Jakoh

Jakoh (ジャコウ) is the Governor-General of the Imperial Capital during the Gento Kōken arc. Adoptive brother of Falco, raised by the latter's mother, he takes advantage of this kinship to seize real power and impose a regime of repression across the entire Celestial Empire. Behind his cowardly appearance hides a cunning man, capable of exploiting Falco's loyalty to maintain his authority.

Seizure of power within the Celestial Empire

At the birth of the imperial twins Rui and Rin, Jakoh orders Falco to put the younger twin to death to prevent the Empire from splitting. Falco secretly refuses and entrusts Rin to an adoptive couple. After the death of Falco's mother, Jakoh kidnaps Rui, locks her in an underground dungeon, and declares himself regent, henceforth speaking on her behalf.

He uses the Emperor's name and Rui's captivity to control Falco, successor of the Gento Kōken and first protector of the Empire. Aware of Falco's absolute loyalty to the imperial bloodline, Jakoh exploits this devotion to impose his decisions and keep the population in check.

Relationship with Falco

The relationship between Jakoh and Falco rests entirely on blackmail. Although Falco gradually comes to see the Governor's corruption, he remains committed to his mission of protecting the imperial lineage, and the hostage Rui is enough to keep him in line. Raoh himself had warned Falco to kill Jakoh before he became his downfall.

Unlike the true martial arts masters of Hokuto no Ken, Jakoh possesses no real fighting power. He depends on his soldiers, traps, and the fear afforded to him by imperial authority. His deepest terror remains that of darkness, which reminds him of Raoh.

Opposition against Kenshiro

The arrival of Kenshiro disrupts the balance of the Celestial Empire. Discovering the suffering imposed on the inhabitants and the true situation of Rui, Kenshiro becomes a direct obstacle to Jakoh's ambitions.

Fearing the loss of his influence, Jakoh orders Falco to exterminate the Hokuto and Nanto warriors and sets traps to eliminate Kenshiro. But his schemes fail one after another, and the advance of the successor of Hokuto Shinken weakens his control over the Capital.

Jakoh's Downfall

When Rui is freed from her dungeon thanks to Ein's intervention, Jakoh's authority collapses. Cornered, he makes one last attempt to have Falco and Kenshiro struck down with arrows, but his own men end up sacrificing themselves to protect their general. Falco, freed from the Governor's hold, then turns his Gento Kōken against him and burns him alive, putting an end to the regime Jakoh had imposed on the Celestial Empire.