Episode 14 of the Hokuto no Ken – Fist of the North Star 2026 anime, titled “He Who Laughs Last”, has been available since Friday, June 26 on Prime Video. Cornered by Kiba Daiō, Rei stands against Kenshiro in a heart-wrenching duel. As the last episode before the summer break, here is our verdict.
Episode Synopsis
With Airi being held hostage, Rei receives orders from Kiba Daiō to kill Kenshiro. Kenshiro tries to convince him not to let himself be manipulated by the leader of the Kiba clan, but Rei, willing to do anything to protect the life of Airi, the sister who is dearer to him than anything, takes a fighting stance against Kenshiro. The duel between Kenshiro and Rei, between Hokuto Shinken and Nanto Suichō Ken, is about to erupt… !!
Episode Staff
For this last episode before the break, the team remains consistent with previous episodes: Inukai Kazuhiko on screenplay and Ogasawara Kazuma on direction, accompanied by the same storyboard team.
- Screenplay: Inukai Kazuhiko
- Storyboard: Maeda Hiroshi, Ogasawara Kazuma, Itō Hiroki, Kanayama Yoshinari
- Direction: Ogasawara Kazuma
Our Review
The episode opens with strong tension surrounding the duel between Kenshiro and Rei, immediately elevated by superb animation and very well-crafted character design. Rei’s attacks are fluid, his graceful movements remarkably rendered. Kiba Daiō watches his plan unfold without a hitch, as the two masters are set to destroy each other. The dialogue where Kenshiro explains to Rei that they are alike, two men fighting for a woman, reaches a dramatic intensity rarely matched throughout the entire season. The direction is perfect, and the music and voice acting contribute greatly to this.
The two masters are forced to fight each other, otherwise the king of the Kiba clan will execute Mamiya and Airi. This passage remains highly intense, supported by a soundtrack that fits perfectly. I’ll say it again, the music is a real achievement for me, and even more so in this episode, the team clearly put in extra effort to close out the season.
Then comes the moment of the final attack, but it’s all a ruse. Kenshiro adopts a particular stance, the two fighters face off in an iconic scene from the manga. Kiba Daiō hurls his sword toward them, which they both stop simultaneously, the iconic shot is perfect. Each then launches their technique: the Hokuto Ryūgekiko (北斗龍撃虎, “the Dragon of Hokuto strikes the Tiger”) for Kenshiro, clumsily rendered in the subtitles as “tiger-taming dragon.” Rei, as a master of Nanto, immediately understands his rival’s intention and responds with its counterpart, the Nanto Koharyū (南斗虎破龍, “the Tiger of Nanto slays the Dragon”). Honestly, even knowing what comes next, the scene remains intense; you wait for the unleashing of these two attacks with eager anticipation.
The master of Hokuto Shinken collapses, Rei follows, and Kiba Daiō believes his plan has succeeded. Everyone believes it, and the Kiba members hack away at the two bodies with their swords. It is the moment they are about to strike Mamiya and Airi that the two masters launch their counterattack and eliminate all the Kiba, yet another iconic scene, carried by the music, all within a veritable pool of blood.
The final battle against Kiba Daiō can finally begin. The master of the Kiba plays his cards with his Kazan Kōgai Kohō, which makes him nearly indestructible, his skin as hard as steel. Kenshiro attacks him with a steel beam that bends without injuring him, a striking demonstration of the clan leader’s power. Kenshiro then unleashes a barrage of punches, absorbed effortlessly by Kiba Daiō… or so it seems. The scene effectively conveys the impact of the blows, and the sound effects are convincing. Kenshiro finally delivers another strike with the steel bar, and this time it hits its mark; his previous punches were not harmless. By striking one of his vital points, the daikyokin, Kenshiro shattered Kiba Daiō’s armor. It is time for the master of Hokuto to finish the job, once again accompanied by fitting music.
Kiba Daiō uses his own children as human shields, and Rei eliminates them all. It’s over. The tyrant pulls out dynamite as a last resort, but his ploy fails; immobilized by Kenshiro’s technique, he explodes and loses an arm in the dynamite stick’s blast. With five seconds left to live, he attacks in one final act of desperation. Kenshiro then finishes him off with a Ganzan Ryōzan Ha (岩山両斬波), again questionably translated in the subtitles as “rocky mountain coup de grâce,” far from the canonical name known to manga readers. Kiba Daiō is dead.
We then arrive at the scene where Kenshiro restores Airi’s sight, a very colorful sequence bathed in beautiful light. Finally, a good choice of tones and colors that does justice to this iconic moment. The villagers celebrate the end of the Kiba, still in this warm light, and I really appreciated this passage. The series is generally far too dark visually. Kenshiro then reveals to Rei that he is the man with seven scars, another iconic moment, very well executed. For me, this episode is the best of the season; even a shot of Mamiya impressed me, whereas from the start I found her rendering unconvincing. The transitions between 2D and 3D are smooth.
Kenshiro finally understands who this man with seven scars is: his adoptive brother, Jagi. His appearance is very well done, the red-tinted lighting effects fitting the character perfectly, and his entrance is exceptional, with his famous “Say my name!” The voice acting by Takagi Wataru is at its peak. A very well-crafted episode that concludes the season in the best possible way. It will be hard to wait until 2027… but this ending gives us hope for the best going forward.
See You in 2027
With this episode 14, the first part of the Hokuto no Ken – Fist of the North Star 2026 anime comes to a close. The series is now on hiatus before the continuation of its adventures, with the return announced for 2027.
The episode concludes with a short sixteen-second teaser that reveals the character who will soon stand in Kenshiro’s path: Jagi. The appearance of this renegade brother of Hokuto, one of the most memorable antagonists of the story, leaves no doubt about the arc awaiting viewers when the series returns. We will revisit this first batch of episodes in a dedicated review next week, and will of course be back for the continuation in 2027.
Watch the Episode on Prime Video
Episode 14 “He Who Laughs Last” is available for streaming on Prime Video, with English subtitles and English dub.
