Details
- Name
- Balcom (バルコム)
- First appearance
- Anime ep.21
- Appears in
- Hokuto no Ken (original anime, filler)
- Status
- Antagonist
- Role
- General of Shin's army, filler antagonist
- Signature techniques
- Yōki Gen'yū Ken (phantom illusion technique)
Balcom
Balcom (バルコム) is a character exclusive to the 1984 Hokuto no Ken anime, a general in the army of the KING organization led by Shin. He appears in episode 21 (aired March 14, 1985), where his mutiny against Shin precipitates the burning of the Southern Cross.
The coup against Shin
Deeply frustrated by what he perceives as Shin's weakness, judging his obsession with Yuria responsible for KING's military decline, Balcom watches for an opportunity to seize power for himself. He then summons several army lieutenants to present his coup plan. One of them, Nariman, refuses to take part, believing that such a mutiny would only lead to chaos. Although Nariman promises to keep silent, Balcom kills him to ensure no information leaks back to Shin.
The defeat and the burning of Southern Cross
When Shin discovers the betrayal, he confronts Balcom directly in the palace. The fight pits the mastery of Nanto Koshū Ken against Balcom's Taizanji Kenpō (泰山寺拳法, "Martial Arts of the Temple of Taishan"), a muscular hardening technique directly taken from the pilot chapter of Hokuto no Ken, where the role belonged to Baiken Kinbu against Kenshiro Kasumi. Despite his build and physical resilience, Balcom is no match for the penetrating power of Nanto Koshū Ken and perishes in a bloodbath. But the mutiny has already done its damage... In the chaos that follows, Balcom's supporters set fire to the palace of Southern Cross, which burns through the night. It is partly this disaster that drives Yuria to attempt suicide by jumping from the balcony, seeing that she cannot prevent violence from endlessly repeating itself in Shin's name.