Episode 563: Fist of the North Star

Hi! Diamond Feit here, back from Tokyo, ready with another Retronauts about a topic that's larger than any video game—and yet its history is as closely tied to video games as it is any other medium.

As we have done in past episodes about JoJo's Bizarre Adventure or Godzilla, this week we're looking at a massive Japanese media property that has had a sizable impact upon pop culture: Fist of the North Star, a 1983 manga that became a 1984 anime that became many, many video games starting in 1986.

Together with guests Kurt Kalata and Brian Clark, we go over the origins of this post-apocalyptic gold mine, introduce the major players who appear in most adaptations, and give a run down of notable video games that sprung from Fist of the North Star's violent wake. You don't need to tell us we "forgot" one, by the way, as no list of games from this franchise could ever be complete; it wouldn't surprise me if a new one were to pop up in between now and the live feed release of this very podcast.

Edits by Greg Leahy. Art by Leeann Hamilton. Blood-pumping music heard in this episode:

• 07:23 - 1986 Film OST: MIDORI NO CHIKYUU PROLOGUE
• 16:23 - Hokuto no Ken Premium Best OST: HOKUTO NO KEN
• 24:16 - Hokuto no Ken Premium Best OST: YURIA AI NO THEME
• 34:51 - Hokuto no Ken Premium Best OST: YURIA... EIEN NI
• 41:03 - Hokuto no Ken Premium Best OST: AKU NO SHUUGEKI
• 49:21 - 1986 Film OST: HEART OF MADNESS | Hokuto no Ken Premium Best OST: AI WO TORIMODOSE!!
• 1:03:37 - 1986 Film OST: TSUISEKISHATACHI
• 1:12:51 - Hokuto no Ken (Mark III): Main BGM
• 1:21:17 - Fist of the North Star (NES): Stage 2 BGM
• 1:28:33 - Last Battle (Genesis): Chapter 2 Stage BGM
• 1:40:22 - Hokuto no Ken (PS2): SOUTHERN CROSS
• 1:48:31 - Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage (PS3): AI WO TORIMODOSE!!
• 1:57:22 - Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise (PS4): PURE GRUDGE (Jagi's Theme)
• Closing - TOM★CAT: "TOUGH BOY"