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Episode 563: Fist of the North Star (Patreon)

Published:
2023-09-25 12:00:00
Imported:
2026-06
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Hi! Diamond Feit here, back from Tokyo, ready with another Retronauts about a topic that's larger than any video game—and yet its history is as closely tied to video games as it is any other medium.

As we have done in past episodes about JoJo's Bizarre Adventure or Godzilla, this week we're looking at a massive Japanese media property that has had a sizable impact upon pop culture: Fist of the North Star, a 1983 manga that became a 1984 anime that became many, many video games starting in 1986.

Together with guests Kurt Kalata and Brian Clark, we go over the origins of this post-apocalyptic gold mine, introduce the major players who appear in most adaptations, and give a run down of notable video games that sprung from Fist of the North Star's violent wake. You don't need to tell us we "forgot" one, by the way, as no list of games from this franchise could ever be complete; it wouldn't surprise me if a new one were to pop up in between now and the live feed release of this very podcast.

Edits by Greg Leahy. Art by Leeann Hamilton. Blood-pumping music heard in this episode:

07:23 - 1986 Film OST: MIDORI NO CHIKYUU PROLOGUE

16:23 - Hokuto no Ken Premium Best OST: HOKUTO NO KEN

24:16 - Hokuto no Ken Premium Best OST: YURIA AI NO THEME

34:51 - Hokuto no Ken Premium Best OST: YURIA... EIEN NI

41:03 - Hokuto no Ken Premium Best OST: AKU NO SHUUGEKI

49:21 - 1986 Film OST: HEART OF MADNESS | Hokuto no Ken Premium Best OST: AI WO TORIMODOSE!!

1:03:37 - 1986 Film OST: TSUISEKISHATACHI

1:12:51 - Hokuto no Ken (Mark III): Main BGM

1:21:17 - Fist of the North Star (NES): Stage 2 BGM

1:28:33 - Last Battle (Genesis): Chapter 2 Stage BGM

1:40:22 - Hokuto no Ken (PS2): SOUTHERN CROSS

1:48:31 - Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage (PS3): AI WO TORIMODOSE!!

1:57:22 - Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise (PS4): PURE GRUDGE (Jagi's Theme)

Closing - TOM★CAT: "TOUGH BOY"

Files

Comments

John Simon

It's 1990, I'm eight years old at a rental place with looking at game boy games- "I've played Fortress of Fear, Gargoyles Quest, Final Fantasy Legend ... uhhh Fist of the North Star - " and the rental came with a manual describing who the characters were with their backstories and character shots from the manga and I remember thinking - 'Wow they put a lot of imagination into this game, even going so far as to name their special moves ... but nothing looks like much of anything. What IS this?' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS5MUcpLw38 Anyway, I like these episodes where you cover a 'bedrock' franchise that influences things decades in the future like JoJo and God Hand. I hadn't drawn the line between Double Dragon and FOTNS, but looking at the arcade version. I'd always assumed it was in a 'rough part of town' instead of a kind of degraded society. But it's more like Capcom's Trojan with sword wielding punks and you're walking through burnt out buildings. I haven't seen the Anime - but watching this clip "Very First 'Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru'" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOtX4IyRhE8 - there's always a gobsmacked guy on the side narrating the action and the slightly Calvinball 'Make it up as we go' physics of this world. in Jojo it's Zepelli or Speedwagon. In Dragon Ball Z it's a whole crowd of side characters that get to stare in shock while Goku pulls off a spirit bomb. I wonder if FOTNS originated this. (honestly it looks like it's just a way to save on the animation budget)

Frankie's Cauldron

Thank you for referencing Homer singing about Jesus But Not in a Sacrilegious Way

Patrick McClafferty

Need to make a correction: the Raoh wins/ Lin get him to walk away bit was added to the Japanese home video release. The Discotek BD got the original tie ending for the first time in America. (The Streamline dub was on there I think)

Andrew O.

I've been slowly making my way through the series, but I'm finding it hard to get into. When I was younger I watched plenty of anime that was likely inspired by FotNS, but I guess with a more future/tech twist? (MD Geist is a decent example.) I think the desertscapes work well for an 80s-era anime, but I do wish there was more detail. I'll continue to solider on though, and I've already pre-ordered the upcoming Swich game. YOU WA SHOCK!

Sean Ryan

My friends and I are big FotNS fans... We always explained that Ken's shirt is like Optimus Prime's trailer. It shreds off into Hammer Space and then regenerates for Ken later.

Matthieu Galley

Since Yusaku Matsuda was mentioned as one of the inspirations for Kenshiro, it should be noted that he later on also had a pretty big connection with video games, as Capcom used him as the face of protagonist Jubei Yagyu for Onimusha 2.

Stephen Collins

Excellent podcast. I've actually never watched the shows or read any of the manga of FotNS, but it's one of those things you learn by osmosis. I enjoyed the crash course on the series. I was interested in the Shigeru Chiba episode preview supercut from Trivia no Izumi but couldn't find it at all.

Michael Castleberry

The Yakuza style gameplay would be perfect for a River City Ransom game.