Fist of the North Star Announces New Side Manga

Fist of the North Star is one of the most iconic anime franchises that helped introduce the medium of anime to new fans, with its gory details and fast-paced combat that followed the adventures of Kenshiro in a world ravaged by nuclear war, and now the series has returned with one of the most bizarre spin-offs we've ever witnessed. With the title of "Fist of the North Star Apocalypse Drama Filming Arc, the manga series imagines the franchise as if it were a movie production looking to recreate the original events of the series, as strange as that sounds.

Fist of the North Star first appeared as a manga series in 1983, and while it hasn't had a recent anime series that continued, or retold, the story of Kenshiro and his deadly blows, it has continued to permeate the anime scene with a number of video games and stories that expand the story of the "Mad Max-like" setting. Needless to say, "Apocalypse Drama Filming Arc" is definitely one of the most bizarre entries to date, telling the story of filmmakers and actors who happen to be recreating the events of the franchise rather than delivering killing blows themselves.

The story itself began its run at the end of last month, introducing this strange new world that is far different from the ones we've seen in the past for Fist of the North Star. Over its history, as mentioned earlier, we've seen numerous entries in the world of video games and anime, with various live-action projects also being released that translated the world of Kenshiro.

Throughout the history of anime, Fist of the North Star has had a big effect on other properties, with Kentaro Miura, creator of Berserk, stating that the series was one of his biggest inspirations in creating the world of Guts, Griffith, and the Band of the Hawk in his dark fantasy epic.

While there has been no news about the series returning with a new anime project, this bizarre new story seems primed to receive an eventual adaptation of its own if it manages to be as successful as its source material.

What is the most bizarre anime spin-off that you've seen in the past? Would you like to see Fist of the North Star make a return to the world of anime? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of dystopian futures.