Many legendary manga were published long before we in the West had a clear idea of what manga was all about. That’s why it’s normal for us to have significant gaps in our knowledge of the medium. Even if they are popular in certain countries or known among enthusiasts, many classics are not as famous here as they are in their native Japan. And it’s a shame because it means we miss out on genuine masterpieces.
Among those masterpieces is Fist of the North Star. Known as Hokuto no Ken in Japan, it was created by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara in 1983, and although it concluded in 1988, spin-offs are still regularly published even today. Some of them have been published in our country as well.
This manga has a very simple yet powerful premise. In a post-apocalyptic future, a man named Kenshiro roams the post-nuclear wasteland in search of the woman he loves. Along the way, he helps innocent people, confronts terrible villains, and clashes with other martial artists seeking to defeat him to prove their worth. All of this with the intensity that the premise conveys, but with much less testosterone and a lot more emotions than one might expect from an 80s work.
Bringing up Fist of the North Star is because it’s receiving a new anime adaptation. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the most popular manga by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara will have an anime adaptation to introduce it to a new generation.
Unfortunately, we still don’t know the studio or the individuals involved in this adaptation. All we know is that it exists, and Warner Bros. Japan will share the details at some point in the future. It’s an opportunity to revisit Fist of the North Star once again.
