate nature and not destroy it. The main theme is protecting Mother Earth from being destroyed by technology and the greed of humans. It has influenced many audiences to fish for sport, as well as giving a good message to preserve nature. Grander Musashi is supported by the Fishing Club in Japan, and in the ending credits it shows a gallery of the bass fish they captured.
The series is divided into two seasons: Grander Musashi and Grander Musashi RV.
Grander Musashi
Musashi lives with his father. His mother left them three years ago, but Musashi believes she will come back. One day they move from Tokyo to a village in the countryside. Musashi hates living in the countryside and asks his father to take him back to Tokyo. He wonders if his mother will be able to find him in their new home.
Soon after moving to the countryside, Musashi happens to see a man fishing for bass with a decoy fish. Musashi is fascinated by lure fishing. He learns a lot from the man and discovers that his mother's father was a grand champion of bass fishing. Musashi feels that fishing could lead him to his missing mother. He shows a marvelous talent for lure fishing and takes trips with his new friends, Mio and Suguru, to many places around the world in search of incredible fish. Through fishing, Musashi comes to enjoy living amongst nature.
Grander Musashi RV
Musashi Kazama and his two friends, Mio and Suguru, continue their journey traveling around the world in search of seven mysterious objects of fantastic power called "Legenders" — legendary lures in the form of a fish that give more power to attract fish. However, if it uses too much power, it will either cause destruction or hope. Legenders are said to grant anyone who catches them the power to change the world. Unfortunately, Musashi ends up competing with several other fishermen who share his ambition of capturing a Legender.
Tournament
Every fisher in the world dreams to become the best. To gain the title, each fisher has to go around the world and capture the biggest and best quality of bass. This is the hardest challenge because bass fish like to be in quiet places and are not easily tricked by any lure. The challenge gets tougher when the place is unstable, whether it is caused by nature or by the fisher themselves. Fishers must use their best techniques combined with their lures and their angler strength to win the tournament.
Legenders
Hawk Legender — Works best in sunlight. It has sharp, gripping hooks to prevent fish from escaping. It can control sunlight power.
God Legender — The most powerful Legender. It can catch any kind of fish, no matter what the weather conditions are or how fast the fish is. It can control other Legenders.
Shark Legender — A lure with deadly speed in water but has fragile hooks that cannot reel in any fish heavier than 50 pounds. It can control the wood power.
Scissor Legender — Shaped like a crab, it has retractable pincer-like hooks and can catch more than one fish. It can control moon power.
Dragon Legender — A very long lure. Its segmented parts can make it look like living bait in the water, raising the chances of catching a fish quickly and easily. It can control thunder power.
Spider Legender — Works best in muddy water. It can break through the hard mud pots that some fish hide in. It can control earth power.
Angel/Devil Legender — Formerly a very dangerous lure with very sharp hooks, it changes into a safer lure when it is used with the intention of pure fishing, not hurting other fishers.
Musashi possesses a sense of fair play and he is an honorable fisherman. He always cares for Mother Nature like BB and Masatsugu, but sometimes he is a little reckless in handling his lure. As he gets more experience, he is able to control his lure thus becoming the legendary fisher. He is best friends with Suguru and loves Mio, whom he thinks is very cute.
BB is usually very protective of Mother Nature. She is Musashi's rival competitor and Suguru's love interest. BB trusted and believed in her Dragon lure and even cared for her Dragon, unlike Musashi who was reckless and thoughtless of his Legender Hawk. Because of that, Musashi was unable to contain his own Legender. She defeated Musashi in a battle to gain the second Legender, but at a great price. Her Dragon was shattered. However, when she was granted her own Legender, her lure was reborn into a Legender.
Carl Amann
Main lure: Giga Bass
Legender: Shark
Carl is ruthless, hot-tempered, and has very little patience. He doesn't mind interfering with other fishers and has no concern for Mother Nature. He didn't learn to value life until he met Marlene. With Marlene's help, Carl finally caught his own Legender, but at the cost of Marlene's life. When Carl witnessed Marlene's sacrifice that led to her death, he finally understood how important life is; thus, he swore to honor her memory. Afterward, the third Legender Carl caught was transformed into a lure called Shark.
Yun
Main Lure: Top Clarken
Legender: Scissor
Yun is always deceitful, and he doesn't fight fairly. He considers himself to be a loner and does not want any friends except his pet. However, he fell in love with Mio, whom he told his origin to. With the aid of Mio, Musashi, and Suguru he was able to win his own Legender. When Yun received the fifth Legender, at first he was reluctant to open his hands, fearing it might be a Devil Legender. Encouraged by Mio, Musashi, and Suguru he opened his hands to reveal his Legender was a Scissor. Yun rejoiced as he knew he earned the Legender.
Masatsugu Hattori
Main lure: G-Cobra
Legender: Spider
Masatsugu is a trained ninja with a code of honor. He is deeply concerned for Mother Nature and has a sense of fair play. He battled with Kuki in a fight to claim the sixth Legender because he had to protect the fish from Kuki's reckless ravages. He won the battle with the aid of Musashi, BB, Carl, and Yun, and thus earned his own Legender. Everyone waited until Masatsugu's Legender lure was revealed to be a Spider. Yun commented that it is a fitting lure for a ninja.
Kuki Jr.
Main lure: Skeleton Minnow
Legender: Devil/Angel
Kuki is the son of Kuki Sr., who was once Musashi's enemy. Kuki is always ruthless and does not object to using lowly tricks or deceptions to win his fights. He claimed his own Legender while competing with his rivals; although he did not earn it. So Kuki's Legender was a Devil Legender, which has possessed him. When he competed with Musashi for a final time and refused to let his Legender kill Musashi, his change of heart transformed his lure into an Angel Legender.
Supporting characters
Jim
Mentor and friend to Musashi. He teaches all the basic moves Musashi needs and always gives him advice in order to excel in fishing. He is the person who Musashi first met in the countryside when Musashi's father moved them there.
Mio (voiced by Maya Okamoto)
A friend of Musashi who is in love with him and gets really jealous if any girl is very close with him, as shown in the Dragon Legender Arc in the RV saga. She is also Yun's friend and believed him when he was innocent of the charge of stealing Kuki's lure.
Suguru (voiced by Kouji Tsujitani)
Another friend of Musashi. Sometimes he argues with Musashi, but is willing to help him when he needs it. Suguru has a crush on BB, Musashi's rival.
