The ruler of the end of the century, Raoh! His malicious fist has obliterated even his adoptive father, Ryuken! Bearing the North Star's 2,000 years of rage, Kenshiro now faces Raoh!

Raoh: The time has come to settle this, once and for all.

Kenshiro: Toki! It can't be...

Toki: I've struck your secret pressure point, shintanchu. Your body won't move unless I release it.

Kenshiro: Toki, don't do this!

The fist of raging water, Raoh, and the fist of calm water, Toki. Which one of them saw the death omen star? And what about Kenshiro, who's immobilized by his pressure point?

The Greatest Battle in History, Raoh vs. Ken!
You'll Be the One to Die!!

Raoh says that Toki's fists rely on defense, and they show their true strength by blocking his attacks. But he wonders how long he can keep evading him for. Raoh throws out a punch, but Toki avoids it, and goes to strike back. Raoh is able to stop him.

Raoh avoids a second attack, and then throws Toki high up into the air. He dashes back to the Black King, and retrieves a sai.

He leaps up into the air, and clashes with Toki. As Raoh and Toki fall back down to the ground...

...Raoh stomps on Toki's foot, and then plunges the sai down. He laughs, and says it seems that God does wish to fight with him.

Bat thinks Raoh is nuts to stab through his own foot, just to keep Toki from moving. Rei thinks that in martial arts, in battles between masters, even staring down your opponent requires an immense amount of energy. The slightest distraction could cost you your life, and Toki is ill. Toki thinks this could be the end.

Raoh tells Toki that it's over now. Both he and Ryuken were on his level in terms of skill, but they will both fall to old age and illness! He thinks that Toki must have seen the death omen star. But it was never illness that spelled his doom -he'll be the one who'll end him! Lin runs over to Ken, and tells him to save Toki.

Kenshiro tries to move, but he can't! He is eventually able to move one of his arms up, but that's it. He yells for Toki to release him now. Toki hopes Kenshiro will keep watching -he wants to let his death strengthen him. He thinks Kenshiro is the only one in this world who can defeat Raoh. Raoh says that Toki won't move -that's just the kind of person he is.

Bat doesn't understand why Toki is doing this -if he called out and released Ken, the two of them could take Raoh down. Rei says it is because of the North Star divine fist's order of sole succession. Its 2,000 year history carries far more weight that they could imagine. He thinks that Toki wants to teach Ken with his own death.

Toki thinks that there are no two on one battles in the North Star divine fist. Raoh thinks Toki is willing to give up his life for his beliefs, but wonders what he thinks he'll get out of it. When you die, all becomes nothing -death is death, whether you're a man or a stinking, filthy dog. He plunges the sai down some more.

He tells Toki he knows he won't be able to hold out, due to his illness. So Raoh thinks all he needs to do now is wait, as Toki will eventually collapse from blood loss. Toki thinks that it seems that this is going to be it for him. The sole succession to the North Star divine fist carries a grueling fate, and his death is a trial Kenshiro must endure. He hopes his death will empower Kenshiro as he walks the path of the successor. He raises up his own fighting spiritual energy.

Rei sees he can see this energy. Toki bids farewell to Kenshiro, and then attempts to strike Raoh. But Raoh is able to avoid it.

He ends up grazing Raoh's side, causing him to lose some blood, but not doing any meaningful damage. Raoh gets him in an arm lock, and then smashes him into the ground.

He tells Toki that his life is over, and goes to strike him. But he suddenly stops, having heard the sound of a bowgun being loaded. Mamiya is taking aim at him, but he tells her not to even try it -that weapon won't defeat him.

Mamiya stands her ground, but Rei tells her not to do it -there is a North Star divine fist technique known as the two-finger nil-space grasp. If she fires that arrow, it will be sent back right at her.

Mamiya thinks that Rei is wounded, and Ken's paralyzed. She's the only one who can fight now. Raoh thinks Mamiya must have seen the death omen star as well, and tells her to go ahead and fire. Rei gets up, and pleads with Raoh to stop. He begs with him not to kill Mamiya.

Raoh says he must be in love with her. Rei says he is... Mamiya is the only woman who has taught him what love is. He falls back down, but begs Raoh again to not kill Mamiya.

Mamiya thanks Rei, and says his feeling make her glad to have lived, even in this era. Lin looks at Mamiya, and remembers what she and Rei have done for her...

She tries to get Kenshiro to move, and tells him that if he doesn't, Mamiya is going to die. Kenshiro keeps trying to move.

Mamiya is shaking, but she takes aim at Raoh. Lin cries out, but it looks like Kenshiro can only watch.

Rei calls out Mamiya's name, as Mamiya fires the arrow. Raoh easily catches it...

...and throws it right back. It heads right towards her head...

...but it ends up hitting Kenshiro. Somehow, he has been able to move, and has stopped the arrow from hitting Mamiya. Raoh curses him, surprised that he was able to break Toki's bind.

Kenshiro says what broke it wasn't his body. It was his strong, pure spirit of desire to live on as a human. He pulls the arrow out, and says that his spirit overcame the bind of the pressure point. He tells Raoh that what he grasps is the death omen star. He rips his jacket and shirt off, and tells Raoh that he can't even grasp his own life.

Toki says that Kenshiro's body and soul have far surpassed what he'd imagined. Raoh stands up, and says this'll end the 2,000 history of the North Star divine fist. He throws the sai at him, but Kenshiro kicks it back.

Raoh avoids it, but two of his men don't, and are killed. His other troops wonder who's going to win, but one of them says there's no way Lord Fist King will lose -the Fist King is an invincible emperor!

Airi says that her brother had said earlier that Kenshiro was 99% likely to lose. But Rei now thinks that, with the way Kenshiro is now... maybe Kenshiro can win. Raoh surpasses Kenshiro in body and skills, but maybe Kenshiro's soul, which was able to even break Toki's binding, gives him a chance. Toki thinks the soul is what rules the body -there's where the secrets to the North Star divine fist lie. He can't stop Kenshiro any longer, and now wants to see this fight.

Raoh laughs, and tells Kenshiro to learn why he has called himself the Fist King. Kenshiro runs towards him, but Raoh immediately uses a technique.

He creates a powerful wind current, which pushes Kenshiro right back. Several of his own men get caught in the current, and are flung into buildings.

Kenshiro immediately recognizes that technique: it was a secret technique of the Arhat deva king fist style, the wind kill iron fist! Raoh is impressed that he was able to block that, but he won't be able to block against this technique so easily. He'll want to give up and die before he even gets to exchange blows with him.

Raoh waves his hands, sending out several quakes through the ground, which slash through Kenshiro's legs. Rei says that was a secret technique of the South Star holy fist -how was Raoh able to master it?

Kenshiro drops down, but manages to get back up. Toki thinks Raoh's style is full of secret moves that he stole from all the martial artists in Cassandra. He wants Kenshiro to believe in his own fists, and his soul, as he fights. Raoh asks Kenshiro what's wrong -was that all he had?

Kenshiro says that, as the successor to the North Star divine fist, he will defeat Raoh. Raoh says to face him, and then attacks again, using the same technique as before. Kenshiro starts running, and avoids being hit.

He runs by some of Raoh's men, and hits them out of the way or avoids them. Some of those who survive get torn up by Raoh's attack. Kenshiro keeps running, and gets right up to Raoh. He kicks him in the throat.

Raoh's throat bleeds, but he immediately kicks Kenshiro's arm. The two knock each other back.

Rei says that both Kenshiro and Raoh were barely able to block one another. When masters battle, there's no way for them to predict each other. All Kenshiro and Raoh can do is take the hit at the last moment, and break their opponent's bones. Kenshiro and Raoh stand back up, but a small part of Kenshiro's arm explodes. Raoh mocks him, asking if that shattered his bones.

However, part of Raoh's shoulder then explodes. Kenshiro and Raoh charge towards each other...

...and start punching each other, over and over again.

They keep battering each other, and Lin screams for the to stop -she can't take it anymore! Eventually, Kenshiro and Raoh stop, and both of them fall down.

Rei thinks it was such an incredible fight. Toki watches as Kenshiro and Raoh manage to stand back up again, but he knows with how much blood they've lost, they each only have enough strength left to make one last attack. They won't be able to pull out any new moves now, so it'll all come down for this one last hit.

Kenshiro and Raoh strike each other, and both are unable to block each other's strikes.

They stab into each other's chests, and remain still.

"You've gotten strong..."



"If you were... if you were the old Raoh, I would have beaten you..."

The Fist King's soldiers see that their Lord no longer has any strength left to even move. They think that Lord Fist King, who has never once lost to anyone, has had his legend of terror ended. They think his empire is over, and they don't want to obey him any longer. They flee from the village, and as Raoh watches them, he thinks they're bastards.

Rei says that an empire of greed only attracts those who are full of greed themselves -how foolish. Lin is about to rush to Ken, but Toki stops her. He says that neither Kenshiro or Raoh have completely hit each other's pressure point. He walks up to them, and says that's enough -it's over.

He says that they both know they can't fight any further, and pulls them away from each other. Kenshiro drops down, but Raoh is able to keep himself standing. Toki tells him to stand down for now, as he's sure he doesn't want a mutual death. Raoh turns around, and tells Ken that this battle isn't over yet.

Today marks the beginning of their fight. He says that he will seize the heavens, and until his empire is brought to fruition, he will never die. He starts to walk away, but almost falls.

He's able to stop himself, and says he is the Fist King -he'll never kneel. The Black King then comes over to him, and licks blood from his arm. He gets back on his horse, and bids Kenshiro farewell.

As Raoh leaves, Toki says Raoh's men have left him, and his horse is all he has left. He says that Raoh will certainly show up again, so Kenshiro's battle is far from over.

There is no rest for these men. Tomorrow, once again, a new battle awaits them!


NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW

Mamiya travels to the city of medicine for Rei! But it's a terrifying place where dogs rule the city! Next time, on Fist of the North Star: "72 Hours to Live! The Harbinger of Death Drags Rei In!!"

Kenshiro: Rei only has three days to live. I'm sorry, Rei...