Fist of the North Star
Fist of the North Star (北斗の拳, Hokuto no Ken) (often called Hokuto no Ken and shortend to FotNS or HnK) is a shonen manga written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara, and the main subject of this wiki project.
Profile
Fist of the North Star was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1983 to its completion in 1988. The series is collected in a variety of formats ranging from standard tankōbons to special edition volumes such as the Ultimate Editions, all of which contain the manga as it was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump with differences such as art retouches and dialogue changes.
The manga has sold over 100 million copies, making it one of the best-selling manga series in history. It has been adapted into two anime television series produced by Toei Animation, which together aired on Fuji TV and its affiliates from 1984 through 1988, comprising a combined total of 152 episodes. It has since expanded into a media franchise, including several anime films, a live-action film, OVAs, video games, and a series of spin-offs centering on other characters from the original story. It also has a number of video games and pachinko machines produced by Sega Sammy.
Plot Summary
- Main article: List of Fist of the North Star Story Arcs
Part 1
A Cry from the Heart
Kenshiro, a wandering martial artist, is left exhasted in a wasteland searching for water and longing to see his fiancée Yuria again. Upon stumbling into a seemingly abandoned village, he is captured and accused of being a member of a gang called Zeed, a group of thugs who terroize the area, and is thrown in jail alongside an orphan named Bat. There he meets Rin, a mute girl who's family was killed by bandits. After reciving food and a cup of water from her, Ken restores her ability to speak and the village's elder comes to determine if Ken is a member of Zeed or not.
As the prison gaurds remove Ken's clothes to find the tattoo proving he is a member of Zeed, the village elder sees seven scars on his chest in the shape of the Big Dipper, symboling forthcoming danger. Just then, the Zeed gang begins attacking the villages and Rin is captured. Ken and Bat escape their cell to go help fight. Claimg to snap Rin's neck if he gets any closer, the leader of the gang her above his head to get the other villagers to back off. Kenshiro then comes in and effortlessly kills three of the gang members in a single kick, intimidating all the other members. He then attacks the gang leader, causing him to drop Rin and fall over. Ken catches Rin and when Zeed gets back up he tells him the his attacks "feel like mosquito bites". Kenshiro exclaims that he is "alreadly dead" and Zeed violently implodes and dies.
The village elder narrates that long ago in China, a martial art called Hokuto Shinken was created and the Kenshiro is the sole succesor. Bat then realises that if he stikes with Ken he would be able to have as much food as he wants and the two being walking back into the wasteland together.
Shin and the KING Organization
God's Chosen, The Golan
Jackal and the Devil Reborn
Part 2
The Fang Clan
The Battle Against Jagi
Toki and the Village of Miracles
Encounter with Kennoh at Cassandra
Rei, Mamiya, and Juda
Part 3
The Holy Emperor Souther
Toki and Raoh: Brothers
Yuria's Brother Ryuga
Part 4
Five Chariots
Final Battle with Raoh
Part 5
Celestial Emperor
The Land of Ashura
Part 6
Characters
Disclaimer: The romanization of character's names comes from the 2021 English release by Viz Media. Some other media such as the official English localizations of video games done by Sega or Crunchyroll subtitles feature slightly different romanizations.
Battles
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Manga
- Main article: List of Fist of the North Star volumes
Anime
Soundtracks
Opening Themes
Ending Themes
Video Games
- Main article: List of Fist of the North Star Video Games
Legacy
Fist of the North Star is considered one of the most influential shonen manga series of all time. Online reviwers have called it "an epochal, generation-defining work that introduced madcap ultraviolence to the page and inspired tons of other mangaka." Berserk creator Kentaro Miura named Fist of the North Star as the work that had the biggest impact on his own. Vinland Saga author Makoto Yukimura was first inspired to become a manga artist after reading the series as a boy.
It also had an influence on video games. Technōs Japan game designer Yoshihisa Kishimoto cited it as an influence on the setting and art style of arcade beat 'em up game Double Dragon, which had a disaster-ridden city inspired by both Mad Max and Fist of the North Star. It has also been credited with originating the fatality finishing move concept which later appeared in the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games.
