Ken le survivant

The characters aren't mutated warriors like that other fellow said (at least not in the original japanese version). These people are extremely gifted martial artists. Kenshirô, the main character, is a master assassin and the next in line to take over the Hokuto shin ken art. As Ken is chosen to be the master of the art by his teacher, his older school brothers (mainly the menacing Rao) are outraged by this and choose to violently leave the order, killing their teacher in the process. Keep in mind that only one master can be chosen and the rest of the students must either have their memories erased or their ken (fists) destroyed. Apparently the art is only meant for the best warrior and no internal struggle must persist. The character, Shin is a master of the Nanto sei ken (south fist or something like that). He is the first of four other nanto masters who will confront Ken.

Anywho, one can describe Kenshirô as a mix of Mad Max and Bruce Lee with a Road Warrior/kung fu/samurai flick backdrop. The series goes on as Ken battles his brothers, the nanto masters, and a bunch of other freaks with some flash backs here and there to help explain the story. The great thing about this series are the characters. They're not just evil dudes who kill kill and kill. Not only are they extremely colorful, they all have their reasons for their actions. You'll find that most of the major villains are regarded as heroes by the end.

Because this series is based on a comic book, you can expect to find some glitchy plot holes. But don't worry, the characters and the action are enough to make you forget about these plot holes.

Don't get me wrong, this manga production is seriously flawed in places. As most would point out, it is excessively gory. Heads pop and people explode, frequently. The plot, basically about a guy searching for his kidknapped girlfriend, in a post nuclear war ravaged planet, is kinda weak. The japanese humour may also annoy the less tolerant viewer but, and this is an important one- the excellency of this anime story is its perfect atmospherics and ambience. Forget the over-hyped Akira, (though it was much more stylish). FOTNS is a triumph for its desolate tone, and great portrayl of post-apocalyptic isolation.

WW3 has come & gone. The world lay ravaged, raped by mankind & its wars. Humanity must battle & survive the attacks of the mutated & horrid outlaws of the "new" world. One man armed with only a fighting man's knowledge that even puts "kebono-oko" or "kame-senin" to shame beyond belief. Hokuto Shin Ken [North Dipper Godfist]a powerful ancient age old (2000 yr) martial art passed only from father to son(s). The hero of this tale drenched in blood & honor, is Kenshirou Kasumi the 64th successor to Hokuto Shin Ken. In this tale the kind hearted Ken & his love Yulia were attacked by his former friend Shin of the opposite style of Nanto Sei Ken [South Dipper Sacred Fist] who is hell bent on taking the lovely girl. Yulia is stolen by Shin & Ken is left with seven scars in the shape of the Big Dipper on his chest. Ken's sole goal is to defeate Shin, but finds this adventure leads down a winding path to the death of his friends, family conflict, more & more death, & the loss of his true love. This anime has much social context & then some worth checking out especially if you are a fan of fighting series. Though this isnt DBZ/GT it is a good & to me a better series sticking to the point & what the show was about Ken, the soveriegn Fist of the North Star & how a man's yearn for love will take him to hell & back. "Give the devil my regards"-Kenshirou

Fist of the north star is easily my favorite anime movie ever. The film is set in a post apocalyptic wasteland where Ken the fist of the north star searches for his kidnapped girlfriend after being brutally beaten and thrown in a chasm. There's lot's more to it than that though, He has some evil brothers that want to kill him because he is the true prophet and they want his title. Ken joins up with a couple of kids and a deadly guy named ray who slices his enemies apart in some of the most brutal violence in film history. The intensity of the action alone in this movie makes it worth seeing. You see characters screaming battle cries and destroying cities with their fists, slicing and dicing they're enemies apart graphically, and causing bad guys' heads to explode with ken's touch of death. The plot although not explained well enough sometimes, is also very good and the voice acting is also good (look for the voice of the guy who played the father in the fresh prince of bell air as the leader of the guys in bear hides.) The animation dosen't flow flawlessly like in something like ninja scroll or akira but as in a lot of anime with limited budgets they make it look excellent with a minimalist style. The drawings are superb and add to the epicness of the story giving the characters huge pumped up bodies and absurd amounts of power. (punching over buildings, breaking tables due to intense mental powers, crushing peoples heads effortlessly) Some people might not like the over the top presentation of characters being fifty feet tall in one scene and then being in proportion to everyone else the next, but you must understand this is just to present the terrifying presence and power of these characters. I think it's brilliant. Rent it at all costs!!

PS The rapper Jeru the damaja samples and quotes the opening voiceover of fist of the north star on his album The sun rises in the east!

This show is so badass it makes your beard sprout biceps it's like Dragonball z, Jojos bizarre adventure, and one punch man before those even existed. The mad max setting only adds to the coolness factor along with very badass villain designs like Roah or Jagi if you wanna watch manime watch this along with JoJo, Baki, and Berserk