Apr 17, 1987
Hokuto no Ken 2: Seikimatsu Kyuuseishu Densetsu is a side-scrolling action game for the Family Computer released by Toei Animation on April 17, 1987. It served as a tie-in to the anime series of the same name, being released a few days after the airing of its fifth episode. A version for the Nintendo Entertainment System was released by Taxan in North America under the title of Fist of the North Star on April 1989, making it the earliest Hokuto no Ken tie-in product released outside Japan. Before release, the NES version was shown in the Summer Consumer Electronics Show in 1988 under the title of Ken the Great Bear Fist, Toei's proposed localized title for the series. Because the game was produced at the same time as the Hokuto no Ken 2 anime series entered production, certain plot details differ from both, the manga and anime. Most notably, the renegade Gento Kō Ken masters from the anime, Taiga and Boltz, co-exists as enemy characters alongside Jakō's sons from the manga, Jask and Sheeno, while Bronza, a character exclusive to this game, serves as the General of the Red Light in place of Shoki, who filled the same role in the anime. While Shoki himself never appears in the game, his death at the hands of Sheeno is acknowledged in the official strategy guide. The game only covers the Tentei story arc, with a bonus stage featuring the Nameless Asura as a hidden final boss.
