Fist of the North Star

Fist of the North Star (Japanese: ????, Hepburn: Hokuto no Ken, lit. "Fist of the Big Dipper") is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. Serialized in Weekly Sh?nen Jump from 1983 to 1988, the 245 chapters were initially collected in 27 tank?bon volumes by Shueisha. Set in a post-apocalyptic world that has been destroyed by a nuclear war, the story centers on a warrior named Kenshiro, the successor of a deadly martial art known as Hokuto Shinken, which gives him the ability to kill most adversaries from within through the use of the human body's secret vital points, often resulting in an exceptionally violent and gory death. Kenshiro dedicates his life to fighting against the various gangs, bandits and warlords who threaten the lives of the weak and innocent, as well as rival martial artists, including his own "brothers" from the same school. Fist of the North Star was adapted into two anime television series produced by Toei Animation, which together aired on Fuji TV and its affiliates from 1984 through 1988, comprising a combined total of 152 episodes. It has since expanded into a media franchise, including a number of films, OVAs, video games, and a series of spin-offs centering on other characters from the original story. It has also had a number of video games and pachinko machines produced by Sega Sammy. As of June 2018, Fist of the North Star is the 18th highest-grossing media franchise of all time, estimated to have generated more than $20 billion in total revenue. The original manga was published in English by Viz Communications as a monthly comic book, and later by Gutsoon! Entertainment as a series of colorized graphic novels, although neither translation was completed. English adaptations of other Fist of the North Star media have been licensed to other companies, including the TV series and the 1986 film.