WizarDru
Adventurer
JoeGKushner said:
Well, it depends on where you draw the line for an arc, of course.
The immediate story following the first season (Southern Cross), has Ken down and out, following the knowledge of Yuria's death. Bat and Lynn track him down, and with one thing leading to another, Ken finds himself at a town in the wreckage of a large city, sheriffed by a woman named Mamiya. Mamiya (according to a flashback) has "given up being a woman" to defend her village. Anyone who's watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...this is where we're going, to some extent. The town is harrased by the Fang Clan Bandits (the Kiba Clan) and their Bandit King.
Meanwhile, not far by, in one of the most ridiculous introduction conceits EVAR, a man named Rei arrives on the scene. Gruff, sexist and brash, the mysterious martial artist possess the ability to carven men like a hot knife through butter, using his Nanto Suicho Ken (Shin actually practiced the Nanto SeiKen, despite my mistake above). Rei seeks the "man with seven scars", who kidnapped his sister, and intends to kill him when he finds him. Luckily, Ken's wearing a shirt when they first meet. Rei is both a cool character and he and Mamiya eventually start to fall for each other....which is pretty much the kiss of death.
Rei discovers that the man with seven scars sold his sister to the Bandit king, so he is eager to help take them down. Rei, of course, has issues with Ken when he sees the seven scars on his chest, but they manage to work it out. Until, that is, the bandit king threatens to kill Rei's sister if he doesn't fight Ken, so they fight and simultaneously kill each other. Or so it appears until the bandits drop their guard, and discover the Ken and Rei merely struck some powerpoints to make them appear to die for a few minutes. Carnage ensues, and Rei's sister is rescued. For those who are curious, Rei's sister blinded herself after not being able to bear the horrors of being sold into slavery, and becomes emotionally dead until rescued. But who is the man with Seven Scars?
That takes us to Arc 3.
Now, here's some more detail for you:
"Hokuto Shinken ("Northstar" God Fist) originated in China 2000 years ago. Due to its extreme lethality, it is only taught from father to son. Only one son can inherit the full knowledge; in a dispute over succession, the losers must have their "fists sealed" (removal of memories, or destruction of their hands).
Hokuto Shinken provides its practitioners with many abilities, most notable is a knowledge of pressure points. Striking the correct points can cause such effects as paralysis, blindness, and total bodily destruction. In addition, a normal human can only use 30% of his natural abilities; training in Hokuto Shinken can give access to ones full abilities. The inner secret of the art is an ability to learn the techniques of an opponent after a single battle.
Nanto Seiken ("Southern Cross" Holy Fist), in contrast, had 108different schools. In ancient times, an emperor owned a castle with six gates. At each gate, a martial arts master was appointed commander of the guard. From their training, the six primary styles of Nanto were developed. Nanto styles specialize in slicing and piercing attacks, and have an associated avian totem.
The symbol of Hokuto Shinken is a portion of the constellation
Ursa Major, the seven stars known as the "Big Dipper". This con-
stellation is of extreme importance to Chinese astrologers, as
its tail points to the current position in the lunar zodiac. In
Hokuto no Ken, these stars are considered unlucky, causing death
and misfortune. For this reason, the lives of Hokuto practition-
ers are filled with tragedy and conflict.
Next to the main constellation is a smaller star named Shichousei
(Death-omen Star); it is said that those who are able to see this
star are destined to die within one year.
The symbol of Nanto Seiken is a portion of the Sagittarius con-
stellation. These six stars form the constellation Nanto (South-
ern Ladle), one of the 28 Lunar Mansions of Chinese Astrology.
The Nanto school has six major styles, each corresponding a star
in the constellation. This astrological connection influences
the destinies of the Nanto masters.
Character Star Destiny
Shin Junsei Martyr's star; will live and die for love
Yuda Yousei Bewitching star (also called the Star of
Betrayal)
Rei Gisei Star of Righteousness; will live and fight
for the sake of others
Shuu Jinsei Star of Benevolence; will protect the
hopes for the future
Sauzar Kyokusei/Shosei "Pole Star"; star of emperors, gen-
erals and dictators
Kyokusei is the ruler of Nanto; the remaining five stars are his
guardians. For this reason, none of the Nanto masters can oppose
Sauzar. Sauzar's style is also associated with the Southern
Cross.</pre>
Hokuto (the Big Dipper) is not in the north-
ern section of the sky, but rather the central region. Likewise,
Nanto, despite having the character for "south" in its name, is
actually in the northern region. A final source of confusion is
the association of Nanto with the Southern Cross. Since these
constellations are nowhere near each other, it has caused some
arguments among fans about which European constellation
corresponds to Nanto.</pre>
