History FistOfTheNorthStar / TropesQToZ

* StoutStrength: Mr. Heart and, to a lesser extent (in that he's slimmer, not weaker), Fudoh.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: As with all popular Japanese manga franchises, the spellings of many character names tend to differ between sources and media. Notably, the name of the Holy Emperor tends to vary from "Souther", "Thouzer", "Thouther", and even "Thoutoher" (and it's notably pronounced "Souzer" even in the English dub of ''Hokuto Musou''). Not to mention Yuria/Julia, Yuda/Juda, Lin/Rin, Shuu/Shuh/Shew, Pel/Bell/Peru and Uighur/Uyghur.

** In 1986, Enix created a spinoff visual novel / AdventureGame called ''Hokuto no Ken: Violence Gekiga Adventure''. It was released for several computers that were popular in Japan at the time. It was basically a loose retelling of the Southern Cross with many of the same events transpiring differently.

* {{Zeerust}}: The original manga was published during [=1980s=], at a time when most doomsday predictions placed the end of the world at the late [=1990s=]. Thus, the nuclear war occurs in the year [[ExtyYearsFromNow 199X]] and the term ''Seikimatsu'' ("end of the century") is used to refer to the era the story takes place. This becomes ZeerustCanon in all of the newer spin-offs published after 2000 and onward, which continued using the term ''Seikimatsu''.

* ShonenDemographic: The archetypal example, though you'd be forgiven for mistaking it for seinen due to the violence that occurs throughout. And yes there are seinen spin-offs and sidestories to ''[=FotNS=]''/''[=HnK=]]''.

** In ''Ken's Rage'' (at least [[{{Woolseyism}} the American release]]), Jagi will sometimes call his enemies "[[Film/ArmyOfDarkness primitive screwheads]]".

* TokenMotivationalNemesis: Shin in the manga, whose only reason of existence is to give Kenshiro his signature scars and take Yuria away from him before being killed by the end of the tenth chapter. The AdaptationExpansion of the TV series [[{{Filler}} padded]] Shin's role for up to 22 episodes. Most of this only amounted to giving Shin more henchmen to order around than the four he had in the manga, but he does get his own moment of glory by thwarting a conspiracy to overthrow him just before his final battle with Kenshiro. The anime also depicts the dissolution of Shin's army and the destruction of Southern Cross before the final battle, which arguably gives a greater sense of resolution to the Shin than simply having his army vanish with no explanation after his death like in the manga.

* TropeMaker: Quite simply, ''FOTNS'' is THE granddaddy of most Shonen fighting series (along with ''Franchise/DragonBall'), and pretty much every trope that applies to them was codified by it (Again, with ''Dragon Ball''). It's easier to mention which fighting series are NOT in any way influenced by it).

* TheKlan: Several Mooks employed by [[{{Necromancer}} Zaria]] are these.

** There was another Visual Novel-style game released by Banpresto in 1995, simply titled ''[[RecycledTitle Hokuto no Ken]]''. It was released for the PlayStation and SegaSaturn and took place after the events of the manga. Lin gets kinapped (again) on the day of her wedding with Bat and another Hokuto school (Hokuto Mumyoken) is behind the events.

* TropeMakerr: Quite simply, ''FOTNS'' is THE granddaddy of most Shonen fighting series (along with ''Franchise/DragonBall'), and pretty much every trope that applies to them was codified by it (Again, with ''Dragon Ball''). It's easier to mention which fighting series are NOT in any way influenced by it).

* WideEyedIdealist: Kenshiro is an idealistic lives in a CrapsackWorld where people daily dies and kills over a scrap of food or a sip of water. Still he believes it is easy to be despicable in this age, but that it takes a true HERO keep your humanity and keep being a good person when everything and everyone around seems suggesting to you otherwise. In the first chapter, Bat asks him bluntly how he has survived so far if he would not even try break himself out of jail because it could get a little girl in trouble. Not long after, Bat finds out Kenshiro is idealistic because ''[[BewareTheNiceOnes he can afford]] [[{{Badass}} to be.]]'' Behaving like scum and harming helpless people in front of him is a very, ''very'' bad idea. Like in "he WILL disintegrate you" bad idea.

* WorldOfBadass: There's no shortage of badass martial artists running around the post-apocalyptic wasteland. Even guys like Jagi, Amiba, and Devil's Rebirth (who are all killed by Kenshiro with very little trouble) are still very {{Badass}} compared to the average person.

** When Kenshiro's adoptive brothers were first introduced, Kenshiro initially mentions that none of them are actually blood-related. Later it turns out that the eldest two, Raoh and Toki, are blood related after all and we are shown the ruins of their childhood home along with the graves of the birth parents. However, it later turns out that none of them were even born in Japan at all, but that the three of them were refuges from the Kingdom of Shura and that Raoh and Toki's mother is buried in a swamp. If that wasn't enough confusion, then comes the prequel, {{Fist of the Blue Sky}}, which shows that the baby Kenshiro was born in Japan... or not, as apparently where he was born was actually in China.

* RapidFireFisticuffs: The ''Hokuto Hyakuretsuken'', one of the main character's signature moves. Oddly enough, ''Hokuto Ujoumoushouha'' is just that except ending with a "merciful" gut punch instead of YourHeadASplode.
* RatedMForManly: One of the contenders for the manliest anime of all time.
* RazorFloss: One of the Golan commandos wields this. At one point he stretches it taut and runs past a man, which cuts the man in half. Raiga and Fuga's martial art, ''Nishin Furaiken'', also used these.
* RazorSharpHand[=/=]RazorWind: Nanto Seiken uses a combination of both - rapid movements of the hands and feet create razor-sharp 'blades' of air pressure, letting practitioners cut off heads with their hands, poke their fingers through ribcages and slice dozens of enemies apart with a single spinning kick. Hyui, the wind-themed member of the Nanto Gohasei, has a similar style that uses pure long-ranged RazorWind, whilst Hokuto Shinken practitioners like Raoh can also cut people in half with their hands and feet, but through raw strength rather than manipulation of air currents.

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Quite a few do not long survive their (barely) "face" turns, though the manga-only Baran goes further than usual in the first chapter of the final volume [[spoiler:in not only choosing to die, but arranging for a public execution -- and thus humiliation -- and actually letting himself be killed]], though his final moments are spent in the presence of his redeemers.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: One kid gets magenta eyes while BrainwashedAndCrazy (thanks to Jagi shoving a finger into his brain).
** The poor folk in the town rules by Zaria, he can control people with some kinda black magic. When he does, the eyes go red.

* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: [[spoiler:There's a bridge where Raoh's thugs have checkpoints at both ends to search for Kenshiro, so Kenshiro attempts to evade them by hiding in a wagon of straw that his ally Fudo pulls across the bridge. The thugs have drafted villagers to do their searching for them, and one of these villagers at the entrance of the bridge spots Kenshiro, but deliberately pretends that he didn't see him. By the time Fudo gets to the other end of the bridge, another villager has ratted out the villager who has covered for Kenshiro, hoping to be humbly rewarded with food and such. However, ''both'' villagers are killed by Raoh's thugs, one for helping Kenshiro, and the other for ratting out the first villager!]]
* TheRival: Shin, at first, and later Raoh.
* RuleOfCool: Followed ''to the letter''.
* RummageSaleReject: Even if the 1980's ''did'' have pretty awful clothing, is ''this'' the best that the cast can come up with?
* SamusIsAGirl: When we find out that the [[spoiler:Last General of the Nanto Roku Seiken is Yuria.]] Also, when we learn that [[spoiler:the Celestial Emperor is actually an Empress, and is in fact Lin's estranged twin sister, Lui.]]

* SayMyName: Invoked (whether deliberate or not remains to be told) by DirtyCoward Jagi, whose {{Catchphrase}} is actually "Say my name!" Shotgun pointing is optional. This was even made into a super move in the Atomiswave fighting game.

* ScrewDestiny: Pulled off in awesome fashion by Rei in his final days. The Star of Death is normally an inexorable PortentOfDoom for anyone who sees it in the ''Fist Of The North Star'' universe, but Rei is willing to die so that Mamiya, who was under the star in question, can live on.
* SeriesContinuityError: When Kenshiro's adoptive brothers were first introduced, Kenshiro initially mentions that none of them are actually blood-related. Later it turns out that the eldest two, Raoh and Toki, are blood related after all and we are shown the ruins of their childhood home along with the graves of the birth parents. However, it later turns out that none of them were even born in Japan at all, but that the three of them were refuges from the Kingdom of Shura and that Raoh and Toki's mother is buried in a swamp. If that wasn't enough confusion, then comes the prequel, {{Fist of the Blue Sky}}, which shows that the baby Kenshiro was born in Japan... or not, as apparently where he was born was actually in China.

* ShonenDemographic: The archetypal example, though you'd be forgiven for mistaking it for seinen due to the violence that occurs throughout. And yes there are seinen spin-offs and sidestories to HnK.

** Whenever a major villain manages to draw Kenshiro's blood, he has a tendency to taste it and spit it out, just as BruceLee did while fighting the BigBad in ''Film/EnterTheDragon''.

** We never see the technique in full in the original source, but Yuda's "Kesshou Shi" is shown in full in the ArcSys fighting game, and it looks a lot like the [[Franchise/StreetFighter Psycho Crusher]].
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Despite all the violent warlords wanting Yuria's affection, she forever loves Ken for his kind and tender nature.

* SpaghettiWestern: Replace the gunplay with kung fu, and the grim violence punctuated with bursts of heroic idealism will fit right-in the world of Sergio Leone.

* TheStoic: Kenshiro, Raoh, and Souther.

* Creator/StreamlinePictures: The English dub of the movie by Streamline Pictures removed most of the backstory regarding the history of Hokuto and Nanto and how their styles worked, had some of the names anglicized or mispronounced (in particular, Raoh pronounces Ryuken's name as "Rye-ah-ken" instead of the proper "Ree-ooh-ken"), and even changed the cause of death of Shin, making it a half-assed anti-climactic CurbStompBattle.[[note]]In the Japanese version, Raoh mortally wounds Shin prior to Kenshiro's arrival to Southern Cross, an information omitted in the dubbed version, which makes Kenshiro look like an idiot who doesn't know his strength when he sees Shin suddenly combusts.[[/note]] On the plus side, it had James Avery ([[Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir Uncle Phil]]/[[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 Shredder]]) as the voice of the Fang King.

* {{Stock Shoutout|s}}: Hokuto Hyakuretsuken is one of the big ones in anime. Any SpamAttack accompanied by an "ATATATATATATA!" shout is giving a nod to Kenshiro.

* ThemeMusicPowerUp: Any time an instrumental version of [[ThemeSong Ai o Torimodose!]] cues up.

* ThereCanBeOnlyOne: Once Kenshiro's brothers are introduced, it is revealed that the law of Hokuto Shinken states that only one student can inherit its teachings; the others are to be either disabled or euthanized. Ends up leading to the story's events -- Jagi's berserk moment came when Kenshiro was chosen, and Raoh's refusal to let himself be crippled led to the fight where Ryuken died.

* TigerVersusDragon: Kenshiro and Raoh are sometimes represented by a dragon and a tiger, respectively. Kenshiro is stoic and does not seek power, Raoh is more hot-blooded and ambitious.

* TooDumbToLive: A ''lot'' of glaring villain examples in the filler episodes, in particular a BadBoss known as David who has just witnessed Kenshiro ''demolish his fifteen-feet tall henchman'' Glen (whom he brainwashed as a slave since childhood) ''with ONE hand.'' When Kenshiro took pity on Glen and gave him a second chance to be a good person, David just '''had''' to murder said-giant in cold-blood, '''then''' taunts Glen for being a weakling complete with EvilLaugh in front of the horrified-and-angry STILL PRESENT Kenshiro. WhatAnIdiot. Fortunately averted by Souther's troops after his defeat, once Kenshiro's walked back down the pyramid stairs. There's obvious shame and regret over what they were fighting for, but in the first ''Raoh Den'' movie, the kids actually put ''themselves'' between the troops and Kenshiro. Had the troops in that one made a move, Kenshiro would have been ''right there''.
** Anyone serving [[BadBoss Jagi.]], since he tends to kill his own henchmen just as often as innocents. And unlike Shin or Raoh he isn't engaging in empirebuilding or conquest so there's no reward there, plus they don't get the excuse of being SlaveMooks either unlike with Souther or Raoh.

* TrainingFromHell: Even in a series notable for its lack of gratuitous training scenes, there are a few glaring examples. At one point, Ken flashes back to when the adolescent students of his school had to fight the students in another school...where the fights were apparently to the death. Another time, there's the memory of the Hokuto Shinken final test, where Ken and Raoh have to face a tiger and are expected to make the tiger back down through sheer badassness -- killing the tiger instead is considered a major screw-up. And Souther's final test for his phoenix-themed martial art

** Shin also counts.
* TropeMaker[=/=]TropeCodifier: Quite simply, ''FOTNS'' is THE granddaddy of most Shonen fighting series (along with DragonBall), and pretty much every trope that applies to them was codified by it (Again, with DragonBall). It's easier to mention which fighting series are NOT in any way influenced by it).

* UnflinchingWalk

* UptoEleven: Kenshiro's already a one-man killing machine but the movie instalments ramp up his power to ridiculous levels. In the 1986 movie, he topples a skyscraper with ONE PUNCH and proceeds to WALK THROUGH IT while it's collapsing, and in ''Kenshiro Den'', he single-handedly destroys an entire army (and bear in mind this is a prequel). Averted by ''New Fist of the North Star'', when Kenshiro is foiled by a metal grid and needs help from a supporting character to break free.
* VisualNovel: In 1986, Enix created a spinoff visual novel / AdventureGame called ''Hokuto no Ken: Violence Gekiga Adventure''. It was released for several computers that were popular in Japan at the time. It was basically a loose retelling of the Southern Cross with many of the same events transpiring differently.

* [[ActingForTwo Voicing For Two]]: The late Creator/KenjiUtsumi voiced both Raoh and Kaioh in the original anime run.

* TheWestern: Think David Carridine's ''Kung Fu'' directed by Sergio Leone on a '''very''' bad day and you get this classic Sci-Fi Kung-Fu Western.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Pel, Rin's beloved PreciousPuppy, who appears only in the anime series, disappears mysteriously after episode 63 without any explanation, only to make one last cameo during episode 70.

* WhipItGood: Uighur. Uighur is a huge, huge man running a prison, so the theme of control and enslavement is still there but without any of the usual vampiness associated with whips. In fact, he's presented as a serious martial artist. (Well, as serious as you can be if you're not named Kenshiro, Toki, Raoh, Souther, or Rei anyway...)

* WifeBasherBasher: Though Kenshiro and Rei will avenge the abuse of all innocents as a matter of course, they are ''exceptionally'' harsh towards any "man" who dares to strike or abuse women; and that's saying something considering how brutal and cruel Hokuto Shinken and Nanto Seiken ''already'' are. And if you serve in Raoh's armies, [[EvenEvilHasStandards do]] '''[[EvenEvilHasStandards not]]''' [[EvenEvilHasStandards rape women]] if you don't want your head ''literally'' slapped off your shoulders, like the rapist-mook in the manga found out the hard way.

* WilliamTelling: Used as a Kick The Dog moment in an early episode, with one of Diamond's men forcing a villager to try to shoot a can off the head of his son with a bow and arrow. The scene it replaced in the manga was even crueler than that.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: It only took a nudge from Jagi to make Shin go JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope.

* AWorldHalfFull: Even if the world is burnt by nuclear fire, it will only stay bad if you chose to let it stay bad: If you have the power and are willing to care, even a wasteland can be made a better place.

* WouldHurtAChild: Some assholes decided that maiming a child or worse would be fun in the post-apocalyptic world and no law would ever convict them. Too bad for them KarmaHoudini doesn't exist in the world of Hokuto no Ken [[note]] seriously try to find a single entry of it [[/note]], so expect these human wastes of life to become Jackson Pollock paintings.

* YouDidntAsk: Often, Ken will only save someone after being told for the 1,000th time about how evil the captor/tyrant is.

* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Kenshiro meets this trope after storming one of Raoh's castles in search of his kidnapped fiancée. It also happens during the anime version of the Southern Cross arc, except substitute Raoh for Shin.

* {{Retcon}}: The original series had Kenshiro, the 64th Hokuto Shinken successor, be the very second Hokuto Shinken praticioner to perform the ultimate ''Musou Tensei'' art, the first was the Hokuto Shinken founder himself, and the third to use it was Raoh. Comes ''Manga/FistOfTheBlueSky'' and Kenshiro's uncle Kasumi, the 62nd Hokuto Shinken successor, performs the ''Musou Tensei'' against Liu Zong-Wu, being created by the original authors themselves it didn't get pushed into AlternateContinuity territory.

* {{Retcon}}: The original series had Kenshiro, the 64th Hokuto Shinken successor, be the very second Hokuto Shinken praticioner to perform the ultimate ''Musou Tensei'' art, the first was the Hokuto Shinken founder himself, and the third to use it was Raoh. Comes SoutenNoKen and Kenshiro's uncle Kasumi, the 62nd Hokuto Shinken successor, performs the ''Musou Tensei'' against Liu Zong-Wu, being created by the original authors themselves it didn't get pushed into AlternateContinuity territory.

* WorldOfBadass: There's no shortage of badass martial artists running around the post-apocalyptic wasteland. Even guys like Jagi, Amiba, and Devil's Rebirth, who are all killed by Kenshiro with very little trouble, are still very {{Badass}} compared to the average person.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Pel, Rin's beloved PreciousPuppy, who appears only in the anime series. Pel disappears after episode 63 without any explanation, only to make one last cameo during episode 70.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: As with all popular Japanese manga franchises, the spellings of many character names tend to differ between sources and media. Notably, the name of the Holy Emperor tends to vary from "Souther", "Thouzer", "Thouther", and even "Thoutoher" (and it's notably pronounced "Souzer" even in the English dub of ''Hokuto Musou''). Not to mention Yuria/Julia, Yuda/Juda, Lin/Rin, Shuu/Shuh/Shew, and Uighur/Uyghur.

* YourSizeMayVary: Attacking opponents suddenly much bigger? Kokuoh-Go, Raoh's unusually large horse, becoming large enough to completely stomp mooks under his hoofs when moments ago they were only as big as head? Raoh himself, usually only two heads taller than Kenshiro, suddenly becomes a giant at least as twice as tall? Mako begging for mercy from Jagi, whose knees are now at head level? This series has a lot of this.

** Joker is a clear shout to the [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker eponymous DC villain]], as is Jakoh since his facial features are closely modeled after the same character.

** The Joker is a clear shout to the [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker eponymous DC villain]], as is Jakoh since his facial features are closely modeled after the same character.

** The whole darned franchise is one to the Australian cult classic ''MadMax 2: The Road Warrior'', although it's only prominent during the early chapters.

** The Joker is a clear shout to the [[TheJoker eponymous DC villain]], as is Jakoh since his facial features are closely modeled after the same character.

** We never see the technique in full in the original source, but Yuda's "Kesshou Shi" is shown in full in the ArcSys fighting game, and it looks a lot like the [[StreetFighter Psycho Crusher]].

* SuperDeformed: There is a spinoff manga with a super deformed art style titled ''DD Hokuto no Ken''. In this story, "...the characters of Fist of the North Star are living in peaceful Japan. In particular, Kenshirō is a convenience store worker, Raoh works at a factory, and wracked by illness, Toki is looking for work." A TV anime adaptation is planned.