Fist of the North Star caught on by combining Bruce Lee, The Road Warrior, and enough buckets of blood to make the squeamish implode. Kenshiro’s quest across the wasteland to save his kidnaped lover, Yuria, became iconic in Japan, and, later on, a cult classic in the West. However, there was much more to the show than just gore.

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While Kenshiro and his friends seem like the invincible he-men that ruled the 80s, they had soft spots. Their ability to show more feeling than the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger even helped to coin the term "manly tears." Thus, here are the saddest moments from the Fist of the North Star Anime.

10 Juda’s Fall

Fist of the North Star Rei Juda

Juda was many things: a killer, a traitor, and a stereotype. He was also human. In his duel against Rei, he thought he had the man grounded when his troops unleashed a flood. Instead, Rei managed to break free from the current and landed a fatal blow on Juda. In his dying moments, Juda saw the light.

He admitted that Rei was not only the better fighter, but also a better man. Death in his arms was the best way he could go out, so Juda forced Rei’s hands further into his chest to finish himself off for good. While there have been better LGBT+ portrayals since, it was nice to see one man’s love for another man be shown as something redeeming rather than as a joke.

9 Rei’s End

Fist of the North Star Rei

That fight with Juda was also Rei’s last stand too. Days prior, Rei had challenged The King of Fists Raoh to a fight. He had tried to kill him to save his village, only for Raoh to hit his Shinkesshu pressure point. It would cause Rei to die slowly over three grueling days.

Raoh’s brother, Toki, helped slow its effects to give him another day of life. This allowed Rei to live long enough to beat Juda, but not any longer. He didn’t want his lover Mamiya, nor his friends, to see him die, so, he locked himself in a cabin. Once he died, it would be burned down. In death, Rei established the popular anime trope of being the popular rival with a tragic fate, which plenty of other anime characters would later follow; most notably Caesar Zeppeli in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.

8 Gento Kouken Lives On

Fist of the North Star Kenshiro Falco

Rival turned friend Falco joined Kenshiro on his journey to the mysterious land of Shura, where only the strong survive and everyone else perishes. One of Falco’s former rivals, Taiga, had taken Kenshiro’s friend Lin there, so the two heroes thought they could save her. Instead, they came across the Nameless Ashura.

The warrior beat Falco within an inch of his life. At Falco’s request, Kenshiro pressed his Sekkakou pressure points to boost his strength at the cost of his lifespan. It gave Falco the power to get revenge, but not to survive. As the sun set, he received news that Myu, his lover back home, was pregnant. He died knowing that both his family and his style, Gento Kouken, would live on, but it was still a tragic death.

7 Juza Fights Beyond Death

Fist of the North Star Juza Raoh

Juza was tasked with protecting the last Nanto general from Raoh. At first, he was reluctant, preferring to live his life "free as a cloud." Though once he learned who the general really was, he vowed to give his life for them. Raoh would press him for their identity, only for Juza to taunt him.

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The two fought long and hard, with Juza faltering to Raoh’s power. Just as he was down, Juza leaped into the air to strike at the King of Fists one more time. Raoh put him down, remarking that Juza was already dead. It was his will that made him fight beyond the grave. It was at that moment that Raoh realized who the general could be. It was Juza’s half-sister Yuria.

6 Shu Regains His Sight

Fist of the North Star Shu

In an attempt to free Souther’s child slaves, the blind warrior Shu was beaten by the Holy Emperor himself. In his crippled state, Shu was forced to carry the capstone of Souther’s pyramid up its steps. If he didn’t, Souther would command his troops to kill all the children.

Once he got to the top, Souther’s troops peppered him with arrows. Kenshiro ran up to try and save him, only for Souther to throw a large spear through Shu’s chest. In his dying moments, Shu’s eyes healed. He thanked God for letting him see Kenshiro again before falling under the capstone’s weight.

5 Fudoh’s Pyrrhic Victory

Fist of the North Star Kenshiro Fudoh Bat Lin

After his second fight with Kenshiro, Raoh was scared that he could be the stronger brother. To overcome that fear, he went to face the one other man who had left him shaken: Fudoh the Ogre. Except Fudoh had given up his ogreish ways to run an orphanage, though to protect his kids, Fudoh accepted the challenge.

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All he had to do was to force Raoh over a line. If Raoh went past it, his own troops would kill him with ballista shots. Raoh would either beat his fears or die trying. Raoh dominated the fight, yet he kept seeing Kenshiro’s spirit in Fudoh. Then a ballista shot rang out and struck Fudoh. Raoh had inadvertently stepped past the line. His troops thought they were saving him. Instead, they doomed him to his fear. Fudoh lost his life yet succeeded in stopping Raoh’s ambition.

4 Toki & Ryuga Join the Stars

Fist of the North Star Toki Ryuga

Toki would’ve become the Hokuto Shinken successor if the apocalypse hadn’t happened. When the bombs dropped, Toki pushed Kenshiro and Yuria into shelter and was covered in nuclear dust. He would slowly succumb to the following sickness across the series. Then Ryuga came for him.

Once Kenshiro tracked Ryuga down, he goaded him by saying that he killed Toki. Instead, it was a ruse. Ryuga had given himself a fatal wound to pretend he was covered in Toki’s blood. Then he died from his injury, telling Kenshiro to defeat Raoh. Toki reiterated his wish, telling Kenshiro to turn his grief into anger, before passing away as well - their spirits joining the stars.

3 Shin’s Love for Yuria

Fist of the North Star Shin Yuria

Kenshiro’s first goal was to save Yuria from Shin’s clutches. Once he fought him, Kenshiro’s rage led him to strike Shin with a fatal move. However, Yuria was nowhere to be seen. In his last moments, Shin revealed that Yuria couldn’t stomach his vicious ways. She leaped from his castle to her death, regretting the fact that she couldn’t see Kenshiro one last time.

Shin was a murderer, yet he genuinely did love Yuria. He would also jump to his death rather than fall to Kenshiro’s move. Later episodes would retcon this, but those first 22 episodes tell a complete arc that actually improves upon the manga, while also showcasing the emotional beats that the show does best.

2 Kenshiro Reflects on His Loss

Fist of the North Star Yuria Kenshiro

The Fist of the North Star movie was an abridged retelling of the first two chapters of the show and manga. It changed a lot of things to fit within two hours. Most notably, Yuria would be kidnaped by Raoh before disappearing during his and Kenshiro’s fight. Her fate was left ambiguous. She was neither dead nor alive, just gone.

The movie ends with Kenshiro wandering through the desert, only to come across a forest. Within it, he saw Yuria. She was happily picking nuts and fruit, frolicking through nature. Overcome with emotion, Kenshiro opened his arms to welcome her, only to learn that it was all a hallucination. Yet he keeps wandering in the hope to see her again.

1 “As Long as I Have My Friends”

Fist of the North Star Kenshiro Kokuoh-Go

The show reached its finale with its 152nd episode. Kenshiro leaves for the wasteland on Raoh’s old horse. During that time, he ponders the battles he fought through, the foes he faced, and the friends he lost along the way: Shin, Rei, Juda, Shu, Souther, Toki, Ryuga, Raoh, and his lover Yuria.

Once the credits have reached their end, Kenshiro rides off into the sunset. His last thoughts summing the series up entirely: “My friends have made me who I am today. My friends' hearts...my friends' love. My friends' fists are my fists. And I will continue to fight...as long as I have my friends.”

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