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 youngest of the four sons adopted by Ryuken and the rightful 64th successor of the martial art Hokuto Shinken (北斗神拳, lit. "Divine Fist of the North Star") and is considered to be one of the greatest successors in its 1,800 year history.
Appearance
Kenshiro is a man with an extremely muscular build standing at a tall height of 185 cm (6 ft 1 in).[1] He has fairly short, dark, and unkempt spiky hair, accompanied by short, wide eyes framed by thick eyebrows. He bears a similar appearance to that of his uncle Kenshiro Kasumi, who he was also named after.
He often wears a blue jacket-like shirt with a red undershirt, or no undershirt at all exposing his chest, with metallic shoulder pads and a leather wristband 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 appearance is highly influenced by that of martial artist Bruce Lee as well as action film actor Yūsaku Matsuda and the Mad Max film series.[2]
Color Schemes
Personality
Ken is a strong, stoic and largely fearless man who never fumbles around and is rarely shown being cheerful or having fun. However, he does have a caring and kindhearted side only brought out by a few like Yuria or Rin. He breaks the "men don't cry" macho stereotype prevalent in the 80s with his open lamentation and despair over the suffering of innocent or deaths of allies and even the defeats of a few of his enemies. On the other hand, when his rage is unleashed, he goes all out, disregarding any morals and openly accepting his desire for revenge and his enemies' retribution.
Background
Kenshiro was originally an orphan from the Land of Shura in the Republic of China and a descendant of the Hokuto Soke bloodline. He was sent to Japan by a former master named Jukei and was eventually taken in by Ryuken, the 63rd master of Hokuto Shinken. Ryuken named him after his older brother Kenshiro Kasumi, since they shared the same Big Dipper-shaped birthmark on their heads. He trained him alongside his other adoptive sons Jagi, Toki, and Raoh. Despite being younger and more naive than his older brothers, Kenshiro was a promising student who ultimately earned the title of successor, much to the dismay of Jagi and Raoh.
Abilities
Hokuto Shinken
As the 64th successor of the sacred ancient Chinese martial art and assassination method Hokuto Shinken, Ken executes many versatile moves utilizing hidden pressure points to cause the recipients to either be involuntarily controlled, incapacitated, paralyzed, or even explode. It can also be used to heal certain physical and psychological wounds, such as restoring a person's voice, eyesight, memories, or other injuries.
Attacks
Kenshiro unleashes a flurry of one hundred punches which target the victim's pressure points, triggering the violent explosion of internal organs
Kenshiro catches an arrow between his pointer and middle fingers and redirects it back to the shooter at the same speed and trajectory.
Kenshiro chops down on the victim's head, deforming their face and fracturing their skull.
Kenshiro stabs the victim's Toi pressure points on both sides of their head with his thumbs. The opponent will die three seconds after his thumbs are removed.
Kenshiro presses pressure points on the victim's face and neck while kneeing them in the forehead, resulting in their face being split in two.
Kenshiro rapidly kicks the victim's stomach, hardening their skin and allowing him to more easily penetrate their weakened defense.
An attack that specifically targets an opponent fighting on horseback. In the air, Kenshiro lunges toward the opponent aiming to hit their face, forcing them to dismount from their steed or they'll get hit.
Musou Tensei is the ultimate technique of Hokuto Shinken. When performing it, Kenshiro can temporarily summon the souls of his deceased comrades that follow his moves and allows him to use their special techniques. Kenshiro and the souls are completely intangible and he can move so quickly that it creates afterimages, confusing opponents as to how he dodged.
Skills
Kenshiro can heal others by gently striking certain pressure points to do things such as restore Rin's ability to speak or Airi's ability to see.
Kenshiro punches the opponent's 'Shitsugen' pressure point causing them to walk backward against their will.
Personal Skills
- Intelligence: Kenshiro displays immense intelligence throughout his fights, always being able to outsmart opponents while staying calm and rational.
Top 50 Secrets
Translated from a 1986 magazine special Fist of the North Star Special: All About the Man, 50 secrets about Kenshiro were revealed including miscellaneous abilities and statistics.
Top 50 Secrets
Relationships
Love Interest
- 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. After they were separated by Shin, Ken spent days trying to find her again and was alarmed Shin told him that she had killed herself. In actuality, Yuria had been saved by the Nanto Goshasei, and was living under the title the Last Nanto General. Eventually the two reunited, but only for a short while as Yuria was fatally ill.
Family
- Ryuken: As his adoptive father and martial arts teacher, Ken very much respected Ryuken. Eventually Ryuken chose Kenshiro to become the next successor of Hokuto Shinken and Ken took this role very seriously. When Toki informed Ken of their father's death at the hands of Raoh, Ken was very much shocked and saddened at the news.
- Jagi: Jealous of Ryuken's selection of Ken to be the next Hokuto Shinken successor, Jagi impersonated Ken to do evil. Thinking that a little brother could never surpass an older one, he wanted to fight Ken and prove himself worthier, but always lost. When Ken scarred Jagi's face after a battle in their past, he declared to one day get revenge on Kenshiro.
- Toki: Ken held his older brother Toki to great regard for his grace and practice of healing those in need with Hokuto 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 nuclear shelter, Kenshiro was greatly moved. When Ken and Toki were reunited they allied together to try and one day stop Raoh's cruel reign.
- Raoh: Although Ken respected his older brother Raoh, he understood that it was one day his destiny to end Raoh once and for all. Enraged at Raoh for the deaths of Ryuken, Rei, Toki, and countless others, he unleashed his anger and sadness to defeat him.
Allies
- Bat: Bat appointed himself as Ken's partner and "manager" and the two would then go on to face Shin's gang, KING, and a few other enemies. Although sometimes crude or insensitive, Ken would protect him and Bat would go on to look up to Ken.
- Rin: 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. Rin was able to see that Ken was a gentle man after he saved her which would set off a spark inside her that would inspire her to do good such as face some enemies and go on to inspire Rei's sister Airi too.
- Mamiya: When they first encountered each other, Ken was shocked at how similar Mamiya looked like his fiancée Yuria. Mamiya took this chance to test him with her bladed yo-yos. After this encounter, the two worked alongside Rei to protect Mamiya's village. Eventually after Yuda's defeat and Rei's death, Mamiya promises to Ken that she'll never fight again in the name of Rei.
- Rei: After forming a pact to protect Mamiya's village, Ken and Rei formed a powerful team that would take on many foes such as the Fang Clan, Jagi, Amiba, and the horrors at Cassandra. Because of all that he did for him, Rei thought that he owed Ken and challenged Raoh to a battle to protect Airi, Bat and Rin, but was ultimately fatally struck down by Raoh. Upon hearing this, Ken was greatly saddened and thought that Rei owed him nothing.
- Shu: Ken held Shu to a high regard because in the past Shu took his own eyesight to save Ken's life after a duel the two had in the past. When the two reunited years later they joined forces to try and stop Souther's tyranny. In Shu's dying moments, he regained his eyesight and was able to see Ken and how he had matured since their past clash.
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.
- Souther: Kenshiro was shocked at Souther's heartless ways and bewildered at the revelation that his Hokuto Shinken did not work on him. After Souther's execution of Shu, he was enraged, but saw the past sadness in his heart. After understanding why his secret techniques didn't work on Souther, he mercifully strikes his pressure points to give him a peaceful death.
Others
- Kokuoh: Initially Raoh's horse, Kokuoh was able to be tamed once again by Kenshiro. Kokuoh was then loyal to Kenshiro and helped him all the way until his own death.
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
Gallery
Volume 1 Cover
Volume 2 Cover
Volume 3 Cover
Ultimate Edition, Vol. 1
Ultimate Edition, Vol. 1 English
As he appears in Ken's Rage
As he appears in Ken's Rage 2
As he appears in Lost Paradise
As he appears in Legends ReVIVE
As drawn by Hirohiko Araki
Super Action Statue
