A Wicked Legend!
The Gates to Cassandra Open Now!!
-From RQ87's Fist of the North Star site

Hokuto no Ken episode 39
Previous Episode	Next Episode

For a detailed overview of this episode, click here.

Kenshiro, Rei and Mamiya arrive at the gates of Cassandra.
Original broadcast date: August 8th, 1985

Contents
1) Synopsis
2) Manga differences


Synopsis

A group of men head to Cassandra prison, intending to free the prisoners in there. As they arrive, they are confronted by Raiga and Fuuga, masters of nishin fuurai ken (dual gods of wind and thunder fist), and are all killed by them. Later on, Kenshiro, Rei and Mamiya arrive at the prison gates, and are also confronted by the two brothers.

Kenshiro fights them and breaks their attack. They believe that he might be the man they have been waiting for -the one strong enough to end the legend of Cassandra. They offer to help him, but then a prison guard threatens to kill Mitsu, their other, younger brother. They let him die, as he understands that they must help Kenshiro now. Many prison guards are then sent out to try and kill Kenshiro, as a major battle takes place. Many of the guards are killed during the fight.

With the guards dead, Raiga and Fuuga open the gates to Cassandra. Kenshiro says they will stay open forever, just as the prison warden, Uighur, appears before him. He approves of Kenshiro's reckless bravery, but anything about him being a savior is something he finds funny. He says he will turn his hope into despair. The two face each other down, as their fated fight is about to begin.

Manga Differences

-The scene at the start, where some men try to attack Raiga and Fuuga, was not in the manga.

-When Kenshiro first sees the prison, he recounts of how Toki sacrificed himself for him when the nuclear war started. This scene was used earlier in the anime, in this episode.

-The guy Uighur kills happens before he lets the prisoners out for exercise in the manga.

- In the manga, after Uighur kills that guy, he is told that Toki just smiled. This scene was used at the end of the previous episode of the anime.

-In the manga, when Uighur lets the prisoners out for exercise, one guy tries to escape, but gets crushed by the warden.

This is not in the anime.

-The battle between Kenshiro's group and the guards was not in the manga -Raiga and Fuuga just change sides, then knock down the gates straight way.

-What happens to Mitsu is very different in the manga, as he actually survives. Uighur tells Raiga and Fuuga to go and fight Kenshiro, so they do, without question. When they realize Kenshiro is the man they were waiting for and change sides, they then break down the gate and Uighur appears. He threatens to kill Mitsu by getting a giant eagle to attack him, but Mitsu understands his brother's actions, and is ready to die. This angers Uighur, who kills the eagle and says there is no fun in killing a man who's ready to die. In the anime, when Raiga and Fuuga change sides, Mitsu is brought out and killed by a guard who stabs him. The scene with the giant eagle was used in the anime, when Raiga and Fuuga refuse to fight Kenshiro. They change their minds, so Uighur kills the eagle because of this.