Credit: Gage Skidmore (Insert: Eastern Star)
The title isn’t bluster and instead evokes WWE star Kurt Angle’s line: ‘It’s true, it’s true’
Yes, John Cena, the famed WWE sports entertainer and Hollywood actor, and co-star of Justin Lin’s newest theatrical release out of Universal Pictures, F9, has openly admitted his fandom for the exciting Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. And yet it is merely one of several reasons, that will prompt you to consider watching (or even reading) the legendary FIST OF THE NORTH STAR (FOTNS)
The reasons are summarized below:
8. FORMUALIC BUT FAVOURABLE
‘FIST OF THE NORTH STAR’ (‘FOTNS’) doesn’t possess a complex story or narrative, in fact one could argue that the premise is very simplistic in that it is simply the story of a stoic martial artist seeking to locate his beloved fiancée, Yuria. Yet forgoing any complexity, enables the viewer to invest in the emotional content highly evident in the characters; in many ways this provides us the opportunity to simply enjoy the action and the set pieces – ultimately to be engaged in a mature story. The heroes like Kenshiro or Rei are determined and noble, and they go up against some incredibly powerful adversaries that often have morally ambiguous characteristics. Given its formulaic narrative, it is one of those creative works that is incredibly easy to get into at any juncture.
7. THE ROAD WARRIOR
The post-apocalyptic setting of the series and movie, were heavily inspired by ‘MAD MAX’ with Kenshiro himself resembling Mel Gibson’s Max Rockatansky. The crumbling buildings, diminished societal norms and the savage gangs exploiting innocent civilians are reminiscent of The Road Warrior meting out justice and seeking vengeance for brutal crimes. Like Max, Kenshiro rarely ever shows emotion and instead metes out his own form of vengeance with a sense of justice that appeals to the audience. Clad in a badass outfit similar to the Aussie action hero, complete with the 80s mullet and the chiseled face and the tribute is more than obvious.
6. ENTER THE DRAGON
The creator of the manga itself has made it no secret that legendary martial arts pioneer Bruce Lee, was a template for the protagonist Kenshiro. Illustrator Tetsuo Hara was reportedly a fan of the Chinese American Martial Arts star and the influence on this work is evident.
Yet this is ofcourse more of a tribute than an absolute representation of Lee, since the fictional martial arts style of Hokuto-No-Ken is more inspired by traditional Oriental fighting arts where the fabled ‘death touch’ is a prominent inclusion. By contrast, Lee’s Jeet Kune Do (JKD) is a viewed as a pragmatic modern philosophy rather than style that eschews any mysticism in favour of efficient techniques – to many this is seen as a forerunner to Modern Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Kenshiro’s war cries, side straddled fighting stance and several of his signature moves (like the infamous Hundred Crack Fist) are very much modelled on the late martial arts star in many of his movies.
5. THE 90s LIVE ACTION FILM ADAPTATION
Made in 1995, helmed by horror director Tony Randel and starring the supremely talented martial arts action star Gary Daniels the movie adaptation of FOTNS managed to capture the essence of the animated series and theatrical release from 1986. Managing to clinch the great Malcom McDowell as the wisened Ryuken, the portly Chris Penn as Jackal and charming Aussie actor Costas Mandylor as Lord Shin may be seem to questionable casting but each of them seemingly enjoyed their roles – and excelled, for the most part.
In an interview with the one and only Scott Adkins on his now famed ‘Art of Action’ series, Daniels had denoted that this was possibly his biggest budget film. With large investment coming from FOTNS Rights Owners, TOEI in Japan, Daniels was signed on for a multi picture deal which in his words ‘would have changed his life.’ Though reasonably tame by today’s standards, the gory violence seemed to deter buyers in Hollywood that ultimately and sadly preventing a wide cinematic release. Like any 90s teenager, Jean Claude Van Damme quickly became my idolized hero, but when I first saw Gary Daniels he quickly took that mantle. In my opinion, Daniels had a far greater combat arsenal and superior sharpness to his kicks and this movie demonstrated that with resounding certainty.
Being this journalist’s favourite anime (along with ‘CRYING FREEMAN’) I’d certainly welcome a new cinematic remake with my dream cast being Scott Adkins as Kenshiro, David Bautista as Raoh, Gary Daniels returning as Toki, AEW’s Kenny Omega as Rei, fitness beauty Ashley Kaltwasser as Yuria and have the excellent Joey Ansah to direct.
There was a short lived live action South Korean TV series, which comes off as goofy and unintentionally comedic perhaps due to a limited budget. Certainly this is best treated as a curio, that deserves at least one viewing if you need a chuckle.
4. MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT
Indeed the massive physiques of the characters in the films have led some commentators to jokingly opine that gyms and hairdressers survived the apocalyptic cataclysm in FOTNS.
Though the mainstream may view these as exaggerated builds only existing within the pages of a comic book, bodybuilding in the 70s to the current day has presented real life examples of ‘larger-than-life’ physiques. One can (as this author does) opine that whilst Kenshiro might be built like say a more aesthetic Frank Zane, the more imposing build of Raoh could be reflected by none other than the great Arnold Schwarzenegger. Indeed, it is conjecture but the peak physiques of these warriors have (through developments in training, nutrition etc) have led to these becoming realized in current champions as Chris Bumstead to Nicholas Walker.
Having written professionally in the sport of bodybuilding and fitness since 2005, for me it has become apparent that sections of the sport are enamoured fans of anime – even seven time Mr Olympia himself Phil Heath has reportedly expressed his fandom of Dragon Ball Z. Personally two friends of mine, who happen to be Australian bodybuilding champions themselves, have denoted their long time enthusiasm for Japanese animation. Ryan Pagel has been a long time devotee of Dragon Ball Z exclaiming ‘The action, the fighting, the physiques…it has fantastic artwork and compelling lore’; whilst Luke Anderson immersed himself in the lore of BERSERK saying ‘Guts (the protagonist) is an individual who’s character progression is simply incredible throughout, his life resembles a lot of mine….from being lost early on and fighting to succeed in any endeavour…he carries on in life, living on his own terms which is admirable’ As it stands, FOTNS sits somewhere in between these two highly impactful anime, lacking the uplifting whismy of DRAGON BALL Z and forgoing absolute dark horror in the macabre violence of BERSERK.
3. VIVA ITALIA!
The series has garnered a huge following in Europe, and whilst other anime such as ‘LUPIN’ and ‘CITY’ HUNTER are reportedly very popular in France, it is the Italians that have expressed much enthusiasm for this martial arts epic.
It is a perplexing yet intriguing notion to discover the admiration for this work, having a large number of its fan base in a country known for its incredible history, impeccable style, popular cuisine and absolute romance. There is a beautification of the dialogue, and as such the cookie cutter heroes and villains are given more depth in all verbal exchanges. The passion in the Italian language amplifies the emotive content in the dialogue, capturing a soul of a hero or even the vitriol of a villain. Personally, I have deliberately viewed several episodes of FOTNS dubbed into Italian and it seemingly elevates the impact of Hara’s vision.
2. GAMING GREATNESS
As with any popular pop culture medium, FOTNS has also been developed into video games with varying degrees of success. Though not wanting to touch on the 8 and 16 bit versions (eg. Black Belt on the Sega Master System and Last Battle on the Genesis), the 7th generation saw a decent attempt with ‘FIST OF THE NORTH STAR: KEN’s RAGE’ which was a horde battle game for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, that although very repetitive was highly enjoyable and a great stress reliever. Arc System Works one-on-one fighting game on Playstation 2 has become one of the most sought after games on the system, sadly never having a Western release.
Whilst the most recent generation saw ‘FIST OF THE NORTH STAR: LOST PARADISE’ as a very indepth action role playing game also serving as a Playstation 4 exclusive. This more recent version shared the same DNA as the acclaimed ‘YAKUZA’ series, and whilst it did not have the same gripping story as the ones devised by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios, ‘LOST PARADISE’ captured the action of the original series with its highly engaging and deep martial arts combat.
1. THE LIGHTNING FIST
Last but not least is the primary impetus for this piece with WWE star turned Hollwyood actor, John Cena. In an interview with GQ in 2017, the versatile and affable performer confirmed his penchant for anime, stating:
‘Saw Fist (of the North Star) at maybe 14 or 15, and just thought it was really well done; superheroes fighting…death point punches and crazy infinite strikes.’
https://youtu.be/L-wZlsLZ0AE
Given the earnest and pop culture centric manner of this beloved WWE star it perhaps not too much of a stretch to see the appreciation he would have for this anime. Actually, this journalist would not be surprised if this talented sports entertainer and actor is somehow responsible for a new film adaptation; procuring Producer rights as well as appearing in a new live adaptation.
