Fist of the North Star, Vol. 14

by Buronson, Tetsuo Hara (illustrator)

The arrival of Kenshiro in the land of the Asuras was preceded by the legend of Raoh, who it was said would bring justice to that blighted place. The people of the land of the Asuras suffer in the grip of its savage leaders, the dreaded Rasho, three Asura generals and masters of Hokuto Ryuken. Now, Kenshiro has come to rescue Rin and Shachi, and to do it, he’ll have to face the first Rasho, the demon lord Kaio, a man whose soul burns with the rage of the gods!

Genres: Manga

292 pages, Hardcover

Published September 24, 2024

About the author

Okamura Yoshiyuki (岡村善行), also known as Buronson (武論尊) or Sho Fumimura (史村翔 Fumimura Shō), is a Japanese manga writer most known by his famous work Hokuto no Ken. known in English as Fist of the North Star.
He graduated from the Japanese Air Force Training School in 1967 and served as an Air Force radar mechanic. In 1969 he discharged from the Japanese Navy and was soon hired by Hiroshi Motomiya as a manga assistant. He started his manga writing career when he wrote the script of Pink Punch: Miyabi in 1972, drawn by Goro Sakai. In 1975 Buronson wrote his first big hit The Doberman Detective, drawn by Shinji Hiramatsu. The famous Hokuto no Ken made its debute as Buronson's greatest hit in 1983, drawn by Tetsuo Hara. In 1989 his story Ourou was released as a manga serialized in Animal Magazine, drawn by Kentarou Miura, and in 1990 a sequel entitled Ourou Den was released by the same manga artist. Buronson also collaborated with the manga artist Ryoichi Ikegami in many works as Strain (manga) , Human (manga) and the famous Sanctuary (manga). Among his other major works are The Phantom Gang, with art by Kaoru Shintani.

Buronson was mainly influenced by movies such as Bruce Lee's, and Mad Max.

The nickname Buronson is a tribute to the American actor Charles Bronson, whose way of growing the mustache was imitated by Yoshiyuki Okamura too.

Reviews

[Paul Spence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fist of the North Star Volume 14 provides Kenshiro with the most interesting set of villains of the post-Raoh era by digging into a familiar bag of tricks.

This volume, almost more than any other, has me split on how to feel about the events. It is equal parts novel ideas and the same old, familiar, and unique. The net effect is a positive one – I enjoyed this volume a lot once the dust had settled – but it can be hard to shake the lingering sense that it's too safe and same-y regarding plot developments and the new villains that Kenshiro faces. Still, as soon as I start to lament the sense of repeated elements, I can't help but focus on how many new concepts and story beats are on display while still delivering the terrific art and unmatched violence that typifies the series.

For better and for worse, Buronson and Tetsuo Hara return to the concept of brothers as villains. The Hokuto Ryoken wielders Han, Hyoh, and Kaioh become a counterpart to the drama of the Hokuto Shinken brothers. Han is the immediate threat early in the volume, with Kenshiro continuing his battle against Han. But Hyoh and Kaioh emerge as pseudo-replacements for Toki and Raoh, serving as older brother figures (literally and metaphorically) that Kenshiro must overcome.

This is where I am mixed on the execution in this section. It's inarguable that one of the core defining themes of Fist of the North Star is drama amongst brothers surrounded by martial arts. So, drawing from this well is not only expected but one of the decisions the audience is most likely to resonate with, as that is a big part of what made the series such a phenomenon. At the same time, it's hard to figure out whether this feels like a creative new twist on old themes or just rehashing the stuff that worked before. Can you recreate the magic of the relationship between Kenshiro, Raoh, Toki, and Jagi? Or does the attempt to make lightning strike twice immediately draw comparisons to the superior storyline we saw before? I still haven't fully answered these questions for myself, and chapter-to-chapter, I can sense my mood shifting on whether this was the right path to take.

One thing that I feel is an unequivocal improvement is the introduction of the master Jukei. Jukei is the elder teacher of the Hokuto Ryoken style and serves as the counterpart to Ryuken, who trained the Hokuto Shinken brothers. What's interesting about Jukei is that he has a lot more of an arc than Ryuken did. Sure, we explored some of Ryuken's past via flashbacks, but he never really stood out as a compelling character. Ryuken was always more archetype than personality, serving as the martial arts master, while Kenshiro, Raoh, and the others got into more dramatic fare. He was the stable foundation that allowed the more varied personalities under his tutelage to flourish and be exceptional.

Jukei is far more engaging to learn about. His drive to master the Hokuto Ryoken fighting style, descent into demonic rage, tragic slaying of his family, and loss of control – it's engaging stuff. Jukei's struggles and regrets color our understanding of the Hokuto Ryoken style and make it stand apart in a way prior styles haven't. Most fighting styles in the series have focused on what they do to the opponent, but now Hokuto Ryoken has an emotional dimension wherein strength is not the issue. Instead, it has a cost in the ability to control oneself.

It isn't all upside with Jukei and the Ryoken school. Hyoh represents my mixed feelings for the volume's plot. Hyoh is Kenshiro's older brother by blood, and in classic pulp storytelling tradition, he does not remember these events because of amnesia. This memory loss was caused by Jukei sealing his memories away. It is hard to buy this setup or find it all that engaging. Still, it does make for a great dramatic scene with Jukei battling Hyoh to let him release his true memories of Kenshiro and some dramatic flashback sequences from Hyoh's perspective. Still, it's had to shake the sense that we had to have another brother at any cost and are bending over backward to find a way to make him relevant to Kenshiro.

Kaioh stands out at this stage as a villain, at least. He is not too interesting as a fighter, but he does have a cool presence on the page with the fully armored look. The way the armor breaks and changes throughout the battle looks terrific too, and he is one of the few villains who sticks around by pure dint of being hard to kill – a rarity against Kenshiro.

One area I have never mixed on is art. It is, in a word, superb. Tetsuo Hara has only gotten better as the series has gone on and this is evident in this volume. Beyond the usual violent martial arts and heavy metal character designs, I'd say in these chapters, Tetsuo Hara shows his penchant for backgrounds. There are some truly jaw-dropping landscape shots, from piles of bones to alien landscapes and strange architecture. The land of the Asura feels completely unfamiliar while still retaining the core aesthetic of the post-apocalyptic wasteland.

All in all, I am positive about this volume. After all, even a somewhat mixed Fist of the North Star volume still ranks as some of the best manga you can get your hands on. There's no doubt that the series is leaning on its strengths. When it works, it works flawlessly. But some of these elements are starting to creak from overuse.

[GONZA · Rating 4 out of 5]

First encounter/clash, between Kaioh and Ken in the land of demons. Epic! One of the best issues of the series.

Primo incontro/scontro, tra Kaioh e Ken nella terra dei demoni. Epico! Uno dei numeri migliori della serie.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've really liked the last two volumes of Fist of the North Star. It keeps the high melodrama, and feels a little like a wuxia story to me. We see here that even those with the best intentions might not be able to keep them while exercising tremendous power "for the good of the people". It turns out Rao was originally trying to help people by taming the banditry. I do wonder how Kenshiro manages to keep his integrity through his trials, but he is a bit of a cipher.

We learn some more secrets in this volume, such as Ken having a brother and I am wondering more and more whether Rin is in romantic love with Ken or whether I am reading too much into it.

[Benjamin Bauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hokuto continues its descent into insane melodrama, and for the better! This volume's packed with battles so literally earth-shattering that I was almost surprised the panels didn't break. I lost track of the amount of rocks and agonized faces Hara-san illustrated for these chapters. Still surprised that I'm enjoying this story arc as much as I am, given the Hokuto 2 anime grated on my nerves. I do wish that Buronson-san would give Rin more a role other than just damsel in distress. I wonder if he felt that Ken wasn't Ken without love to take back?

[Ruz El · Rating 3 out of 5]

As over the top gory as the preceding volumes. Which is fun, but overall this one felt a little bit like it was spinning its wheels as it sets up a conclusion to the series. Which isn't really a problem when you consider how fun this series has been despite the "rinse and repeat" nature of it. It definitely feels like they are getting more serious, which only makes me hope and look forward to seeing how they land this as I believe this series ends with Volume 16.

[Davide Pappalardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is the plot as deep as a 80’s b-Movie? Sure. Does it have a lot of nonsensical and cringy elements? Of course. But don’t fool yourself: you are here for the gorgeous art and over-the-top action. Sometime it is as simple as that.

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but it start to feel a bit repetitive, like it's more or less the same from volume to volume and not much of n evolution in the overall story. Maybe it was because it has been a while since I read the last one...

[Federico Lucifredi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great illustrations. Incredibly violent, and needlessly so (but still less than Battle Angel Alita). A classic, written by the master himself, Buronson.

[Omar Villafane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Destiny and fate ♾️

[Reyne Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean it was fine, but I’ve learned not to get my hopes up when it comes to this series.

[Andy Cantrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know, Kenshiro sure does have A LOT of blood. Maybe that is the true secret technique of Hokuto Shinken?

[Al Capwned · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely better than the previous volume but the repetitiveness keeps going.

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

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