It has been announced that both an uncensored and a mild version of "Fist of the North Star," a brand new anime series produced to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the hugely popular 1980s manga "Fist of the North Star," will be streamed and broadcast. The Prime Video streaming version and the television broadcast will differ in some aspects of the direction, with the uncensored streaming version retaining the violence and grotesque elements. The mild version broadcast on television is suitable for all ages, and a comparison video highlighting the differences between the two versions has been released.
"Fist of the North Star" is a manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara, which was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) from 1983 to 1988. Set in 199X, in a post-nuclear war world ruled by violence, it depicts the growth of Kenshiro, the successor to the legendary assassination martial art Hokuto Shinken, as he battles formidable opponents, including his brother Raoh.
It was adapted into a TV anime in 1984, achieving a peak viewership rating of 23.4%. It became a social phenomenon with famous lines such as "You are already dead." Theatrical anime films and OVAs (Original Video Animations) were also produced. A musical adaptation also garnered attention. The comic books have sold over 100 million copies in total.
The new anime will begin airing on April 10th at 1 AM on TOKYO MX and BS11. The first broadcast will consist of episodes 1 and 2, followed by episodes 3 and 4 airing consecutively on April 17th. The anime will also be exclusively streamed worldwide on Prime Video.
