Hokuto no Ken – The past is gone, this is the dawn of the new age!!
In the year 199X, the world was covered with atomic fires, all forms of life seem to have disappeared off the face of the Earth…the seas have dried, the land has cracked, but the human race didn’t disappear!
The world is now a wasteland of lawlessness, where the weak people are treated as slaves and playthings by the strong, above all this madness Raoh, the powerful “King of Fist”, rules uncontested over the people. In this hellish world, there is only one man with the power to fight for the powerless, and his name alone strikes terror into evil hearts: Kenshiro!
Master of Hokuto Shinken, a legendary martial art practiced by assassins, this secret technique can focus all the energy to hit the vital points, and destroy the body from inside, Kenshiro is the last successor of the Hokuto dynasty, he’s the End of Century Saviour, and he’s the only one who can protect the hopeless people from their oppressors…
Following the literary works of authors like Isaac Asimov, Kurt Vonnegut, or Bernard Malamud, in Hokuto no Ken (or Fist of the North Star) we all can experience how a post-apocalyptic world could be. Absolutely anthropocentric like few other genres tend to be, Tetsuo Hara & Buronson started from Mad Max movies to develop a story in which we may find answers to many philosophical questions like why are humans the dominant species on the planet? What sets humans apart from other creatures? Or why should the human race survive, in any capacity, in the post-apocalypse? So, we can clearly say that since ancient times millions of individuals developed many different ideas about how could be the day after the collapse of contemporaneity.
You are already… a pop icon!
Influencing a vast number of series including JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Berserk. Kenshiro is a simple hero that walks around the planet, fights even more powerful villains, and moves to another location, but in his simplicity, the 64th successor of the Hokuto Shinken school is nothing but a traditional pure and fearless hero that saves millions of people using only a fingertip.
Starting from very ancient times – Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184 AD – in Hokuto no Ken we can experience a variety of traditional religions and philosophies from the far-east… Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and also Folk Religion. Each of them covers an important part of the story, and without their presence, the series would be impoverished for sure.
Famous as few other series are; Hokuto no Ken received uncountable homages not only in other manga & anime Ips, but also in movies, songs, books, and video games without forgetting the ultra spectacular TV commercial of the De/Ou body wash!
For example, we may find the presence of Kenshiro, Raoh, Jagi, Rei, and all the other formidable warriors also in Excel Saga, Vampire Hunter D, Urusei Yatsura, Kuri Kinton, Street Fighter II, and also The Witcher 3. Plus maybe not everybody knows that a lot of characters have been inspired by the most famous pop icons of the 80s. Kenshiro is Sylvester Stallone, Raoh is Rutger Hauer, Toki is… Jesus, but we can find also Boy George, Dolph Lundgren, Hulk Hogan, Freddie Mercury, and many other legends.
With many positive messages for old and new generations, Kenshiro is truly a bearer of hope for a better future. We’re sure that the Death Omen Star will never shine upon him, the Hokuto Shinken is still invincible…Atatatatatatata…Wataaah!!!
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