Kenshiro
Kenshiro (ケンシロウ, Kenshirō), also simply known as Ken (ケン, Ken), is the main protagonist of Fist of the North Star. He is the 64th successor of the Hokuto Shinken (北斗神拳, lit. Big Dipper God Fist) style and considered one of the greatest successors in its 1,800 year history.
Appearance
He often wears a blue jacket-like shirt with a red undershirt, or no undershirt at all exposing his chest, with mettalic shoulder pads and a leather cufflet on his right arm and bandages on his left arm. He also wears pants of similar coloring and a belt and boots.
His most recognizable feature is seven circular-shaped scars on his chest in the shape of the Big Dipper given to him by his former rival Shin.
Ken's apperance is highly influenced by that of martial artist Bruce Lee as well as action film actor Yūsaku Matsuda and the Mad Max film series.
Color Schemes
Personality
Although emotionally repressed and stoic like many male heroes in 1980s media, Kenshiro is notable in manga and anime culture of the time for being a sensitive and kind-hearted man who broke the established "men don't cry" cultural stereotype. He is famous for openly lamenting, if not outright despairing over, the suffering of innocents and the deaths of his few noble enemies. He is also shown to be more openly unhinged on the rare occasions where he does get angry, and rather than deny or attempt to rationalize it, he fully accepts his rage and his wish for revenge, along with the motivation they give him, disregarding any moral ambiguity.
Abilities
Hokuto Shinken
As the 64th successor of the ancient Chinese martial art Houkoto Shinken, Ken can perform many attacks utilizing hidden pressure points to cause the victim to explode, be controlled involuntarily or otherwise incapacitated. It can also be used to heal certain physical and psychological wounds, such as restoring a person's voice, eyesight or memories, though the main purpose of Hokuto Shinken is assassination.
Kenshiro unleashes a flurry of one hundred punches which target the victim's pressure points, triggering the violent explosion of internal organs
He also uses a stronger version called Thousand Hand Destruction Fist (北斗千手壊拳, Hokuto Senjukai Ken) where he punches his opponent, giving off the illusion of a thousand fists punching them.
Personal Skills
- Hearing: Ken can hear a whisper from over 2 kilometers away and mimic many sounds, including animal cries.
- Eye sight: Can see the 'aura' of a living creature in pitch black darkness. He can also react fast enough to intercept an arrow the moment its shot.
- Sense of smell: About as good as a hound.
- Sense of taste: His taste is sensitive enough to detect any poision in food. He can also endure five times the dose of potassium cyanide required to kill an ordinary man. His body can also remain strong for around three months without eating.
- Speed: He is able to run 100 meters in 9 seconds and can throw 50 punches in three seconds as demonstarted when performing the Hundred Crack Fist.
- Strength: Ken is able repel a bullet of a small caliber gun when his muscles are strained. It is also stated that his grip, arm strength, walking ability, and back strength are all unmeasurable. His punches are demonstarted to be strong enough to split a rock that is 5 meters thick and his legs are strong enough to send a 200 kilogram man flying at least 25 meters into the air as well as jump 9 meters high.
Background
Kenshiro was originally an orphan from Taiseiden, Shura in the Republic of China and a descendent of the Hokuto Sōke bloodline. He was sent to the mainland by a former master named Jukei and was adopted by Ryuken, the master of Hokuto Shinken. Ryuken named him after his older brother Kenshirō Kasumi, since they shared the same Big Dipper-shaped birthmark on their heads.
Kenshiro watched his adoptive brothers train in the art of Hokuto Shinken and decided to join them in the fight to become Ryuken's successor. Despite being younger and more naive than his older brothers, Kenshiro was a promising student who ultimately earned the title of successor.
Relationships
Allies
- Yuria: Yuria is Ken's fiancée, who he is devoted to dearly. They originally planned to get married and live a happy, simple life but the nuclear war complicated their plan.
- Bat:
- Lin: Introduced as a scared young girl who lost her ability to speak, Ken restored it and went on to save her after getting held hostage by Zeed.
- Mamiya:
- Rei:
- Toki: Ken held his older brother Toki to great regard for his grace and practive of healing those in need with Houkoto Shinken. In the past when Toki saved Ken and Yuria during the nuclear war by allowing them to be the ones to go in the nucelar shelter he was greatly moved.
- Shu:
Enemies
- Shin: Shin was Ken's first major rival, taking his fiancée Yuria away from him and giving him the seven scars on his chest. After their battle when Shin took his own life, Ken gave him a proper burial and even honored him for loving the same woman as him.
- Jagi: Ken's elder brother who impersonated him to do evil. Jagi was very jealous of Ken becoming the one true successor of Houkoto Shinken, claiming that a little brother could never surpass an older one. When Ken scarred Jagi's face after a battle in their past, he declared to one day get revenge on Kenshiro.
- Raoh: Although Ken respected his older brother Raoh,
Quotes
Quotes- “You are already dead (お前はもう死んでいる)”—Ken's catchphrase
- “You don't deserve to live beyond today!”—Kenshiro, Chapter 2: When the Fury of Heaven Strikes
Creation and Development
Gallery
Chapter 14 Cover
Chapter 28 Cover
Volume 1 Cover
Volume 2 Cover
Volume 3 Cover
Ultimate Edition, Vol. 1
Ultimate Edition, Vol. 1 English
As he appears in the PS2 game
As he appears in Ken's Rage 2
As he appears in Lost Paradise
As he appears in Legends ReVIVE
Kenshiro as drawn by Hirohiko Araki
