Anime Lunch - Episode 3 - Fist of the North Star (1986)
Based on the Shonen Jump manga by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara, Fist of the North Star is the legendary super-violent anime franchise that spawned several series, OVAs and even a live action movie - including the 1986 masterpiece from Toei Animation.
Fist of the North Star is set in a post-apocalyptic future wasteland ruined by a nuclear war, and follows a warrior named Kenshiro, master of a deadly martial art which enables him to kill opponents in gruesome and exceptionally gory ways. Inspired by the Hong Kong kung-fu action films of Bruce Lee and the wasteland savagery of films like MAD MAX, Fist of the North Star quickly became synonymous with many of the tropes that would come to define this subgenre of anime, including ultra-violence, rival schools of martial arts, and long questing storylines.
Join us on Anime Lunch this week, as we present 1986’s Fist of the North Star.
Airing live, Wednesday at 10PM Eastern Standard Time, Noon Japanese Standard Time