Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (立体忍者活劇 天誅 Rittai Ninja Katsugeki: Tenchū Tenchu: Stealth Assassins?) is the first game in the Tenchu series. Created and designed by Takuma Endo of Acquire, Tenchu has been cited as one the most influential games in the stealth genre. The game was also the start of a long lasting franchise, consisting of nine releases over the first decade of its existence. Tenchu was originally owned and published by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Canonically, the storyline takes place after the events seen in Tenchu 2 and Dark Secret.