The eldest of Ryūken's four adopted sons, Raoh (ラオウ) is actually the older brother of Toki and Sayaka and the younger brother of Kaiō. His name became synonymous with the star "Bōkyōsei" (Violent Evil Star).


Raoh, as depicted in the manga
Name in Kanji ラオウ
Name in Romaji Raō
Alternate spelling(s) Laoh, Rao, Raou, Lao, Laou
Fighting Style Hokuto Shin Ken and other styles
Allegiance(s) n/a
Family Kaioh (older brother)
Toki (younger brother)
Sayaka (younger sister)
Jagi (adoptive younger brother)
Kenshirō (adoptive younger brother)
Ryuken (adoptive father/sifu)
Ryu (son)
Position(s) The Conqueror of Century's End (世紀末覇者, Seikimatsu Hasha)
Appearances Manga (ch. 42-onward), Anime (32-onward), Legends of the True Savior series, Ten no Haoh, and various other works.
Voice actor(s)

Kenji Utsumi Takashi Ukaji (Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu, Ten no Haoh)

Tesshō Genda (Legend of Heroes)

Childhood

Raoh was originally a native from the island of Shura. After the death of his mother, Raoh was orphaned and sent to the mainland by Jukei, along with his little brother Toki and the baby Kenshirō to train with Ryuken, the master of Hokuto Shin Ken. When they met Ryuken, he left Raoh and Toki at the bottom of a canyon and promised he would only adopt the one who made it to the top first. Raoh clawed himself to the summit but carried Toki with him and ordered Ryuken to adopt both of them. Ryuken was moved by this act and agreed, taking Raoh as his apprentice. Raoh trained hard under Ryuken, filled with the desire to become the strongest. He made a promise with Toki that, should he fall victim to his own ambition, his little brother would stop him at any cost.

The King of Fist

Despite his fearsome strength and ability, Raoh's childhood dream had turned into violent ambition, causing Ryuken to choose Kenshirō as the successor of Hokuto Shin Ken. Subsequently, Raoh broke the 1800 year law of Hokuto by refusing to give up his power. Ryuken tried to stop him from misusing the Hokuto style, but Raoh killed him and left the temple to further his ambition. He assumed the title of Ken-Oh (拳王 Fist King) and amassed an army to conquer the wasteland with terror. Among those to join under his banner were Jagi, Amiba, Yuda and Ryūga.
Raoh used the mighty stronghold of Cassandra as a prison for martial artists, whose secret scrolls he had stolen to perfect the ultimate fighting style. He also kept Toki imprisoned there to prevent him joining forces with Kenshirō. However, Cassandra was destroyed by Kenshirō and Toki was rescued. Raoh launched an invasion on Mamiya's village, where he fought with Rei of the Nanto Suichō Ken style and defeated him with a fatal blow. Kenshirō challenged Raoh for revenge and the two battled to a bloody standstill, after Toki intervened to stop them killing each other. Sometime later, Raoh finally fought with Toki to settle their childhood promise. Toki, weakened by disease, was defeated by Raoh but spared in a rare act of mercy.
Raoh would later fight against the Nanto Gosha Sei, guardians of the Last Nanto General. When Raoh discovered the General's real identity was Yuria, the love of his life and Kenshirō's fiancée, he marched onwards to claim her for himself. However, he was met by Kenshirō, who had learned the ultimate Hokuto Shin Ken technique - Musō Tensei - which overwhelmed him with fear. Raoh managed to escape with Yuria in his clutches and decided that killing her would give him the sadness needed to learn Musō Tensei. However, at the last moment, he discovered Yuria was hiding a terminal illness all this time, which moved Raoh to tears and stopped him from killing her. Instead, he placed her in a false coma, slowing the spread of disease. This sorrow was enough for Raoh to learn Musō Tensei and he faced Kenshirō at the Hokuto Renkitōza for their final duel. Despite a heroic battle, Raoh's fist lacked the power to kill Kenshirō, who was guided by the spirits of his fallen rivals. Conceding defeat to his younger brother, Raoh proclaimed to have no regrets and sent his life-force into the sky, bringing light back to the world.

Fighting Style

As a master of Hokuto Shinken, Raoh boasts extraordinary fighting power. In order to punish the martial artists who defy him, he uses the keiraku hikō to inflict a slow and agonizing death, as shown with Rei. Raoh also incorporated martial arts stolen from Cassandra into his fighting style and has displayed techniques from both Nanto Sei Ken and Rakan Niō Ken.

His Hard Fist (剛の拳, Gō no Ken) fighting style overpowers his opponent with immense force and also enhances his own strength.

Stats

  • Height: 210cm (6'11")
  • Weight: 145kg (320 lbs)
  • Bust: 160cm (63 in)
  • Waist: 115cm (45 in)
  • Hip: 130cm (51 in)
  • Neck Circumference: 65cm (26 in)
  • VOICE: Kenji Utsumi (TV series, 1986 movie), Takashi Ukaji (Legends of the True Savior movie series, Ten no Haoh TV series)

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