Fist of the North Star new anime has revealed the first key visual, along with confirming a 2026 release date. The franchise revealed the project in September 2023 as part of its 40th anniversary celebration. The author Buronson then commented that “it is said that this time the basic idea is to respect the original work.”
Today’s announcement was teased with a countdown, and you can see the new visual below.
Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken) is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from 1983 to 1988 and published 27 volumes under the Jump Comics imprint.
Fist of the North Star got two TV anime series by Toei Animation, which aired from 1984 to 1988 for a total of 152 episodes. It also has several anime films, a live-action film, OVAS, video games, and a series of spin-offs centering on other characters from the original story. VIZ Media licensed it in English, and they describe the story for its first volume:
One day, a wanderer appears out of the wasteland to bring justice to the guilty and hope to the people—a warrior named Ken, a man who bears seven scars upon his chest and holds the secret of a mysterious martial art known as Hokuto Shinken, the Divine Fist of the North Star!
Besides being known for some iconic anime memes, Fist of the North Star is one of the best-selling manga of all time, having sold over 100 million copies.
Source: Fist of the North Star Official Website
Buronson, Tetsuo Hara, Coamix / Fist of the North Star Production Committee
