Eiichiro Oda and Yoshihiro Togashi, writers of One Piece and Hunter x Hunter respectively, are legends of the shonen genre. Thus, when they show respect to other mangakas, fans instantly recognize the worth of the work.
Having set standards for the dystopian world and martial arts genres, Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken) continues to be an inspiration for many writers. One Piece and Hunter x Hunter mangakas recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of the hit shonen manga by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara.
Oda and Togashi sent fans into a frenzy by incorporating their art techniques into creating Kenshiro, the beloved protagonist of FOTNS.
Also Read: Only 1 Shonen Anime Made it List With Combined Worth 10X More Than MCU
One Piece & Hunter x Hunter Mangakas Paid Tribute To Fist Of The North Star
Last month, Anime News Network reported Warner Bros. Japan had announced a new anime adaptation of Fist Of The North Star via a press release. This is to commemorate the 40-year-anniversary celebrations of the iconic shonen. Adding to the celebrations are Eiichiro Oda and Yoshihiro Togashi, two of the greatest mangakas of this generation, who have been called upon by Shueisha.
Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump gave a platform to One Piece, Hunter x Hunter, and Fist Of The North Star. The Tokyo-based company is now hosting a 40th-anniversary Original Art Exhibition that will feature renowned mangakas and their tributes to the 1980s martial arts classic. The event is being held in Hokuto City, Hokkaido, from August to October.
Eiichiro Oda’s classic One Piece art skills were seen in his illustration of the hero Kenshiro from Fist Of The North Star. Many fans pointed out that the wide jaw and eyebrow design of Ken bore a resemblance to young Monkey D. Garp while some connected it with Kozuki Oden from his magnum opus.
Yoshihiro Togashi channeled his Hunter x Hunter craze and combined it with Fist Of The North Star. The result was a cheerful Gon Freecs in the background mimicking a martial arts pose while Kenshiro took center stage. Notice any similarities in the face design of Kenshiro with that of Taguro from YuYu Hakusho?
Kenshiro by Yoshihiro Togashi (Yu Yu Hakusho/Hunter x Hunter) for the Fist of the North Star 40th Anniversary Original Art Exhibition pic.twitter.com/SXDt4kWhyM
— JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia (@jojo_wiki) October 6, 2023
Other than One Piece and Hunter x Hunter, Dragon Ball, Inuyasha, and Detective Conan are some other works that paid homage to Fist Of The North Star on its 40th anniversary.
Also Read: Is it Time for the One Piece Anime to Change? 10 Reasons Why Eiichiro Oda’s Anime is Due a Remake
A Brief History of Fist Of The North Star – How’s Its Net Worth Is More Than DCU?
Written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara, Fist of the North Star was published in 1983. It consisted of a total of 27 volumes over a period of five years. Toei Animation serialized the work into an anime with two seasons. A combined total of 152 episodes were released from March 1984 to February 1988, but the story was never finished on screen.
Fist of the North Star’s dystopian world, artwork and certain characters inspired mangas like Berserk and most remarkably, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Despite not being a complete anime, Buronson’s magnum opus led to the creation of feature films, OVAs, reboots, and video games by SEGA and Konami. The last animation film to be released was Legend of Raoh: Chapter of Fierce Fight (2007) which earned over a billion yen at the box office.
Fist of the North Star grew in popularity as years went by. At the beginning of 2023, it was estimated to have a net worth of around $22.7 billion, crossing that of James Gunn’s DC Universe’s estimated $7.76 billion worth. The 3x margin is expected to increase in the near future with the release of the new Fist Of The North Star animation by Warner Bros. Japan.
Source: Comicbook
