Fist of the North Star is officially getting a new anime, with the announcement coming as part of the 40th anniversary celebration for the franchise. While no details were revealed, there is a teaser visual for the new project:
Comments from the manga author, Buronson:
Forty years ago, I was a little distant from manga and anime because I thought they were two different things. 40 years have passed, and today’s animation technology has evolved dramatically. How will these techniques and images be applied to Fist of the North Star? Moreover, it is said that this time the basic idea is to respect the original work. I am really looking forward to it.
Fist of the North Star, which has been loved by everyone for 40 years, will appear as a new animated work.
I look forward to enjoying it together with everyone.
Comment from the manga illustrator, Tetsuo Hara:
Thank you very much for the new anime adaptation.
I was in my 20s when Fist of the North Star was serialized, and I never dreamed that the day would come when it would celebrate its 40th anniversary and be rewarded with a completely new anime. Many years have passed since then.
I am happy to hear that the voice actors are now reading the original story to listen to the voices of the characters and imagine their respective performances.
I am very much looking forward to seeing how the pictures that I painted with all my heart 40 years ago will be reincarnated and brought to life by the production staff, who are full of love for the original work!
Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken) is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from 1983 to 1988 and initially collected in 27 volumes under the Jump Comics imprint.
Fist of the North Star received two anime television series by Toei Animation, which aired from 1984 to 1988 for a total of 152 episodes. It also has several anime films, a live-action film, OVAS, video games, and a series of spin-offs centering on other characters from the original story. VIZ Media licensed it in English, and they describe the story for its first volume:
One day, a wanderer appears out of the wasteland to bring justice to the guilty and hope to the people—a warrior named Ken, a man who bears seven scars upon his chest and holds the secret of a mysterious martial art known as Hokuto Shinken, the Divine Fist of the North Star!
Besides being known for some iconic anime memes, Fist of the North Star is one of the best-selling manga of all time, having sold over 100 million copies.
Source: Official Website
Buronson, Tetsuo Hara, Coamix / Fist of the North Star Production Committee
