The official website hokuto-anime.com has just published the announcement for episode 9 of the anime Hokuto no Ken – Fist of the North Star 2026. Titled “Mad Dogs Must Die” (狂犬ども死すべし), it will air on Friday, May 22 on Prime Video. The Jackal arc that began last week takes a brutal turn with an attack that should mark the return of the dramatic intensity that made the series legendary.
Hokuto no Ken Episode 9 “The Rabid Dogs Must Die”
Here is the official summary translated from the hokuto-anime.com website:
Toyo, a compassionate old woman, has taken in countless orphaned children and gives them unconditional love. Kenshiro has deep respect for her kindness, especially toward Bat and Rin, whom she treats the same as all the others. But after Kenshiro and his companions leave the village later than planned, a terrible danger draws near. The vile outlaw Jackal and his gang seize the opportunity of Kenshiro’s absence to launch a brutal attack on Toyo’s village.
Toyo, the soul of the village
Episode 9 shines a spotlight on Toyo, the old woman who raised Bat and who shelters Taki, introduced the previous week. She is a universal maternal figure in the Hokuto no Ken universe: she represents selfless kindness in a world completely devoid of it. Her village is a fragile sanctuary in the middle of the post-apocalyptic desert, where she has taken in dozens of abandoned orphans over the years.
The moment when Kenshiro and his companions leave the village is precisely when Jackal was waiting. True to his motto, “Never fight a man stronger than yourself,” he watched patiently, waited for his moment, and will strike where Kenshiro can no longer protect anyone.
Cast of Episode 9
Kenshiro: Takeuchi Shunsuke
Bat: Yamashita Daiki
Lin: M.A.O
Taki: Ishihara Kaori
Toyo: Sadaoka Sayuri
Jackal: Matsuyama Takashi
Fox: Nara Tetsu
Hawk: Dōsaka Kōzō
The official website has just announced two new cast members for the Jackal arc in this episode: Nara Tetsu as Fox (Jackal’s cynical right-hand man) and Dōsaka Kōzō as Hawk (one of his subordinates). More details and comments from these two actors in our dedicated article about their arrival.
Broadcast
Episode 9 will be available on Friday, May 22, 2026 on Prime Video with English subtitles and English dub, simultaneously with the Japanese broadcast on TOKYO MX and BS11.
