Details
- Name
- Alf (アルフ)
- First appearance
- Hokuto no Ken ch.176 / Hokuto no Ken 2 anime ep.20
- Appears in
- Hokuto no Ken (manga part 2), Hokuto no Ken 2 (anime)
- Status
- Antagonist
- Role
- Asura warrior nicknamed Alf of the Hourglass, minor antagonist
- Martial art
- Yūtō Sekien Bu
- Signature techniques
- Poisoned cape causing illusions, rapid jabs
- Seiyū 1984
- Tomomichi Nishimura
Alf
Alf (アルフ), known as "Alf of the Hourglass", is an Asura warrior from the Land of Shura, an adversary of Kenshiro in the first third of the Shura arc. Recognizable by his impressive musculature, his ritual cape, and the hourglass he triggers at the start of each fight, he claims one hundred and twenty-two consecutive victories, including one hundred and five opponents killed before the sand runs out. His appearance is inspired by the famous American bodybuilder Robby Robinson, which explains his extraordinary physique. He is voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura.
The hourglass ritual and the poisoned cape
Alf never fights without his hourglass; a crippled slave turns it over at the start of each duel, and Alf boasts of defeating any opponent before it runs out. His technique relies on the Yūtō Sekien Bu ("Red Dance in a Circle of Invitation to Combat"), a martial art based on rapid and powerful jabs, and above all on his cape soaked in a contact poison. At the slightest brush against an opponent's skin, the victim's vision blurs and they see Alf multiply into several silhouettes encircling them. It is this stratagem that forms the bulk of his reputation, more than his raw power.
Confrontation with Kenshiro
When Kenshiro enters the Land of Shura in search of Rin, Kaiser, one of the kingdom's warlords, promises the young woman to Alf if he kills the man with the seven scars. Alf triggers his hourglass and his usual ritual, but Kenshiro, understanding the trap of the cape before it fully reaches him, counters the illusion with a circular attack. The real Alf explodes under the impact before the sand reaches the bottom of the hourglass.
Connection with Shachi
One detail links Alf to another major character: Shachi, disguised as a Boro (the amputated and enslaved Asura warriors), falsely entered Alf's service in order to move freely through the Land of Shura under the identity of a cripple. Alf is completely unaware that this unassuming servant is in reality Rakshasa, the demon devourer of Asura. Shachi's cover survives Alf's death and continues afterward in the service of other lords of Shura.