is a three-episode

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

(OVA) series based on the ''

Fist of the North Star is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' for 245 issues published from 1983 to 1988 and initially collected in 27 volumes ...

'' franchise, directed by

Takashi Watanabe is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director. He is best known for directing the anime series ''Slayers'', ''Boogiepop Phantom'', and ''Shakugan no Shana''. Filmography Director *''Aria the Scarlet Ammo'' *'' Battle Skipper'' *''Boog ...

and produced by OB Planning. The story was adapted from , a 1996 ''Hokuto no Ken'' novel written by

Buronson , known by the pen names and , is a Japanese manga writer. Making his debut in 1972, he first found success with the hardboiled detective manga series '' Doberman Deka'' (1975–1979) alongside illustrator Shinji Hiramatsu. He is best-known fo ...

and

Tetsuo Hara is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for co-creating the post-apocalyptic martial arts series ''Fist of the North Star'' (1983–1988) with writer Buronson, which is one of the best-selling manga in history with over 100 million copies ...

set sometime after the conclusion of the original

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

. An English dubbed version of the OVA was produced by

ADV Films A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Gr ...

in 2004.

Plot

In the 21st century, a

nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a War, military conflict or prepared Policy, political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are Weapon of mass destruction, weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conven ...

turned most of the Earth's surface into a desert wasteland, which also resulted in the contamination of the Earth's water supply. A man named Sanga has built the fortified haven of the "Last Land", where he rules as its

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute Power (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...

by monopolizing the city's uncontaminated water supply. When he learns that the neighboring residents of Freedom Village are trying to dig up a well for their own, Sanga sends his underlings to sabotage their effort. Kenshiro, master of

Hokuto Shinken The ''Fist of the North Star'' manga series features a large cast of characters created by author Buronson and illustrator Tetsuo Hara. Set on a post-apocalyptic Earth after a nuclear war, the story follows a warrior named Kenshiro, the succes ...

, gets involved in the conflict between the two regions after saving Tobi, an informant hired by Freedom Village.

Characters

; : :The successor of the assassin's art of

. He gets involved in the conflict between Last Land and Freedom Village after saving Tobi. ; : : A wandering adventurer known for his intelligence service to the people, rescued by Kenshiro when the Sanga's scouting party ambushed him and other villagers searching for water. Tobi was searching for his brother Bista while travelling from town to town. Later on, he incited a religious Jihad in the Lastland using his brotherly connection with Bista that eventually led to his downfall. ; , aka : : Tobi's amnesiac little brother known for his illusion and parlour magic. He was taken by Sanga and was presented to the common people of Lastland as a God. His amnesia was healed by Sara through acupressure though he still remained seriously wounded throughout the OVA. ; : : A kind-hearted female healer in Freedom Village where she heals people with a passed-down knowledge of Hokumon no Ken through her parents. She uses a healing art which utilizes the bodys ''keiraku hikō'' points to heal her patients. Her life was saved by Seiji in the past when attacked by a feral dog. ; : : The dictator of the city Last Land, known for being manipulative and ambitious. He was killed by Kenshiro towards the end of first episode. Initially, he was acted to be cruel towards his son Seiji, but later revealed that he did that because he wanted Seiji to become stronger in the harsh wasteland. ; : : An oathbreaker of the Hokumon temple, who has a love-hate relationship with his father Sanga. He took over Lastland while Kenshiro was away to Hokumon temple get medicine for Bista. It was revealed that he learned all the secrets of Hokumon No Ken in less than three years. Committed suicide by pressing a fatal point in his body after being ridden with guilt over his past crime. ; : : The second of Kenshiro's eldest brothers, who intended to use Hokuto Shinken as a healing art. Appears in a flashback during the first episode of the OVA. ; : The orphaned son of

Raoh is a fictional character in the manga series ''Fist of the North Star'' created by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara. He is the eldest of four honorary brothers (including the protagonist Kenshiro) who trained in the ancient assassination art of H ...

, whom Kenshiro intends to train as his Hokuto Shinken successor. Appears in a flashback during the first episode. ; :Kenshiro's deceased horse. Appears in a flashback during the first episode.

Episodes

Reception

The OVA grossed () in DVD sales, with a 200%

return on investment Return on investment (ROI) or return on costs (ROC) is the ratio between net income (over a period) and investment (costs resulting from an investment of some resources at a point in time). A high ROI means the investment's gains compare favorab ...

. It earned () in overseas sales, exceeding domestic sales. The ADV Films' dub of the trilogy has garnered positive reviews from critics. Chris Wood of Toon Zone praised "Kenshiro is in fine form, and though the story may not blow you away, it’s plenty adequate to support the action" Mike Toole of Anime Jump says that ''New Fist'' is "flashy and a little cheap, but ultimately rewarding." Chris Beveridge of AnimeOnDVD.com was "very pleased with" the first episode, but felt that the second episode could have been "much better written" and that the third episode was unnecessary and that the trilogy "could have been a lot tighter with a bit more streamlining of the script".

References

External links

''Shin Hokuto no Ken''
a
OB Planning

''New Fist of the North Star''
a
ADV Films
** * {{A.C.G.T 2003 anime OVAs ADV Films Shueisha franchises Fist of the North Star Japanese serial novels Martial arts anime and manga Post-apocalyptic anime and manga