Flamethrower Man
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. 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.
| 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) |
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.
In other media
- 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. 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)
- Flamethrower appeared working as a repoman who come to repossess Toki's possessions in DD_Hokuto_no_Ken.
- 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.