Fist of the North Star, written by Buronson with art by Tetsuo Hara, is a certified shonen classic. The series has influenced all the greats, from Dragon Ball Z to Berserk, but thanks to Viz Media, the entire series will be available in brand new hardcover collections, all in English, giving fans of the anime and lovers of manga history an all-new way to finally get their hands on the legendary title.
Fist of the North Star vol.1 collects Chapters 1 through 13 of the original manga and, despite very clearly showing its age in terms of storytelling, it still holds up remarkably well.
North Star takes place long after a nuclear apocalypse turns the Earth into a massive wasteland, drying up the seas and burning away all life. Despite this, humanity manages to survive and has adapted to life in a Mad Max-esque world. Murderous gangs and violent zealots roam the desert preying on the defenseless. The only person willing and able to stand up to them is a mysterious warrior named Ken, master of Hokuto Shinken, the Divine Fist of the North Star.
The story follows Ken as he wanders the desert, protecting those who can't protect themselves, using his deadly martial arts to exact righteous vengeance on behalf of the weak. While Ken is the main protagonist, Hokuto Shinken is the real star of the manga. The martial art gives Ken apparently infinite ways to deliver a grisly death unto his foes, and the highlight of each chapter is seeing just what method he chooses this time. Will Ken split the guy's head open with one finger? Or maybe he'll tear him to shreds with a classic: the "One Hundred Rending Fists of the North Star?" North Star's ultra-violence definitely isn't for everyone, but for those who love seeing unbeatable heroes do their thing, it doesn't get any better.
However, despite how great Hokuto Shinken is, the one place where North Star is truly showing its age is with its main hero, Ken. Ken says little and, even though halfway through the book we learn a good chunk of his backstory, he isn't and never becomes much of a person. Beyond that, Ken's personality is a bit dfficult to pin down. You'd think that the honor-bound master of the deadliest martial art in existence, a broken man with nothing left but his profoundly powerful sense of justice, would be deathly serious -- and he is. Usually. Ken is as likely to crack a one-liner as he is to direly warn someone that he's about to crack their head open, and the whiplash between these two sides of him are enough to make the true nature of his personality a bit unclear.
At the same time, though, Ken's stoic, "you are already dead" personality is just so cool. There's just something about a hero that decides to do something, does it and proves himself to be 30 steps ahead of everyone else in the process. Ken's quests of righteous revenge are as simple as they are both ridiculous and the best thing ever. If only saving the day were as simple as totally annihilating you enemies (and flexing your shirt to shreds). North Star is the the story of one man against the world -- and it's the world that should be worried. Of course, this means the story doesn't have much in the way of depth, but that's the price to be paid for immeasurable amounts of cool.
Though Ken and the overall story are reminders that this story is nearly 40 years old, Tetsuo Hara's art still holds up extremely well. The characters and backgrounds all have a fine level of detail that shines particularly well in the volume's many color pages. Overall, Fist of the North Star is worth picking up whether this is your first time with the series or your 51st. Volume 1 is available now from Viz Media digitally and physically where manga are sold.
