Background.
Fist of the north star is set in the future in the fallout of a nuclear war. Earth is a baron wasteland where. Gangs roam the land, and the most sort after riches is food and water. In that time, there was a martial art master called Ryuken who decided to teach four men the martial art style known as Hokushinken. One guy officially inherits the style, and his name is Kenshiro.

The anime begins with most people now residing in scattered communities facing starvation and under constant attack by super-sized humans with abilities to literally crush/eat anyone in their path. These communities await the arrival of the one called Kenshiro, also know as the 'Fist of the North Star'. Only Kenshiro can lead Earth on the correct path to recovery. But things don't work to plan as Ken's girlfriend, Julia, is kidnapped by his friend. Not only does Ken have to save Earth but also his girl.

Opinion.
I got in to Fist of the North Star some years ago when it was shown on late night television, and it is only now with the advent of the DVD boxset that I can enjoy it again. Since watching the 30+ episodes on the DVD I can say that I am slightly disappointed.

My disappointment is not with the anime itself, but with the haphazard way that only part of the story is present on the DVD's. The story arc concerning Shin is excellent, but the Wolfpack and the fake Kenshiro storylines are not as engaging because they are all left unfinished. I can only assume that these are the only episodes that Manga Video has access to. I really hope that more boxsets are released as I enjoyed Fist of the North Star a lot..however moving on....

The Animation in this Fist of The North Star TV series is not the best. In fact they look pretty silly. But if you look past this (it was after all made in the mid-1980s) the Discs contain 700+ minutes of escapism (especially for Manga fans). But the DVD does have its moments particularly when the animation freezes to announce Kenshiro's fighting moves. Excellent Stuff. The names of each episodes do also deserve some credit, as do the number of exclamation marks they follow them.