Fist of the North Star (1986)

A practitioner of the deadly martial art "Hokuto Shinken" allies with two children and an expert in "Nanto Suicho-Ken" to fight against the rivals who kidnapped his lover and threaten the prosperity of mankind.

Director:

Toyoo Ashida

Writers:

Buronson (comic), Tetsuo Hara (comic)

Stars:

Akira Kamiya, Yuriko Yamamoto, Kenji Utsumi

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Akira Kamiya	...	Kenshiro (voice)
Yuriko Yamamoto	...	Yuria (voice)
Kenji Utsumi	...	Raoh (voice)
Chikao Ohtsuka	...	Jagi (voice)
Toshio Furukawa	...	Shin (voice)
Kaneto Shiozawa	...	Rei (voice)
Tomiko Suzuki	...	Lin (voice)
Teiyû Ichiryûsai	...	Bat (voice) (as Mie Suzuki)
Arisa Andô	...	Airi (voice)
Junji Chiba	...	Ryuken (voice)
Hidekatsu Shibata	...	Zeed (voice)
Junpei Takiguchi	...	Heart (voice)
Takeshi Aono	...	Fox (voice)
Hiroshi Ôtake	...	Jackal (voice)
Daisuke Gôri	...	Uyghur (voice)

Storyline

After a nuclear holocaust tears the world apart, mankind is forced to the harshness of not only the oppression of others who are much more powerful, but the dead earth which seems to be getting worse with every passing moment. But a savior has risen from the ashes, a man who will defeat those who would torment the weak and make the world a livable place once more. A man named Kenshiro.....

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Plot Keywords:

anger | antihero | blindness | blood on hand | fool | 

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Taglines:

The most violent action packed animated film of all time! (Discotek Media DVD)

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

27 September 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fist of the North Star

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shueisha,Toei Animation,Toei Company

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White (some footage) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ryûken's speech regarding the nature of life and death, which opens the English dub, is quoted verbatim by Jeru the Damaja on the intro to his classic album The Sun Rises in the East.

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Goofs

At one point during his fight with Raoh, Kenshiro's arm bands are back on even though moments earlier they ripped off when he activates his Hokuto Shinken, a moment later they vanish again.

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Quotes

Ken-Ô: It's all mine. And your woman, too.

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Alternate Versions

Two endings were produced for the final fight between Kenshirô and Raô. In the Japanese theatrical cut of the film, Raô emerges victorious over Ken, but decides to spare him at Lin's request. An alternate ending was then featured in the Japanese home video (VHS and laserdisc) release which features Kenshirô and Raô ending the fight in a draw. All of the overseas dubs (including English Streamline Pictures dub) are based on the theatrical cut and thus, uses the "Raô wins" ending. Many foreign fans believe that the "Draw" ending is the original ending, but this is a common misconception since the "Raô wins" ending is not in any of the Japanese home video releases. The Korean DVD edition features "Raô wins" with its original Japanese soundtrack.

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Connections

Version of Hokuto no Kobushi (1989)

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Soundtracks

Heart of Madness
Written by Tsuyoshi Ujiki
Performed by Kodomo Band

User Reviews

Kickass anime movie!

In the post-apocalyptic future, the Earth went through a nuclear holocaust that devastated nearly all the cities and towns in the world and a few people want to bring it back to life and some mutants that oppose against them, A warrior named Kenshiro has been murdered by his former friend Shin who has stolen his girlfriend Julia but brought back to life as Ken possesses special martial arts powers to make enemies explode. He seeks revenge on Shin especially his two brothers Jagi and Raoh to make them pay and get Julia back so he can help heal the world.

Bone-crunching and ultra-violent Sci-fi action martial arts epic from Toyoo Ashida ("Vampire Hunter D") is a big assault on the senses in stylish animation. There is a ton of extreme violence throughout the movie like exploding heads, people shredded apart and that kind of thing. This isn't for the weak stomached or for kids, it's a battering ram of a movie that hits you to the core and is one anime's best movies.

Listen for James Avery (The guy from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Shredder from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles") as the voice of barbarian Fang Also recommended: "Ninja Scroll", "Wizards", "Akira", "Ghost in The Shell 1 & 2", "The Professional: Golgo 13", "Mad Max Trilogy", "Day of the Dead", "Total Recall", "Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky", "Starship Troopers", "300", "Braveheart", "The Toxic Avenger", "Battle Royale", "Street Trash", "Escape 2000", "Terminator Trilogy", "Robocop", "Fire & Ice", "Rock & Rule", "Heavy Metal", "Dead Alive (a.k.a. Braindead)", "From Dusk Till Dawn", "The Running Man", "Rats: The Night of Terror", "1990: The Bronx Warriors", "2019: After the Fall of New York", "Ichi The Killer", "Versus", "Rock & Rule", "Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend", "Vampire Hunter D", "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust", "Commando", "Saving Private Ryan", "Doom", "Barefoot Gen", "Kill Bill Vol. 1", "Grindhouse", "Sin City".