Ranked #1562

Hokuto no Ken - Raoh Gaiden Ten no Haoh

This is a supplementary series based on Hokuto no Ken, meant to cash in on the recent Hokuto no Ken revival that has been going on in Japan the past few years. In it, we see that Raoh wasn't just sitting around waiting for Kenshiro. He was building an empire. And along the way, he encountered many of the side characters that helped make the original series awesome.

The series does a great job of showing Raoh develop and grow, while at the same time not deconstructing the character or anything foolish like that. You get to see Raoh, armed with a core staff, start with literally nothing, not even his horse (though we get a nice origin story for it).

The animation, voice acting, and character design are only average, which hurts the series. Everything about Hokuto no Ken is larger than life, and a stifling production budget is always disappointing. There are still enough "fuck yeah" moments to carry the series, and it's easily digested at 13 episodes.

Despite the fact that Kenshiro never has a proper cameo in this series, I found myself getting increasingly excited as his progress was brought up and mentioned in a very peripheral way. When I finished the last episode, I was totally pumped and eager to revisit the original manga and anime. Therefore, I judge this series as a success.

I think the ideal audience for this anime is anyone who loves the original story, but won't get turned off if and when the side story deviates from the established "canon." read more