Kenshiro

is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Fist of the North Star manga series created by Tetsuo Hara and Buronson. In the story, Kenshiro is the rightful successor of an ancient art of assassination called Hokuto Shinken, which allows him to defeat his adversaries through the hidden meridian points. According to Hara and Buronson, Kenshiro's character design was primarily based on the martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, combined with influences from actor Yūsaku Matsuda and the Mad Max film series. Through the course of the original manga, Kenshiro fights against various ruffians who threaten the lives of the post-apocalyptic survivors, as well as numerous rival martial artists, including his three honorary brothers trained in the art of Hokuto Shinken. Concept and creation Manga artist Tetsuo Hara was a fan of Hong Kong martial artist Bruce Lee as well as action manga series and the Japanese action film star Yūsaku Matsuda. He combined the appearance and character traits of Bruce Lee and Yūsaku Matsuda when he came up with the character design of Kenshiro. Hara originally depicted Kenshiro as a guy who fought against the rival martial arts school of the Taizanji Kenpō in the 1980s Japan in his two-part prototype version of Hokuto no Ken. This version of the character was given the full name of . In this setting, Kenshiro was the 23rd successor of Hokuto Shinken, preceded by his unnamed father, who in turn learned the art from the 21st successor, Master . This Kenshiro was much more cheerful than the Kenshiro of the serialized manga, having yet to experience the same hardships at the start of the story and lacking his iconic seven scars. After Kenshiro's girlfriend, Yuki is murdered and Ken is framed for her death, Kenshiro becomes a wanted fugitive who sets out to overthrow the Taizanji organization. The character was revised by Buronson when Hokuto no Ken was picked up for weekly serialization. Now turned into a full-grown adult, Buronson has stated that he based the revised Kenshiro primarily on the actor and martial arts legend Bruce Lee. He also cites the Mad Max film series as an influence.