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Ryuken (リュウケン) is the 63rd grand master of Hokuto Shinken and the adoptive father of Kenshiro. A guiding figure of the series, appearing mostly in flashbacks, he is the man who passed Hokuto Shinken on to his generation and chose Kenshiro as successor, a decision that triggered the entire tragedy of the brotherhood. His death at the hands of Raoh, revealed late in the story, is one of the most closely guarded secrets of the first part.
Ramon Kasumi (霞 羅門), his real name, is the younger half-brother of Kenshiro Kasumi, the 62nd grand master of Hokuto Shinken and hero of Sōten no Ken. The two brothers share the same father, Tesshin Kasumi, the 61st grand master. Kenshiro Kasumi, the elder, was "as powerful as the blue sky" in Ramon's words. In 197X, Ramon is present at the birth of the future Kenshiro and names him after his elder brother, whom he deeply admired, because both children share the same Big Dipper-shaped birthmark on their skull.
As a young man, Ramon wins the Hokuto Shinken succession against his rival Kōryū, a duel whose consequences are felt all the way into the second part of the manga. He then adopts the Buddhist name Ryuken.
Ryuken adopts and successively trains Raoh, Toki, Jagi and then Kenshiro in Hokuto Shinken. His final choice, naming Kenshiro as successor over Raoh, the most physically powerful, and Toki, the most technically talented, is the catalyst for all the conflicts in the series. This choice is not extensively explained in the manga, but its rationale is clear: Kenshiro possesses something the others do not, an understanding of human life that makes him the ideal protector of this devastated world.
Raoh, outraged by this decision, challenges Ryuken. The old man then attempts to destroy his son's rebellious fists using the Shichisei Tenshin (七星天心), a secret technique designed to break a renegade Hokuto Shinken practitioner. But a heart attack strikes him down at the decisive moment, and Raoh seizes the opportunity to kill him. Kenshiro believes for a long time that Ryuken died of illness; it is Toki who reveals the truth to him during their first confrontation with Raoh. This revelation adds an additional dimension to their battle.
Ryuken only appears in flashbacks, but his moral presence is constant. Both Kenshiro and Raoh return to him in their moments of doubt or resolve, recalling the lessons they received, or simply the father figure they lost. This posthumous presence, understated and unemphasized, is typical of the way Buronson and Hara build the depth of their universe without making it explicit.
Ryuken Gaiden - THE JUDGEMENT DAY is a one-shot published in the January 8, 2007 issue of Weekly Comic Bunch, then republished as a supplement to the second volume of Gokuaku no Hana - Hokuto no Ken Jagi Gaiden. It is drawn by Sin-ichi Hiromoto based on an original story by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara. The art style is intentionally freer and more expressive than that of the original manga. The story takes place at the precise moment the world descends into nuclear war, and it is amid this chaos that the most important scene in the entire succession unfolds: the secret pact sealed between Ryuken and Raoh regarding the designation of the future successor of Hokuto Shinken. A brief but foundational tale that sheds new light on the relationship between the master and his most feared disciple.
Ryuken is voiced by Junji Chiba in the original animated series (1984-1988), while Kōji Totani provides the voice for the young Ryuken's appearances as well as in Hokuto no Ken 2. In the Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu film trilogy, the role is performed by Chikao Ōtsuka. In the 2026 anime, Ryuken is voiced by Hideyuki Tanaka, who makes his first appearance in episode 4.
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