Hokuto no Ken 2 (Famicom)

Hokuto no Ken 2
Developer(s)	Shouei System
Publisher(s)	Toei Animation (Japan) Taxan (USA)
Platform(s)	Family Computer
Release date(s)	April 17, 1987 April, 1989
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single player
Media	Cartridge
Input methods	Controller

Hokuto no Ken 2 Seikimatsu Kyūseishu Densetsu (北斗の拳2 世紀末救世主伝説) is a side-scrolling action game for the Family Computer released by Toei Animation on April 17, 1987. It served as a tie-in to the anime series of the same name, being released a few days after the airing of its fifth episode. A version for the Nintendo Entertainment System was released by Taxan in North America under the title of Fist of the North Star on April 1989, making it the earliest Hokuto no Ken tie-in product released outside Japan. Before release, the NES version was shown in the Summer Consumer Electronics Show in 1988 under the title of Ken the Great Bear Fist, Toei's proposed localized title for the series.

Because the game was produced at the same time as the Hokuto no Ken 2 anime series entered production, certain plot details differ from both, the manga and anime. Most notably, the renegade Gento Kō Ken masters from the anime, Taiga and Boltz, co-exists as enemy characters alongside Jakō's sons from the manga, Jask and Sheeno, while Bronza, a character exclusive to this game, serves as the General of the Red Light in place of Shoki, who filled the same role in the anime. While Shoki himself never appears in the game, his death at the hands of Sheeno is acknowledged in the official strategy guide. The game only covers the Tentei story arc, with a bonus stage featuring the Nameless Asura as a hidden final boss.

Story

After the death of Raoh, the Central Imperial Capital began its rule of the chaotic world under the name of the Heavenly Emperor. Now grown up, Bat and Lin has formed a resistance under the banner of Hokuto. Kenshiro returns once again after hearing the plight of the people. Kenshiro must hurry to the Imperial Capital and defeat their leader Falco of the Gento Kō Ken style.

Controls

• Controller I
  • A button - Punch
  • B button - Kick
  • Up - Jump
  • Down - Crouch
  • Left - Walks left
  • Right - Walks right
  • Select - Allows you to choose between 1-Player and Vs. Mode on the title screen
  • Start - Starts the game on the title screen after choosing between game mode. During the game, press Start to pause the action and press it again to continue.
  • Aura attack - If Kenshiro has any aura yet, he can shoot it towards his direction by pressing A and B simultaneously.
  • Enter doors - Kenshiro can enter certain doors he comes across by pressing A and B simultaneously and pressing Right on the d-pad.

• Controller II is not used in this game.

How to Play

• How to proceed - After starting the game, the player can right, left, downwards, and upwards depending on the level.

• Power-up - Certain enemies will drop power-ups in the shape of the words あべし (abeshi) or ひでぶ (hidebu) when defeated. You can completely power-up Kenshiro by collecting abeshi items until reaching Level 4, and the then three hidebu items to reach the maximum power level.

• Aura gauge - Your aura gauge will be replenished by one point for every 20 enemies you defeat.

• Extra lives - You will gain an extra life for every 100,000th point.

• Vs. Mode - When you select Vs. Mode from the title screen, you will fight against the bosses from Stage 1-4.

• Power-up items
  • Flag of Hokuto - Replenishes Kenshiro's energy
  • Yuria's necklace (silver) - Will replenish your aura energy by three points
  • Yuria's necklace (gold) - Allows Kenshiro to use Musō Tensei, the ultimate secret technique of Hokuto Shin Ken.

• Time limit - The player will lose one life if the timer reaches 0.

• Continues - After a game over, the player can continue on the stage where they left off by holding A and pressing Start on the title screen. Continuing can take you up to Stage 4.

Characters

Listed by order of appearance.

The Player

• Kenshirō - The Successor of Hokuto Shin Ken. Kenshiro's energy will increase whenever he meets an ally.

Stage 1 - Bask's Country Area (バスクのエリア, Basuku no Eria)

• The Punishment Corps (司刑隊, Shikeitai) - The enemy grunts from Stage 1 and 2. Their duty is to defend county capitals from intruders. Although they wear no armor, they are not afraid to attack.
• Barona - The sub-boss of Stage 1. Bask's most trusted lackey. Despite having a larger build than Kenshiro and powerful punches, he can easily be outsmarted.
• Bask - The boss of Stage 1. A master of the Mount Hua Prison Clenching Claw (華山獄握爪, Kazan Gokuaku Sō). The tyrannical ruler of one of the county capitals, he imposes high taxes on his people.
• Bat - The leader of the Hokuto Army, a man who has risked his life in order to reunite Lin with Kenshiro. He appears after defeating Bask at the end of Stage 1.
• Lin - A beautiful girl who has joined the Hokuto Army to liberate the people from tyranny while awaiting for her reunion with Kenshiro. She appears alongside Bat at the end of Stage 1.

Stage 2 - Gaira's City Area (ゲイラのエリア, Geira no Eria)

• Buzori - The sub-boss at Stage 2. A bounty hunter who roams at Geira's county capital. Strapped with several bodies around his waist, the power he throws at his direction are really powerful.
• Geira - The boss of Stage 2. A man who rules his county capital with hypnotic powers that makes his villagers follow his will. He has become morbidly obese due to the fact that he no longer does anything himself. He practices the Illusionary Spin Dance (幻想回転舞, Gensō Kaiten Mai), which allows to attack by breathing out smoke balls and fire balls from his mouth instead of attacking with his fists.
• Ein - A man who sympathizes with Bat and fights for the people as well. The single father of a young girl, he became a bounty hunter because of her. He appears at the end of Stage 2 after defeating Geira.

Stage 3 - Traitor Concentration Camp (反逆者収容所, Hangyakusha Shūyōjo)

• Concentration Camp Corps (収容所隊, Jūyōjotai) - The enemy grunts of Stage 3. They come in two sizes, small and large soldiers. The large ones are capable of attacking with throwing knives and arrows. The small soldiers are capable of jumping around Kenshiro without resting, hurling him when they can.
• Concentration Camp's Assistant Warden (収容所副所長, Jūyōjo Fukushochō) - The sub-boss of Stage 3. Taiga's most trusted man, it is said that no one can surpass him when it comes to his mastery of the whip. He does a small jump every time he uses the whip. He resembles Beron's assistant from the manga.
• Taiga - The boss of Stage 3. The first of the Four Devas of Gento (元斗四天王, Gento Shitennō), he carries a Green Light on his body. The warden of a prison where rebels are isolated from society, he punishes his prisoners with merciless cruelty. Covered in green armor, he's an evil devil who executes prisoners himself with his proud kicks and White Petal Bullets (白華弾, Hakkadan). His special move is the Gento Vacuum Reducer (元斗真空減殺, Gento Shinkū Gensai).
• Haz and Gil Harn - Two ruffian brothers who hold a grudge against Falco. They're both, old friends and enemies of Ein. Only one of them actually appears at the end of Stage 3 after defeating Taiga, although the manual and official guide doesn't specify whom.

Stage 4 -Soria's Army (ソリアの軍, Soria no Gun)

• Solia's Army - The enemy grunts of Stage 4, they're imperial soldiers under Solia's personal command. Their attacks includes slide kicks and spear throws.
• Soria - The boss of Stage 4. The second of the Four Devas of Gento, who wears a purple armor. Although he once fought Falco in the past and lost his right eye, he is now Falco's most devoted follower and is willing to give up his life for the sake of the Imperial General. His special attack is the Gento Imperial Fist Ring of Destruction (元斗皇拳破の輪, Gento Kōken Ha no Rin).

Stage 5 - The Imperial Capital Gate (帝都の門, Teito no Mon)

• The Viceroy's Loyal Army (総督直轄軍, Sōtoku Chokkatsu Tai) - The enemy grunts of Stage 5 and 6. The chosen elite of the Imperial Army. They possess a mixture of attacks such as punches, kicks, jumps, and sliding kicks. Moreover, they extremely quick and can approach their target at great speed.
• Boltz - The boss of Stage 5. The third of the Four Devas of Gento, who possesses the blue light. He has mastered the technique of the Gento Flowing Ring Deadly Destruction (元斗流輪破殺, Gento Ryūrin Hasatsu), which allows him to shoot three consecutive white petal bullets by concentrating all of the needed energy.

Stage 6 - Jako’s Army (ジャコウの軍, Jakō no Gun)

• Sheeno - The first sub-boss of Stage 6. Jakoh's younger son. He has earned Kenshiro's wrath due to the cowardly way he fatally wounded Kenshiro and Yuria's old benefactor. He attacks using his strong punches from his large body.
• Jask - The second sub-boss of Stage 6. Jakoh's elder son. His rose to his current position of power under the wing of his father's influence. He does low kicks while crouching.
• Jako - The third sub-boss of Stage 6. A coward who has taken over the Central Imperial Capital for himself and his two sons by imprisoning the Heavenly Empress. He hates fighting his own battles and has survived so far due to his conniving ways. He throws knives while jumping.
• Bronza (ブロンザ, Buronza) - The boss of Stage 6. The last of the Four Devas of Gento, who possesses a red light. He is the first Gento martial artist to master the ultimate secret technique of Musō Tensei, which can only be learned by those who have experienced true sorrow because of love. Because of the sorrow and fighting aura within him, he can use a secret technique called the Gento Imperial Fist Ring of Light (元斗皇拳光の輪, Gento Kōken Hikari no Rin), which he performs by shooting White Petal Bullets while through Musō Tensei. Although a game original character, he has the same title given to Shōki in the TV series.
• Lui - The Tentei, Lin's elder twin sister. She has gone blind after spending a long time living as a prisoner. She is rescued after defeating Bronza at the end of Stage 6.

Stage 7 - Kenshiro vs. Falco (ケンシロウvsファルコ)

• Falco's Army - The enemy grunts of Stage 7. They are imperial soldiers under the direct command of Falco who wear golden helmets. There are four types of members, each with a specific attack method (punchers, slide kickers, jumpers and archers).
• Falco - The boss of Stage 7. The mightiest master of Gento Kō Ken, a martial art which carries with it a 2,000-year-old history. Gento is considered to be one of the two mightiest martial arts alongside the Hokuto school. Like Hokuto, Gento can only be passed down from one master to one student and Falco the Gold is the only successor. His confrontation with Kenshiro will determine which art will be the one left. His special technique is the Gento Imperial Secret Technique - The Ring of Collision (元斗皇拳奥義衝の輪, Gento Kōken Ōgi Shō no Rin)

Stage 8 - Kenshiro vs. Shura (ケンシロウvsシュラ)

• Shura - The true final boss. A man who was raised in a country where everyone does nothing but fight everyday. He has a slide kick that can cut through his foes like a precise machine. However, the precision of his kicks can also be his weakness, due to their predictability. His special technique is the Destruction Grasp Enchanting Fang (滅把妖牙, Meppa Yōga).

Secrets

Final stage and alternate endings

There are two endings, depending on which stage the game ends. If the player has continued at least once, then the game will end on Stage 7 and the ending screen will show Lui's face. However, if the player completes Stage 7 without continuing once, then the player will proceed through Stage 8 instead. If the player completes Stage 8, then the ending screen will show Falco's face instead (the ending theme will be different as well).

Skip to Stage 4

If the player finishes playing the Vs. Mode (it doesn't matter whether the player wins or loses) and then input the continue code (Down and Start) on the Normal Mode, then the player will begin at Stage 4 instead of Stage 1. If the player uses this code, they will get the Lui ending when they defeat Falco.

Finishing moves

The player can perform a different finishing move on each boss by hitting each boss' weak point with a specific attack on their first strike. The only indication that the strike was successful is if the boss loses more energy than they normally would with a regular attack. After the battle, the Japanese characters will be displayed on the top portion of the screen showing the name of the technique.

Hokuto Hagan Ken (北斗破顔拳, North Star Head Breaking Fist)

Used on Bask. The first blow must be a jumping punch to his head. A secret technique originally used on Madara in the anime.

Senha Shitō Ken (喘破刺倒拳, Lung Destroying Fist)

Used on Geila. The first blow must be a punch to his belly. In the original work, the finishing move on Geila was simply a vital point called Senha.

Hokuto Hachimon Kudan (北斗八悶九断, The North Star Eight Agonies Nine Breaks)

Used on Taiga. The first blow must be a standing kick. In the original work, this was the technique Kenshiro was going to use to kill Jagi before he decided to spared his life the first time they fought. According to the official guide, it causes the victim to feel eight different kinds of pain before breaking into nine pieces.

Hokuto Shimetsu Kōha (北斗紫滅光破, The North Star Purple Destroying Light)

Hit Solia with a punch to the face as the first blow. A game-original technique. According to the official strategy guide, it is a kind of Aura Punch that uses sunlight that exercises its might particularly to purple objects. In other words, it can destroy Solia's purple armor.

Hokuto Messatsu Ken (北斗滅殺拳, North Star Annihilation Fist)

Hit Boltz with a crouching kick as the first blow. A game-original technique. It is a special technique that devours the body in an instant, causing its soul to be lost forever.

Hokuto Shichisei Ken (北斗七星拳, The Big Dipper Fist)

Hit Bronza with a kick to the head as the fist blow. A technique that is performed subconsciously by Ken when the seven scars on his chest are glowing red, enhancing his sense of awareness.

Hokuto Shin Ken Hiōgi - Musō Kaketsu (北斗神拳秘奥義 無想戈穴, Secret Technique of Hokuto Shin Ken - Unconscious Arm Split)

A secret technique used to defeat Falco. The player must strike Falco's back with a standing punch while he performs his sliding kick. In the manga, Kaketsu was the name of a vital point that Ken struck on Falco's chest.

Hokuto Shin Ken Hiōgi - Tenha no Ken (北斗神拳秘奥義 天破の拳, Secret Technique of Hokuto Shin Ken - Heaven-Splitting Fist)

A secret technique used to defeat the Nameless Asura. The player must strike the Asura's chest with a standing kick as the first blow. It is a technique which gives the opponent the greatest sense of pain they can feel, causing its victim to yell loudly enough to split the heavens, hence the name.

American version

The American version released by Taxan for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) has several differences between it and the original Japanese release.

• The game is titled Fist of the North Star instead of Hokuto no Ken 2 (no other Fist of the North Star video game were released overseas for the NES).
• The background color of the title screen was changed from black to blue. Likewise for Kenshiro's sprite.
• All of the Japanese text were localized to English.
• The player's "aura" gauge is now called the "bomb" gauge.
• The "abeshi" and "hidebu" power-ups were changed into generic white and black stars.
• Certain bosses, namely Barona and Buzori, were made easier to defeat in the American version.
• The NPCs that appeared at the end of certain stages in the Japanese version (e.g. Bat and Lin, Ein, Gill, Lui) were removed.
• The kanji that appears at the top of the screen after the player loses to a boss or when the player defeats a boss after striking their weak point were removed.

The game was advertised in Viz's eight-issue run of the Fist of the North Star manga published in 1989. Although Toki appears on the American version's cover artwork sparring with Kenshiro (taken from a cel art used for episode 70 of the anime series), he does not actually appear in the game.

Bugs

The NES version introduces a few bugs that did not exists in its Famicom counterpart, particularly regarding the use of continues.

• If you use a continue once before completing Stage 7, instead of displaying the "bad ending" like in the Japanese version, the game will display show a glitched screen while playing a loud noise. It will then promptly return to the title screen. This change was likely done due to the developers removing the ending itself (most likely due to the presence of Lui, who was removed in the American version along with all the other NPCs), but not the triggering method itself.
• Continues will take you to the last stage you've played, rather than limiting you to just Stage 4. However, if you use a continue on the last stage and defeat the Nameless Shura, instead of displaying the ending properly, it will take you to series of glitched versions of the boss battles from Vs. Mode. After the third boss (Taiga) is defeated, Kenshiro will end up in another glitched screen where he falls to his death into a bottomless pit until running out of lives.

Staff

• Executive Producer - Miki Hirao
• Producer - Shuichi Sato, Tadao Okubo
• Director - Yoshihiko Takeda
• Game Designer - Kenichi Suzuki
• Character Designer - Makoto Higa, Naomi Sato
• Programmer - Masahiro Yoshihara, Yasuhide Sakakura
• Game Music - J-Walk Mitsuyasu

Game Genie Codes

Infinite Lives

SXSKAPVG

Infinite Energy

SZOGUISA

Invincibility

SZSKTTAX

Freeze Time

SZKTLYVG

Anecdotes from the developers

The following information is taken from the official strategy.

• Kenshiro's kicking pose originally had his upper body unguarded, but this was changed based on a suggestion from Tetsuo Hara who commented that "Kenshiro is a fighter who knows the secret to unparalleled offense and defense."
• The Nameless Shura was originally drawn unmasked, but was given one in order to give him more mystique.
• Geila was originally supposed to appear on-screen being brought via a wheelbarrow pushed by his servants, but ultimately appears by himself due to the screen switching.
• Several freed rebels were supposed to appear after defeating Taiga at the end of Stage 3.
• The breakable walls in Stages 3 and 6 were added as stress relievers for the player.
• Like in the first Famicom game, Kenshiro's kiais were performed by a producer from Toei Animation.
• The soundtrack was composed by Mitsuyasu Tomohisa, guitarist for the band J-WALK (who would go on compose the music for all of Toei's subsequent Hokuto no Ken videos games).

Official strategy guide

• High-Tech - Hokuto no Ken 2 - Hiōgi no Sho​ (ハイテク 北斗の拳2 秘奥義の書), Shueisha, 1987/04/25, ISBN 4-8342-1056-1

External Links

• Fist of the North Star at GameFAQs