Introduction

As a young millennial who grew up watching old-school anime on Toonami/ Adult Swim (on the Cartoon Network channel) during the 2000s, it exposed me to a world of brilliant stories. Animes such as Dragon Ball, Z, GT, Gundam Wing, G Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, Trinity Blood, Samurai Champloo, Death Note, Yu Yu Hakusho, Blood +, Inuyasha, Rurouni Kenshin, Trigun, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and many more.

Watching all of these animes left a deeper appreciation for my childhood. Life in the early 2000s wasn’t all that perfect but it was a simpler era before social media grew prominent in the 2010s. During the 2010s I stumbled across the rarest find on YouTube. As I’d gone on an expedition towards finding old-school anime openings from the 1980s, I came across a clip in Japanese of Kenshiro vs. The Holy Emperor: Souther from the Toei Animation of Hokuto No Ken.

北斗の拳 (Hokuto No Ken): Fist of the North Star

Hokuto no Ken is written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. They both developed a 27-volume manga series from September 13th, 1983 to August 8th, 1988. However, we got an anime series of over 109 episodes from the iconic Toei Animation Studio from October 11th, 1984 to March 5th, 1987. You would think that’s the end of it but you’re dead wrong!

Not only did we get a full-featured animated film in 1986, but we also got a continuation of the anime of Hokuto No Ken II from March 13th, 1987 to February 18th, 1988 with over 43 episodes. The 2000s also had other films and such.

Hopefully, I didn’t bore you guys with details unrelated to the theme topic although I am a nerd when it comes to pop culture history. Anywho, for those unfamiliar with the story of Hokuto No Ken, it takes place in the 1990s after a nuclear apocalypse devastated the entire planet leaving only chaos and lawlessness in the wasteland. However, our main badass hero, Kenshiro the 64th successor of Hokuto Shin Ken (Big Dipper God Fist) undergoes the various dangers of fighting against the strongest and evilest beings in the wasteland. Throughout Kenshiro’s journey, he also must face the challenges of sorrow for those he cares about and fights for.

Kenshiro Taught Me The Lessons of Manhood

Kenshiro is one of the most powerful and deadliest anime characters, yet he left a great impression on my life as a teenager. He taught me how to be a good man in a world of evil. His actions showed me things I am grateful to have picked up on.

1. Having compassion towards your enemies even though it can be hard to do so.
2. Fighting for the weak and for your loved ones.
3. Allowing yourself to feel your emotions and not let them consume you.
4. Real men can cry when needed.
5. Developing strong bonds with other men.
6. Not allowing evil to rise above the good.
7. Appreciating the small precious moments of life.
8. Be a blessing to those in need of your support.
9. Being kind yet also vigilant of people’s motives.
10. Becoming the strongest person through mind, body, and spirit makes the man whole.
11. Fighting for actual love is a good thing.
12. Hold onto the memories of the people who came into your life who had made you strong.
13. Never give up when a situation seems impossible.
14. Fight hard enough and don’t back down against those who want to see you fall.
15. Stand up for yourself no matter what you face.

Kenshiro taught me these key lessons as a man and I am glad to have such an iconic character who represents a good man in a world that could be better. Thank you, Hokuto No Ken for showing good examples of healthy masculine traits from Kenshiro.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fist_of_the_North_Star

https://hokuto.fandom.com/wiki/Hokuto_Shinken

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=5029