Details
Gallery
6View all imagesShin Kyuseishu Densetsu Hokuto no Ken Raoh Den Gekito no Shō, released in France under the title Hokuto no Ken 2 : L'Héritier du Hokuto, is a Japanese animated film directed by Hirano Toshiki, produced by North Stars Pictures and animated by TMS Entertainment. Released in Japanese theaters on April 28, 2007 and distributed by Desperado, it constitutes the third installment of the Shin Kyuseishu Densetsu (Legend of the True Savior) pentalogy and brings to the screen the final confrontation between Kenshiro and Raoh.
With Souther defeated, only the Nanto volunteer army, rallied around the last General, still stands against Ken-oh. On the suggestion of his new strategist Giraku, Raoh launches all his forces against the Nanto citadel, while Kenshiro learns from Fudo, one of the Five Chariot Stars, that the last General is none other than Yuria. Inside the fortress, Kenshiro corners Raoh thanks to the ultimate arcane technique of Hokuto Shinken, the Muso Tensei, but a trap allows the King of Fists to escape while kidnapping Yuria. Haunted by the fear instilled in him by his brother's gaze, Raoh sets out to challenge Fudo, the only man who ever made him tremble, before the final duel that will seal the fate of the two successors of Hokuto.
After the detour of the Yuria Den, the pentalogy produced for the 25th anniversary of Hokuto no Ken returns to theaters with the adaptation of the final arc of the first part of the manga, the duel between Kenshiro and Raoh. The film continues the thread opened by the first installment. Reina reprises her role alongside Raoh, and the story is enriched by a new original character, Giraku, an obsequious strategist who succeeds Souga as head of the King of Fist's general staff. Figures from the second part of the manga also make their entrance, such as the pirate Akashachi, portrayed by karateka Kakuda Nobuaki, and Balga, Raoh's loyal lieutenant.
Ten days before the film's release, on April 18, 2007, North Stars Pictures organized the Raoh Shokonshiki at the Koyasan Tokyo Betsuin temple in the Takanawa district, a funeral ceremony in honor of the King of Fist. Singer Tanimura Shinji chaired the funeral committee and Ukaji Takashi, the voice of Raoh, delivered the eulogy before approximately 3,000 attendees. The event, covered by television and streamed on the GyaO portal, set the stage for the film's release, presented as a national "commemorative roadshow." The film ranked tenth at the Japanese box office during its opening weekend.
Direction was handled by Hirano Toshiki, action director of the first film, with a screenplay once again bringing together Nobuhiko Horie, Kamo Yoshinobu and Manabe Katsuhiko. Sato Masaki this time served as both character designer and animation director, art direction went to Yoshihara Shunichiro, and Hojo Tsukasa was once again credited in special production cooperation for the design of Reina.
The original soundtrack was composed by Kajiura Yuki. The ending theme, "Lonely Stars," is performed by B'z. Following the saga's theme composed solo by guitarist Tak Matsumoto for the first film, this time the full group accompanies the pentalogy. The track was released on May 9, 2007 as the B-side of the duo's 43rd single, "Eien no Tsubasa."
| Kenshiro | Abe Hiroshi (阿部寛) |
|---|---|
| Raoh | Ukaji Takashi (宇梶剛士) |
| Yuria | Ishida Yuriko (石田ゆり子) |
| Reina | Shibasaki Ko (柴咲コウ) |
| Toki | Horiuchi Kenyu (堀内賢雄) |
| Fudo | Gori Daisuke (郷里大輔) |
| Rihaku | Hoki Katsuhisa (宝亀克寿) |
| Shuren | Hiyama Nobuyuki (檜山修之) |
| Akashachi | Kakuda Nobuaki (角田信朗) |
| Lin | Sakamoto Maaya (坂本真綾) |
| Bat | Namikawa Daisuke (浪川大輔) |
| Giraku | Takeda Masanori (竹田雅則) |
| Direction | Hirano Toshiki (平野俊貴) |
|---|---|
| Screenplay | Nobuhiko Horie, Kamo Yoshinobu, Manabe Katsuhiko |
| Executive production | Nobuhiko Horie, Imoto Mitsuru |
| Character design, animation dir. | Sato Masaki (佐藤正樹) |
| Art direction | Yoshihara Shunichiro (吉原俊一郎) |
| Reina design | Hojo Tsukasa (北条司) |
| Photography | Sato Masato (佐藤正人) |
| Editing | Takuma Jun (田熊純) |
| Music | Kajiura Yuki (梶浦由記) |
| Production | North Stars Pictures |
| Animation | TMS Entertainment |
| Distribution | Desperado |
In Japan, the film was released on DVD on September 28, 2007 by Amuse Soft Entertainment. The collector's edition (6,090 yen) included the film, a documentary on the Raoh Shokonshiki, the fictional funeral of Raoh organized before the theatrical release, five postcards, a bracelet, and a portrait card of Raoh. The standard edition offered the film along with its trailer, the Toki Den teaser, and two TV spots for the DVDs of the previous installments. The film was remastered in high definition (1080p) as part of the Blu-ray BOX Shin Kyuseishu Densetsu Hokuto no Ken set, released on February 26, 2021 under the KINEMATICS label (reference KTCS-001, 23,000 yen before tax), a limited print run gathering all five installments of the pentalogy with an acrylic plate and a 32-page color booklet.
In France, the film was not released in theaters, unlike L'Ère de Raoh. Kazé published it directly on DVD on February 17, 2010 under the title Hokuto no Ken 2 : L'Héritier du Hokuto. It was offered in two editions: a two-DVD collector's edition (29.95 euros) including the documentary on the fictional funeral of Raoh, and a standard edition (24.95 euros) with the film only, in French and subtitled Japanese versions. An individual Blu-ray was released on March 23, 2011 (29.95 euros). The film is also included in the complete box set of the three films released by Kazé, in both DVD and Blu-ray.
Articles related to Shin Kyuseishu Densetsu Hokuto no Ken Raoh Den Gekitō no Shō
Coamix is organizing an event in Kumamoto that should make many envious: for 500 yen per…
