The influential and famously violent 1980s anime Fist of the North Star is now available to stream in its entirety on Crunchyroll.
The anime streaming giant has acquired both Hokuto no Ken series, making all 152 episodes available to watch immediately. The show, which adapts the classic manga by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara, is streaming in Japanese with English subtitles.
The first series, which ran for 109 episodes, originally aired in Japan from 1984 to 1987. Its 43-episode sequel, Hokuto no Ken 2, picked up immediately after, running until 1988. Toei Animation produced both.
For many UK-based fans, access to the complete series has been patchy. While the title saw partial home entertainment and broadcast releases over the years, a complete DVD set wasn’t available until 2002. This move by Crunchyroll makes the complete saga far more accessible.
The series is set in a post-apocalyptic 199X, after a nuclear war has scorched the earth, leaving a desert wasteland. The story follows Kenshiro, the heir to the deadly martial art Hokuto Shinken, as he wanders the world searching for his fiancée. Marked by seven scars on his chest, Kenshiro becomes a reluctant saviour, protecting the weak from violent gangs by striking their vital points, which often results in their famously gory deaths.
Fist of the North Star is widely regarded as one of the most influential shonen manga and anime of all time. Its art style, post-apocalyptic themes, and Kenshiro’s signature phrase, “Omae wa mou shindeiru” (“You are already dead”), have been endlessly parodied and referenced in popular culture for decades.
Both series of Fist of the North Star are available to stream on Crunchyroll now.
