Kenshirō: Difference between revisions

: Kenshirō was originally an orphan from [[Taiseiden]], [[Shura no Kuni|Shura]] and a descendent of the [[Hokuto Sōke]] bloodline. He was sent to the mainland by [[Jukei]] as a baby to be adopted by [[Ryūken]], master of Hokuto Shin Ken. Ryuken named him after his older brother [[Kenshirō Kasumi]], since they shared the same Big Dipper-shaped birthmark on their heads.

: Kenshirō watched his adoptive brothers train in the art of Hokuto Shin Ken and decided to join them in the fight to become Ryūken's successor. Despite being younger and more naive than his older brothers, Kenshirō was a keen student and ultimately earned the title of successor.

: After the nuclear war and the death of Ryūken, Kenshirō left with his fiancée [[Yuria]] to find a future for themselves in the post-apocalyptic world. However, this was curtailed by [[Shin]], a rival from the [[Nanto Sei Ken]] school, who defeated Kenshirō and engraved the trademark seven scars on his chest, before kidnapping Yuria for himself.

: Kenshirō survived his wounds and spent the next year wandering the wasteland for his revenge. During this time, he learned the ruthlessness needed to survive in the war-torn age and also befriended two young orphans, [[Bat]] and [[Lin]], who followed him on his journey. He discovered that Shin had assumed the title of [[King]] and was now leader of the eponymous [[King organization]]. After defeating Shin's best henchmen, he infiltrated his headquarters, [[Southern Cross]], to deal with him once and for all. Driven by his new strength, Kenshirō soundly defeated Shin, but he was too late to rescue Yuria. Before his death, Shin revealed that Yuria had already committed suicide to stop his violent ambition. Refusing to die from Kenshirō's technique, Shin then leapt to his death from the palace balcony, as Yuria did before him.

: Kenshirō continued to journey the wasteland, never staying at one place for long, as the curse of Hokuto only leaves chaos in its wake. He made a career of destroying those who preyed on the weak and innocent, such as the [[Golan]], [[Jackal]] and the [[Fang Clan]], which earned him the reputation as a savior of the people. He also discovered that his three older brothers, and fellow Hokuto Shin Ken practitioners, [[Jagi]], [[Toki]] and [[Raoh]] had all survived the nuclear holocaust. Jagi, the second-youngest, had always hated Kenshirō and was now committing acts of carnage in his name. He was also responsible for manipulating Shin into madness. Kenshirō caught up with Jagi and delivered him a gruesome death. Kenshirō then fought against his second-oldest brother [[Toki]], who had turned to evil after the holocaust, but this was in fact [[Amiba]], who was posing as Toki. The real Toki was imprisoned at [[Cassandra]] by Raoh, the oldest brother, who was now under the title Ken-Oh (拳王 '''Fist King''') and aimed to conquer the world with an iron fist. With the help of [[Rei]] and [[Mamiya]], Kenshirō toppled Cassandra and was reunited with Toki. Toki became a valuable ally to Kenshirō and stopped his first fight with Raoh, as they were on the verge of killing one another.

: Kenshirō joined forces with [[Shuh]], leader of a rebel outfit against [[Souther]], the Holy Emperor, and master of [[Nanto Hōō Ken]], who enslaved young children to build his empire. Kenshirō was overcome by Souther when his pressure-point attacks had no effect on Souther's body. Close to death, Kenshirō was rescued by Shuh's young son [[Shiva]], who sacrificed his life in the process. However, Shuh was later executed by Souther at the summit of the Holy Pyramid in retaliation. Kenshirō recovered from his wounds and this time he uncovered Souther's secret (his heart was on the opposite side and the position of his vital points were reversed). Kenshirō took pity on Souther's tragic past and killed him with a merciful technique, bringing an end to the Holy Emperor's empire.

: With the final battle with Raoh drawing near, the mysterious Last Nanto General appeared to challenge Raoh's hegemony. It turned out the General's identity was actually Yuria, Kenshirō's betrothed. In truth, she had been saved by the [[Nanto Gosha Sei]] after attempting suicide at Shin's palace and her survival was kept a secret to protect her from Raoh. Kenshirō fights Raoh using the ultimate Hokuto Shin Ken technique [[Musō Tensei]], drawing on his profound sadness and sacrifice, which causes Raoh to retreat. However, Raoh takes Yuria with him and prepares to kill her if it will imbue him with the same power. Kenshirō and Raoh finally have their last battle, with Raoh having killed Yuria to summon the power of Musō Tensei. Kenshirō's greater grasp of death and sacrifice gives him the edge over his older brother and leads him to victory. Yuria awakens after the battle, as she was actually put in a false state of death by Raoh, who was unable to kill her when he realized she was terminally ill. After Raoh's death, Kenshirō spends his next few years living in peace with Yuria, whose disease had been subdued by Raoh's power.

: The later half of the manga (and the corresponding ''Hokuto no Ken 2'' anime adaptation) sees Kenshirō joining forces with the grown-up Bat and Lin, who have now formed the Hokuto Army to oppose the corrupt [[Gento Kō Ken]] warriors. The story eventually takes Kenshirō to his birthplace, the Land of Shura, where he learns of his heritage and fights against the warlords who oppress the land: his estranged blood-brother [[Hyoh]], and the nefarious [[Kaioh]], Raoh's other blood-brother. The final story arcs of the manga (which were not adapted for the TV series) see Kenshirō taking Raoh's orphaned son, [[Ryu]], under his wing before continuing on his own, where he settles the love triangle between himself, Bat and Lin. At the end, Kenshirō journeys into the desert alone to fulfil his destiny as the Hokuto Shin Ken successor.