List of Fist of the North Star characters
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The Fist of the North Star manga series features a large cast of characters created by author Buronson and illustrator Tetsuo Hara. Set on a post-apocalyptic Earth after a nuclear war, the story follows a warrior named Kenshiro, the successor of a deadly martial art known as Hokuto Shinken, which gives him the ability to kill his opponents by striking their secret vital points, often resulting in an exceptionally violent and gory death. Kenshiro travels the wasteland fighting various gangs, bandits, and warlords who threaten the lives of the defenseless and innocent. Many of the characters are fighters trained in various forms of martial arts with skills that reach superhuman levels.
Hokuto Shinken[edit]
Hokuto Shinken (
The two ultimate Hokuto Shin Ken techniques are Musō Tensei (
"Hokuto Shin Ken" is named after the asterism Hokuto Shichi Sei, which is the Japanese name as the Big Dipper.
Kenshiro[edit]
The protagonist of the series, Kenshiro is the youngest of the four Hokuto brothers and the chosen successor of Hokuto Shinken.
Raoh[edit]
The eldest of the four Hokuto brothers, Raoh is a conqueror who takes the mantle of Ken-Oh or 'The King of Fists', and later gains the additional title of 'The Conqueror of the Century's End'. Believed to be the strongest and obvious choice to become the sole user of Hokuto Shinken, Raoh is a towering and intimidating man standing at least 7 feet tall (in some fights he is depicted being substantially larger i.e. 10–12 feet). After learning of Kenshiro's chosen succession as the single user of Hokuto Shinken, Raoh abandons his loyalty to his brothers and his master to wander the wastelands and become the ruler of all including conquering Heaven itself. Before leaving however, his master Ryuken begs him to give up his ambitions of conquest by never practicing his martial art or to "seal his hands" (achieved by destroying/removing his hands or his mind or by committing suicide). Raoh of course refuses and kills his master in a duel as Ryuken's fading health stops him from defending himself. Before dying Ryuken tells Raoh that because of his prideful ambitions he will never be able to achieve true mastery of their martial art, which infuriated him and planted seeds of doubt into his mind. Raoh would go on to become one of the most powerful warlords of the wastelands and eventually lead armed forces larger than the Southern Cross 6, the likes of Shin or even its leader Souther (Thouser). Raoh is a true power house of destructive force, as his technique is the "Hard Fist" style of Hokuto Shinken. This style focuses on crushing blows and straightforward assaults along with energy waves that destroy most anything they are directed at. Raoh's most notable character trait both in and out of combat is his overwhelming need to always press further and never retreat, not even one step or else his pride and claim of being the greatest will be in question.
Toki[edit]
Toki (トキ) is the second of the four Hokuto brothers. He is a pacifist who seeks to use Hokuto Shinken as a healing art. Toki's self-made technique, Hokuto Ujoken (
Toki was voiced by Takaya Hashi in the TV series, Hideyuki Tanaka in Shin Hokuto no Ken, Kenyū Horiuchi in the Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu movies and Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star, and by Hiroki Touchi in the Ten no Haō anime series. Kirk Thornton voiced Toki in English dub of the TV series.
Jagi[edit]
Jagi (ジャギ) is the third of the four Hokuto brothers. Deceptive and evil, Jagi stops at nothing to win and frequently cheats during battle. He never really mastered Hokuto Shinken, relying on his sawed-off shotgun to finish off most of his opponents. After a botched attempt at killing Kenshiro, he is left with a hideously disfigured head as a reminder of his failure. Consequently, he hides his head by wearing an iron helmet and a section of plating over the disfigured portion of his face to control the constant pain it produces. Harboring a severe hatred for Kenshiro, Jagi was the one who manipulated Shin into betraying Kenshiro. Afterwards, he engraves seven scars on his chest in the same Big Dipper-like pattern as the ones on Ken's chest and began terrorizing numerous villagers with his gang, while claiming to be the true Kenshiro himself. Kenshiro tracks him down and easily defeats him, despite Jagi having somehow learned basic Nanto Seiken as well as Hokuto Shinken. His face finally starts exploding but as he dies he reveals that Toki and Raoh are still alive and gleefully declares his hopes that Kenshiro would be destroyed in the battles to come.
Jagi was voiced by Kōji Totani in the TV series, Chikao Ōtsuka in the 1986 movie, David Itō in the 2007 OVA Yulia Den, and Yasuhiko Kawazu in Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star. In English dubs, he was voiced by Dan Woren in the 1986 movie and Peter Lurie in the TV series. Chris Penn portrayed Jagi (renamed "Jackal" in this adaptation, unrelated to the other character with the same name) in the 1995 live-action movie.
Ryuken[edit]
The previous successor to the Hokuto Shinken style. Ryuken (リュウケン, Ryūken) was the sifu who adopted and trained Raoh, Toki, Jagi, and Kenshiro in the Hokuto Shinken style. After he chose Kenshiro as his successor, he was slain by Raoh, a feat made possible by chance; he suffered a stroke at the moment he was about to seal Raoh's fist. Kenshiro did not know the real cause of Ryuken's death, having been told that Ryuken died from illness, until Toki revealed the shameful secret during their first battle. Both Kenshiro and Raoh reflect on Ryuken's teachings during difficult situations. In Fist of the Blue Sky, his real name is revealed to be Ramon Kasumi, younger half-brother of Yan Wang, Kenshiro Kasumi.
In the original TV series, Ryuken was originally voiced by Junji Chiba, later replaced by Ryūji Saikachi in the later episodes and 1986 movie, with Kōji Totani as the younger version of him. He was also played by Chikao Ōtsuka in the Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu series, by Mugihito and Takashi Kondo (as a young boy) in the Fist of the Blue Sky anime series, and by Atsushi Ono in the Ten no Haoh anime series. Malcolm McDowell played Ryuken in the 1995 live-action movie.
Koryu[edit]
Koryu (コウリュウ, Kōryū, voiced by Hidekatsu Shibata) is a former rival of Ryuken who competed against him for the succession of the Hokuto Shinken. During the duel, both Koryu and Ryuken realize that their strength and skills are equal, and that both of them could be killed in the fight. Acknowledging that, Koryu decided to give up the successorship to Ryuken, and to begin living an ascetic peaceful life in the mountains. Raoh, after healing himself of the wound given to him by Kenshiro, challenges Koryu to test his body and defeats him. Raoh, however, spares the lives of Koryu's two sons, Zeus and Aus.
Nanto Seiken[edit]
Nanto Seiken (
Shin[edit]
Shin (シン) is Kenshiro's first major adversary in the series. Shin represents the Star of Martyrdom (殉星, Junsei) and is the successor of the Nanto Koshūken (
Shin was voiced by Toshio Furukawa in the TV series and 1986 movie and by Takuya Kirimoto in the 2007 OVA Yulia Den and Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star. In English dubs, he was voiced by Michael McConnohie in the 1986 movie and by Steven Blum in the TV series. Costas Mandylor played Lord Shin in the 1995 live-action movie.
Rei[edit]
Rei (レイ, sometimes romanized as Lei or Ray) is the successor of Nanto Suichōken (
Rei was voiced by Kaneto Shiozawa in the TV series and 1986 movie, Isshin Chiba in the 2005 fighting game, Shinichiro Miki 2007 OVA Yulia Den, and Katsuyuki Miura in Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star. In English dubs, he was voiced by Gregory Snegoff in the movie and Daran Norris in the TV series.
Yuda[edit]
Yuda (ユダ, sometimes romanized as Juda or Judah) is the successor of Nanto Kōkakuken (
Judas was voiced by Bin Shimada in the original TV series and by Kisho Taniyama in the Ten no Haoh anime series. Blake Shepard voices in the English dub of Legends of the Dark King.
Shu[edit]
Shu (シュウ, Shū, sometimes romanized as Shew or Shuh) is the successor of the Nanto Hakuroken (
Shu was voiced by Katsuji Mori in the TV series and Hōchū Ōtsuka in the Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu movie series.
Souther[edit]
Souther (サウザー, Sauzā, sometimes romanized as Thouther or Thouzer) represents the Star of Leadership (
Souther was voiced by Banjō Ginga in the original TV series, Akio Ōtsuka in the Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu movie series and Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star, and Toshihiko Seki in the Ten no Haō anime series. Illich Guardiola voices him in the English dub of Legends of the Dark King.
Yuria[edit]
Yuria (ユリア, 'sometimes romanized as Julia or Yulia) is a descendant of the Rightful Nanto Bloodline and represents the Star of the Compassionate Mother (
Yuria was voiced by Yuriko Yamamoto in the original Hokuto no Ken TV series and 1986 movie, Yuriko Ishida in the Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu movie series, and Rei Sakuma in Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star. In English dubs, she was voiced by Melodee Spevack in the movie and Melissa Williamson in the TV series. Isako Washio portrayed Yulia in the 1995 live-action movie, while also providing her voice in the Japanese dub.
Nanto Goshasei[edit]
The Nanto Goshasei (
Huey[edit]
Huey of the Wind (
Huey was voiced by Kazuyuki Sogabe in the TV series and by Hiroshi Tsuchida in the Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu series.
Shuren[edit]
Shuren of the Flames (
Shuren was voiced by Norio Wakamoto in the TV series and by Nobuyuki Hiyama in the Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu series.
Juza[edit]
Juza of the Clouds (
Juza was voiced by Yoshito Yasuhara in the original TV series and by Keiji Fujiwara and Shintaro Asanuma in the Ten no Haō anime. Mark Laskowski voices Juza in the English dub of Legends of the Dark King.
Fudoh[edit]
Fudoh of the Mountains (
Fudoh was voiced by Shōzō Iizuka in the TV series and Daisuke Gōri in the Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu series.
Rihaku[edit]
Rihaku of the Ocean (
Rihaku was voiced by Takeshi Aono in the TV series and Katsuhisa Houki in the Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu series.
Gento Koken[edit]
Gento Kōken (
In the manga, there were only two Gento practitioners in the story, Falco and Solia. The anime establishes Shoki as a third Gento practitioners, and introduces two additional fighters (Taiga and Boltz). The five warriors are distinguished by the colors that their aura radiate.
Falco[edit]
Falco (ファルコ, Faruko, voiced by Hideyuki Tanaka) is the successor of Gento Kōken. Falco once confronted Raoh in the past when his army came to invade the Celestial Emperor's village, but the two came to a truce when Falco amputated his right leg (later replaced by a prosthetic) as a peace offering. Falco is later blackmailed by Jaco to do his evil bidding when he locks away Lui, the current Celestial Emperor, and is forced to fight against Kenshiro. After Lui is rescued by Bat and Ein, Falco turns against Jaco and kills him. He later sails to the Land of Shura to rescue Lin, only to be attacked by the Nameless Shura. Although he is gravely wounded, he and Kenshiro succeed in defeating the Nameless Shura, with Falco dying of his wounds soon afterwards.
Solia[edit]
Solia (ソリア, Soria) Voiced by: Michihiro Ikemizu. A general of the Celestial Emperor's Army. A protegee of Falco also trained in Gento Kōken, Solia lost his right eye to Falco during a sparring match. He challenges Kenshiro and is defeated.
Shoki[edit]
Shoki (ショウキ, Shōki, Voiced by: Tessho Genda) is a General in the Celestial Lord's army and friend of Falco. Shoki befriended Kenshiro in the past, who was traveling with an ill Yulia, and allowed the two to live in his village until Yulia's death. When they first met, he refused to reveal his real name to Kenshiro, fearing that they might face off as enemies one day. Years later, Shoki revolts against Jaco and attempts to sneak out of the Imperial Capital with the help of Falco, only to be killed by Shieno (Boltz in the TV series).
Hokuto Ryuken[edit]
Hokuto Ryūken (
Kaioh[edit]
Kaioh (カイオウ, Kaiō, voiced by Kenji Utsumi) is the First General of Shura (
Hyoh[edit]
Hyoh (ヒョウ, Hyō, voiced by Shinji Ogawa) is the Second General of Shura (
Han[edit]
Han (ハン, voiced by Koji Totani) is the Third General of Shura (
Shachi[edit]
Shachi (シャチ, lit. "Orca," voiced by Hirotaka Suzuoki) is the son of Akashachi, the pirate. As a child, he met and began to admire Raoh while his father worked under his command. On one adventure, his father's crew was attacked by Shura Warriors (it is implied it was Kaioh's army); the result being left behind in Shura after Akashachi and his remaining men fled during an attack. There, he became romantically involved with Leia, a local girl. He soon became Jukei's fourth student and learned Hokuto Ryūken to protect Leia. He began fighting against the Shuras, eventually earning a reputation as "Rakshasa." At first, he only teams up with Ken to use him in his plot to destroy the three "Rashō," offering Lin to Han so that Ken would fight him. After he is reunited with Akashachi before his death, Shachi becomes a loyal ally to Ken, sacrificing his left eye to Hyoh so that Ken would not be captured. He helps Ken restore Hyoh's memories, but later dies after being mortally wounded while fighting against Kaioh himself.
Jukei[edit]
Jukei (ジュウケイ, Jūkei, voiced by Kōhei Miyauchi) is the Hokuto Ryūken master who trained the three Rashō and Shachi. In the past, he went through a demonic possession as a result of his misuse of his style, killing his wife and child, but was rescued by Ryuken. He then trained Kaioh and Hyoh, sealing Hyoh's memories of Kenshiro and his knowledge of the original Hokuto style. The main reason for the training Kaioh, Hyoh, and Han the art because Shura needed defenders of the land and each had qualities that prevented them from learning Hokuto Shinken; Kaioh was filled with hatred, while Hyoh was emotionally attached to his brother; despite knowing the risks involved, he taught Hokuto Ryuken in order to buy time so a Hokuto Shinken successor will return to Shura (expecting it would be Raoh). In the present, he forms part of Leia's resistance, after Hokuto Ryuken has corrupted his students, and attempts to undo the seal to prevent the two brothers of the Hokuto Soke from destroying each other, which would result in the absolute destruction of the Hokuto Soke bloodline. However, Hyoh's seal was compromised by Kaioh, and any attempt to restore Hyoh's memory was lost. Realizing what Kaioh has done, Hyoh gives the mortal blow; dying, Jukei would regret his past deeds as his mistakes may doom the whole world.
In Souten no Ken, he appears as an orphaned child belonging to the Hokuto Ryūkaken.
Other main characters[edit]
Bat[edit]
Bat (バット, Batto, sometimes romanized as Bart) is a young boy who accompanies Kenshiro in his journey. Bat left his home village to fend for himself so that his adoptive mother Toyo could take better care of her other orphans. He was eventually imprisoned in Lin's home village for trying to steal food and was locked in the same cell as Kenshiro, where the two met for the first time. After escaping, Bat decides to follow Kenshiro as his self-appointed sidekick, hoping to use Ken's strength to gain food for himself, but gradually matures as he witnesses the many tragic events, including the death of his adoptive mother. He grows up and forms the Hokuto Army with Lin to fight the Heavenly Emperor's Army, becoming a wanted fugitive. As a young adult, Bat has rudimentary martial art skills, along with limited knowledge of Hokuto Shinken. At the end of the manga, Bat gives up on his love for Lin so she and Kenshiro could get married and finally, live the happy life they deserve so much. He presses Lin's pressure points to make her forget about him and manages to reunite Lin with an also amnesiac Ken, but fate forces him to pose as Ken in order to fight against Bolge, a blind and dangerous thug with a grudge against Ken. Bat is captured and horribly tortured by Bolge, but does his best to leave a convincing impersonation of Ken, hoping that with his death, the real Ken gets declared officially dead and future thugs leave him alone. Just before Bat's death, the real Ken rescues him and defeats the entire thug gang, moved by Bat's ultimate sacrifice. Lin decides to stay behind and guard Bat's grave forever, only to discover that Ken managed to revive Bat by pressing a hidden pressure point. In his final panels, Lin is happily hugging a fully revived, yet still unconscious Bat.
Bat was voiced by Mie Suzuki (as a child) and Keiichi Nanba (as an adult) in the original TV series, by Daisuke Namikawa in the Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu films, by Ayumi Tsunematsu in the arcade game by Sega, by Junya Enoki in Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star. In English dubbed versions, Bat was voiced by Tony Oliver in 1986 movie and by Gary Dubin in the TV series. He was played by Dante Basco in the 1995 live-action movie.
Lin[edit]
Lin (リン, Rin, sometimes romanized as Lynn or Rin) is a young orphaned girl who befriends Kenshiro while working as jailer in the village where Kenshiro and Bat also met. After Kenshiro helps her recover her voice (having been traumatized in the past, witnessing bandits slaughter her family) and rescues her from the clutches of Zeed's gang, Lin decides to follow "Ken" and eventually finds him, joining him in his journey. Lin flowers into womanhood, and forms the Hokuto Army to rebel against the Heavenly Emperor's Army. She later learns that she is actually the twin sister of Lui, the current Empress, and was secretly given up for adoption by Falco after he was given orders to kill one of them.
Lin was voiced by Tomiko Suzuki (as a child) and Miina Tominaga (as an adult) in the original TV series and 1986 movie, by Maaya Sakamoto in the Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu series, by Miwa Kouzuki in the fighting game version by Sega, and by Ryoko Maekawa in Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star. In English dubbed versions, she was voiced by Holly Sidel in the 1986 movie and by Sandy Fox in the TV series. Lin (as Lynn) was played by Nalona Herron in the 1995 live action film.
Mamiya[edit]
Mamiya (マミヤ) is a female village leader who bears resemblance to Kenshiro's fiancée, Yuria. She has limited skill in the martial arts, and uses weapons such as bladed yo-yos, bow and arrows, and emeici in combat. In the past, Yuda slaughtered Mamiya's parents and kidnapped her with the intent to make her his concubine, branding her with the "UD" mark on her back. She eventually managed to escape, and in her humiliation, renounced her womanhood and became a warrior. Mamiya recruits Ken and Rei as guardians of her village and later accompanies the two for several arcs of the story.
During the trio's time together, Mamiya, due to her similar attributes with Yuria, feelings for Kenshiro, though he does not acknowledge it; she also becomes the object of Rei's affections. However, burdened by the shame of her past, she is never able to express her love in return. In order that she would never forget him, Rei uses his final living days to challenge Yuda, whom he defeats and avenges the crimes that Judas committed against Mamiya in the past. Moved by his sacrifice on her behalf, Mamiya is able to re-embrace her womanhood, renouncing her life as a warrior. Following Rei's death, she only makes sporadic appearances through the remainder of the manga. She reappears in Episode 114 of the sequel TV series.
Mamiya was voiced by Toshiko Fujita in the series, Naomi Shindō in the video game Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage, and Karin Nanami in Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star. In English dubbed version of the TV Series she is voiced by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, and in Ken's Rage, she was voiced by Laura Bailey.
Airi[edit]
Airi (アイリ, sometimes romanized as Ailee or Iris, voiced by Arisa Andō) is Rei's younger sister, who was kidnapped by Jagi on the day of her wedding and then sold to slavery. The Fang Clan managed to get a hold of her after killing her previous captor and used her as leverage against Rei. Such was Airi's suffering at the hands of the Fang Clan that she blinded herself in despair. Rei rescued her with the help of Kenshiro, who restored her eyesight. She remains in Mamiya's village and gains the courage to stand up and defend herself with the help of Lin when Ken-oh's army invades the village. Like Mamiya, Airi reappears in Episode 114 of the sequel TV series.
Ryuga[edit]
Ryuga (リュウガ, Ryūga, sometimes romanized as Lewgar) is the elder brother of Yulia and the older half-brother of Juza. He is the successor of the Taizan Tenrōken (
Ryuga was voiced by Hideyuki Hori in the original TV series, Daisuke Sakaguchi (as a child) in the Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu series, and by Daisuke Matsubara in the Ten no Haoh anime series. John Swasey voices him in the English dub of Legends of the Dark King.
Ein[edit]
Ein (アイン, Ain, voiced by Ken Yamaguchi) is a famed tracker and a bounty hunter who fights with an unorthodox brawling style (ケンカ
Harn Bros[edit]
- Harn Brothers (ハーン
兄弟 , Hān Kyōdai) - Voiced by: Daisuke Gouri (Buzz) and Yutaka Shimaka (Gill)
- Buzz (バズ, Bazu) and Gill (ギル, Giru) are two dangerous brothers that were captured by Ein in the past through luck and wit (ironically they would be rescued by Ein and Kenshiro). They are masters of Nanto Sōyōken (
南 斗 双 鷹 拳 , "South Dipper Twin Hawk Fist") and have a grudge against Falco for killing several Nanto masters. In the original manga, Buzz is killed after detonating a decommissioned nuclear mortar in a failed attempt to take Falco's life, while a distraught Gill lives on and is convinced to join the Hokuto Army. He is finally seen holding Ein's lifeless body during the destruction of the capital before being phased out from the series. In the anime, both Buzz and Gill die during the explosion. The scene in which Gill holds Ein's corpse has been maintained replacing the Harn with a generic fighter. Buzz is also known as Hazu (ハズ) due to a misprint in the manga (which was fixed in the Kanzenban edition), which is the name used in the TV series.
Lui[edit]
Lui (ルイ, Rui, sometimes romanized as Rui, voiced by Yoshino Takamori) is the twin sister of Lin and the Celestial Empress (
Akashachi[edit]
- Akashachi (
赤 鯱 , lit. "Red Orca") - Voiced by: Daisuke Gōri, Nobuaki Kakuda (2007 movie)
- Father of Shachi and also a one legged and one eyed pirate with a metal claw, who transported Kenshiro reluctantly to Shura. He gave a mission to Kenshiro to find his son Shachi that somehow got lost in Shura. Albeit he is portrayed as a brutal pirate in the beginning, he did reveal his good side at the end especially when he tried to save a fatally injured Kenshiro. Raoh personally thanked Akashachi at some point, as he helped Raoh as an ocean transport. In Raoh Den, he cried for Raoh when Koku-oh brought his ashes to Reina. He was killed by Kaioh's hidden crossbow when rescuing Kenshiro; however, he did manage to find his son Shachi, as well as meeting his love, Leia, whom he blessed before passing away. After his death, his son, wore his eye patch in his memory.
Leia[edit]
- Leia (レイア, Reia)
- Voiced by: Masako Katsuki
- A native girl of Shura who breaks Shuran law by preaching against violence. She becomes Shachi's girlfriend which makes him choose to stay in Shura, but later comes to an agreement with Shachi to distance herself from him for her protection. However before Shachi's final battle with Kaioh she travels with him, and eventually holds Shachi and sheds tears for him as he dies.
Ryu[edit]
- Ryu (リュウ, Ryū)
- Introduced late in the manga's run, Ryu is the orphaned son of Raoh with an unknown mother, who was raised by the Hakuri family after his father's death. Ryu already possess wit and courage at a young age, as he stands up against a group of bandits threatening his village. He is already acquainted with his "Uncle Kenshiro" when he first appears, who introduces him to his father's steed Kokuoh. After Ryu's foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hakuri, are killed, Kenshiro takes Ryu as his apprentice and travels with him for a few story arcs before Kenshiro abruptly leaves him under the care of Balga and his son, so that Ryu can train on his own. Ryu never appears in the TV series, as the post-Kaioh chapters of the manga were not adapted, but he makes a unvoiced appearance in a flashback in New Fist of the North Star.
Balga[edit]
- Balga (バルガ, Baruga)
- Voiced by: Masaki Terasoma (2007 movie)
- One of Raoh's former generals. After Raoh died he didn't have a reason to fight and lost his "sting" as one of the hardhitting Generals of Raoh's army. Therefore he became soft and Kōketsu took advantage of that and enslaved Balga. He had to work hard in order to keep his son Shingo (シンゴ) and the other children alive. Later as Kenshiro arrived with Ryu (Raoh's son) they defeated Kōketsu and left Balga in charge of the land, protecting the people and reclaiming his honor. After Baran is defeated, Kenshiro leaves Ryu in Balga's care. In the movie Raoh Den: Gekitō no Shō, it is established that Balga was the unnamed soldier that shot Raoh in the leg with an arrow to stop him from killing Yuria; it's also established that he was Raoh's most trusted soldier and cried for Raoh knowing that he would lose to Kenshiro after being captured by Rihaku.
Others[edit]
- Kokuoh (
黒 王 号 , Kokuoh-go, "Black King") - An elephant-sized black stallion whom Raoh rides as Ken-oh. A wilful and strong creature, Kokuoh has only allowed Raoh, Kenshiro, Juza and Bat to ride him. After Raoh's death, he becomes Kenshiro's steed. He dies of old age during the manga's final arc.
- Misumi (ミスミ)
- Voiced by: Ryūji Saikachi
- A farmer whose life is saved by Ken early in the story. Ken helps him deliver a bag of seed rice to his village, but he is shortly killed by Spade. In the TV series, Misumi is named Smith (スミス, Sumisu).
- Toyo (トヨ)
- Voiced by: Reiko Suzuki (TV series), Seiko Fujiki (Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu movie series)
- Bat's foster mother. Kenshiro helps her dig a well to feed her adopted children. She is later wounded by Jackal, who attacks her village. She reconciles with Bat before dying from her wound. Toyo appears in the movie Raoh Den: Jun'ai no Shō, where she is renamed Martha (マーサ, Māsa).
- Taki (タキ)
- Voiced by: Kyōko Tongū (TV series), Tōko Aoyama (Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu movie series)
- One of Bat's adopted brothers, who leads Kenshiro to Toyo's village. In the manga, Taki is killed by a thug while stealing water from a neighboring village. In the TV series, Taki is saved by Ken at the last moment. He appears in 2006 movie Raoh Den: Jun'ai no Shō, where he is renamed Kaito (カイト).
- Koh (コウ, Ko)
- Voiced by: Ryō Horikawa
- Mamiya's younger brother, who is captured and slain by the Fang Clan.
- Shiva (シバ, Shiba)
- Voiced by: Keiichi Nanba, Miyu Irino (Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu movie series)
- Shu's son. He saves Kenshiro after he is captured and tortured by Thouzer, and accompanies him through the desert to return to Thouzer's city, when a group of Thouzer's men surround him and Kenshiro. Shiva selflessly sacrifices himself by detonating some sticks of dynamite to kill the soldiers, horrifying Kenshiro in the process.
- Toh (トウ, Tō)
- Voiced by: Mika Doi (TV series), Yuko Kaida (Yulia Den)
- The daughter of Rihaku. She disguises herself as the Last General of Nanto and then attempts to dissuade Raoh from taking Yulia by offering herself to him instead. After being rejected, she takes her own life in front of him.
- Mew (ミュウ, Myū)
- Voiced by: Kuniko Ogawa
- Falco's wife. When the Empress Lui was kidnapped, she became Jacó's woman to learn the whereabouts of the Empress. She later discovers she is pregnant with Falco's child.
- Asuka (アスカ)
- Voiced by: Saori Sugimoto
- Ein's young daughter, to whom he refers to as his "girl". In the TV series it was further established that she was his adopted daughter, whom he adopted from a young widow that used to take care of him. The widow was killed by bandits and Ein adopted Asuka as his own.
- Tao (タオ)
- Voiced by: Nozomu Sasaki
- Leia's younger brother. He looked up to Shachi as his idol and joined the Shuran training camp against his sister's wishes to follow in Shachi's footsteps. Tao deserted the training camp when he was ordered to kill a friend in combat.
- Sayaka (サヤカ)
- Voiced by: Gara Takashima
- The younger sister of Kaioh and Hyoh's fiancée who hoped that someday Hyoh would bring peace to Shura and they would cross the sea together. In order to manipulate Kenshiro and Hyoh into fighting each other, Kaioh kills Sayaka and then tells Hyoh that Kenshiro was the culprit. This triggers Hyoh's demonic aura, erasing the good moods and pity he still showed with his people.
- Black Yaksha (
黒 夜叉 , Kuro Yasha) - Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba
- A short dwarfish man who worked as a servant of the main Hokuto bloodline. He wields two long claws in battle. He assists Kenshiro and Hyoh, but dies fighting Kaioh's elite army.
- Nagato (ナガト)
- Voiced by: Kazumi Tanaka
- The second-in-command of Hyoh's army. He serves Hyoh rather than Kaioh due to Hyoh's more forgiving nature. When Hyoh turns insane after Sayaka's death, Nagato and his four subordinates renounces their position due to Hyoh's change of attitude. Hyoh considers this an act of treason and kills him.
- Ohka (オウカ, Ōka)
- Voiced by: Mika Doi
- The sister of Shume and mother to Ryūō. A woman of the Hokuto clan, Ōka and her Shume gave birth to their respective sons on the same day. However, the priests of the Hokuto clan forbade the existence of two possible successors and choose to sacrifice expose both children to a pack of hungry wolves. Realizing that Shume was dying of a terminal illness and would not live to see her child grow, Ōka gave away her life in order to concede the successorship to Shume's son.
- Shume (シュメ)
- Voiced by: Yuriko Yamamoto
- The mother of Shuken. She was already suffering from a terminal illness when she gave birth to Shuken and wished for her son to be the Hokuto successor, going as far as to take Shuken away during the sacrificial ritual the priests set up to determine the successor.
- Shuken (シュケン)
- The ancestor of Kenshiro and Hyoh. A practitioner of the original Hokuto Sōke style. He was destined to be sacrificed by the Hokuto priests as a part of a successorship ritual, but was spared by the compassion of his mother and his aunt's sacrifice. He is founder of Hokuto Shinken. In the manga Fist of the Blue Sky, it is revealed that he created Hokuto Shinken by blending the Hokuto Sōke style with Seito Gekken.
- Ryuoh (リュウオウ, Ryūō)
- The ancestor of Raoh, Kaio and Toki. His mother Ōka sacrificed her life so that he and Shuken would grow up together. Ryūō grew up without the love of his mother and lost all respect for love. Since Ryuoh was part of the Hokuto Sōke, he and all of his descendants were born with a Big Dipper-shaped birthmark on their head as proof of their bloodline. The anime establishes Ryuoh as the founder of Hokuto Ryūken, although this is later contradicted in Fist of the Blue Sky, which establishes Hokuto Ryūken as an offshoot of the Hokuto Ryūkaken branch formed centuries after Hokuto Shinken's foundation.
- Asam (アサム, Asamu)
- The ruler of the Sava Kingdom and Master of Daijō Nanken (
大乗 南 拳 , "Southern Fist of Mahayana"). He is the father of three spoiled sons (and one daughter) that don't like each other, as they three fight to be the leader of the land. Attempts to hire Kenshiro to kill his three sons to prevent a civil war.
- Kai (カイ)
- One of the Viceroys of the Sava Kingdom and the eldest son of Asamu. He was born under the sign of the Red Emperor and bears a resemblance to his father. He competes with his brothers for the successorship, but the three decides to set aside their differences when they learn their father is dying. He is later killed when he is struck from behind by one of the bandits threatening his kingdom.
- Bukoh (ブコウ, Bukō)
- The second Viceroy of Sava and Asam's middle son. He was born under the sign of the Blue Emperor. After the death of Asam and Kai, he attempts to leave the Kingdom along with Satora, but Satora forces him to stay.
- Satora (サトラ)
- The third Viceroy of Sava and the youngest of Asam's sons. He was born under the sign of the Yellow Emperor. After the deaths of Kai and Asam, he concedes the throne to Bukō and follows Kenshiro and Ryu to the Kingdom of Blanca to see his fiancee Luseli.
- Sara (サラ)
- Princess of the Sava Kingdom and the young daughter of Asam. She is the one who seeks Kenshiro's help in order to solve the dispute between her three brothers.
- Luseli (ルセリ, Ruseri)
- Princess of the Blanca Kingdom and Satora's fiancee. She was saved by Baran, whom bares some resemblance to his younger sister who died many years ago.
- Pell (ペル, Peru)
- Lin's pet dog. Appears only in the TV series during the early episodes, but disappears after the Thouzer arc.
- Saki (サキ)
- Voiced by: Kazumi Amemiya (episodes 12-21) → Yumiko Shibata (episode 73)
- A young girl who appears in the early episodes of the TV series as Yulia's personal servant in Southern Cross. She provides emotional support to Yulia after learning about her situation and makes an escape attempt with Yulia, hoping to reunite her with Kenshiro. Shin catches the two in the act and decides to punish Saki. However, instead of killing her, she is sent back to her home village. She later appears in the Ryuga arc, where she is shown to be the caretaker of Shin's and Yulia's graves.
- Rock (ロック)
- Voiced by: Masashi Hironaka (episodes 131-133)
- A young man form the Land of Shura who appears only in the Hokuto no Ken 2 anime series. As the leader of a band of cowboy-like fighters, Rock intends to bring peace to the Land of Shura after it is discovered that the man who killed Han was not Raoh but actually Kenshiro, and his father and younger brother are both killed by Shuras following this revelation. When they discover that Kenshiro and Hyoh, the second general of Shura, are biological brothers, he and his gang set out to defeat Hyoh before the two brothers face each other. Hyoh's army slaughters Rock's men and leave Rock fatally wounded. Rock tries to tell Kenshiro that Hyoh is his brother, but succumbs to his wound before he can do so.
Villains[edit]
Zeed[edit]
The Zeed (ジード, Jīdo) biker gang are the first group of villains Kenshiro faces in the story. Composed of mohawked punks with the letter "Z" tattooed over their heads, the Zeed gang have raided numerous villages and delivery vehicles for their food and water supply. The gang's leader (voiced by Eiji Kanie and Joe Romersa in the TV series and Hidekatsu Shibata and Michael Forest in the 1986 movie) has "Z 666" tattooed on his forehead. Kenshiro faces the gang when they invade Lin's village and the leader holds Lin captive. Kenshiro easily thwarts Zeed's men before taking on the leader himself, defeating him with the Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken (North Star Hundred Crack Fist), causing Ken to utter his famous catch-phrase, "You are already dead" (Omae wa mō shindeiru), when he gets up for a counter-attack. Before he dies he says "What?' (nani). That started the memes about the series.
King[edit]
King (キング, Kingu, the Kingsmen in Viz's translation of the manga) is the gang formed and led by Shin of the Nanto Koshūken school. In the original manga, the King organization is a territorial gang that rules over the former Kantō region, its base of operations being the city of Southern Cross (サザンクロス, Sazankurosu). Its members includes Shin himself, his four lieutenants (who pattern themselves after the four playing card suits) and their numerous nameless underlings. Each of the King gang members are named after playing cards.
The first of Shin's four lieutenants whom Kenshiro encounters is Spade (スペード, Supēdo, voiced by Tesshō Genda), who loses his right eye during their initial encounter due to Kenshiro catching one of his arrows and throwing it back at his eye with the Nishi Shinku Ha technique. The second lieutenant, Diamond (ダイヤ, Daiya, voiced by Daisuke Gōri), is a staff wielding expert with clown-like makeup who executes random villagers to lure Kenshiro. The third, Club (クラブ, Kurabu, voiced by Kōji Totani) is armed with long claws and practices his Praying Mantis style against captured peasants. The fourth and last, Heart (ハート, Hāto, voiced by Shōzō Iizuka in the TV series and by Junpei Takiguchi in the 1986 film version) is a large fat man who can absorb and deflect the impact of most martial art techniques with his stomach, earning him the title the "Destroyer of Fists". He is the most merciful of the four lieutenants, which is evident when he orders his underlings to stop harassing a bartender, and tends to respect his opponents. However, his friendliness quickly turns to rage at the mere sight of his own blood, which leads him to enter a berserker-like state in which he will attack everyone near him. Heart is the most prominent of the four lieutenants, appearing in numerous Hokuto no Ken related media outside the original manga. He appears in the 1986 movie as Jagi's bodyguard and in numerous video games as a boss or sub-boss character.
In the TV series, the King organization is much larger in terms of sheer size and influence. In addition to Shin and the four core members from the manga (who are referred in the TV series as the "Four Jacks"), the King organization consists of numerous subordinate organizations and gangs, including God's Army (the Golan Commandos) and the Warriors (Jackal's gang), which were separate organizations in the manga, as well several original villains created for the series. The most prominent original character, Joker (ジョーカー, Jōkā, voiced by Shigeru Chiba in Japanese and Richard Cansino in the English dub) serves as Shin's primary informant and middleman and fights using a form of Nanto Seiken known as Nanto Shōtenken (
Golan[edit]
The Golan (ゴラン, Goran, the Provident in the Viz's English edition) organization is a militia composed of specially trained commandos that belonged to the fictional Red Beret special forces unit prior to the nuclear war, which was incidentally caused by their country of origin. In the manga, the members of Golan think of themselves as God's chosen and are seeking to create God's Land (ゴッドランド, Goddorando, Providence in Viz's English edition), a nation for their elite race, by capturing young women and girls for procreation of their race. After Kenshiro rescues Lin from a group of Golan commandos and witnesses the horrors the organization beforehand, Ken decides to infiltrate the group's training camp and confronts their drill instructor, the Mad Sarge (マッド
In the TV series, the Golan organization became God's Army (ゴッドアーミー, Goddo Āmī), which is revealed to be one of King's subordinate organizations whose members worship Shin as their deity. in the 1986 movie, the Colonel appears as the security leader of Shin's palace in Southern Cross.
Jackal[edit]
Jackal (ジャッカル, Jakkaru, voiced by Masayuki Katō in the TV series, Hiroshi Ohtake in the 1986 movie and Beau Billingslea in the English dub of the TV series) is the leader of a notorious biker gang that attempts steal water from children. Jackal finds himself at odds with Ken after Jackal's gang invades Bat's home village and kills his adoptive mother, Toyo. Kenshiro follows Jackal's trail, wasting several of his thugs, including Jackal's second-in-command Fox (フォックス, Fokkusu) voiced by Kōji Totani in the TV series and Takeshi Aono in the 1986 movie. Eventually Ken catches up with Jackal at Villainy Prison, a rundown jail which was once used to hold the worst of the worst criminals. As a last-ditch effort, Jackal unleashes a giant beast of man known as the Devil's Rebirth (
In the TV series, Jackal's gang is known as The Warriors and is one of several subordinate organizations of the King empire. Jackal himself is characterized as a master of Nanto Bakusatsuken (
Fang Clan[edit]
The Fang Clan (
In the 1986 movie, the Fang Clan appears as a rival gang who fights against Ken-Oh's army for their territory. Raoh defeats Boss Fang with ease.
Amiba[edit]
Amiba (アミバ) is a self-proclaimed genius who has developed a self-styled imitation of Hokuto Shinken by observing Toki's treatment of patients in Miracle Village. He bears a grudge against Toki after being scolded for mistreating a patient and when the real Toki vanishes, Amiba decides to tarnish his reputation by impersonating him (by changing his facial appearance and reproducing the scar on his back) and using captive human test subjects for his sadistic pressure point experiments. Kenshiro confronts Amiba, believing that he is the real Toki who has turned evil, until Rei (having trained with Amiba in the Nanto Seiken school) arrives at the last moment and exposes his true identity. Amiba was voiced by Takaya Hashi in the original TV series. He is reincarnated in another world in Amiba Gaiden, a comedy series parodying the isekai genre where the genius is reincarnated in another world with his knowledge of martial arts intact.
Cassandra[edit]
The Dungeon of Cassandra (カサンドラ, Kasandora), also known as the City of Wailing Demons, was originally under the control of the Dragon Emperor as means to ward off intruders until Raoh took over, turning into a prison city where many of his enemies are locked-up, mainly rival martial artists who were forced to give up their martial art secrets to Ken-oh. The dungeon is run by Uighur, the Warden (ウイグル
Uighur appears in the 1986 movie as a public executioner and the second-in-command in Raoh's army, who is killed by Rei.
Ken-oh's army[edit]
Beginning with the Cassandra arc, Kenshiro and his allies faces against Ken-oh's numerous minions thorough their campaign against the conqueror. These include Ken-oh's Royal Guards at Cassandra, led by the Arabian swordsmen Zarqa and Qasim; the Ken-oh Transformation Attack Squad, led by a man posing as an old woman named Dekai Baba; the Ken-oh Invasion Squad, led by the fire-breather Gallon; the Dog Master Galf, who controls Medicine City; Gonzu, A cruel record holder in Human Hammer Throw; the arabic-looking swordmaster Jemoni; Hiruka, a Taizan Yōken master who challenges Fudoh; and Jadow, a biker (among others).
UD gang[edit]
Kenshiro and Rei face Yuda's minions before Rei's battle with Yuda. They are recognizable by the "UD" tattoos on their bodies. Two of Yuda's most notable minions include the Nanto Hiyoku Ken master Dagarl (ダガール, Dagāru, voiced by Yūsaku Yara) and Komaku (コマク, voiced by Shigeru Chiba), a diminutive henchman who is usually around Juda.
The Holy Emperor's army[edit]
Souther's army are recognizable by the Roman-like imperial armor they wear. The knife-throwers Beji and Giji of the Nanto Sōzanken style are part of his army, as well as Rizo, a friend of Shu.
Jaco[edit]
Jaco (ジャコウ, Jakō, voiced by Shigeru Chiba) is the Viceroy of the Imperial Capital. He gained his position by locking away the Celestial Empress Lui and blackmailing Falco into destroy the Hokuto and Nanto fighters. Ostensibly, this is because they attempt to outshine the Gento's imperial star, Taikyokusei (
Jaco is assisted by his two sons Jask (ジャスク, Jasuku) and Shiino (シーノ, Shīno), who are replaced in the TV series by the renegade Gento masters Green Light Taiga (タイガ, voiced by Masaharu Sato) and Blue Light Boltz (ボルツ, Borutsu, voiced by Yōsuke Akimoto). Shiino is killed by Kenshiro, while Jaco himself is killed by Falco after Lui is rescued. Jask is buried under debris, but survives. He is rescued by an unaware Lin and he immediately kidnaps her as part of his plan for revenge. After blowing up the capital city Jask takes off to the Land of Shura, only to be slaughtered by the warriors of Shura.
Shura Warriors[edit]
During the Land of Shura arc, Ken and his allies face off against various marauders in the brutal country, who are masters of unique martial art styles and are of the notoriously violent Shura warrior caste. Some of the notable Shuras featured in the story include: the Nameless Shura (
Kohketsu[edit]
Kohketsu (コウケツ, Kōketsu) is a short and fat dictator who possessed some intelligence, used to work as a horsefeeder in Raoh army, he once tried to influence Raoh by deliberately brushing his shoes for him, however Raoh saw through his tomfoolery and threatened to kill Koketsu, he was humiliated in front of Raoh's army. When peace returned to the land with Raoh's death, Koketsu used his intelligence and ruthlessness to steal lands from farmers and enslaving gullible wasteland dwellers. One of those land that he stole was from Ryu's adoptive parents. He is killed by his own mouse trap in the food storage room.
Baran[edit]
Proclaiming himself to be "Baran, the Emperor of Light" (
Bolge[edit]
A blind wasteland thug that Kenshiro confronts in the final story arc of the manga, Bolge (ボルゲ, Boruge) was blinded during a past encounter with Ken (shortly after Ken met Bat), and thus bears a deep hatred towards him. To protect an amnesiac Ken and Lin, Bat engraves seven scars on his chest and pretends to be Ken and offers himself to Bolge. However, his plan backfires and must endure the torture of Bolge's revenge. Bat is saved only when Kenshiro's memory returns and he defeats Bolge, but when Bolge survives Kenshiro's final attack and makes one final attempt to kill him, it is Bat who ultimately finishes him off.
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- Shin Kyuseishu Densetsu - Hokuto no Ken official website (in Japanese)
- Toei Animation's official Seikimatsu Kyūseishu Densetsu: Hokuto no Ken website (in Japanese)
- Fist of the North Star (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia