Shin Hokuto no Ken OAV 1, The Idolatrous Fortress (偶像の砦)

OAV 1 of Shin Hokuto no Ken, titled “The Idolatrous Fortress” (偶像の砦), was released in Japan on July 24, 2003. Directed by Takashi Watanabe with studio A.C.G.T., this first 58-minute episode adapts the first part of the novel Jubaku no Machi by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara.

The episode lays the groundwork for the trilogy by introducing the tyrant Sanga, the desert enclave of Lastland, and the mysterious figure of Sara, the Miracle Worker. Kenshiro makes his return to the screen after fifteen years of anime absence.

Official summary

Humanity has survived, despite the collapse of civilization. The last nuclear conflict scarred the earth and poisoned the water, plunging the world into utter chaos. Sanga, the Lord of Lastland, rules as a tyrant over his desert enclave. He maintains his power through total control of the region’s drinkable water sources, but also through the presence of a false god, which allows him to fanatize the population. But that is not enough for him. He covets the one known as the Miracle Worker, Sara, in order to make her a new goddess… He thus intends to obtain absolute and eternal power. Kenshiro decides to save the false gods from their stone prison and free the people from the lie.