Hokuto no Ken II

Previous Yomikiri: Hokuto no Ken

Synopsis

Ryu, a former Taizan assassin, and Yoko, his girlfriend, are on the run. Ryu does not want to work in the assassination business anymore and is trying to start a new life. However, the Taizan group does not permit this and keeps sending other assassins to hunt him down and kill him. Ryu is injured and they are both about to be killed, when Kenshiro Kasumi appears and destroys their pursuers. Kenshiro has become famous to the Taizan martial artists, as he has killed many of their numbers single handedly.

Ryu thanks Ken for saving them, but he says he had been following their attackers for a while. Ryu asks if there is anything they can do for him, and Ken asks for a place to rest as it has been a while since he has closed his eyes. Ryu says he can come with them, and then watches as Ken immediately hits the floor and falls asleep! Ryu thinks that Taizan assassins must constantly be challenging Kenshiro, meaning he must always be awake and alert.

Kenshiro wakes up and finds that he has been sleeping for three days. Ryu and Yoko are still there with him, as they are hiding out in a building. Ryu wants to fight with Ken, but he tells them no -he has already lost his girlfriend, he doesn't want Ryu to suffer like he has. Ryu gives Ken a small book which has details on all of the most powerful fights of the Taizan organization. Ken thanks them but tells them to stay hidden for now -he will defeat the Taizan group by himself.

As Ken leaves the building, he sees that the place has been surrounded by armed police and there is a tall, muscular man standing on one of the armored vehicles. He is Baiken, one of the strongest Taizan assassins, and he knows Ken is inside the building. Ken retreats with Ryu and Yoko, and the group head down into the sewers to escape. Baiken orders his men to use flame throwers and burn the building down.

Kenshiro's group find an exit, but as they climb out of the sewers they are spotted by police. Ken defeats them, but not before they send out a message to Baiken. Ken steals a police vehicle and tells Ryu and Yoko to get on it, but before they can they are shot and killed as Baiken and more police arrive. Ken gets back into his stolen car and drives off.

Some time later, Kenshiro finds a Taizan temple he was looking for and enters it undetected. He soon finds Baiken and challenges him on one one. Baiken attacks with a claw weapon, but Ken deflects it back at him. However, even when the claw hits Baiken's face, it doesn't do any damage to him -he reveals to Ken that he can make his body as hard as steel. Ken attacks Baiken, and at first his punches don't seem to do anything. Kenshiro keeps at it though and Baiken is surprised when a hit causes his nose to bleed slightly.

Baiken uses a secret move of his style, called Genyu Ken (Phantasm Fist) which hits Ken, but doesn't kill him. Ken tells him to do it again, and Baiken charges, saying that this time he will decapitate Kenshiro with the move. Ken manages to stop him by grabbing his hands.

Ken then uses a move called Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken (North Star 100 Crack Fist). Baiken thinks this is nothing, but then his body begins to crack up and he falls to pieces. Kenshiro walks out of the temple, saying that he is the son of death.



In the anime...

-The part of this manga where Ken saves Ryu and Yoko was used in this filler episode of the anime, where Ken saves Sam and Mika.

-Baiken and Kenshiro's fight is almost identical to the fight between Barcom and Shin in this filler episode of the anime.