Legends of the Dark King
"A Fist of the North Star Story"
Legends of the Dark King or Ten no Hao: Hokuto no Ken: Rao Gaiden is a side story to the Fist of the North Star manga and anime series and includes elements from the Fist of the North Star: Legends of the True Savior Series. It is a retelling of the story of Raoh. For those who are familiar with the 1986 OVA Fist of the North Star, Raoh is the older brother of Kenshiro and is referred to in the English dub as Raoh the Conqueror, King Raoh, and “a brother you could be proud of if he weren’t such a monster.” The latter is said by Shin the Fist of the South Star. In this retelling, you’ll find a bit more depth when compared to its eighties counterpart.
Legend of the Dark King occurs in a post-apocalyptic future resulting from a nuclear holocaust. The barren wasteland of Earth is divided between the powerful and the powerless. The powerless cry out for a savior to save them in these troubled times. The powerful desire to make a name for themselves below the heavens, but one person, Raoh, would make the sky shudder, and his name would echo amongst the remaining survivors for generations to come.
As a master of the Fist of the North Star, a fighting technique passed down for 1800 years under the seven stars in the sky. Raoh would use his fists to defeat his enemies. Raoh was one of the four adopted sons trained in this technique, and he would call himself the King of Fist.
The anime Legends of Dark King is a thirteen-episode series based on the manga by Yu-Ko Osada. The anime adaptation was handled by studio Satelight and licensed by Sentai Filmworks. The anime was a Fall release, airing from October 2008 to December 2008. A DVD was released in 2010 with English and Japanese language availability. Its manga counterpart was serialized from March 2007 to August 2007 in the Weekly Comic Bunch. The anime and manga fall under the seinen demographic aimed at viewers 18 and up. Viewer discretion is advised due to its violent content.
“The King of Fists - In Other Words, the King Who uses His Fists to Conquer the World.”
The King of Fists, Raoh, is joined by his two childhood companions from Asura, Reina, and Souga. Known as Reina of the Twin Blades for her unmatched sword style she would become Captain of the King of Fists Royal Guard. Her brother Souga or Souga the Fleet Foot would become Raoh’s military strategists for his speed. Throughout the series, the siblings follow Raoh and aid him in conquering the world.
Other players along the way also join them. The first of which is the Black King, the black stallion that features prominently in the Fist of the Noth Star series. The Black King, who was king of a thousand horses, would become Raoh’s companion, and the horses would join the army of the King of Fists.
They are also joined by Sakuya, who is this animes judger of destinies for the sake of exposition. While she plays a pivotal role in the King of Fist’s army, she is initially not loyal to him or his path. She is a fortuneteller who uses divination to see into the future. She acts as an additional strategist and fighter alongside Reina and Souga. It will be she who determines that Roah is not the savior that this world needs.
Legends of the Dark King is animated in varying shades of grey and earthy hues. The red color features prominently, and all color use seems symbolic of life hanging in ambiguity, life being lived, and loss of life (bloodshed). It may be a stretch here, but because the central theme is testing one’s chosen path, those who have chosen their path or whose path is set seem to stand out. Raoh’s colors, sans his blond hair, do not stand out until he decides to become the Dark King. It is at this point we have the main antagonist.
Thes use of grey highlights that there is no clear-cut path and that you must choose your way and stick to it. It is one of the highlights of this anime and is the central plot. The anime is unique because the clear protagonist exists only in name and destiny and does not appear until the conclusion of episode thirteen. Those familiar with the Fist of the Northstar series will know who the main protagonist is, but for the uninitiated, it’s Kenshiro. Kenshiro represents the people’s savior, a man who has experienced sorrow. His personality and ideas are visible in the minor protagonist Toki.
Legends of the Dark King features numerous antagonists who drive the story forward and bring about Raoh’s legendary status. Thouzer is head of the Six Sacred Fist and is the dominant Fist of the South Star. However, Thouzer referred to as the Holy Empower and a former childhood friend of Raoh, is the climatic antagonist who stands in the way of Raoh’s destiny.
At first glance, it would seem that Legends of the Dark King would have little depth. I observe that in 13 episodes, there is enough backstory to keep one interested but not enough that I wouldn’t need to read the manga to understand particular motivations better. It is clear from the anime that there is a beginning, middle, and end.
But without Sakura, who is an anime-only character, the anime sort of falls apart. Without her defeating Gaoh in episode 3, Gaoh would have destroyed the King of Fists armies. Souga, Raoh’s strategist, was ineffective in defeating Gaoh’s army. The need for Sakura also pales when weighted against the events of the first two episodes. In one scene, Raoh punches so hard that Jirai, a biker gang leader, has his insides blown inside out with a concussion blast so powerful that it destroys the skyscraper behind him.
I reason that episode one was to show how strong he was while also in later episodes allowing both his brutality humanity to shine. His strength and growth are in tandem with Souga, who is impressed by Raoh’s focus and resolve and aids him in his brutality. While Reina follows Raoh’s destiny, she, not Sakura, keeps Raohs humanity in check as Raoh is shown to deviate from his path to rescue her. Or did the Heavens will it that way?
“Do Not Worry. Have Faith. The Heavens are Right Here With Me!”
While not an award-winning anime by any stretch of the imagination, Legends of the Dark King does provide a decent backstory in the larger Fist of the North Star catalog. Its opening theme Nagehi no Endless by jealhb sets the anime’s mood. Once the story begins, it follows a narration, action, climax, then closing credits. The ending song is Namida no Kawa by minamuse, preparing you for the next episode. If you need a more modern reference Studio Trigger used a similar pattern that keeps the viewer invested without losing interest. Reference Kill La Kill.
You won’t find immaculate animation here, as they played with a limited budget. The quality is not the greatest, and the “Flinstone effect does occur. I wasn’t watching for its groundbreaking anime aesthetics or apparent lack thereof; it is not a dealbreaker. There are many motivation nuggets, and it was cool to see the other martial arts (Fists) in action. Fans of the franchise, which today has sold over 100 million manga copies, will find this series enjoyable. The unfamiliar should give a spin on a slow Tuesday.
