Taiga

Taiga (タイガ) is the General of the Green Light (緑光, Ryokkō) of the Imperial Capital, a renegade master of Gento Kō Ken in the service of Jakoh. A character exclusive to the Hokuto no Ken 2 anime (1987-1988), designed by character designer Masami Suda during the series' pre-production, he replaces Jask, Jakoh's eldest son from the manga, in the television storyline, alongside Boltz who takes over the role of the younger son Sheeno. Beyond this substitution, Taiga acquires decisive narrative importance in the final act of the imperial arc by indirectly triggering the Shura arc. He is voiced by Masaharu Sato.

Conception and role in the Imperial arc

Masami Suda created Taiga, Boltz and a third character ultimately not retained for the television series, Bronza, at a time when the manga had not yet fleshed out Jakoh's camp. To visually expand the tyrant's forces and multiply the practitioners of Gento Kō Ken by aura color, the anime introduced these two renegade generals whose costumes are moreover derived from Solia's. The role of General of the Red Light initially planned for Bronza during pre-production was ultimately given to Shōki, a character introduced later.

Taiga first appears in silhouette in episode 114, among the Gento warriors sworn to avenge Solia. Alongside Boltz, he is tasked with monitoring Shōki and Falco (episode 116), and regularly reminds the latter that his loyalty is owed to the nominal Tentei, that is, to Jakoh. In episode 119, as Kenshiro breaches the capital's defenses and the lights fall, a panicked Jakoh begins blindly striking his own guards and wounds Taiga in the leg. When Jakoh then tries to send him to face Kenshiro and Falco in his place, Taiga openly deserts him, refusing from then on to die for a man he despises (episode 122).

The triggering of the Shura arc

After Jakoh's defeat by the Hokuto Army, Taiga takes the initiative on his own behalf. He kidnaps Rin and triggers the self-destruct mechanism installed in the Imperial Capital, causing the total destruction of the city. His signature technique, the Gento Ryokkō Hidan (元斗緑光飛弾, "Green Light Flying Projectile of Gento"), a large circle of green energy projected at the opponent, will however not get a chance to be used against Kenshiro. Taiga sets sail toward the Kingdom of Shura, his intention being to deliver Rin as a "Shura bride" in order to lure Kenshiro and Falco to the island and hasten their deaths there.

But as soon as his unit lands on the island, it is massacred by the warriors of Shura. Mortally wounded, Taiga meets Falco one last time and announces with calm cruelty that hell now awaits the Hokuto and Gento on this land. He dies on this prophecy: by seeking to set a trap, it is Taiga who in reality opened the way for Kenshiro toward the last great revelation of the series, the land of his biological origins.