It has been announced that the second season of "Fist of the North Star: The Elegy of the King's Army's Minions," a short anime based on a spin-off of the popular manga "Fist of the North Star," will begin airing on AT-X and TOKYO MX from July 6th. It was also announced that Tsuyoshi Ujiki will be participating as a guitarist in the ending theme, "When the White Butterfly Flew," by the music unit "Itsuka Saisei." Ujiki previously performed the theme song for the "Fist of the North Star" anime as part of the band "Kodomo Band," so this marks his return to the "Fist of the North Star" series.
Ujiki said, "It's been about 40 years since we (the children's band) were in charge of the theme song for the anime 'Fist of the North Star,' and it's amazing that we still get asked to do this at milestones like this, something I couldn't have imagined back then. As an artist, the time will come when I retire, but works have the potential to live on forever. Indeed, 'Fist of the North Star' is a work that continues to stir the hearts of many readers, viewers, and artists across generations. In an era when the idea that anime was for children was still the mainstream view, 'Fist of the North Star' showed us the new possibilities of anime as a human drama and a hard-boiled action work, and my connection with it is important to me as an artist."
"The longer time passes, the more I realize the magnitude of this work and how many people continue to love it. Itsuka Saisei's 'Shiroi Cho ga Tondara,' in which I participated on guitar this time, is also a really great song. I would love for many people to listen to it as one of the sounds of 'Fist of the North Star'," he said in his message.
"Fist of the North Star: The Elegy of the King of Fists' Minions" depicts the exploits of the familiar "minions" from "Fist of the North Star." In 199X, the protagonist Nobu finds a job in the King of Fists' army, a dangerous workplace where more people die than apply. The story features a cast of unique minions, including a minion disguised as an old woman, Cassandra's warden Uighur, and the "filth disinfectant" from the Holy Emperor's army.
The anime is a short series, with each episode lasting approximately 5 minutes. Daisuke Miura serves as animation director, and Dōraku produces the animation. The voice cast includes Hiro Shimono as Nobu, Shinnosuke Hai as Zaku, and Masaaki Yano as Birds. Shinya Takahashi provides the narration. The first season aired from January to March.
"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 series "Fist of the North Star" is currently airing on TOKYO MX and BS11 every Friday at 1 AM, and is available for worldwide exclusive streaming on Prime Video.
