(Go to the sound console)
Index :
Fist of the North Star, in Japanese "Hokuto No Ken"
(The Fist of Hokuto; wrong the translation "Ken of Hokuto"
which is based on the kanji omophony between the word that stands
for the name of the person and the other that stands for the strenght),
known in USA as "Fist of the North Star", in China as
"Beidou Shen Quan", in France as "Ken le survivant"
(Ken the survivor) and in Italy as "Ken il Guerriero"
(Ken the Warrior).
"North Star" is not a correct translation of "Hokuto",
which is more excacly the name of the constellation of Ursa Major,
(Big Dipper, or Great Bear), or more litteraly "North Dipper",
and that's why Kenshiro has seven scars on his chest in the shape
of the Great Bear, not only one (that is the Polaris). And Ken
means "Fist", but it's also the name of the character
of the manga's pilot. So if the American translation looses very
much from the original, the Italian and French ones are all revised
with fantasy.
It was published in April 1983 as a one-shot adventure in an extra issue of the celebre Japanese comic magazine, "Shonen Jump". The author and original drawer, Tetsuo Hara, tells of a Kasumi Kenshiro, the yung successor of the Chinese combat technique of Hokuto Shin Ken, that fought the evil scums Taisan-ryu of the 80'Japan. The came the sequel, "Hokuto No Ken 2", and when the scenarist Buronson (or Buron Son) (pseudonym) was added, the setting was changed into a century's end Mad Max nuclear devastated, and then were added the seven scars to the now adult Kenshiro.
Then the story was developed with success in two long series of manga (30 original paperbacks) and in two anime series by Toi Doga, aired in Japan from 1984 to 1988, as well as a number of toys (none of which is available in Italy - But check THIS SITE for information about Kenshiro's toys).
The anime series is very close to the manga, except for the introduction of further one-shot episode, some changement in the order of episodes and for the fact the second series stopped after the defeat of the final opponent, while the manga went on(also, some aspect were less cruel in the animation, for example no children are killed).
There is also an anime movie for cinema made in 1986 (Legend of the Century's End Savior) and a recent live action movie shooted in Hong Kong (Fist of the North Star) having Gary Daniels as protagonist. There is also an apocryphal THIRD SERIES of manga written in Hong Kong. For information about the 7 blasphemies of Hokuto No Ken (how it exists only one Hokuto No Ken and how it is so easy to ruin it) click HERE.
Fist of the North Star can be defined as an approximately post-holocaust
story about unprobable high-style martial arts with a massive
use of splatter scenes.
The spot is setted some improbable ninety-years. As the beginning of the manga and the opening of each episode of the 1st series says :
"We're at the end of the 20th century, the whole world has been devasted by atomic explosions. On the surface, all seas have disappeared and plains looks like barren moors. It seems all animal species have extinguished... except one."
For the scenary the authors admitted they have been inspired by the series of movies of "Mad Max" (that with Mel Gibson in the desert). After the nuclear olocaust, the destruction of modern technology (I can't still understand where they get fuel for the motocycles) brought about a rise of ancient fighting techniques, namely the Hokuto Shin Ken style, that of the series' hero Kenshiro.
Hordes of evil dudes pillage the villages, killing even children and women without any mercy, money isn't yet worth, the only law is that of SURVIVING, strongs kill the weaks.
Men seems to be divided into three categories, the "normals", who suffer the plunderings and violences from others, men with bestial shape (I think mutant after the atomic explosions), and a third kind of men is made up of the first group, that after a hard training of a martial art become very strong. These last ones can be "good" or "evil". The most of the men of the second group is gathered in armies (like the Zeed Band) for the better loote of the villages made up only by the persons of the firs group.
The main character, Kenshiro is last descendant of the 2 thousand years-old martial arts school Hokuto Shinken (the divine school of Hokuto) and has been choosed as the most skilled among the four children the previous master of the art, Ryuken, has adopted and trained to have an heir. Truthfully speaking, at the beginning of the first series (TV series) it is said that Ryuken trained both Ken and Shin, the first to the art of the North Star (here's the name "Fist of the North Star") and the second to the art of the South Star (the Nanto Star). Then, I think to widen the story after the success of the first season, Ken's brothers were created, and as well the conflict with the Nanto School. Then came the Gento and Jenmi School.
Btw the owners of this technique are able to use the 100% of their
brain (the others only 30%) and to convert the full force of themselves
during fighting and they can use the ability of pressing Tsubos
(pressure points on the body) to paralize or completely destroy
their opponents' body. Particulary the Hokuto Shin Ken is the
School of Implosion. The Nanto Sei Ken cuts the chalanger into
"slides".
Ken wanders through the devastated wasteland that was once Japan
and sets wrongs right. During his journey he meets a boy named
Bat that becomes his sidekick, along with the young girl Rin,
who has a crush on Ken, along with a funky empathic power. Ken
meets friend and foe alike in the other martial artists he meets.
Jagi, Toki, and Raoh of his own Hokuto Shin Ken style; Shin, Rei,
and his fiance Yuria of the Nanto Sei Ken (South Dipper Holy Fist)
style. Later on he meets the Gento Kou Ken, the guardians of the
Tentei Emperor, and discovers the rogue Hokuto Ryuu Ken in his
homeland of Shura.
The TV series was made by Toei Doga from 1984 to 1988. The storyline
follows the manga pretty closely, but they often add substandard
filler material to keep the anime from getting ahead of its manga
counterpart. This is common amongst manga-based anime, like Dragonball
for example. Where story differences occur between the manga and
anime, this page will follow the manga. I will talk about some
of the differences in the anime for those that are interested.
The first season was probably the most changed from the manga
and therefore the worst. This first season covers from the first
issue of the manga with Zeed to the destruction of Devil Rebirth
and Jackal, although the order of events was drastically changed
so that it would end with Kenshiro's fight with Shin to win back
Yuria.
I assume this was probably very annoying for the viewing audience
at that time. Because of this, everyone in this season ends up
working for Shin.
Most notable are the additions of Bat's super Buggy and Rin's dog, which stick around through most of the first series.
The show starts out with Ken defeating Zeed and Spade, Diamond, Club, and Heart, who are reduced in rank to Jacks for the anime. Rin is captured by Shin's men and rescued by Ken. Ken fights the GOLAN Red Berets from the manga, but instead of being deluded fighting machines they are worshippers of Shin. Lame.
A new character is introduced named Joker that somehow manages to get Ken into lots of trouble. He is the one that leads Jackal to Devil Rebirth. Jackal never kills Bat's adoptive brother Taki, but he does kill their "mother" Toyo. And Ken just leaves the kids to live in the desert with Taki as their leader. Ken fights a number of new bad guys, all of which are pretty lame. There is a revolt amongst the warriors of Southern Cross because they feel Shin is weak. Ken and Shin finally have their belated battle, the outcome of which was known to the manga readers months earlier, but oh well.
The appearance of Rei is when the anime really gets going the right way. There are less superfluous characters and situations. An all out assault by the Kiba Ichizoku is added to the beginning of the second part. There is more stuff added with the Kiba raiding vehicles and their dealings with Rei are shown.
Later there are animal-men created by Ameoba that Ken fights. Rin runs off in the desert after Ken like an idiot. When Ken goes off to free Toki from Cassandra, Uigul is shown taking secret scrolls from martial artists instead of Raoh. Then Uigul blackmails a rare female martial artist into fighting Ken because, "Kenshiro can't kill a woman". I don't know where they got that idea because the only woman he ever fought with was another lame anime character from the first season, and Ken had no problem killing her. She doesn't kill Ken and is killed for her lenience. (Good riddance.)
When Ken & co. hook up with Raiga and Fuuga at Cassandra, the Nishin Fuurai Ken successors are forced to fight their own Fuurai master, Soujin, a follower of Raoh. Raiga and Fuuga defeat him, but are killed by some funky samurai guy.
When Rei eventually fights Raoh it is shown in real time and not relayed to Ken in a flashback.
Children are often not killed like their manga counterparts, like Taki, the kid in Shuu's resistance that eats poisoned food is healed by Ken. I guess the anime Ken is better than the manga Ken with pressure points, but worse at fighting because of the beating he takes from sub-par villains.
Ryuuga makes a stop at Yuria's grave at his first appearance, even though she hasn't really died. Maybe Shin had a fake grave made? That makes some sense.
Ken's second battle with Raoh is strung out some like the "Shin"
season. Some events are rearranged, and the revelation of the
Last Warrior of the Six Holy Nanto Fists as Yuria is no surprise
once you hear her voice. Many minions of Raoh were added, but
I liked these much better than Shin's. Amongst them were fighting
priests grudgingly fighting Kenshiro and a Taisan Ninja wanting
Ken to be his 10,000th kill.
The beginning of HNK2 is completely rearranged. Jakou appears in the first episode and Ken doesn't show up until the second. When he does he is shown with that crazy Jesus beard he had in the anime movie. There are two Grim Reaper guys that have set up a fake Kenshiro grave that Ken destroys. Two additional Gento warriors are added, Taiga and Baltz, one of whom runs off with Rin to the Land of the Shura.
The story ends after the death of Kaioh, even though the manga ran longer. Perhaps they will be covered in some HNK3 OVAs? Who knows?
Back to the Hokuto No Ken general index