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A twist to the classic favorite that begins in the aftermath of the great apocalypse, across a barren Earth, chaos is the rule, and order the exception with bandits and enterprising overlords terrorizing the survivors of the holocaust. Will a hero rise from the ashes and cut a swath of justice across the Earth's ruined landscape? In the aftermath of Kenshiro’s attack on the citadel of Last Land, the boy known as Lord Doha falls deathly ill. Sara’s prognosis is dire: only a few days before death takes him. The serum to save his life is a two days’ drive each way. When pressed by Kenshiro, Sara admits there is a shorter path… but it runs through Cliffland, a land haunted by demons who practice a mysterious killing technique. Fates collide as Kenshiro takes up the quest and departs for Cliffland. Suddenly, another mysterious martial artist arrives in Last Land, pursued by two of the dreaded Clifflanders. The fighter gives his name as Seiji and vows to take all that Sanga has owned. The balance of power is once again thrown into chaos as fist is pitted against fist in a struggle to see whose justice will prevail. Meanwhile, Sara anxiously waits for Kenshiro to return… if he returns at all.
Twenty years after the initial program debuted, a new team is continuing the long-running series, Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken, literally Ken the Great Bear Fist, 1984). Except for the computer-generated motorcycles and special effects, the new Fist of the North Star is very close to the original. Stallone look-alike Kenshiro, the heir to the Hokuto Shinken school of martial arts, wanders the post-apocalyptic Earth, righting wrongs and making villains' heads explode. His new sidekicks are Tobi, an information dealer; Tobi's mute, amnesiac younger brother, Bista; and Sara, a woman who uses Hokuto Shinken techniques to heal the sick. Ken protects settlers from petty despots and Mad Max-style gangs of motorcycle-riding bodybuilders: The world may have been devastated by a nuclear holocaust, but there are still ample supplies of gasoline, tires, and steroids. (Rated 17 and older: graphic violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery) --Charles Solomon
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