Fist of the North Star 2 (1987–1988) User Reviews

More of the same

[sgbdestroyer · 7/10 · 12 April 2009]

Hokuto no Ken 2 is a sequel series to Hokuto no Ken. Although, it is sometimes included with the first as episodes 110 - 152. Sadly, this and half of the first were not officially available outside of Asia. The only way to get them was through imports. Now you can get Toei Animation's official release of the whole series from IGN's Direct2Drive site and on crunchyroll.com. Anyways, the series is basically the same with a different, and weaker, plot that takes place after the first.

Taking place years after the first, Kenshiro returns to fight the Heavenly Emperor and his generals who practice an art called Gento Koken. After defeating the emperor, Lin is captured and taken the land of Shura, a land of assassins. Ken follows and must fight against the three leaders of the land, including Raoh's brother Kaoh. to get her back. The story goes on to reveal more details about Kenshiro's past, such as him actually being from Shura, but those details are dumb and make the story kind of bad. Besides, nobody is watching for the story, only Ken.

The action in Hokuto no Ken 2 is the same. Ken goes around fighting numerous enemies, defeating many with only a finger. The fights kick just as much ass as before. Though, towards the end, Ken obtains some lame and ridiculous powers.

One other problem is the ending. It suffers from the same problem as the first series did. Ken and Kaoh fight for a while, then talk, etc.; till Kaoh comes to a realization and kills himself.

Overall, if you have come this far in the series, you are probably going to continue. In fact, you probably got it with the first series. Most likely, anyone who is reading this has seen the first series, and wants to know about this one. I say watch it. It delivers exactly what drew people to the first: kickass fights and kenshiro being a badass, just with a weaker plot. Plus, you can get it with great subtitles.

Not the second part, it is the second act.

[rodrigofv · 9/10 · 5 July 2020]

I dare to say it is better than the first act. The story fully continues, it is not an "added" story. Sometimes it runs so fast one wonders where is this story going to go. Great twist plots, most of them credible and it does not unfold as one could imagine. No doubt the writer Buronson did his best to rip off the audience's heart.

There are usually false spoilers as an advance of the next chapter, maybe wrong translations, who know, so i prevented from watching those.

Great story but so cruel to the feelings not because of the violence but about the story itself, heartrending, i say so because one find HNK to be a love story. Apart from the superior love expressed through the forgiveness I can not agree that a last minute contrition could save the worst evil man in such a way he becomes a martyr of love. Hard to swallow.

The story does not end with the last ova chapter, the manga still have some story left so if interested check out the internet to see how it really ends, and then check out for the ova "Shin HNK".

At the end maybe you will feel the same lump in the throat as me. I still wonder what if not love is then the motivation underlying Ken? Mr Buronson was heartless about Lynn, too much.

Fist of the North Star 2 is a great followup to the first series!!

[MovieCriticMarvelfan · 14 February 2005]

"Welcome to this crazy time and your a tough boy, tough boy!!! There are scars everywhere. If you just sit there crying , nothing will be changed. Tough Boy , Tough Boy!!"

Fist of the North Star 2 is the second series and the follow up the the most popular anime of all time. I am surprised none of the self proclaimed anime buffs have reviewed this.

(Spoilers).

The series takes places about 15 years since the events of the first series, with Ken defeating Boxing King and being reunited with Yuria.

However it seems that Ken and Yuria have disappeared and the legends that he , Toki, Shu, Shin , Sauza, the Fire Gang and and Rei have created have now been forgotten. In this time then evil resurfaces in the form of the Tenti army.

The Tenti army is another army that uses fear and terrorism to control the world. Rin and Batto, Ken's friends from the first series are all grown up now and have started their own rebellion called the Hokuto troops in Episode 1 titled

"Time begins to flow. The wheel of time is revolving"

We see their trials and turbulations as they try to adjust to life without Ken.

They put up a good fight but the Tenti army seems to have an edge. Ribako one of the characters from the first series, has a magical feeling that Ken will return and he is right, in the next episodes. "When will he wake up", "The Return of the Savior" we seen come back to form as the Fist of the North Star. Originally disguising his identity when he arrives on the scene, cannot stand idly by with Rin and Batto trying to fight an enemy that is very powerful.

Ken eventually gives the Tenti army all that they can handle and he meets some interesting new characters along the way. Faroouk is a former Tenti soldier ordered to kill Ken, but Ken and him becomes friends. We also see more history into the Hokuto school and learn and see new footage with Boxing King before he died.

The series is beautifully animated and just like in the first series, Toyoo Ashida, manages to throw more suspense and thrills as we get a couple of new revelations into the family of Ken.

We also see Ken battle into new and interesting scenarios like him on a pirate ship battling pirates ("Kenshiro sails the seven seas") and deadlier enemies.

We also get to see Rin and Batto become warriors and fight for the first time.

All in all, it's a great series and follow up to the first. It's currently only being released by Manga International but is actually bundled with the boxset of the whole series!!!

So check it out Fist of the North Stars you won't regret it.

Better than the first series

[Elder_Yautija · 10/10 · 11 October 2010]

Hokuto No Ken is one of the few examples of a product for entertainment that gets better and better as its story unfolds. Those of us who believed that, after Kenshiro's epic fight with Raoh at the end of the first series, this anime couldn't get any better, better think again.

The characters of Kenshiro, Rhiaku, Bat and Linn are the only grasp left to the viewer on what the past series was about; here and there we get some flashbacks about Raoh's plans of conquest in the Land of Shura and that's it for what we think we know.

The rest of the series unfolds as unpredictably as can be, with a lot of revelations coming to the surface that will spread light over some of the mysteries of the first series.

A whole lot of new characters enter the scene, like Falco, a Gento general seemingly unbeatable baddie turned to good, Ahin, Shachi and the three main demons of the land of Shura. I know some of the hardcore fans of the first series could get sentimental and would maybe like to see Rei, Toki, Salzer and all those great guys again but, hey, they're dead!! And the new characters fully make up for their absence (with the exception maybe of Ahin, a little too flashy and too prone to one-liners). But the villains in this 2nd series are absolutely amazing, far more scary than Raoh ever was!! Wait for Kaio to show up, if you don't believe me! Kenshiro will go through some reeeeal deep S@#t before he will get his deeds done.

The final battles against the demons of Shura are among the best fighting scenes ever drawn in a anime production; blood and gore are cheap and the level of violence is far higher than it was before. As a matter of fact, I would not recommend this anime, especially this series I'm reviewing, to little kids. But it's an amazing series of an amazing anime, nevertheless. Far better than the already brilliant first series, as I said before. Watch it if you have a chance!

A must-see for any anime-fanatic or martial arts lover!

My vote: 10\10

"Fist of the North Star" continues

[chribren · 10/10 · 1 March 2014]

"Fist of the North Star 2", originally called "Hokuto no Ken 2", is an action/fighting anime which aired on Japanese TV from 1987 to 1988. Like the original series from 1984, this 43-episode long sequel was also made by Fuji TV and Toei.

Basic plot: Several years has gone since Hokuto Shinken successor Kenshiro defeated his rival Raoh. In the first arc Kenshiro again meets Bat and Lin (now leaders of the Hokuto Army), helping them to overthrow the corrupt governor general Jacko, who has lots of slaves to build up his Imperial Capital, and even sends the Gentou Kouken successor Falco to fight Kenshiro.

In the second arc, Lin gets captured and sent to the land of Asura, an extremely dangerous island where only the strongest fighters rule. So Kenshiro sets out to save Lin, and in the middle of his adventure, many secrets of this island get to be revealed.

This anime has lots of elements in common with the original series; It has intense fight scenes with some bloody result, with some people getting killed, and heads and bodies exploding of course. And the animation is great too as being from the late 80s.

The background soundtrack is basically the same as in the first series, and it fits well with many of the dramatic and the violent scenes taking place throughout the anime. But the rock theme song is, without any doubt, one the best intro tunes I've ever heard in any anime I've seen in general. To be more truthfully, this intro theme is honestly better than the one in the first series.

Also included in the Malay DVD box set which I wrote about in the first series and the 1986 movie; This series begins right on the same DVD as the first series takes an end.

I highly recommended the entire "Fist of the North Star"-franchise for any anime fans of the world, especially the ones who like watching action-filled anime and martial arts regardless if it's from the 80s or today. My overall rating: 10/10

the second part is the best

[erminahotmail · 10/10 · 7 December 2023]

So this is the second part of the Hokuto no Ken anime and I tell you that this is my favorite anime series of all and someone will say why Well because I rarely find a good anime series because the things I see always happen the same things which always make me ruin these ad seriesexample that males are always treated by females and this always happens every anime I see But luckily this Hokuto not Ken is not really because all the characters that are there are really well written for those who I loved this anime very much this series ball of a worldapocalyptic destroyed and everything is involved due to violence and deaths But luckily there is a defender or Kenshiro for me who goes around He was truly a great hero of an anime series because the others like Goku Ichigo Luffy Naruto have always been characters who they never make me happyvery much seeing as they are always treated badly by females it's lucky for me that this Kenshiro wasn't he was really beautiful as the main character and then he fights really nice meaning that everything always makes the villain explode but now I do therereview of the second part of the anime So several years have passed since Kenshiro defeated Raoh several things have happened for example that there is a gigantic Palace full of lights inside there are people who belong to the Cento school who inside there is one of the bestthat is, the falcon general for me is one of the most beautiful characters in the anime but it's a shame that he is killed As had happened in others but after that there is another part or when Kenshiro goes to Demon Island And there they will have to have a lot of opponents complicated has for example he will find his brother hyobut he faces because he was cheated by something but make her face but the character that fascinated me much more is kaioh he is the real brother raoh Actually he is really more beautiful villain in an anime I always feel the anime series like Dragon Ball bleach naruto one piecethey say that the biggest series is the most beautiful anime series but my problem is that they don't make me very happy because of the problem I already mentioned but my favorite of all time will always be Hokuto No Ken but I know that a new film will be released in 2024 But I hope that movie doesn't ruin it for mebeautiful that I love very much to conclude the vote 10.

Anticlimactic

[Taketsuo · 6/10 · 30 November 2007]

Hokuto no Ken 2 begins from few years after the original series; Bat and Lynn have grown up and started a rebel army against a new Holy Capital Empire which has taken over after Kenshiro disappeared from limelight after Yuria's death. Slave trade and draconian laws naturally do not motivate our hero to stay out of the way for long.

The Holy Capital arc is probably my favorite story arc of the whole HnK series, right there with the very first (with Shin). Why? It sticks to the basics. Also, Falco is among my favorite supporting characters right after Rei. Seeming like a villain at first, his soldiers' eagerness to give up their lives for him makes Kenshiro suspicious about his true intentions. Also spicing up things is a nonchalant but skilled martial artist and bounty hunter named Ein whose loyalties lie with his mysterious "woman". Another interesting detail is that the primary villain of the arc, Jakoh, is not a fighter in the slightest and deathly afraid of the dark (Jakoh was actually voiced by the same guy who took over the narration for Banjo Ginga after the first story arc of the original HnK).

Unfortunately, the Land of Asura arc is where everything falls flat on it's face. At first, the concept of Kenshiro traveling over the sea to a land inhabited by nothing but warriors sounds too good to be true...and it is, because this place is filled with innocent farmers and the like to be saved from the evil people. But that's not the only bad thing. The original series' ugly habit of introducing cool supporting characters only to kill them off a few episodes later increases tenfold here; pretty much *everyone* besides Kenshiro can and WILL die, leaving me more frustrated than happy. Also, the 'history of hokuto shinken' gets even more confusing here, as if the series had been written as they went on without any actual plot outline thought out. Last and worst, the whole 'bad guys get redeemed at death' gets a very ridiculous aspect when the main bad guy, Kaioh, has absolutely no redeeming aspects whatsoever! How can you try and save someone who has absolutely no likable qualities? And the fact that Kaioh is practically a rehash of Raoh, down to the same voice actor, doesn't help things.

The only thing that saves this series is it's ending. Kenshiro rides off into the sunset with faces of enemies from the past, starting from the very beginning of the original series, which is a very touching and almost nostalgic experience after watching the whole series. Like, it's been a long road, but it's finally over. Also, I noticed that the character designs have improved a great deal, you can no longer tell from the face who's a bad guy and who's not. Oh, and how could I forget the music? "Tough Boy" is definitely a tough competitor for the classic "Ai o Torimodose" for sure!

Seriously though, I'd recommend you to only watch the Holy Capital arc and skip the Asura arc completely if the former didn't end in a cliffhanger, which creates a very annoying dilemma; so much crap just to see how Kenshiro saves Lynn.

Only for avid fans of the first series

[sharon_sf · 6/10 · 18 February 2021]

This series act as a sequel to the first series, and take about 10 years in the future. ken is back after living in exile, and save the world again. the plot is very similar to the first series. ken need to beat a line of bosses from the easy weaker ones, to the stronger ones. like the first series, he gain more and more powers on the way, that allow him to defeat even the strongest foe. there is basically nothing new here - you got those supporting characters who starting as foe, continue as friends, and ended up dead as before. the downside of this series that characters are not interesting, and you don't care about them. lin is just princess lea character/sleeping beauty clone , and bart has only small and almost meaningless role at the first act. as i mention they do try this time to copy some starwars return of the jedi elements, including the villain who look like darth vader, and story about the evil part of the north star versus the good part of the north star, and they even had some guys look like yoda. as i mention the story was not very thrilling, since they didn't manage to build reliable and human characters. there was no humor, and almost no romance, not a boob, and all the family story sub plot at the end seemed very forced. even the violence became more like starwars jedi style, instead of the karate. for conclusion - this series is more for avid fans. i found myself skipping the last chapters, because they were basically just prolonging the end , when it was clear what the end is going to be.

its not like the first part

[christopherreifer · 5/10 · 8 February 2009]

this time ken comes back to a world thats been separated by wealth, or something or so they say in the beginning but don't really go in deeper on that.

Its a lot of talk about tentei star hear and there bart and lynn are grown up bart is real serious and grown now, thats cool but bart was way more fun when he was a kid witty and street smart they have completely taken that out of his character, also it seems all the other old star such as toki raoh and the nanto guys are forgotten, and this guy falco is an equal to ken i don't like that hokuto shinken should be the best and beat everyone, and they have depicted this guy falco as a good guy when he lets countless people die for one girl a empress or something, where he personally kill people thats fighting for their freedom. Also they have taken out nanto of the picture. That was just the first installment of the second part I'm not even gonna get into the second one.

this one do OK but to me was a serious disappointment to me i miss raoh toki rei and those guys