Ten no Hao

Legends of the Dark Kings: A Fist of the North Star Story (天の覇王 北斗の拳 ラオウ外伝, Ten no Haō Hokuto no Ken Raō Gaiden, roughly translated as "The Conqueror of the Heavens: Fist of the North Star the Story of Raoh") is a manga series by Youkow Osada that was serialized in the Weekly Comic Bunch from 2006 to 2007. It is a spinoff of the manga series Fist of the North Star by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara, centering around Raoh, one of the main antagonists in the original work. It was adapted into a 13-episode anime series produced by Satelight, which aired on Tokyo MX from October to December 2008. The anime has been licensed for North American by Sentai Filmworks and distributed by Section23 Films, The complete series was released on a DVD set on September 15, 2009.

Plot

The story begins prior to Raoh's first appearance in the Fist of the North Star and focuses on how Raoh formed his army of minions in his attempt to conquer the world following the nuclear war and depicts events alluded in the original series. Joining Raoh in his journey are his childhood friends Reina and Souga (from the film Fist of the North Star: Legend of Raoh: Chapter of Love in Death) as they help fulfill his ambition.

Characters

See List of Ten no Haoh characters for more

Ken-Oh's Army

Raoh (ラオウ)

Voiced by: Takashi Ukaji, Rikiya Koyama (PSP video game)

The eldest of four adoptive brothers trained in the assassination art of Hokuto Shinken. After the youngest of his brothers was chosen over him to be the successor, he follows the path of the conqueror, taking the name of Ken-Oh (拳王, Ken-ō), the King of the Fist, in order to rule the post-apocalyptic world.

Reina (レイナ)

Voiced by: Mai Nakahara

The female Captain of Ken-Oh's Royal Guards. Also known as Reina of the Twin Blades (双剣のレイナ, Sōtō no Reina) a master swordswoman who uses a style known as the Twin Blades of Sun and Moon (日月双刀, Nichigetsu Sōtō). She is a childhood friend of Raoh who fled from the Land of Asura to help Raoh build his army. Originally a character from the 2006 anime film Fist of the North Star: The Legend of Raoh - Chapter of Love in Death.

Souga (ソウガ, Sõga)

Voiced by: Masaya Matsukaze

The Strategist of Ken-Oh's Army and Reina's elder brother. Also known as Souga the Swift Footed (韋駄天のソウガ, Itaden no Sõga), he is a master of the Songshan Whirlwind Kick (嵩山旋風脚, Sūzan Senpū Kyaku). In the past, he sacrificed his right leg to help Raoh and Reina escape from Cassandra, which was then replaced by a mechanical prosthetic, which increases the power to his kick. Like Reina, he was originally a character from the 2006 anime film Fist of the North Star: The Legend of Raoh - Chapter of Love in Death.

Sakuya (サクヤ)

Voiced by: Akiko Kimura

A character created exclusively for the anime adaptation (though she appeared in a brief tie-in comic published before the anime began to air). A mysterious woman with an unknown agenda who joins Ken-Oh's Army as a strategist. She is also the sister of Gaiya and master of Black Mountain Dark Form Fist (黒山陰形拳, Kokuzan Ongyō Ken). She soon becomes an acquaintance of Toki, who regularly visits him in Cassandra reporting the progress of Raoh and Kenshiro, with only Reina aware of her actions. At the climax of Souther and Raoh's battle, she determines that both are unworthy of being ruler because of Souther's lack of love and Raoh's lack of sadness, indicating there is an individual who possesses both traits that's deserving of being ruler.

Kokuoh-Go (黒王号, Kokuō-gō)

An enormous black stallion who was the originally leader of a herd of wild horses at the Valley of the Black King (Kokuō Dani). Ken-Oh's Invasion Force was decimated when trying to breach the valley. When Raoh travelled there himself to confront the horses, he encounters Kokuoh, who was protecting an injured foal from two wild tigers. Raoh killed the tigers and then euthanized the dying foal so he could wrestle Kokuoh without intervention. After winning Kokuoh's respect, him and his herd becomes the steeds of Ken-Oh's Army.

Uighur (ウイグル, Uiguru)

Voiced by: Kenta Miyake

A convicted barbarian who desires to make a reputation for himself. He is imprisoned at Cassandra by Gion's men, who are unable to tame him after he survives five different executions. When Ken-Oh arrives to meet him, the two duel in a test of strength, ending in a stalemate. Afterwards, he announces his dream to Raoh of becoming a legend, which instantly earns him favor and is appointed the new warden of Cassandra.

Amiba (アミバ)

Voiced by: Kazuyuki Okitsu (PSP video game)

A former Nanto Sei Ken student who bears a grudge against Toki for scolding him when he accidentally injured one of Toki's patients. He enlisted into Ken-Oh's army so he could have the opportunity for revenge, and developed a self-styled imitation of Hokuto Shinken which he dubs North Snake Needle Fist (北蛇鍼拳, Hokuda Shinken). After Toki is imprisoned, he decides to tarnish his reputation by taking over the Village of Miracles.

Ryuga (リュウガ, Ryūga)

Voiced by: Daisuke Matsubara

A man whose fated star is Sirius (天狼星, Tenrōsei), a solitary star which does not belong to any constellation and a master of the Taishan Heavenly Wolf Fist (泰山天狼拳, Taizan Tenrōken). He is also Juza and Yuria's older brother. He decides to join Raoh's army after witnessing his battle with Ryuroh, believing that the only way to achieve order in the world is through force. His other hidden agenda is rescuing his sister Yuria from the man named "King". Unfortunately, he learns from his younger brother, Juza, about her fate. Afterwards, he continues to serve Raoh.

Gihan (ギハン)

Voiced by: Makoto Yasumura

Usa (ウサ)

Zaku (ザク)

Barga (バルガ, Baruga)

Rival warlords and gangs

Souther the Holy Emperor (聖帝サウザー, Seitei Sauzā)

Voiced by: Toshihiko Seki

The sole successor of the South Dipper Phoenix Fist (南斗鳳凰拳, Nanto Hōō Ken) and the strongest warrior of the Nanto Sei Ken school, Souther was a childhood rival of Raoh and has now assumed the title of Holy Emperor. He is the only warlord with the power to challenge Raoh and his body contains a secret immunity to Hokuto Shin Ken.

Yuda (ユダ, Yuda)

Voiced by: Kishō Taniyama

The successor of the South Dipper Crimson Crane Fist (南斗紅鶴拳, Nanto Kōkaku Ken) and leader of the UD Gang. Yuda plans to achieve supremacy by switching allegiances between Raoh and Souther.

Jirai (ジライ)

Voiced by: Tomoyuki Shimura

A biker gang leader, he and his thugs are the first villain killed by Raoh in the story.

Goram the Demon King (鬼王ゴラム, Kiō Goramu)

Voiced by: Tetsu Inada

Warlord who rules over the northern Kanto region from his hideout, the Demon Cliff Castle (鬼巖城, Kiganjō) , he is a practitioner of Emei Fist (峨嵋拳, Gabi Ken). He is defeated by Raoh, who then usurps both his castle and his army.

Gion the Wise King (智王ギオン, Chiō Gion)

Voiced by: Yukihiro Misono

A warlord whose army leads Ken-Oh's Invasion Squad to the Valley of the Black King, where they ended up being trampled to death a herd of wild horses. After Ken-Oh tames Kokuoh-Go and his herd, Gion surrenders and becomes a sycophantic minion of Ken-Oh. He is initially assigned as the Warden of Cassandra, only to be demoted to assistant warden after Uighur takes his place.

Hakka (ハッカ) and Riron (リロン)

Voiced by: Kenji Nomura (Hakka) and Kazuyuki Okitsu (Riron)

Two members of the Holy Emperor's Army that have mastered the art of the South Dipper Swallow Fist (南斗飛燕拳, Nanto Hien Ken).

Gaoh (我王, Gaō)

Voiced by: Hideyuki Umezu

Mentioned by name only in the manga. In the anime, he is the womanizing ruler of the impregnable Black Steel Castle (黒鉄城, Kokutetsujō). Sakuya infiltrates the castle by seducing Gaoh and has him assassinated by Reina's sniper arrow.

Habaki (ハバキ)

Voiced by: Jin Horikawa

The Commander of Gaoh's army, he uses the South Dipper Falcon Fang Fist (南斗隼牙拳, Nanto Shūgaken). Appears only in the anime. His feelings towards Gaoh remain ambiguous.

Amon the Dragon Emperor (龍帝アモン, Ryūtei Amon)

Voiced by: Katsuhisa Hōki

Master of the Taiji Dragon Fist (太極龍拳, Taikyoku Ryūken) and the founder of Cassandra, a city located in the West of Kanto. In order to defend his city from invading forces, he began fortifying his city with traps. However, the traps were so elaborate that many of Amon's own people, including his own son Zenos (ゼノス, Zenosu), felt into them and were killed. Eventually the Dragon Emperor's Army lost their morale and abandoned Amon, with only his younger twin brother and former General left to support him out of pity.

Igor the Lion King (獅子王イゴール, Shishiō Igōru)

Voiced by: Nobuaki Kanemitsu

A giant beast-like warlord from the North who uses the Huashan Lion Roar Fist (華山獅子吼拳, Kazan Shishiku Ken). Igor conspired with Rize's Army in order to invade Ken-Oh's fortress with a pincer attack, but he is defeated by the combined force of Ryuga and Souga. His skull is later used as a wine glass by Ken-Oh and his men during the subsequent victory celebration.

Rize the Thunder Emperor (雷帝ライズ, Raitei Raizu)

A masked hooded warlord from the South, his right arm is equipped with a specialized glove which shoots out electric waves. He conspired with Igor's Army to invade Ken-Oh's fortress with a pincer attack, but his entire right arm is destroyed by Raoh during the fight. Like Igor, his skull is used as a wine glass in Ken-Oh's victory celebration.

King (キング, Kingu)

A mysterious martial artist and ruler of Southern Cross. His true identity is that of Shin (シン), of the South Dipper Lone Eagle Fist (南斗孤鷲拳, Nanto Koshū Ken), who defeated Kenshiro and engraved the seven scars on his chest. When Raoh learns of King's true identity and that Yuria had apparently died in his custody, Raoh decides he is no longer worth fighting.

Club (クラブ, Kurabu)

Voiced by: Takashi Ōhara

One of the Four Lieutenants in Shin's Army. A master of the Steel Claw Praying Mantis Fist (鉄の爪蟷螂拳, Tetsu no Tsume Tōrōken). He is almost killed by Ryuga, until Juza intervenes.

Salim the Profound King (玄王サリム, Gen-ō Sarimu)

Voiced by: Tsuyoshi Aoki

A warlord who is poisoned by Isabella and then stabbed to death.

Dagale (ダガール, Dagāru)

Voiced by: Tōru Furusawa

Yuda's lieutenant and the successor of the South Dipper Conjoined Wing Fist (南斗比翼拳, Nanto Hiyoku Ken), who takes command of the UD Gang and the fortress in Yuda's stead. He enslaves beautiful women for Yuda's harem and also trains them into assassins. Reina was captured by him, until Raoh personally invaded Yuda's fortress and saved her.

Isabella (イザベラ, Isabera)

Voiced by: Ayumi Beppu

A female assassin working for Dagale with a tragic past. She is scarred behind the neck during a struggle by Salim and thus is cast out from the UD Gang by Dagale. In the anime, she is imprisoned and tortured, only to escape with Reina's help, but is struck by an arrow on her way out and dies.

Komaku (コマク)

Voiced by: Tadashi Miyazawa

A diminutive underling of Yuda, he helps Dagale in the capture of Reina.

Jagi (ジャギ)

Voiced by: Tsuyoshi Aoki (PSP video game)

The third of the four brothers trained in the art of Hokuto Shinken by Master Ryuken. He harbors an intense hatred for Kenshiro, the youngest brother, for disfiguring his head and having obtained the title of successor over him. After confronting Reina and Souga, he decides to hold a truce with them when he realizes they're working for Raoh, his eldest brother.

Jadum the Steel Emperor (鉄帝ジャダム, Tettei Jadamu)

Voiced by: Taro Yamaguchi

Mentioned in the manga, but appears only in the anime. A warlord who uses the Stern Iron Fist (厳鉄拳, Gentetsu Ken), which allows him to turn his body into steel.

Meioh (冥王, Meiō, Hades)

A warlord who takes over Southern Cross and God's Land following the downfall of the King and Golan organizations respectively. He is later killed by Raoh during the events of Legend of Raoh: Chapter of Love in Death

Gaiya (ガイヤ)

Voiced by: Masayuki Katō

Master of the Black Mountain Dark Form Fist (黒山陰形拳, Kokuzan Ongyōken), a style which renders its practitioner invisible. Although Gaiya appears to be a plain looking soldier, he is secretly the true leader of the Meiō Army (Meiō being a figurehead) and was able to defeat Ryuga and fatally wound Souga, but was unable to defeat Raoh. He is also the brother of Sakuya.

Haderu the Thorn King (棘王ハデル, Kyokuō Haderu)

A villain who appears in a special two-part chapter of the Ten no Haō manga. The one-eyed leader of the Black Rose Tribe (黒薔薇一族, Kokubara Ichizoku). The Black Rose Tribe are modeled after members of Jealkb, the band that composed the opening theme music of the anime, with Haderu being named after the band's vocalist .

Other characters

Toki (トキ)

Voiced by: Hiroki Touchi

Raoh's biological brother and the second of the four Hokuto Shinken brothers. After becoming terminally ill as a result of exposure to nuclear fallout, he begins living in the Village of Miracles (奇跡の村, Kiseki no Mura), where he spends his remaining days using his knowledge of Hokuto Shinken to heal the sick. When he refuses to fight on Ken-Oh's side, he allows himself to be imprisoned in Cassandra. He discourses with Sakuya concerning Raoh and Kenshiro, while meditating within his cell.

Ryuroh (リュウロウ, Ryūrō)

Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe

A master of the South Dipper Flowing Seagull Fist (南斗流鴎拳, Nanto Ryūō Ken) who was once reputed as the Wise Leader of Nanto (南斗の智将, Nanto no Jishō). He was a military strategist who led the Nanto troops to several victories, but after the 108 sects of Nanto Seiken broke up and began fighting amongst themselves, Ryuroh decided not to be involved in the conflict, choosing to lead a quiet and peaceful life in the forest, spending his time farming the fields and listening to the wind, becoming Ryuroh of the Forest (森のリュウロウ, Mori no Ryūrō). He tries to convince Raoh to change his ways and use his power as a force of good like Toki and Kenshiro. Raoh sees this as an act of defiance and mortally wounds him, but realizes that he was dying from an illness after their fight. He makes one last plea to Raoh to change his ways before dying; unfortunately, Raoh tells him that he is unable to grant his request.

Juza (ジュウザ, Jūza)

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara

Ryuga's younger half-brother from a different mother, a free-spirited wanderer who uses a self-styled fist (我流拳, Garyū Ken). He goes to Southern Cross to rescue his younger half-sister Yuria, only to learn that she apparently took her own life while in Shin's captivity. He then meets Ryuga and Reina at bar near Southern Cross, where he reveals the truth about Yuria's fate and Shin's war against Kenshiro. He waits in Southern Cross awaiting the result of the upcoming battle drinking himself silly. It is implied that he isn't one of the Goshasei as of yet.

Mamiya (マミヤ)

A female prisoner of Yuda who was kidnapped from her home village. She later helps Reina escaped from Yuda's castle after she is captured by Dagale and Komaku (in the anime, she is replaced by Isabella).

Ryuken (リュウケン, Ryūken)

Voiced by: Atsushi Ono

The 63rd Grand Master of Hokuto Shinken, and the adoptive father who raised and trained Raoh, Toki, Jagi, and Kenshiro. After naming Kenshiro as his successor, he attempted to dissuade Raoh from using Hokuto Shinken to fulfill his ambition, but suffered a stroke when he confronted him.

Kenshiro (ケンシロウ, Kenshirō)

Voiced by: Hideo Ishikawa (PSP video game)

The 64th Grand Master of Hokuto Shinken and the youngest of Ryuken's adoptive sons. Also known as the Man with Seven Scars (七つの傷の男, Nanatsu no Kizu no Otoko) He was challenged and defeated by the Nanto Seiken master Shin, who left him for dead and then abducted his fiancee Yuria. Since then, he travels the world to protect the weak from the gangs and warlords threatening their survival, becoming a savior to the common people. Although, he never actually appears in the series, he is mentioned through the course of the story by Raoh and other characters. The final credits of the anime finish with Raoh charging towards Kenshiro on horseback.

Media

Manga

Ten no Haoh was serialized irregularly in the Weekly Comic Bunch from Issue 231 (March 24, 2006) to 300 (August 24, 2007), lasting a total of 42 chapters (including a two-part epilogue), which were subsequently collected in five tankōbon editions. A two-part special chapter was published in 2008 in the September 12 and September 19 issues of Weekly Comic Bunch as a tie-in to the anime series.

Volumes

Vol.	ISBN	Publication date
1	ISBN 4-10-771278-8	2006-07-09
2	ISBN 4-10-771297-4	2006-10-07
3	ISBN 4-10-771307-5	2006-12-09
4	ISBN 978-4-10-771322-3	2007-03-09
5	ISBN 978-4-10-771353-7	2007-09-08

Anime

The anime version of Ten no Haoh, directed by Masashi Abe, aired in Japan on Tokyo MX and other channels from October ― December 2008, lasting 13 episodes. The opening theme Nageki no Endless (嘆きのエンドレ) is performed by jealkb, and the ending theme Namida no Kawa (ナミダノカワ) is by minamuse. The series is currently being released on Region 2 DVD in six volumes, with the first volume having been released on January 2009.

Novelization

A web novelization of Ten no Haoh was published in the Hokuto no Ken DX mobile phone site, lasting six chapters.

Video game

The Ten no Haoh video game was produced by Interchannel and released for the PlayStation Portable in Japan on January 22, 2009. It is a cel-shaded fighting game featuring 13 playable characters from the manga and anime, including Kenshiro as a hidden character.

External links

• Official page from Weekly Comic Bunch (Japanese)
• Official site for the anime series (Japanese)
• Official site for the PlayStation Portable game (Japanese)
• Ten no Hao (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Ten no Hao (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia