Hi no Tori: Yamato-hen, the second of the three 1980s anime adaptations of Osamu Tezuka's Hi no Tori, refers to the manga's third chapter, "Yamato-hen." The story is inspired by the 14th century Japanese legend of Yamato Takeru, prince of the Yamato dynasty.
While unfamiliar in the west, this legend has been described by anthropologist C. Scott Littleton as "Arthurian" due to some structural similarities with King Arthur's legend. Furthermore, despite the geographical distance, it appears that both Yamato Takeru and King Arthur originate from analogous time periods.