The Taoist

"The Taoist" (道士, Dōshi) Error creating thumbnail: /bin/bash: line 1: convert: command not found (c.v. Masaru Ikeda)

Taoist in the anime

A mysterious old fortune teller, who appears time to time out of nowhere to talk to (or sometimes taunt) Kenshirō Kasumi. Other people may or may not notice his appearance or existence, as he seems to possess some kind of mysterious ability to make bystanders forget about him after disappearing. He gave a "fate medallion" to Kenshiro as a flip coin to help him make a decision when facing a serious dilemma. He also grants worthy people connected to the Hokuto clan a wish about their fate similar to the time he briefly extended Máng Kuáng-Yún's life so that he could fulfill his wish to battle the successor of Hokuto Shinken.

He meets Kenshiro the second time in a bar after the defeat of Jean Carné and tells him that there are still many strong warriors in China. The third time was in a temple after Kenshiro learned that the bandit leader was Pān Yù-Líng. The fourth time was after Kenshiro's brief encounter with Biāo Bái-Fèng. The fifth time was after Kenshiro's initial encounter with Liú Zōng-Wǔ. The Taosit would also reveal himself to Yù-Líng in the church after her brother barely survived an assassination attempt and Liú Zōng-Wǔ after arriving in Shanghai.

The Taoist's identity and agenda were never explicitly revealed, but many Japanese fans speculate him to be Běidǒu Xīngjūn (北斗星君 Hokuto Seikun), Taoist god of the Big Dipper.