Fist of the North Star: Difference between revisions

'''''Fist of the North Star''''' is the official title given to the various English adaptations of the ''[[Hokuto no Ken]]'' franchise published since 1989. Despite the similar sounding title, the name ''Fist of the North Star'' itself is not a direct translation of ''Hokuto no Ken'', as ''Hokuto'' (literally the "Northern Dipper) is the Japanese name of the Chinese ''Běidǒu'' asterism (otherwise known as the [[Hokuto Shichi Sei|Big Dipper]] in the west), whereas "North Star" traditionally refers to the star of [[Taikyokusei|Polaris]], which is part of a separate constellation. The title ''Fist of the North Star'' as a translated title for ''Hokuto no Ken'' predates any official use in commerce, as it was used by fanzines published by Fred Patton's Cartoon/Fantasy Organization throughout the 1980's.<ref name=hokutonofogie_20100202>{{cite web|url=http://hokutonofogie.blogspot.com/2010/02/twenty-five-years-fights-kenshiro-all.html|title= Twenty Five Years Fights Kenshiro! The All About Man Punishes Old Typewriting!|website=Hokuto no Fogie}}</ref>

The ''Fist of the North Star'' name has also appeared on certain ''Hokuto no Ken'' products in Japan, such as the 1995 LaserDisc of the ''[[Hokuto no Ken (1986 movie)|Hokuto no Ken]]'' movie. The English title also served as the namesake for the [[Nobuhiko Horie]]-founded company [[North Stars Pictures]].

Prior to the production of any official English adaptation of ''Hokuto no Ken'', Toei Corporation's International Sales & Promotio Department proposed the title ''Ken the Great Bear Fist'' for the foreign market, as they usually do for most of their works.<ref name=scifitoeienglish>{{cite web|url=http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2013/03/01/toei-official-english-title-list-2/|title=Toei Official English Title List « SciFi Japan}}</ref> This title was actually going to be used at one for Taxan's NES version of the [[Hokuto no Ken 2 (Famicom)|''Hokuto no Ken 2'' Famicom game]], before they changed it to ''Fist of the North Star'' in order to tie in with Viz's adaptation of the manga.<ref name=1988sces>{{cite web|url=http://www.chrismcovell.com/secret/FC__1988Q3.html#sces|title=1988 Summer Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago}}</ref> Despite this, the title ''Ken the Great Bear Fist'' is still used by Toei's corporate website.<ref name=toeicorp>{{cite web|url=http://corp.toei-anim.co.jp/en/film/detail.php?id=179|title=KEN, THE GREAT BEAR FIST｜Film List｜TOEI ANIMATION}}</ref> The French and Italian titles of the anime, ''Ken le Survivant'' and ''Ken il Guerriero'' respectively, both appeared to had been derived from ''Ken the Great Bear Fist'', as they contain Ken's name on the title.

* The [[Hokuto no Ken (1986 movie)|1986 ''Hokuto no Ken'' movie]] was dubbed by Streamline Pictures, which was first released on VHS on September 27, 1991. The English script, written by Carl Macek, was not a direct translation and thus takes several liberties with the original story.

* The [[Hokuto no Ken (TV anime)|TV series]] was dubbed by Manga Entertainment in 1999 as ''Fist of the North Star: The Series'', although only the first 36 episodes were translated. The first 24 episodes were released on seven monthly VHS installments (each tape containing three episodes), while the remainder of the series aired on Showtime Beyond in the US and on the Sci-Fi Channel in the UK. The entire dub was eventually released on DVD in 2003. While the script for this dub was a direct translation of the original, it featured a new opening and different background music

* ''Legends of the Dark King: A Fist of the North Star Story'' - English language version of ''[[Ten no Haō]]''