Souten no Ken: Difference between revisions

{{nihongo|'''''Souten no Ken'''''|蒼天の拳|Fist of the Blue Sky}} is a [[wikipedia:manga|manga]] series by [[Tetsuo Hara]] with plot supervision by [[Buronson]], serialized in the ''[[wikipedia:Weekly Comic Bunch|Weekly Comic Bunch]]'' from 2001 to 2010, and in [[wikipedia:Monthly Comic Zenon|Monthly Comic Zenon]] from 2017 forward.<ref>[http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,3790,igzwpd,soten_no_ken.html AnimeNfo information on Fist of the Blue Sky]</ref> It is a [[wikipedia:prequel|prequel]] to the popular 1980s series ''[[Fist of the North Star]]'', which Hara originally co-wrote with [[Buronson]]. Set primarily in [[wikipedia:Shanghai|Shanghai]] during the 1930s, the series centers around the 62nd successor of the [[Hokuto Shinken]] style, [[Kenshiro Kasumi]], the namesake and predecessor of ''Fist of the North Star''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> own [[Kenshiro]]. It has been adapted into a 26-episode anime series that aired from 2006 to 2007.

 

Tetsuo Hara wanted the fights in the manga to look more like traditional [[wikipedia:Chinese martial arts|Chinese martial arts]], so he went to Shanghai in person to get his inspiration.

''Fist of the Blue Sky'' began serialization in ''Weekly Comic Bunch'' in the magazine's  first issue, published with the [[wikipedia:Periodical cover date|cover date]] of May 29, 2001<ref name=debut>{{cite web|url=http://www.comicbunch.com/bunch_archives/2001/index.html#1|title=週刊コミックバンチ★コアミックス：バンチアーカイブス：バンチ表紙全集2001年|format=html|accessdate=2007-08-04}}</ref>. There are 22 collected volumes ([[wikipedia:tankobon|tankobon]]) of ''Souten no Ken'' published in Japan.<ref name=tankobon>{{cite web|url=http://www.comicbunch.com/bunch_comics/comic_list.php?series_id=1|title=週刊コミックバンチ★コアミックス：コミックス情報|language=Japanese|accessdate=2007-08-04}}</ref>

An English version of ''Fist of the Blue Sky'' was serialized in the now-defunct ''[[wikipedia:Raijin Comics|Raijin Comics]]'' published by Gutsoon! Entertainment from 2003 and 2004. Only the first four collected volumes of this English edition were released before Gutsoon went out of business. No other company has picked up the license yet.

;Opening theme: {{nihongo|[[Bara ga Saku, Bara ga Chiru]]|薔薇が咲く 薔薇が散る|Roses Bloom, Roses Scatter}} by [[Rina Aiuchi]]

#{{nihongo|[[Kokoro no Rhythm Tobichiru Butterfly]]|心のリズム飛び散るバタフライ|The Rhythm of the Heart is a Fluttering Butterfly}} by [[wikipedia:doa (Japanese band)|doa]]

*Kasumi Kenshirō's full name was originally used in the pilot version of the ''Hokuto no Ken'' manga. However, the protagonist of {{nihongo|Souten no Ken|蒼天の拳}}, is written with: 霞拳志郎, whereas the name of the protagonist of the {{nihongo|Hokuto no Ken|北斗の拳}} pilot is written slightly differently: 霞拳四郎.

*Various references to the original Hokuto no Ken are made through both character artwork and the plot of Souten no Ken. For instance, [[Liu Zongwu]] and [[Liu Feiyan]] resemble [[Raoh]] and [[Rei ]] respectively, and also [[Ye Ziying]] and [[Erika Arendt|Erika]] resemble [[Bat]] and [[Lin]], while [[Jukei]]'s origin as a young victim of the Sino-Japanese War is shown in the plot.

*{{imdb title|id=0884847}}

*[http://www.geneonuniversal.jp/rondorobe/anime/dvd/souten/ Geneon Universal Pictures DVD] ''(Japanese)''