Episode 10 of the Hokuto no Ken – Fist of the North Star 2026 anime, titled “Diabolical Rebirth” (悪魔の化身), concludes the Jackal arc with a brutal finale. On the agenda: Kenshiro‘s methodical vengeance against Jackal and his gang after Toyo’s death, as well as the confrontation with Devil Rebirth, freed from the prison where he had been rotting away. Here is our verdict.
Episode 10 Summary
Here is the official summary of episode 10, translated from the hokuto-anime.com website:
Kenshiro burns with immeasurable rage at the despicable atrocities Jackal inflicted on Toyo. Swearing revenge, he gradually tracks down Jackal and his gang. Cornered by Kenshiro’s relentless pursuit and consumed by fear, Jackal, in a state of panic, releases “Devil Rebirth,” the incarnation of the demon who had been rotting away in a prison.
The Staff
A surprise for this Jackal arc climax: the production shakes things up by entrusting the episode to the duo Inukai Kazuhiko / Ogasawara Kazuma, who were already at the helm of episodes 5, 6, and 7 of the Golan arc. The Miyazawa Kōsuke / Itō Hiroki duo, who had taken charge of episodes 8 and 9 of the Jackal arc with a unified vision, steps aside for this conclusion. The storyboard remains unchanged, handled by the same team of four artists as on the previous episodes.
- Script: Inukai Kazuhiko (犬飼和彦)
- Storyboard: Maeda Hiroshi (前田洋志), Ogasawara Kazuma (小笠原一馬), Itō Hiroki (伊藤弘樹), Kanayama Yoshinari (金山慶成)
- Direction: Ogasawara Kazuma (小笠原一馬)
Ogasawara Kazuma’s return to direction is a strong signal from the production. This is the same director who notably handled the most dramatic passages of the Golan arc, and the trust placed in him to close out the Jackal arc speaks to the importance given to this arc finale.
Devil Rebirth, the Incarnation of the Demon Takes the Stage
Episode 10 marks the effective entrance of Devil Rebirth, the giant antagonist whom Jackal manipulates by posing as his brother. The role is performed by Shirokuma Hiroshi, a voice actor affiliated with Production Baobab, whose deep voice had already served imposing characters such as Caius Ballad in Final Fantasy XIII-2 or Gazef Stronoff in Overlord. An amusing detail for longtime fans: Shirokuma Hiroshi had already participated in a Hokuto no Ken project in the past, in the film The Legend of the True Savior Raoh, Chapter of Love (2006), in a subordinate role. A return to the franchise twenty years later, this time to portray one of its most memorable monsters.
For the voice actor’s full profile and his translated official comment, see our dedicated article: Hokuto no Ken 2026: Shirokuma Hiroshi Joins the Cast to Portray Devil Rebirth.
Our Review
Let’s be honest, the beginning of the episode really scared us. The opening scene in the bar, with Jackal and a bartender whose character design is frankly botched, suffers from overall failed animation due to the CGI, despite its brevity. But as soon as Jackal kills the bartender, we switch to 2D, and things look much better, with a really well-done close-up of Jackal. The tone for the episode is set.
Because if there is one thing to take away from this episode 10, it is its unusually high amount of 2D sequences. There are many right from the start with Jackal’s men, and it has to be said, 2D would have been so much better for this anime. The CGI, on the other hand, becomes decent again as the episode progresses, just like in the previous ones. The brief confrontation between Jackal and Kenshiro in the opening is well animated, with plenty of 2D in it as well. Overall, this is the episode with the most 2D since the beginning of the series, and that is both exciting and frustrating, as it gives a precise idea of what this anime could have been if entirely produced in 2D.
The moment when Devil Rebirth is freed and Jackal launches into his speech explaining who this demon is, is a true success. The scene is intense, well-executed, and we loved it. Devil Rebirth’s gigantic scale is perfectly conveyed and adds even more to the character’s power. He exudes immeasurable strength. We particularly enjoyed the passage where he sees daylight again and emerges from the stadium’s ground, elevated by music that perfectly supports the scene.
On the voice acting side, we remain at a very high level, undoubtedly one of the most successful aspects of this series since it began. The performance for Devil Rebirth is of very high quality, and Jackal‘s is simply top-notch: you can feel all the wickedness of this born manipulator. His character design, also very well done, reinforces this impression. And as always, the faithfulness to the manga’s story is there, which remains the most important thing in our eyes.
The fight between Kenshiro and Devil Rebirth is a great success: dynamic, readable, well animated, and once again packed with 2D. The fight is intense, and thanks to this good animation, you can feel the power of both fighters even during the CGI passages. We are also really glad they stopped using those white backgrounds during fights, as it adds tremendously to the immersion. The music during this confrontation is excellent and gives even more impact to Kenshiro’s final attack.
The final technique inflicted on Devil Rebirth is well rendered, and this passage benefits from high-quality animation, with a Kenshiro that is very well realized and animated. As for Jackal, he meets the end he deserves, and the Jackal arc concludes on a very positive note.
We’ll say it again, we were scared at the beginning, but in the end we continue to gain in quality with each episode. And the final scene, with the arrival of Rei, makes us truly eager for next week. We have fewer and fewer criticisms to make. Rei and Mamiya arrive in the next episode, and we hope the series will continue on this trajectory and that the visual evolution will follow this trend.
Watch Hokuto no Ken on Prime Video
The first 10 episodes are available now on Prime Video with Japanese audio and subtitles, as well as dubbed versions. One episode every Friday. An Amazon Prime subscription is required; the free 30-day trial lets you watch all available episodes with no commitment.
