Main Characters | First Series | Second Series | Spinoff Characters | Fist of the Blue Sky | Lost Paradise
Characters from the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio-developed Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise, with acknowledgement of comparisons to the studio's more well-associated Like a Dragon series.
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Introduced in the original Fist of the North Star
Kenshiro
Voiced by: Takaya Kuroda (JP), Robbie Daymond (EN)
"There is no use fighting. You're already dead."
The Man, The Myth and The Legend himself.
The Savior of the Century's End. The Man with the Seven Scars. The true successor of Hokuto Shinken, an ancient assassination art passed down for 1800 years and the protagonist of the game. He searches for Yuria, helping those who cannot help themselves and blowing up every bad guy he comes across, eventually ending up in Eden and becoming entangled in its own problems.
- Arrow Catch: Two-Finger Interception is his way of counter-attacking most enemies that use crossbows against him and then throw it right back at them.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Wears one while helping out in the nightclub and the bar. He can also, later on, wear the suit itself outside the nightclub too. While working the nightclub, Kenshiro may be forced to deal with violent customers the only way he knows how.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: As opposed to Kiryu before him being an Unskilled, but Strong street brawler, Ken's a strong and skilled Martial Artist. The only melee weapons Ken uses is a steel I-beam during the baseball minigame or picking up an enemy's deathcry, which is comical but extremely deadly.
- Battle Aura: Blue when using his techniques and when the Burst Mode meter is full, red while Burst Mode is active Or attacking with Raoh's Celestial King's Assault, green when using Hokuto Shinken for healing or using techniques taught by his older brother Toki. And when you use a Channeling Charged Attack, Ken will flash a color based on its charge level (white, then green, then purple, then red).
- Beef Gate: Early in the game, since he had to defeat Devil's Rebirth to earn his freedom, he himself becomes one to defeat any criminals trying to earn their freedom.
- Beware the Nice Ones: He may be a nice person, but he will resort to violence when necessary.
- Boots of Toughness: Wears shin-high leather boots and can deliver some mean kicks with them.
- Borrowing from the Sister Series: Ken's Hokuto Rising Force is quite literally Kiryu's Essence of Extreme Rush from Yakuza Kiwami.
- Catch and Return: Kenshiro's North Star Two Finger Air Snatch lets him catch crossbow bolts before flinging them back right between the shooter's eyes.
- Character Catchphrase: As usual, Kenshiro says "You're already dead." when an enemy gets blown up by his attacks.
- The Comically Serious: He's the same stoic stone-faced Kenshiro we all know and love, but now thrust into the wacky world of Yakuza-level hijincks and is even more stoic than Kiryu. From using Hokuto Shinken to make drinks* or using his Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs to instead give customers their grocery orders, all done with complete seriousness and stoicism. Thee's even his stint as Dr. Kenshiro, healing patients with Hokuto Shinken rhythmically.Kenshiro: Take two and call me in the morning.
- Deadpan Snarker: When dealing with unsavory villains, he generally uses jokes to provoke or insult them.
- The Dreaded: Lyra asks Kenshiro to be this for the gladiator games in order to cull the number of psychopathic criminals being jailed since he put Devil Rebirth out of commission.
- Dub Name Change: A more extreme version was done with one of his most iconic attacks; the Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken, usually translated to North Star Hundred Crack Fist, was not only translated into English but called Hokuto Hundred Fist Rush here.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: After Yuria is cured of her illness thanks to the Chamber of Miracles, with Nadai sacrificing himself to save the two they both survive the nukes launched by Sphere City and leave Eden together to roam the wastelands without worrying about Yuria's inevitable death.
- Fashionable Asymmetry: His right forearm has a leather bracer while his left forearm has forearm wrappings. Temporarily he only has one shoulderpad after Targa disguised as Kyo-Oh shoots one off.
- Expy: Generally speaking, he's as kind as his Yakuza counterpart Kazuma Kiryu, but less reserved in ending his enemies if they pose a threat to the weak and helpless.
- Good Is Not Soft: Kenshiro is as kind-hearted as he is resolute in putting down the waves of mooks foolish enough to fight him.
- Healing Shiv: He can use Hokuto Shinken, an Assassination Martial Art, to heal people as a doctor, like his older brother Toki.
- Hellbent For Leather: By default, like any self respecting Mad Max expy. He wears a leather vest with shoulderpads, a leather bracer, leather pants and shin-high leather boots.
- Horrible Judge of Character: An Adaptational Dumbass example. Ken always knows when a thug is malicious and untrustworthy. In this game, in order to get into Eden, he tries to procure a jewel from an old woman (whom has no need for since her husband passed away), and makes a deal with a thug to buy a certificate as a citizen in Eden, only for a traveling merchant to tell him the it's fake. Played with, with a thug he tried to buy beef from, who tries to rip him off.
- Loved by All: After he defeats Thouzer and his army, the citizens would warm up to him, including Jagre. Being the Humble Hero that he is, he's not doing it to be famous. He only helps others because it's the right thing to do. This is very telling during gladiatorial where the crowd would boo not at him, but his opponent if they managed to hit him with a strong attack.
- Magic Pants: Kenshiro explodes his jacket off when he powers up, as usual, but when he powers back down, it comes back. Though it's not like it never came back on its own for no reason in the manga either...
- Martial Medic: Can use Hokuto Shinken to treat patients at a clinic like his older brother Toki. Rhythmically.
- Mundane Utility: He can use his Supernatural Martial Arts skills when Bartending.Kenshiro: You Are Already Drunk.'
- Never Gets Drunk: Unlike his Yakuza counterpart, Ken never gets drunk if he buys and uses alcohol, whereas other characters such as Xsana and Lyra can be piss-drunk from one sip.
- Nice Guy: As saintly as his Ryu Ga Gotoku counterpart Kiryu, albeit significantly less reserved about ending the lives of those who cause others' suffering.
- No Social Skills: His social skills appear to be minimum, but only when he is told other things.
- One-Hit Kill: Kenshiro can kill mooks already in Meridian Shock in a single hit via perfect channeling.
- Power Copying: An often ignored feature of Musou Tensei in other games is its ability to let Kenshiro copy the techniques of other martial artists he has experienced: here, using it lets Kenshiro use the fighting styles of Shin and Thouzer, Raoh's Iron Palm Blast, Nadai's electricity-generating stomp and Uighur's tackle.
- Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: Kenshiro can perform a number of techniques based on this.
- There is his "Hokuto Hundred-Fist Rush", where he performs said fisticuffs before striking a pressure point at the victim's head. There is also another variant dubbed "Hokuto Hundred-Fist Onslaught", effectively a longer, more powerful version of the Hundred-Fist Rush that activates while Kenshiro is already implementing rapid-fire fisticuffs while under Burst Mode.
- Another Rapid Fire technique he can do is "Hokuto Wingbreaker", where the victim is struck from their back as Kenshiro attacks them while they're airborne, before launching a powerful strike.
- Kenshiro can also perform the "Celestial Hundred Fist Rush", taught to him by Toki. He intercepts an opponent midair and then proceeds to pummel them before knocking them back down.
- Shipper on Deck: He figures Jagre's Undying Loyalty towards Xsana is partly because Jagre has the hots for her.
- Super Mode: Burst Mode, where Kenshiro sheds his jacket and gains a red, fiery aura. Certain techniques can only be performed while he's in that state. He regains his jacket and shoulder pads... somehow, when he is out of the state.
- Super-Strength: Kenshiro easily breaks the bars of his cell like he did in the first chapter of the manga, not to mention how he easily defeats the giant Devil Rebirth. He also casually brings in full arcade cabinets he finds out in the wastelands, and uses a huge steel beam as a bat for the death batting minigame.
- You Are Already Dead: His iconic catchphrase, which he usually spurts out right after applying Hokuto Hundred-Fist Rush and Onslaught on an unsuspecting, soon-to-be-dead mook. He uses it on Targa after their final battle as well.
Yuria
Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (JP), Sarah Anne Williams (EN)
Kenshiro’s fiancee. She was traveling with Kenshiro in search of somewhere to live peacefully but was kidnapped by Shin. Kenshiro exacted his revenge against Shin and was expected to be reunited with Yuria. However, Shin tells him of Yuria’s death. She was said to have died, but...
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Rather than dying from her canon illness, she lives and leaves Eden with Ken.
- Expy: She lives a similar role to her Yakuza counterpart Yumi, who is in an unfortunate one-sided Love Triangle (she loves The Hero, not the best friend).
- In Spite of a Nail: Regardless of canon, she is still sick due to radiation poisoning.
- Lady in Red: She wears a red uniform instead of the usual white in the original manga.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Although she dies in the manga, she manages to escape Eden alive with Kenshiro.
Shin
Voiced by: Kazuhiro Nakaya (JP), Greg Chun (EN)
"The strong can take what they want...so I shall take Yuria!"
Successor of the Nanto Seiken and Nanto Koshuken martial arts styles. The former is said to be the opposite of Hokuto Shinken. He kidnaps Kenshiro’s fiancee Yuria. At that time, he gave Kenshiro seven scars on his chest. He dies in a rematch against Kenshiro.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Averted. Unlike the original manga, he dies by Kenshiro's hand instead of committing suicide by jumping off the tower of Southern Cross.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: Unlike most versions of Shin, Kenshiro manages to land the killing blow and dies by his hand. Although thankfully his fate isn't as gory as the rest of his opponents.
- Expy: If Akira Nishikiyama succeeded in kidnapping Yumi, he would become Shin. Unfortunate, due to how one-sided his love for her is.
- Might Makes Right: Shin believes in this philosophy, and it's why he kidnapped Yuria in the first place.
- Starter Villain: He's the boss of the tutorial stage.
- Tragic Villain: True to the source, all he wanted was Yuria, as fame, glory, and power meant nothing to him. Even when Kenshiro gets his revenge and actually kills his former best friend, there's a look of somber pity and regret on Ken's face as Shin finally succumbs to his wounds.
- White Shirt of Death: Wears an all white outfit that is stained with blood once Kenshiro enacts his vengeance.
Raoh
Voiced by: Masami Iwasaki (JP), Patrick Seitz (EN)
"The time has come for me to take Yuria."
The Conqueror of Century’s End and self-titled "King of Fists", he is the oldest of the four Hokuto siblings and Toki's elder blood brother. He uses the Hokuto Shinken martial arts style for his own military rule, and tries to bring unity to the troubled times through violence.
- Adaptational Badass: Somehow. Unlike in other media, the best Kenshiro can do in this game is fight Raoh to a standstill, at which point Raoh gets bored and leaves.
- Adaptational Wimp: Surprisingly enough, despite the above. Raoh as a character is most commonly defined by his strength and pride, such that he deems acts like kneeling and submitting to be weak and beneath him, even going to extreme lengths to prevent himself from doing so through sheer force of will (and even Died Standing Up); the few times Raoh was forced to his knees in the manga were all monumentous turning points for his character as a whole that left him shaken. In his boss fight against Kenshiro, Raoh displays none of this willpower, and got walloped so hard that he fell to his knees at least twice during mid-battle cinematics, something his manga counterpart would never do.
- A.I. Breaker: Raoh's AI naturally tends to use Iron Palm Wave if Kenshiro stays at a distance from him. It takes him a few seconds to wind up and fire his beam, which makes it very avoidable, and if the player dip in and out of his maximum melee range, they can virtually lock him in place as he's compelled to spam this attack over and over again. Gets even more ridiculous on EX Hard and Canon difficulties, where this is a cheese tactic to get around Raoh's natural beefiness and other, more devastating attacks that he will do in melee. Be prepared to hear him shouting "Hokuto Gosho Ha!" a lot if you decide to exploit this.
- Anti-Villain: Unlike the original series, Raoh attempts to kill Yuria because if she were to wake up from her cure, she would inadvertently set off the nuclear missiles stored in Sphere City's silos, bathing the world in nuclear fire a second time.
- Battle Aura: His aura of might is a fiery red.
- Beyond the Impossible: His stated goal is to achieve more power than even Hokuto or Nanto ever did. Considering Hokuto at its greatest can give men the strength to level whole buildings, this is saying something.
- Even Evil Has Standards: When he and Nadai discovered Sphere City and its nuclear weapons, he ordered Nadai to use its resources to build a community and keep the missiles' existence a secret: he feels no need to use nukes in his conquests.
- Evil Is Bigger: A warlord of peerless might, who puts the "big" in "Kenshiro's big brother".
- Expy: He's essentially the Ryuji Goda to Kenshiro's Kiryu, being a blonde Evil Counterpart who wishes to defeat Kenshiro since There Can Be Only One (practitioner of Hokuto Shinken).
- Demoted to Extra: Unlike the original story, Raoh's role is downplayed, as he is fought late-game, but not as the Final Boss.
- The Dreaded: As Ken-Oh, Raoh is the most feared warlord in the post-apocalyptic world. When he shows up at the doorstop of Eden, nobody even tries to start a fight with him, immediately letting him in, with Xsana bowing to him in deference.
- Green-Eyed Monster: He did not take kindly to Kenshiro being named Hokuto Shinken's successor, and becomes the conqueror Ken-oh in response.
- Ground Punch: He can pull this if Kenshiro is giving him grief up close, or if the player was knocked down near him.
- Kamehame Hadoken: He often uses blasts of ki, most notably his Celestial King's Assault move, especially if Kenshiro gets out of melee range. This is normally enough to collapse buildings, if not mountains, but it's no use for getting inside Sphere City, since it was built to withstand a nuclear strike without a scratch.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Since he and Kenshiro are evenly matched and how it is impossible for him to obtain Yuria at the time due to outside circumstances, he isn't left with much and decides to retreat for now.
- Mighty Glacier: Compared to other bosses he is far less mobile and his attacks come out a lot slower. He still hits like a truck and is naturally Immune to Flinching.
- Pragmatic Villainy: He has no need of nukes, so he orders Nadai to rule over Sphere City and make another settlement around it just to protect it. If he's going to take over the world, he's going to do so with his own, physical power, not rule a twice-nuked wasteland. He also was going to leave Yuria inside the Chamber of Miracles to allow her to heal and only resorted to trying to kill her from above with a spear because he believed there was no way inside Sphere City to get her out before the nukes activated.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Due to Yuria's involvement in the story being changed, Raoh's circumstances also change considerably. He survives his battle with Kenshiro and resolves to continue his ambitions for power once Yuria has been saved.
- This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman: Toki's final technique to share with Kenshiro is an anti-air attack used on an enemy that does a jump dodge. Raoh is one of the few enemies capable of this.
Toki
Voiced by: Shunsuke Sakuya (JP), Kirk Thornton (EN)
"It is the still water that quells the raging stream."
A fellow student who studied the Hokuto Shinken martial arts style alongside Kenshiro from a young age. He has heart, technique, and physique, and in all was an excellent fighter, but because he was exposed to the “ashes of death” during the final war, he suffered from an incurable disease and gave up on the path of succession. After that, he tried to put Hokuto Shinken to use as a means of medical treatment.
- Battle Aura: His is green.
- Disease Bleach: His radiation sickness has turned his hair white.
- Expy: He's the Komaki and Kashiwagi to Kenshiro's Kiryu.
- Healing Hands: Toki primarily uses Hokuto Shinken as a healing art, to the point he's made his own variant called Hokuto Ujou Ken. Push come to shove, though, his techniques are every bit as deadly as Kenshiro's; but instead of painful deaths, his techniques send those he fells in self-defense into ecstasy before they die.
- The Mentor: He can teach Kenshiro new moves through sparring sessions.
- Incurable Cough of Death: His illness means that he's prone to doing this during sparring sessions, thus leaving himself open. You do get a trophy for not taking advantage of this, however.
- Nice Guy: True to his manga self, Toki works selflessly to help others. He even forgoes living in Eden which would be better for him personally, knowing that him being there would draw Raoh.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Can be fought in the arena under the alias "Ash the Tranquil". Aside from a mask and fake name, he doesn't do much to hide his identity.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: Before meeting him, defeating mooks are limited to story encounters including bosses. Defeating Toki on your first playthrough is no small feat when he powers up and he can easily defeat you if you're not careful.
Jagi
Voiced by: Hidenari Ugaki (JP), Edward Bosco (EN)
"C'mon, bitch, say my name!"
One of Kenshiro’s brothers who studied Hokuto Shinken. He is envious that Kenshiro was selected as the successor of the Hokuto Shinken fighting style, and dislikes the existence of a younger brother superior to an older brother. He wears a strange helmet and has seven scars on his chest like Kenshiro. He is an unpredictable man with madness in his eyes.
- Adaptational Badass: In the original story, Jagi is effortlessly killed by Kenshiro in a horribly one-sided fight where Ken is clearly holding back. Here, he is a Lightning Bruiser and puts up a considerably vicious and lengthy fight. He's also better at mixing his shotgun into his martial arts rather than just shooting from a distance.
- Combat Pragmatist: Don't bring guns to a fist fight? Screw that. Jagi doesn't abide by any rules. He'll throw in bombs too for good measure.
- Compulsive Liar: When hiding behind hostages disguised as him, Kenshiro is able to spot the difference because he knows that Jagi will always lie.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: Usually it's Kenshiro who kills Jagi for all the shit he's done, but this time it's Rei who gets to kill him.
- Dirty Coward: As always, he utilizes every dirty tactic he could think of to his advantage. From forcing Ken to stand still at the threat of killing his hostages to bringing guns and bombs to a fist fight. Wouldn't be Jagi without this trope.
- Expy: He's a darker mirror of Goro Majima if he abandoned his moral code and restriction on whose life he'd end, and an even bigger chip on his shoulder. Majima's crazy antics are also but a facade hiding a deeper, morally complex personality, whereas Jagi's madness is legit and lacks any nuance beyond petty hatred.
- Facial Horror: The helmet is not only for intimidation, but also to keep his own head from exploding after Kenshiro pummeled his face in. Sure enough, when Rei cuts his helmet off, Jagi dies (albeit from Rei's own attacks, as he falls to pieces before he explodes).
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: Sure he's nowhere as strong as the other Hokuto brothers or a Nanto user on the level of Rei (hence why the one thing they aren't concerned about is having a straight up fight with him), but he still knows Hokuto Shinken and thus by the standards of the world is extremely powerful.
- Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: He uses his signature Thousand Hand Murder and Hokuto Arhat Strike during his boss battle, with the former being a frequently spammed attack during the first phase where Kenshiro is rooted to the spot and has to fight him in first-person, and the latter being part of quick-time event when the two are duking it out in earnest. As in the main series, Jagi still uses his Arhat Strike to provide a distraction for his needle spitting.
- Sawed-Off Shotgun: It's not Jagi if he isn't without his iconic double-barreled sawed-off shotgun.
- Say My Name: He often blurts out his iconic catchphrase before fighting Kenshiro.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: He's one of the more foul-mouthed characters in the game.
- Throw Down the Bomblet: Aside from his shotgun he also likes to toss grenades.
- Villainous Friendship: Strikes one up with Targa, and judging by his heartbroken expression when the latter betrays him he truly did respect the guy.
Rei
Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (JP), Chris Hackney (EN)
"I won't let you escape justice!"
A Nanto Suichiouken user said to be the most excellent in Nanto Seiken Hyakuhachi-ha. He is searching for his younger sister, Airi, who was kidnapped by a man with seven scars on his chest. He hears of certain plausible information, and visits Eden.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: An inverted example. Most adaptation change his hair from black to blue hair in most adaptations. Lost Paradise, on the other hand, restores his black hair.
- Battle Aura: A light teal.
- Big Damn Heroes: He helps Kenshiro defeat Jagi by slicing his helmet as well as the rest of him into pieces.
- Blue Is Heroic: He has shades of light blue/teal on his clothes and while antagonistic at first, he warms up after seeing his sister again. Which then turn into being indebted to Ken once he returns his sister's eyesight.
- Dance Battler: The trick to fighting Rei (or the refights against his doppleganger in the Duel Arena) is less about overpowering him and more about not letting him dodge all over the damn place. His agility is the one true advantage he has over Ken.
- Razor-Sharp Hand: As a practitioner of Nanto Suichiouken, his fighting style involves using his fingers as razor sharp claws that can easily cut through armor and flesh, turning his enemies into ribbons.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Unlike in the manga, Rei makes it out alive, mostly due to not fighting Raoh.
Mamiya
A woman travelling the wastelands to find a brave warrior who can help her protect her village
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Mamiya's hair is normally brown, but colored dark blue in this game.
- Demoted to Extra: She only appears in one substory as a minor character, unlike in the manga/anime where she was an important secondary character.
- Identical Stranger: She's mistaken for Yuria despite having dark blue hair instead of red or brown.
Thouzer
Voiced by: Hiroki Tochi (JP), Greg Chun (EN)
"Those who defy the Holy Emperor must die. Die, all for me!"
A man who calls himself “Emperor,” he is one of the characters who reigns supreme in these turbulent times. He is the sole successor of the Nanto Houhouken martial arts style, and the strongest Nanto Seiken user. His excessive pride, which looks down on other warriors as lesser, seems to be come not only from his combat ability, but also from a big secret he holds.
- Bizarre Human Biology: Thouzer has situs inversus totalis
with dextrocardia, a rare congenital condition that inverts the positions of his organs. As a result of this, his pressure points are also inverted, leaving Kenshiro unable to actually harm him until he realizes Thouzer's heartbeat is coming from the wrong spot in his chest. - The Dreaded: He is one of the most feared warlords of the post-apocalypse, second only to Ken-Oh.
- Karma Houdini: Despite Kenshiro defeating him, he lives and escapes so that he can fight another day.
- No-Sell: Xsana attempts to kill Thouzer with a hidden knife, but he catches the blade between his fingers. He also does this to Kenshiro's initial attack, much to his shock (until Kenshiro figured out why and managed to exploit it).
- Orcus on His Throne: After his invasion of Eden is foiled, Thouzer chooses to observe how the city will fare.
- Sliding Scale of Gameplay and Story Integration: Just like in the source material he has reversed pressure points, so most attacks that use pressure point almost have no effect until Kenshiro finds out where to attack.
- Spared by the Adaptation: He survives his battle with Kenshiro and leaves to rebuild his army.
Bat
Voiced by: Shunzō Miyasaka (JP), Brian Beacock (EN)
A young boy who follows Kenshiro on his journeys, confident that sticking by the Hokuto Shinken master's side will allow him to live an easy life free from danger and never wanting for food. What he lacks in fighting skills, he makes up for in street smarts and technical know-how, using his cunning to help himself and Kenshiro make money while also maintaining his buggy as Kenshiro's personal mechanic.
- Grease Monkey: Serves as Ken's personal mechanic, despite his young age.
- Kid Sidekick: Refers himself as one to Kenshiro. His introduction even labels him as such.
Lin
Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya (JP), Xanthe Huynh (EN)
A young girl who was traumatized by the death of her parents at the hands of raiders, rendering her unable to speak. Her life was changed for the better by Kenshiro, who not only saved her from murderous raiders, but restored her voice with Hokuto Shinken. Forever thankful, she follows Kenshiro through the wastes, hoping to repay his kindness.
- Auto-Revive: Her Destiny Talisman grants Kenshiro an instant revive in battle if his HP runs out.
- Covert Pervert: Lin mentally comments she could watch Ken walk away any day while focusing on his rock hard butt.
- Say My Name: "KEEEEEN!" This is heard whenever her Destiny Talisman kicks in, giving Ken a revival from death.
Rihaku
Voiced by: Kazuhiro Yamaji (JP), Kyle Hebert (EN)
Eden's resident doctor, who seems to know a lot more than he lets on. He helps Kenshiro in the early goings of his journey to find Yuria.
- Adaptational Job Change: Leader of the Nanto Goshasei in the manga, a local doctor in this game. Subverted, however, when it turns out that he's still that same Rihaku, only posing as a man of medicine to keep a low profile in the city while he and his Goshasei comrades operate in secret.
- But Now I Must Go: He leaves Eden at the conclusion of chapter 5 to resume leading the Nanto Goshasei's missions elsewhere, entrusting Kenshiro to keep the city safe. That said, he remains vigilant for any signs of trouble and comes back to help when Thouzer's army tries to take over.
- Manly Facial Hair: It wouldn't be good ol' Rihaku without his signature walrus 'stache.
- Secret Test of Character: His reason for setting up the fight between Kenshiro and Rei was to see for himself how far Kenshiro had grown as both a fighter and as a man since he lost Yuria years ago after being easily defeated by Shin. Rihaku had serious doubts about entrusting Yuria's safety to Kenshiro for his past failure, but puts these doubts to rest when Ken not only proves victorious, but also displays exceptional nobility and honor.
Uighur
Voiced by: Naomi Kusumi (JP), Paul St. Peter (EN)
A man who runs a prison called Cassandra, where it is said that once you’re in, there is no getting out alive. The legendary “Impregnable Cassandra” is accomplished by this man’s overwhelming power.
- Bad Boss: Jumps down and crushes one of his own guards for failing to keep Kenshiro out.
- Evil Is Bigger: One of Ken-Oh's most trusted soldiers, the warden of the prison of Cassandra, and at least twice as big as Kenshiro.
Devil Rebirth
A massive man standing ten times as tall as the average human. He is the final opponent for the victor of the Gladiator Games to fight; only those who can best this reincarnation of a demon can gain their freedom and a boon from Eden's ruler.
- Adaptational Name Change: His name was always meant to be Devil Rebirth, but some translations of the manga and anime mistranslated it as Devil Reverse.
- Adaptational Heroism: While a pitiable character in the original, Devil's Rebirth was still a criminal and a threat that needed to be killed. Here he's given a few more heroic aspects and in the end helps with constructing Eden.
- Adapted Out: Jackal is omitted in this game, other than being a Destiny Talisman. In the original, Jackal manipulates Devil into thinking he is his big brother to save his own skin from Kenshiro's wrath
- Beef Gate: Eden kept him alive so that no one could ever gain their freedom in the Games. It was a success until Kenshiro injured him so badly that he couldn't do the job anymore, so Lyra has Ken fill in for him.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Unlike the source material, he survives his battle with Kenshiro and is later seen helping with Eden's construction.
Introduced in the game
Eden Authority
Xsana
Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (JP), Allegra Clark (EN)
"From now on, you are a citizen of Eden. I hope you find what you seek."
The daughter of the founder of Eden, the “City of Miracles,” and its current ruler. In order to become a fine ruler like her father, she listens to the voices of the people every day, and drafts and implements various policies to improve the city. Kenshiro, who hears that Yuria headed towards Eden, goes to visit the Eden ruled by Xsana, but…
- Big Eater: Implied in one substory, where she orders and eats an entire Junk Burger—something she had previously asked Jagre to split with her. Kenshiro's actually surprised she managed the whole thing by herself.
- Can't Hold His Liquor: As Kenshiro learns when he serves her a drink at the bar, "mean drunk" is one hell of an understatement.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Has blonde hair and is the beloved ruler of Eden who people look up to.
- Defiant Captive: When being held prisoner by Thouzer during his takeover of Eden. She even tries to stab him at one point.
- King Incognito: Kenshiro's first encounter with her is on the rooftop of a random building after he breaks out of Eden's jail. She's dressed in common clothing and says she's just some ordinary city girl, but gives him the idea of competing in the gladiator games to win his freedom.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: After her father's disappearance, she becomes the beloved leader of her city.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Subverted. She has most of the qualities of Yuria, but not as a motherly figure. Plus she can defend herself when she has to.
- Universally Beloved Leader: She is beloved by the people of Eden for her compassion and dedication to the city's continued prosperity. Even some of the resident thugs seem to respect her as the city's ruler; in one side-quest, when Xsana (in casual clothes and drunk off her head) starts a heated argument with a couple of punks, they refuse to believe her when she identifies herself, as in their minds the Xsana they know about wouldn't behave like a foul-mouthed drunk.
Jagre
Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (JP), Imari Williams (EN)
"If there's one thing I hate, it's a goddamn martial artist."
Commanding officer of Eden's Watch. But you probably couldn't tell that by just looking at him.
Commanding officer of Eden's Watch. Upon seeing Hokuto Shinken user Kenshiro’s overwhelming strength, he deemed him to be a monster and immediately imprisoned him in the Eden dungeon. While he does not trust Kenshiro at first, he later opens up to Kenshiro and will eventually become a partner-like character.
- Can't Spit It Out: It's clear to everyone who knows him that Jagre carries a flame for Xsana, but he's too scared of rejection and ruining their friendship to act on his feelings.
- Chained by Fashion: Has a chain wristband and necklace. Fitting with his whole The Apunkalypse Aesthetic.
- Doesn't Trust Those Guys: He has a deep distrust of martial artists, which fuels his initial antagonism towards Kenshiro. This is because Nadai killed his father to protect the secret of Sphere City.
- Expy: Of Yuya from the Yakuza series, being somewhat antagonistic to the main protagonist before becoming one of their most loyal comrades. Unlike Yuya, however, Jagre has the luck of not fighting this game's hero.
- Face of a Thug: He looks no different than your average wasteland raider — leather duds, mohawk and everything — yet is actually a Jerk with a Heart of Gold who becomes one of Ken's most trusted allies.
- Fashionable Asymmetry: A lot of asymmetry on his outfit, especially on topwear.
- Firing One-Handed: How he usually carries and uses his gun.
- Goggles Do Nothing: Never actually bothers to wear his goggles over his eyes.
- Good Counterpart: He is to Jagi as Rei is to Shin with his foul mouth and use of shotguns.
- The Mole: He, Lyra and Targa were a trio of people whose parents were killed by Nadai to keep the Sphere City's secret a mystery. The trio swore revenge, with Jagre following in his father's footsteps to be the Captain of Eden's Watch to keep a close eye on the gates for Nadai or any leads towards him.
- Properly Paranoid: He comes across as foolish with his distrust of martial arts, considering that Ken is such a nice guy. At the same time though, every major problem the city encounters happens because of superpowered martial artists, so it's not hard to see his perspective.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: He was Targa's inside man in Eden, ordered to keep watch on any visitors or guests to the city. When Jagre refuses to execute Xsana, Targa shoots him down; he lives, however.
- Sawed-Off Shotgun: Carries around an strange sawed-off or short-barreled custom shotgun. Once Nadai sees it, he immediately recognizes it as belonging to his father Raja..ff
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: He's responsible for a sizable portion of the game's cuss words, and seems to have a love of shouting "Fuck".
- Spikes of Villainy: Subverted and sorta goes with his Face of a Thug thing. His singular shoulder and shin pads have quite a lot of spikes on them. However he's anything but villainous.
- Tragic Keepsake: His shotgun originally belonged to his father Raja, whom Nadai killed after he tried to stage a coup and wounded Nadai's wife.
- You Killed My Father: Jagre's father was killed by Nadai a long time ago, filled with vengeance he worked alongside Lyra and Targa to look for him and take revenge on Eden's former king. However Nadai reveals to him why his father had to be killed.
Lyra
Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (JP), Lauren Landa (EN)
The bewitching lady who controls Eden’s nightlife, managing its Nightclub and Colosseum battles. Behind her sassy and bold demeanor, she has a keenly intelligent mind and a knack for business. The people of Eden have come to rely on her, and Xsana trusts Lyra to handle all the city’s financial matters.
- Attack on the Heart: How Targa kills her.
- Can't Hold His Liquor: Just like Xsana. She's a violent drunk too.
- Character Death: Targa shoots her in the heart once he finds no use for her when she objects to him shooting Jagre.
- Cigar Chomper: Always seen with a cigar in hand, though she's only seen smoking it on rare occasions.
- Devious Daggers: Once her deception is finally revealed, she carries a huge bowie knife and has it right to Nadai's neck as she takes him hostage.
- Good-Guy Bar: She runs a nightclub meant for law-abiding citizens just looking for a good time. Ruffians are welcome too so long as they behave inside the premises. Otherwise, Kenshiro's given a-okay to kill them on the spot. It's also a front for her to gain info as she, Jagre and Targa were looking for Nadai.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: Has purple hair and a purple outfit. Can sometimes cross into Purple Is Powerful as she can be tough.
- Ms. Fanservice: Lyra is quite the looker with her figure and Stripperiffic dress.
- The Mole: Was Targa's inside woman whom worked along with Jagre to look for and get their revenge on Nadai.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: She was alongside Jagre were Targa's inside people the whole time, monitoring the civilians for any sign of Nadai; when she voices an objection to Targa's shooting of a repentant Jagre, Targa responds by shooting her in the heart.
- You Killed My Father: Her parents were one of Nadai's victims as he tried to keep Sphere City's true purpose a secret. Jagre mentions finding her parents when he and Kenshiro enter the cursed village.
Nadai
Voiced by: Masato Obara (JP), Christopher Bevins (EN)
The founder of Eden who discovered Sphere City. He achieved frequent feats in his lifetime, building up Eden in a single generation, putting together the walls and Garrison, and so on, but died suddenly several years ago. It seems that even now he is worshiped in Eden as a hero. He was thought to be killed by Xsana herself in revenge after she saw her kill his wife/her mother (it's a long complicated story), but actually survived and now observes his people and his daughter from afar. But if he needs a much closer look, he slips into his "Kyo-Oh" persona.
- The Dragon: To Raoh. Nadai followed Raoh's conquests until they discovered Sphere city, after they both found out what it's actual purpose was. Nadai claimed the city on Raoh's orders to prevent another nuclear apocalypse. While on a technically, Eden City is Raoh's Property, Ken-oh isn't interested on governing it and lets Nadai and his family do whatever.
- Faking the Dead: He actually survived the wound that Xsana gave him and let others assume he died.
- Foil: Has a few similarities to Kenshiro. The biggest one being that not only do the ones they love are slowly dying but both end up in the Chamber of Miracles, while Nadai has to kill his wife in order to protect everyone, Kenshiro with Nadai's help is able to not only bring Yuria out of the Chamber but she's also fully healed and doesn't perish like she does in the Manga.
- Heroic Sacrifice: As the nukes inside Sphere City detonate, Nadai uses whatever strength he has left to save Kenshiro and Yuria.
- Secret-Keeper: He never told anyone the exact truth of Sphere City or why he killed his wife. He killed Jagre's father, Raja, for the very same reason: to keep Sphere City's nuclear cache from launching.
- Shock and Awe: He learned the martial art of Meito Kieiken after Raoh dismissed it and uses it not only in combat but for Mundane Utility (like hacking technology from a bygone era).
- Weak, but Skilled: Nadai has trained in strange martial art schools that seem near-magical. Every time Raoh dismissed a martial art that was too weak for him, Nadai would pick it up instead. This includes electric techniques used to hack Sphere City's security and its vast resources, a medley of various attack patterns in combat, and he can even zombify innocent people.
Eden Residents
Isuka (Unmarked Spoilers)
A lieutenant in the Eden Watch who seeks revenge against a mass murderer named "The Ripper". He asks for Ken's help to defeat bounties in exchange for money.
- Actually, I Am Him: He is the man you were actually looking for.
- Alas, Poor Villain: After Isuka's death, Jagre pities him somewhat for his inability and unwillingness to accept love.
- Boom, Headshot!: When he is defeated, Isuka is shot in the head by Jagre as one last act of mercy for a friend.
- Evil All Along: He is actually the Ripper himself, who killed his own wife and unborn child.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Isuka is incapable of understanding the more selfless aspects of people, in part because of his I Am a Monster attitude.
- When he confessed about being a Serial Killer to his fiancée Fio, he was utterly confounded by her decision to stay with him despite knowing the kind of person he truly was. Tragically, Isuka ended up killing her and his unborn child because he considered that to be the only logical choice. He cried as he watched her die, believing his tears to be Tears of Joy. When Jagre brought up the possibility that those tears could have been out of sadness because he truly wanted Fio's love and trust (why else would he have confessed in the first place?), Isuka refused to consider it, believing himself incapable of love.
- He once asked Kenshiro if he ever felt pleasure when taking a life. When Kenshiro said that he never did, Isuka believed that Kenshiro was well past the point of feeling anything about death, making him the true epitome of a killer.
- His Own Worst Enemy: Isuka enjoyed being a Serial Killer, but also saw himself as this. Because of this, he killed Fio despite her offer to remain with him after his confession. Jagre speculates that Isuka has convinced himself to be incapable and unworthy of love despite having truly loved Fio.
- I Am a Monster: As a Serial Killer, he sees himself as a demon worthy of only fear and hatred.
- It's Personal: Subverted. He claims to have a personal grudge against the Ripper, who killed his wife and other innocents. In fact, he himself is the Ripper and he gladly committed all those murders.
- Mad Scientist: Since he first witnessed Kenshiro's Hokuto Shinken in action, Isuka became entranced by its power over life and death. Using Eden's bounty system as a cover, Isuka continued to observe Kenshiro and used bounty targets as test subjects for secret pressure point experiments in an effort to learn Hokuto Shinken. Kenshiro's response to this is to tell Isuka that Hokuto Shinken isn't suited for the likes of him.
- Serial Killer: He is a murderer who kills for the sheer joy of watching his victims die slowly. In fact, he considered murder itself to be an art, which eventually led to his fascination with Hokuto Shinken.
- Walking Spoiler: The identity of the Ripper is a secret until Ken eventually finds out on his own that Isuka is the man he was looking for.
Eden Committee Chairman
A committee chairman who abhors violence and attempts to convince Kenshiro to Turn the Other Cheek, with little success.
- Born in the Wrong Century: He speaks of peace, and tries to convince Ken to talk to a mook trying to rob people. Too bad he lives in an era where violence is the only answer.
- Failure Is the Only Option: His noble dream of solving conflicts through peaceful negotiations was doomed from the start on account of the fact that he and his followers live in The Apunkalypse where Might Makes Right is the norm and refusing to fight back means certain death.
- Suicidal Pacifism: Whilst trying to resolve conflicts without violence is indeed noble, the chairman walking up to an Ax-Crazy man threatening to murder a kid and simply saying, "I know you're a good man inside and don't want to hurt the boy" isn't exactly the best course of action in the post-apocalyptic setting. If nothing else, the chairman could've considered threatening the punk about retribution from the law or bribed him into leaving the boy.
- Too Dumb to Live: Trying to convince Kenshiro to talk to wasteland raiders in Eden failed twice, and Ken has to save him and whoever the thugs are threatening. It gets him killed in the end, but he realizes he was born in the wrong century.
Cabaret Club
Hina
A new hostess Ken saved from thugs harassing her. She is the girl whom Ken can get a job at the Cabaret Club.
- A-Cup Angst: She voices her displeasure for her lack of breasts.
- The Cutie: She's young and cute as a button. And one of Ken's starter hostesses. In fact, it's her gimmick.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Her older sister was a hostess while her brother in law was an ex-manager. Her sister's frequent customer fell in love with her at first sight until he found out she was already enaged. He lost his mind and attacked her husband in a fit of rage, but she threw herself between them and died as a result. Hina saw it happened while dropping off her wedding gift. When both her and Ken encounter him again, he managed to convince some of the hostesses' families and acquaintances to tell them to quit their job. This fails on the plot relevant girls because they are loyal to Ken.
- The Ditz: An unfortunate case while working. Her substory involves overcoming this with Ken's help.
- Uncanny Valley Makeup: One of her substories involves her want to be sexy. Ken is given the option to tell her she could put on some makeup. Unfortunately, she puts on a little too much.
- Widowed at the Wedding: Not her, but her older sister in her backstory.
Emma
A sexy hostess from the casino Ken recruits when Hina suggested he find more to have for the nightclub.
- Arranged Marriage: Her father sets her off on one, having Ken to pretend he is her boyfriend.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: The bustiers of the hostesses, much to Hina's envy.
- Spoiled Sweet: Her father runs the casino. Her elegant dresses showcase her wealth and she's a very sweet woman.
Liz
An elegant hostess Ken finds praying for the soul of a lost love. She needs to be convinced to live for her lost love who sacrificed himself to save her.
- Survivor Guilt: Suffers from this as her fiancé risked his life to save her from the war.
Bright
A power hostess who initially has Hina kidnapped because she can't stand girls who are beautiful as it only reminds her of her own self-loathing appearance as a transwoman.
- Brawn Hilda: Not a conventionally attractive woman, to say the least. Her gimmick involves her being the power-type hostess.
- Heel–Face Turn: Kenshiro convinces her that the Nightclub accepts people like her and is willing to hire her, Bright turns over a new leaf. Later in the game, her now gang, who have else gone face, note they haven't seen their boss so happy in years.
Villains
Kyo-Oh
Voiced by: Masato Obara (JP), Christopher Bevins (EN)
Immortan Joe if he was an Evil Superpowered Martial Artist.
A man with great influence in this troubled world, who took in bandits one after the next to put together his “Army of Ruin.” He is a mysterious kenpo user who is persistent on Eden and attacks it regularly, making him most feared by its people. There's more to it than what he appears to be, however...
- Mind Rape: His mysterious martial art works similarly to Hokuto Shinken, in that it destroys a man from the inside, but instead of exploding your organs with pressure points, it drives men to insanity without leaving a mark on their body. Essentially turning those who have succumbed to the madness into violet zombies.
- Shock and Awe: Meito Kieiken works through using chi to allow electrical manipulation. It also allows him to affect people's mental state quite severely.
- Rage Helm: Wears an angry snarling helmet with tusks to hide his face and intimidate his enemies.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Him and his army employ black and red as their main color scheme.
- Shout-Out: Staying true to Hokuto's Mad Max inspiration, his mask is a homage to Immortan Joe's mouthpiece.
- Silent Antagonist: Doesn't speak much when we first meet him. This is most definitely to hide his true identity considering that Jagre and his own daughter are around.
- Walking Spoiler: It's hard to talk about this character when a major plot twist is revealed toward the game's end.
Targa
Voiced by: Yuichi Nakamura (JP), Mick Wingert (EN)
The Ascendant
No. 2 of the Army of Ruin, just below Kyo-Oh himself. Contrary to his light voice, he has a cruel and inhuman personality. He uses pistols, which are of value in this age, and has mastered a taijustu that the average swordsman stands no chance against.
- Achilles' Heel: He is very careful to avoid confronting Nadai directly in person because his cyborg body would be particularly vulnerable to a fighting style that can manipulate electricity.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Wears a pretty snazzy dress shirt and longcoat combo with a fancy ascot tie to tie it all up.
- Badass Longcoat: Targa has a very fashionable and almost overdesigned longcoat. He's also a very well-trained fighter and a recurring threat to not only the people of Eden but Kenshiro as well.
- Bling-Bling-BANG!: His pistols are very engraved.
- Dragon Ascendant: By the end of the game, he eventually becomes the main threat to the heroes. His Boss Subtitle even calls him "The Ascendent".
- Dramatic Irony: The reason he joined The Army of Ruin was to find Nadai with Jagre and Lyra to get even with him after the former King of Eden killed their parents. Turns out the person whom he had given his loyalty to was actually Nadai in disguise.
- Dual Wielding: Dual wields customized and very engraved M1911s and also a double-barreled sawed-off shotgun. Bonus points when you realize that having ONE functioning firearm, let alone three, is a huge deal in the apocalypse of the North Star.
- Establishing Character Moment: The long drawn-out scene of him torturing an old man he took hostage in front of Jagre and then executing him when Jagre agrees to his demands. Shows that he's a completely iredeemable sociopath who truly earned his rank.
- Eviler than Thou: Manages to pull this on Jagi of all people, the latter being one of the most infamous scumbags in the series. Judging by Jagi's poleaxed expression when Targa betrays him at the last minute, he truly did think of Targa as the closest thing to a friend he had.
- Failed a Spot Check: Targa claims to be immune to Hokuto Shinken because he's a cyborg. He failed to consider the parts of him that aren't mechanical, which Kenshiro exploited during his final battle with him.
- Final Boss: He becomes the last threat Kenshiro has to face by the end of the game.
- Godhood Seeker: He fully intends to use the nukes to destroy everything, including the competition such as Raoh and Thouzer's armies, so that he can become a god with nothing but Yuria as his queen. Ken makes his point of him being a god his way.
- Guns Akimbo: Mainly fights with the use of two heavily-engraved M1911-esque pistols.
- Gun Kata: He mixes up his usage of two handguns (and a shotgun) with fancy kicks, flips and other attacks.
- The Gunslinger: Fights using two M1911-esque handguns and a sawed-off shotgun.
- Kick the Dog: Gleeful engages in this whenver he can, his Establishing Character Moment, is him mercilessly torturing an old man by breaking both of his arms and then blowing a whole into his chest after promising to let him go. Then there's also him gunning down both Jagre and Lyra after he has no use for them, the shot to the latter being fatal.
- Logical Weakness: Because of his cyberized body, Targa believes he's immune to Hokuto Shinken since he has no pressure points. However, some parts of his body are still organic and still have pressure points. Kenshiro presumably targeted those areas instead during his final battle, allowing him to win.
- Made of Iron: He can take quite a bit of abuse. And as revealed in the final boss fight, he's almost literally this trope.
- Practically Joker: The green hair, hammy extraveggence, fondness for big sadistic grins and manic laughter, and stated desire to burn the world should be tip offs. Kenshiro even makes a card-based joke, where he literally refers to Targa as a Joker.
- Recurring Boss: Fought twice, first as the Army of Ruin attacks Eden's gates, and also serves as the game's final boss.
- Robotic Reveal: In the final fight against him, he reveals himself to be a cyborg and uses it to his advantage in against Kenshiro.
- Sawed-Off Shotgun: Uses them alongside his pistols with probably the same effectiveness as Jagi. Notably he uses his shotgun to execute an old man he was taking hostage and while disguises as Kyo-Oh.
- The Sociopath: He never cared about revenge at all, and used Jagre, Lyra, Kenshiro and Nadai all to gain access to Sphere City and annihilate all life on the planet save himself and Yuria, all with sadistic glee as his plans come closer to fruition.
- This Cannot Be!: Right before his head pops, Targa was shocked to find Kenshiro still got him with Hokuto Shinken.
- Villainous Breakdown: Targa bragged about how his cybernetic body makes him immune to Kenshiro's Hokuto Shinken as he "has no pressure points". Kenshiro proves him wrong and Targa screams in disbelief that his body is about to explode from Kenshiro's attack.
- We Can Rebuild Him: His body was severely damaged in the Final War and was replaced with cybernetics. His percentage of machinery is high enough that he claims to no longer have pressure points.
- You Are Already Dead: Subverts this on multiple occasions for no explained reason. It turns out he's mostly mechanical, and machinery has no conventional pressure points to strike. In the final battle, this is played straight when Kenshiro lands such a blow on what flesh remains of him.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: He abandons Jagi when Rei kills him in Kenshiro's place.
- Your Head A-Splode: Courtesy of Kenshiro.
Other
Amon
Everyone's favourite assassin from the Yakuza series, reincarnated in the wastelands of the post-apocalyptic world as part of a secluded family to challenge them to a fight. This Amon sought to challenge the invincibility of Hokuto Shinken and to prove that his family is the greatest power in the assassin's side of the martial art spectrum.
- Badass Longcoat: One of the main elements of his fashion style that he maintains in the post-apocalyptic world.
- Deader than Dead: Kenshiro doesn't spare him, he explodes offscreen.
- Genre Shift: The third phase of the fight switches over to an extremely difficult racing section.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: His death cry once Kenshiro finishes him is "Nagoshi!" Toshihiro Nagoshi is the general director/producer of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.
- Moveset Clone: An incredibly speedy variant of Kenshiro's style, and will also use moves from various characters in the game as well.
- Sinister Shades: The other of the main elements of his fashion style that he maintains in the post-apocalyptic world. Once Kenshiro kills Amon he is awarded his shades.
- Sizeshifter: With no explanation, the second phase of the battle has him grow to the size of Devil Rebirth. He shrinks back before heading into the third phase.
- Superboss: His level is 99.
- Worthy Opponent: After taking him down Kenshiro considers Amon this.
