Flamethrower Man
| Flamethrower Man | |
|---|---|
 Flamethrower Man, as he appears in the manga. | |
| Name in Kanji | 火炎放射器男 |
| Name in Romaji | Kaenhōshaki Otoko |
| Fighting Style | Flamethrower |
| Allegiance(s) | Souther |
| Position(s) | Soldier |
| Appearances | Manga (ch. 86), Anime (ep. 62) |
| Voice actor(s) | Kazumi Tanaka (TV series) |
The Flamethrower Man (火炎放射器男 Kaenhōshaki Otoko) was a member of the Holy Emperor's army who armed himself with a flamethrower.
Manga & TV Series
He was put in charge of leading the Holy Emperor's escort, incinerating anyone who stood in the way while yelling "sterilize the garbage! (汚物は消毒だー!
). However, he would ultimately get his comeuppance when Kenshiro disarmed him and burned him alive with his own weapon.
Despite being a very minor character, he has become somewhat of a running joke to the extent that merchandise has been made of him, alongside showing up in many adaptations of the series.
Trivia
- The Flamethrower Man appears in the TV series, but never says his catchphrase "Filth must be sterilized! (汚物は消毒だー! obutsu wa shōdoku dā!). This is likely due to the word obutsu (汚物) having a connotation of human waste. It was later restored in the 2006 movie Legend of Raoh: Chapter of Death in Love.
- He appears as an enemy character type in the Hokuto no Ken video games for the Sega Mark III and PlayStation, as well as in Hokuto Musō and Shin Hokuto Musō. In the Hokuto Musou games, the playable character, Outlaw draws inspiration from Flamethrower man. He can also be seen as a spectator in the background of Souther's stage in the 2005 arcade game. In the same game, Souther uses a variation of his catchphrase when confronted by Jagi or Mr. Heart in his stage, saying "Garbage must be sterilized!" (汚物は消毒せねばならんな obutsu wa shōdoku seneba naran na)
- During episode 4 of DD Hokuto no Ken, Toki tells of his past as a shut in. Due to Toki's unpaid taxes, Flamethrower Man working as a repoman comes to repossess Toki's possessions but Toki punches the Flamethrower Man, accidentally killing him, causing Toki to fall into a depression. When Toki recovers him from his depression, he sees everyone telling its not his fault including the Flamethrower's man corpse. Despite his death, the Flamethrower Man continues to appear in the series.
- A replica of the Flamethrower Man's eyewear was sold by Cospa in 2014, a company which produces manga and anime-themed wardrobe.[1] The eyewear has the Flamethrower Man's catchphrase written in English inside one of the temples.
- The Flamethrower Man was one of the characters featured in a series of 30th anniversary-themed Hokuto no Man candy stickers sold in 2013 by Lotte. A second version of this sticker was produced in 2015 which pairs the Flamethrower Man with Nero Mashin, a fire-breathing monster from the Bikkuriman candy sticker line.
- The Flamethrower Man is available as a Destiny Talisman in Hokuto Ga Gotoku. Activating it will have the soldier say his signature phrase, and will conjure a flamethrower into Kenshiro's hands for use against enemies. Using this Talisman and attacking Souther with it during his boss fight will also reward the player the Purge The Real Filth trophy. Ken can also unlock a secret technique allowing him to counter a flamethrower attack by stealing it from its wielder and using it against them, with said technique being named after Ken's take on the catchphrase: "Time to take out the trash." (Obutsu wa shōdoku subeki da.)
- According to DD Hokuto Ken, when the helmet falls off Flamethrower man's body, it can be seen that the mohawk is his actual hair which sticks through the helmet rather then being attached to the helm itself.
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