Ever since its inception in the 1980s, the dark dystopian series known as Fist of the North Star has been influencing western culture and manga, including big names like Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and Berserk. With Viz Media releasing the complete Fist of the North Star publication in English for the first time, now is as good a time as any to explore how both illustrator Tetsuo Haro's artistic style impacted the look of so many characters and how writer Buronson's portrayal of utter helplessness and endless death created whole new worlds of existential doom.
Fist of the North Star tells the story of a martial arts warrior named Kenshiro who traverses through a desolate post-apocalyptic world where the strong prey upon the weak, all in an effort to protect those who cannot help themselves and slay those who dare use their power to torture and murder innocents. Amid his bloody conquest, Kenshiro's strength and goodwill attract others to his side as he and his troupe first get swept into the orbit of the tyrannical King and his gang.
Even with such a short explanation, it's impossible not to see the correlations between the wanderings of Kenshiro and Berserk's Black Swordsman, Guts. That's because Berserk creator Kentaro Miura himself has stated that the greatest impact on his work was Fist of the North Star, and it's abundantly clear. While not a dystopian wasteland, Guts traverses a world where he is haunted by demons who yearn to feast on his flesh. Much like Kenshiro before him, Guts starts his journey alone, but soon amasses his own following who aide him through accursed lands.
Similarly, mangaka Hirohiko Araki of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure revealed in an interview that the sinewy and muscly appearance of his characters were inspired by Fist of the North Star's Kenshiro. The resemblance between Kenshiro and Jojo's titular character at the start of the manga is uncanny, even down to his clothing and fighting style. But as Araki's series continued to evolve over the years, the look of his characters began to change aesthetically. Moreover, the adoption of Jojo's Stands only served to separate the two series further, as Araki began moving away from the use of martial arts that's so prevalent in Fist of the North Star into the supernatural and, well, bizarre.
As Viz Media releases more Fist of the North Star volumes in English, fans of the manga Berserk who are unfamiliar with the work of artist Tetsuo Haro and writer Buronson will undoubtedly enjoy the aspect of a lone warrior fighting through harsh terrain. Likewise, those who appreciate the style of Hirohiko Araki's early work in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure will undoubtedly gravitate towards Kenshiro's over-muscly appearance in Fist of the North Star. As Viz Media begins releasing volumes that were never translated officially into English, both new and veteran readers will get to experience the rest of artist Tetsuo Haro and writer Buronson's masterpiece for the first time.