WizarDru
Adventurer
Per request, an introduction to the Fist of the NorthStar (a.k.a Hokuto no Ken) manga, TV series and movie. 
First up: An abbreviated summary from localcolorart.com's slightly flawed intro:
"When Hokuto no Ken was picked up to become a weekly series, manga writer Yoshiyuki Okamura (under the pen name of Bronson (as in Charles, as in DeathWish) was assigned by the editors of Shonen Jump to work with Hara as a scenarionist for the series. Buronson decided to ditch the original premise of the two pilot chapters in favor of the Hokuto no Ken that is known today.
The series told the story of a now grown-up and scarred Kenshiro (who never used his surname and always had his given name spelled in kana) who swears to protect the helpless populace of a post-apocalypse world populated from the wild gangs of bikers and bandits who pray on them. Its style of dramatic, shocking, and literally explosive battle sequences caused much heated arguments over its content. "
Running 27 manga volumes, Fist of the Northstar was hugely popular, and remains popular even today. The original manga ran in Shonen Jump (yes, the same Shonen Jump where One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Saint Seiya and Dragonball Z appeared) from 1983 to the early 90s. In printed form, it sold over 5 million copies collectively (not including the sales of Shonen Jump). As an anime, it started in 1984 and ran until 1998. It set new standards of what could be accomplished in anime, and ran up against the censors constantly.
Like Dragonball before it, Fist of the NorthStar had more then one series come from it, even though the manga just kept going (however, DB renamed itself to DBZ in the manga, too, but the continuity wasn't interrupted, per se). There were two Hokuto series, Hokuto no Ken and the cleverly named....Hokuto no Ken 2. More recently (i.e. last year), a novel from 1996 has been adapted as Shin (New) Hokuto no Ken, a 3 episode OVA.
The title, Hokuto no Ken, is commonly translated as Fist of the Northstar, but that's more for aesthetics. The literal translation would be Fist of Ursa Major or Fist of the Big Dipper, as Hokuto refers to the constellation, not just the North Star itself. The Hokuto is short for "Hokuto Shichisei", and legend holds that they are seven brothers who ascended to th heaven's as part of their filial duty. Which really has no bearing on the story, per se.
So, the actual story? There's a lot, so let's cover it in small bits.
The first story arc concerns Kenshiro, Ken for short, a mysterious stranger who stumbles out of the desert, desperate for water, looking for a vision of a woman called Yuria. (Note: this is one of those hotly debated topics, or was, once. In some U.S. adaptions, the name is translated as Julia. I dislike this. There is already a 'Jyu' sound in Japanese. If Bronson had wanted to use it, he would have.)
To sum up (and BIG Spoilers abound here, folks...this covers stuff not actually revealed until the second and third seasons):
In the distant past, the Imperial Chinese city was guarded by powerful martial artists. The city had six gates, and each gate was guarded by a different, but powerful martial school, each one associated with a star of the Southern Cross, refered to as the Nanto (southern star) schools. These schools mastered styles that were dependent on defeating your enemy by affecting their bodies from the outside. To watch the watchmen, as it were, the Hokuto (North Star) school was set to guard against the Nanto warriors turning traitor against the Emperor. The northern school affected it's targets by striking their pressure points, and defeating them from within. Both styles have secret techniques to enhance their practictioners in the same manner (inner and outer, that is).
Fourboys are adopted by the last remaining Hokuto master, Ryuken. The two eldest are actual brothers, Toki and Raoh. The other two are orphans, Jagi and Ken, the youngest. Ryuken trains them all in his ancient martial art, preserving it for the future, presumably when the skills of the martial arts savior will be needed. A rivalry exists between the Hokuto and Nanto schools, though Ken and his friend Shin are best friends. They both love Yuria, daughter of one of the Nanto masters. At some point, nuclear war breaks out. One of the more amusing aspects here is how the flashbacks gloss over the whole 'apocalypse' thing happening. You just have to accept that and move on, really. It's all part of the Road Warrior-esque set-up you roll with.
Anyhow, Ryuken trains the boys to young men. Each is different. Ken is withdrawn and quiet, gentle but stoic. Jagi is vicious and nearly psychotic. Toki is buddha-like and kind. Raoh is powerful, somewhat arrogant and controlling. Time passes, and the boys become men. The day comes when a now old Ryuken must choose a successor. His first choice, Toki, has become ill with radiation poisioning, and will die....hence he cannot become the successor. Jagi is angered that he isn't automatically chosen and in a test of fighting Kenshiro, cheats and beats him badly. Kenshiro, however, has hit all the pressure points he needed to, confirming Ryuken's faith in him.
Jagi learns that Ken has been chosen from one of his henchmen (the very fact that he has cronies probably invalidated him). He goes to confront Ken, who is no longer being tested, and warns Jagi that he won't be as nice, this time. Jagi doesn't listen, and Ken uses some killing moves on him. Jagi uses his knowledge of Hokuto Shinken to save his life, but at the cost of his looks, as half his head becomes hideously deformed. Jagi flees, and Ken lets him go.
Meanwhile, Raoh has heard that Ken has been chosen, and confronts his father about it. He was willing to let Toki, his real brother, be chosen....but Kenshiro is WEAK. The weak shall not rule, so HE shall be the new master. And if Ryuken doesn't like it, then Raoh informs him that he will crush HIM, as well. Now Ryuken may be an old man, but he's still the master, and he quickly shows Raoh that while he taught him everything Raoh knows, he didn't teach him everything HE knows, and begins kicking his butt. Unfortunately, Ryuken IS an old-man, and the strain of using the Ultimate fist of the Hokuto style causes him to have a heart attack, right before he delivers the killing blow to Raoh, who then stands up and kills his adopted father. He strides out into the night, climbs a mountain and declares that he will rule the world, and if God doesn't like it, He'll KILL GOD, TOO. (shades of meet the buddha, kill the buddha, there).
MEANWHILE, Jagi has been busy. His face now covered in a mask, he uses his gift of gab to corrupt Shin, Ken's best friend, that he DESERVES Yuria, and that Ken is weak. Shin, who has always loved Yuria, eventually gives in, rounds up a posse and grabs Ken. Ken, who is still too caring to want to hurt his friend, is taken and maimed by SHin, whose Nanto Suicho Ken allows his hands to be like piercing daggers. As a mockery, he maims Ken by making the Ursa Major pattern on his chest. Ken, now realizing too late that Shin has gone over to the dark side, is too badly wounded to fight back. Yuria, who truly loves Ken, begs Shin to spare Ken's life, and she'll go with Shin willingly. Shin agress and drags Yuria away, leaving Ken to bleed to death.
Time passes. Kenshiro wanders out of the desert, a now much tougher individual, hardened by a need for revenge, suffering and life in the apocalypse. Along his travels, he rescues and befriends Lynn, a small girl with some degree of psychic sensitivity (and, it's intimated, is possibly a savior of the earth in the making) and Bat (or Lin and Bart, you decide), a mechanical savant/survivor brat. They follow Ken on his quest to stop the seemingly endless hordes of bandits and robbers.
The area in which the first story arc takes place is dominated by the city of Southern Cross, and it's ruler, Shin. Shin has formed armies and his lieutenants are all powerful martial artists in their own right all named for card suits (Heart, Spade, Diamond, Club and Joker). Ken begins fighting his way up the ladder, seeking out Shin. Meanwhile, Shin discovers that being the king isn't nearly as much fun as he thought it would be, especially with Yuria being a minimum-obligation queen. She is cold and distant, and shows Shin no love, which drives him near to insanity. Everything has worked out poorly. Still, he learns of Kenshiro's imminent arrival, and sends many warriors against him.
Within miles of the palace, it is believed that Ken is killed. However, by the time Ken gets to the city of Southern Cross, he's bled the city so badly that Shin's men have moved in open revolt against him, when he's seen as weak. He kills lots of them, and they flee. Ken finds the city deserted, and climbs the palace to confront Shin. They battle, with Ken victorious. Shin reveals, as he dying, that Yuria committed suicide when she thought Ken was dead, as she'd rather be dead than live with Shin....so Shin pretty much WANTED to die during their fight. He apologizes to Ken for his betrayl, and Ken leaves, to walk the desert alone, a broken man.
Thus ends the first Arc.
(Phew.)
First up: An abbreviated summary from localcolorart.com's slightly flawed intro:
"When Hokuto no Ken was picked up to become a weekly series, manga writer Yoshiyuki Okamura (under the pen name of Bronson (as in Charles, as in DeathWish) was assigned by the editors of Shonen Jump to work with Hara as a scenarionist for the series. Buronson decided to ditch the original premise of the two pilot chapters in favor of the Hokuto no Ken that is known today.
The series told the story of a now grown-up and scarred Kenshiro (who never used his surname and always had his given name spelled in kana) who swears to protect the helpless populace of a post-apocalypse world populated from the wild gangs of bikers and bandits who pray on them. Its style of dramatic, shocking, and literally explosive battle sequences caused much heated arguments over its content. "
Running 27 manga volumes, Fist of the Northstar was hugely popular, and remains popular even today. The original manga ran in Shonen Jump (yes, the same Shonen Jump where One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Saint Seiya and Dragonball Z appeared) from 1983 to the early 90s. In printed form, it sold over 5 million copies collectively (not including the sales of Shonen Jump). As an anime, it started in 1984 and ran until 1998. It set new standards of what could be accomplished in anime, and ran up against the censors constantly.
Like Dragonball before it, Fist of the NorthStar had more then one series come from it, even though the manga just kept going (however, DB renamed itself to DBZ in the manga, too, but the continuity wasn't interrupted, per se). There were two Hokuto series, Hokuto no Ken and the cleverly named....Hokuto no Ken 2. More recently (i.e. last year), a novel from 1996 has been adapted as Shin (New) Hokuto no Ken, a 3 episode OVA.
The title, Hokuto no Ken, is commonly translated as Fist of the Northstar, but that's more for aesthetics. The literal translation would be Fist of Ursa Major or Fist of the Big Dipper, as Hokuto refers to the constellation, not just the North Star itself. The Hokuto is short for "Hokuto Shichisei", and legend holds that they are seven brothers who ascended to th heaven's as part of their filial duty. Which really has no bearing on the story, per se.
So, the actual story? There's a lot, so let's cover it in small bits.
The first story arc concerns Kenshiro, Ken for short, a mysterious stranger who stumbles out of the desert, desperate for water, looking for a vision of a woman called Yuria. (Note: this is one of those hotly debated topics, or was, once. In some U.S. adaptions, the name is translated as Julia. I dislike this. There is already a 'Jyu' sound in Japanese. If Bronson had wanted to use it, he would have.)
To sum up (and BIG Spoilers abound here, folks...this covers stuff not actually revealed until the second and third seasons):
In the distant past, the Imperial Chinese city was guarded by powerful martial artists. The city had six gates, and each gate was guarded by a different, but powerful martial school, each one associated with a star of the Southern Cross, refered to as the Nanto (southern star) schools. These schools mastered styles that were dependent on defeating your enemy by affecting their bodies from the outside. To watch the watchmen, as it were, the Hokuto (North Star) school was set to guard against the Nanto warriors turning traitor against the Emperor. The northern school affected it's targets by striking their pressure points, and defeating them from within. Both styles have secret techniques to enhance their practictioners in the same manner (inner and outer, that is).
Fourboys are adopted by the last remaining Hokuto master, Ryuken. The two eldest are actual brothers, Toki and Raoh. The other two are orphans, Jagi and Ken, the youngest. Ryuken trains them all in his ancient martial art, preserving it for the future, presumably when the skills of the martial arts savior will be needed. A rivalry exists between the Hokuto and Nanto schools, though Ken and his friend Shin are best friends. They both love Yuria, daughter of one of the Nanto masters. At some point, nuclear war breaks out. One of the more amusing aspects here is how the flashbacks gloss over the whole 'apocalypse' thing happening. You just have to accept that and move on, really. It's all part of the Road Warrior-esque set-up you roll with.
Anyhow, Ryuken trains the boys to young men. Each is different. Ken is withdrawn and quiet, gentle but stoic. Jagi is vicious and nearly psychotic. Toki is buddha-like and kind. Raoh is powerful, somewhat arrogant and controlling. Time passes, and the boys become men. The day comes when a now old Ryuken must choose a successor. His first choice, Toki, has become ill with radiation poisioning, and will die....hence he cannot become the successor. Jagi is angered that he isn't automatically chosen and in a test of fighting Kenshiro, cheats and beats him badly. Kenshiro, however, has hit all the pressure points he needed to, confirming Ryuken's faith in him.
Jagi learns that Ken has been chosen from one of his henchmen (the very fact that he has cronies probably invalidated him). He goes to confront Ken, who is no longer being tested, and warns Jagi that he won't be as nice, this time. Jagi doesn't listen, and Ken uses some killing moves on him. Jagi uses his knowledge of Hokuto Shinken to save his life, but at the cost of his looks, as half his head becomes hideously deformed. Jagi flees, and Ken lets him go.
Meanwhile, Raoh has heard that Ken has been chosen, and confronts his father about it. He was willing to let Toki, his real brother, be chosen....but Kenshiro is WEAK. The weak shall not rule, so HE shall be the new master. And if Ryuken doesn't like it, then Raoh informs him that he will crush HIM, as well. Now Ryuken may be an old man, but he's still the master, and he quickly shows Raoh that while he taught him everything Raoh knows, he didn't teach him everything HE knows, and begins kicking his butt. Unfortunately, Ryuken IS an old-man, and the strain of using the Ultimate fist of the Hokuto style causes him to have a heart attack, right before he delivers the killing blow to Raoh, who then stands up and kills his adopted father. He strides out into the night, climbs a mountain and declares that he will rule the world, and if God doesn't like it, He'll KILL GOD, TOO. (shades of meet the buddha, kill the buddha, there).
MEANWHILE, Jagi has been busy. His face now covered in a mask, he uses his gift of gab to corrupt Shin, Ken's best friend, that he DESERVES Yuria, and that Ken is weak. Shin, who has always loved Yuria, eventually gives in, rounds up a posse and grabs Ken. Ken, who is still too caring to want to hurt his friend, is taken and maimed by SHin, whose Nanto Suicho Ken allows his hands to be like piercing daggers. As a mockery, he maims Ken by making the Ursa Major pattern on his chest. Ken, now realizing too late that Shin has gone over to the dark side, is too badly wounded to fight back. Yuria, who truly loves Ken, begs Shin to spare Ken's life, and she'll go with Shin willingly. Shin agress and drags Yuria away, leaving Ken to bleed to death.
Time passes. Kenshiro wanders out of the desert, a now much tougher individual, hardened by a need for revenge, suffering and life in the apocalypse. Along his travels, he rescues and befriends Lynn, a small girl with some degree of psychic sensitivity (and, it's intimated, is possibly a savior of the earth in the making) and Bat (or Lin and Bart, you decide), a mechanical savant/survivor brat. They follow Ken on his quest to stop the seemingly endless hordes of bandits and robbers.
The area in which the first story arc takes place is dominated by the city of Southern Cross, and it's ruler, Shin. Shin has formed armies and his lieutenants are all powerful martial artists in their own right all named for card suits (Heart, Spade, Diamond, Club and Joker). Ken begins fighting his way up the ladder, seeking out Shin. Meanwhile, Shin discovers that being the king isn't nearly as much fun as he thought it would be, especially with Yuria being a minimum-obligation queen. She is cold and distant, and shows Shin no love, which drives him near to insanity. Everything has worked out poorly. Still, he learns of Kenshiro's imminent arrival, and sends many warriors against him.
Within miles of the palace, it is believed that Ken is killed. However, by the time Ken gets to the city of Southern Cross, he's bled the city so badly that Shin's men have moved in open revolt against him, when he's seen as weak. He kills lots of them, and they flee. Ken finds the city deserted, and climbs the palace to confront Shin. They battle, with Ken victorious. Shin reveals, as he dying, that Yuria committed suicide when she thought Ken was dead, as she'd rather be dead than live with Shin....so Shin pretty much WANTED to die during their fight. He apologizes to Ken for his betrayl, and Ken leaves, to walk the desert alone, a broken man.
Thus ends the first Arc.
(Phew.)
