SNK published yet another vague teaser this week. This time around, it shows two kids cornered by thugs before a mysterious figure drops one of them with a single finger, accompanied by a distinct sound effect.
The clip also flashes a boot and arm that closely match the design of Kenshiro, the protagonist of Hokuto no Ken, known in the West as Fist of the North Star.
This isn’t an outright confirmation of Kenshiro’s appearance in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, but it’s difficult to take this teaser as anything but. There is, of course, an off chance that SNK is making a new standalone Hokuto no Ken game, but considering some other vague trailers the company has been posting lately, this is more likely a Season 2 DLC pass teaser.
What makes it even more likely is the statement by SNK made along with revealing Mr. Big that Season 2 is coming in January, and so far, the company has posted vague trailers that could be Robert Garcia and Mr. Karate from Art of Fighting, as well as Wolfgang Krauser making his comeback.
If Kenshiro does end up joining CotW, it would be one of SNK’s most straightforward wins in terms of guest characters. Fans of every single fighting game have been asking for characters from Hokuto no Ken and Grappler Baki for what feels like decades, and some of these wishes look to be coming true.
The questions would remain about Kenshiro’s gameplay, but there’s no doubt that the development team that managed to fit in a football player and a DJ into the main roster will be able to properly handle one of the most iconic fighters in the history of Japanese entertainment.
Hokuto no Ken, or Fist of the North Star, is one of the most influential manga and anime franchises of the 1980s, created by writer Buronson and artist Tetsuo Hara and serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1983 to 1988. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland and follows Kenshiro, heir to the deadly Hokuto Shinken martial art, famous for its pressure-point strikes. Remember the popular “-Omae wa mou shindeiru. -Nani?” (“-You’re already dead. -What?”) meme? Yes, it’s from Hokuto no Ken.
As of now, though, Kenshiro isn’t confirmed yet, more like strongly implied. But January is almost halfway through, so we’re bound to learn more about the Season 2 DLC characters sooner rather than later.
