Hokuto no Ken (1984–1987)

In the year 199X, human civilization has been all but destroyed by a nuclear holocaust. In an age where the strong rule over the weak, the survivors of the fallout struggle over the ... See full summary »

Stars:

Akira Kamiya, Shigeru Chiba, Teiyû Ichiryûsai

Cast

Series cast summary:
Akira Kamiya	...	Kenshirô (108 episodes, 1984-1987)
Shigeru Chiba	...	Narrator (108 episodes, 1984-1987)
Teiyû Ichiryûsai	...	Bat (95 episodes, 1984-1987)
Tomiko Suzuki	...	Lin (68 episodes, 1984-1986)
Kenji Utsumi	...	Raoh (56 episodes, 1985-1987)
Takaya Hashi	...	Toki (51 episodes, 1985-1987)

Storyline

In the year 199X, human civilization has been all but destroyed by a nuclear holocaust. In an age where the strong rule over the weak, the survivors of the fallout struggle over the remaining supply food and water left. Kenshiro, successor to an ancient, deadly martial art known as Hokuto Shinken (Fist of the North Star), wanders the wasteland with seven scars in the shape of the Big Dipper on his chest. This infamous style uses the body's hidden 708 pressure points to destroy opponents from within and allows practitioners to unleash 100% of their humanly strength. Accompanied by a young thief and an orphan girl, this messiah brings justice to this lawless world with the strongest fist in the world.

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Plot Keywords:

martial arts | wasteland | water | action hero | red cross | 

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Taglines:

An epic assault on the senses !

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Genres:

Action | Animation

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

4 October 1984 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Fist of the North Star

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fuji Television Network, Shueisha, Toei Animation Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min 25 min (109 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

[Kenshirô's trademark phrase]
Kenshirô: You are already dead.

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Connections

Remade as Fist of the North Star (1995)

User Reviews

Most Intense anime ever!

Fist of the north star is easily my favorite anime movie ever. The film is set in a post apocalyptic wasteland where Ken the fist of the north star searches for his kidnapped girlfriend after being brutally beaten and thrown in a chasm. There's lot's more to it than that though, He has some evil brothers that want to kill him because he is the true prophet and they want his title. Ken joins up with a couple of kids and a deadly guy named ray who slices his enemies apart in some of the most brutal violence in film history. The intensity of the action alone in this movie makes it worth seeing. You see characters screaming battle cries and destroying cities with their fists, slicing and dicing they're enemies apart graphically, and causing bad guys' heads to explode with ken's touch of death. The plot although not explained well enough sometimes, is also very good and the voice acting is also good (look for the voice of the guy who played the father in the fresh prince of bell air as the leader of the guys in bear hides.) The animation dosen't flow flawlessly like in something like ninja scroll or akira but as in a lot of anime with limited budgets they make it look excellent with a minimalist style. The drawings are superb and add to the epicness of the story giving the characters huge pumped up bodies and absurd amounts of power. (punching over buildings, breaking tables due to intense mental powers, crushing peoples heads effortlessly) Some people might not like the over the top presentation of characters being fifty feet tall in one scene and then being in proportion to everyone else the next, but you must understand this is just to present the terrifying presence and power of these characters. I think it's brilliant. Rent it at all costs!!

PS The rapper Jeru the damaja samples and quotes the opening voiceover of fist of the north star on his album The sun rises in the east!