220https://wallpaperaccess.com/full/5664353.jpg Tired of the same old shounen anime where it seems that everything is solved by a teenager protagonist that is overpowered but refuses to beat the crap out of the villain but instead talks and convinces the villain to surrender? Do you want something more manly more inspiring and more exciting? Do you want charismatic characters that have unique styles and personalities and can sometimes be as amazing as the protagonist itself? Lets go back 37 years go returning to 1984 where we will find the solution for your problems: Hokuto no Ken or Fist of the North Star for those who like to call it like that too. In my first review here I want to show you the power of the 80s anime and try convincing you that besides being famous for its violence Hokuto no Ken is more than just brutes hitting each other. 220https://media1.tenor.com/images/c837d8c0ec6cd14bb749eb80f7a79736/tenor.gif?itemid=14473693 Hokuto no Ken tells the story of Kenshiro the only sucessor of a 2000 year old assassination martial art called Hokuto Shinken that can defeat oponents with swift strikes making them explode from inside and it can only have one sucessor. But of course if you are here reading this review and thinking about giving a chance for this anime you already know that much. And you also know that this anime is something fully action packed with tons of blood exploding heads amazing fights etc... But lets talk about something that you might not expect: this anime has a really wonderfull and great story too. This anime is more of a journey. Kenshiros journey that starts with him going on a quest for revenge after his best friend stole his wife from him after leaving him deadly injuried on the desert waiting for death. But this is just the beggining of a journey that will lead Ken to face formidable oponents going from ruthless emperors that slaves children to even enemies that were once dear brothers to him. Also this is worth noting. Kenshiro is a good and righteous person. He helps those who are in need and dont think twice before helping someone in danger. But he also can be ruthless with those he considers unworthy of living. THIS is a trait that you rarely see on protagonists nowdays. Usually someone can kill a city of innocents and just be forgiven. Not for Kenshiro. Kenshiro punishes those who commit crimes and hurt good people. For him its not a matter of revenge its a matter of punishment. 220https://i.pin.com/236x/60/23/d5/6023d53c0976ed0fa7350aab0fb12b58comicmangamangacomics.jpg Kenshiro after bandits killed an old man and stole his seeds that he was supposed to deliever just to eat. Kenshiro proceeds to kill EVERY SINGLE bandit right after This is something I love this is something unusual for most shounen protagonists Ive saw. You can be good but you dont need to be an angel. Kenshiro thinks its right to kill bastards that live by abusing and hurting others. And if you are satisfied seeing bad people getting what they deserve.... you will love Kenshiro. But although yes he IS strong and he can defeat most punks with his fingers alone Kenshiro also must face enemies that knows dangerous martialarts and can sometimes leave Kenshiro defeated on the ground. And this is also something that I love about this anime. Kenshiro is strong but there are people who can be as strong or even stronger than him. Ken evolves during his journey after facing foes like no other. And while yes those guys can be really jackasses most of times they do have strong motivations and interesting backstories. And even after Ken defeats them Ken will respect the honor of these amazing foes. Its an amazing journey where Ken will find great friends like Mamiya Toki and Rei but also amazing enemies like Shin Souther and Raoh. And these characters are so great that you might fidn yourself crying alonside Kenshiro sometimes. But thats it for the journey plot and characters let me talk about the anime itself for a bit. Being honest here althought Its a great anime and it IS my favorite anime of all time its not flawless. The anime is really showing its age with sometimes robotic animations and recycled scenes. But at least the anime gets more polished with time. 220https://3.bp.blogspot.com/zMFmDLpG31s/WDq6YOu5k5I/AAAAAAAAFw4/LC8WnmDCbkFi6pTevu72VDzhj4NWBDBQCLcB/s1600/SudaNewEvolution2.jpg The first arc can be really tiresome because its packed with fillers it took about 24 episodes to Ken face shin while it took 1 volume in the manga but the anime itself doesnt have a whole lot of fillers at least. The pacing can be a little bit troublesome but the main fights are simply great and will make it worth it. Ken Vs. Souther or Ken Vs Raoh are amazing and exciting fights. The OST... is amazing. Ai wo Torimodose is one of the most catching openings that exist and the fights have amazing tracks and some scenes have gorgeous music too. Silent Survivor and Heart of Madness really give that 80s vibes and its amazing. https://youtu.be/gQ76IGR2QnY So in summary Hokuto no ken delivers what its promissed: a fully actionpacked anime with amazing characters and fights and with great story alongside. It might not be everyones cup of tea and since it shows its age some people might have some prejudice or worries with it. But if you did enjoy everything I told here from characters and protagonists personality to its journey and evolution as a character I have no doubt that you should try giving it a shot. Pick a spot Ill make sure... to bury you there. Kenshiro