Hôkô no Kumo : Hokuto no Ken Jûza Gaiden

Hôkô no Kumo : Hokuto no Ken Jûza Gaiden (彷徨の雲 北斗の拳 ジュウザ外伝) is a two-volume manga, prepublished in 2010 in Weekly Comic Bunch. The art is by Kakurai Missile, based on an original concept by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara. This story dedicated to Jûza, a member of the Goshasei of Nanto, takes place between the fall of Cassandra and the moment when Yuria appears as the last general of Nanto.

Synopsis

While the weak have no choice but to bow under the yoke of the powerful, a man wanders like a cloud across the ravaged lands of this post-apocalyptic world. Destined for a grandiose future, he chooses to leave everything behind and forge his own path: free and independent. But the ghosts of the past call out to him and his destiny catches up with him! His name is… Jûza!

The Last Flight of the Cloud

The story retells the plot of the original manga from Jûza's point of view and sheds light on its shadowy areas. Unable to forgive Kenshiro for having failed to protect Yuria, the Cloud wanders the devastated lands on his trail, refusing the destiny that the Goshasei seek to impose upon him. His path crosses that of Yona, a commander in the army of Basta who has fallen under the Kenoh's control. To this woman who expects nothing more from the world, Jûza opposes his way of life, free of all ties, and gradually shakes her convictions.

When war breaks out between Nanto and the Kenoh's army, Jûza still holds back. Neither the fate of Ryūga, his brother resolved to die in Raoh's service, nor that of Rei, who fell for Mamiya, is enough to sway him. It is only upon discovering that the last general of Nanto is Yuria that he finally accepts his destiny. Determined to block the Kenoh's path at the cost of his life, he joins the battlefield to delay the offensive at all costs. The final chapter bears the name of the Goshasei star, the one whose destiny he had spent his entire life fleeing.

A final gaiden to bid farewell to the magazine

Hôkô no Kumo is the last gaiden in the lineage launched in Weekly Comic Bunch. Its serialization ended in issue 445, dated September 10, 2010, which was also the magazine's final issue. The story thus accompanied the Bunch until its demise, and the two collected volumes were released simultaneously the following month. The art was entrusted to Kakurai Missile, the last guest artist to join this series of spin-off stories supervised by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara.

The volumes

• Volume 1, published on October 9, 2010, six chapters.
• Volume 2, published on October 9, 2010, ten chapters.