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DD Fist of the North Star Gets New TV Anime in October (Updated)
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The wraparound band on the sixth volume of Kajio's DD Hokuto no Ken (DD Fist of the North Star) manga spinoff of Buronson and Tetsuo Hara's Fist of the North Star manga is revealing on Thursday that the manga is getting a new television anime adaptation in October.
The announcement lists the title of the anime as DD Hokuto no Ken 2 Ichigo Aji+ (DD Fist of the North Star 2 Strawberry Flavor Plus), and states that the anime will air on TV Tokyo starting on October 6. The show will air on Tuesdays at 1:35 a.m.
The announcement does not specify if the adaptation of DD Hokuto no Ken will air as part of the same program as the anime adaptation of Hokuto no Ken: Ichigo Aji, which is also slated to premiere in October. The announcement does state, however, that the "two works will have a simultaneous broadcast."
Kajio's spinoff gag manga previously inspired a DD Hokuto no Ken short anime, which was a series of anime shorts that premiered in 2011. The manga also inspired another television anime series that premiered in 2013.
The manga is set "in the year 199x, mankind was … not engulfed in the flames of nuclear war?
"In the 21st century, the characters of Fist of the North Star are living in peaceful Japan. In particular, Kenshirō is a convenience store worker, Raoh works at a factory, and wracked by illness, Toki is looking for work. The legend of the Fighting NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) North Star begins in the modern day."
Kajio launched the manga in Monthly Comic Zenon's first issue in October 2010.
Buronson and Tetsuo Hara — the creators of the original Fist of the North Star post-apocalyptic fighting manga — are credited with the original work for the Hokuto no Ken: Ichigo Aji spinoff gag manga. Yūshi Kawata writes the manga's scenarios, Imōto Yukito draws the manga, and Yukito is credited with collaboration.
The gag manga centers on a fun version of the Holy Emperor Souther as he tries to find ways to become friends with Kenshirō, demonstrates his party techniques, and sometimes plays with the Gosha Sei.
Imōto Yukito, Yukito, and Kawata launched the manga on Tokuma Shoten's Web Comic Zenyon website in 2013, and the publisher shipped the fourth compiled volume (pictured at right) in June.
Update: Animate.tv briefly posted an article on Wednesday about the new anime series, but it has since removed the article (a cache is still available, however). In the article, Animate.tv stated that DD Hokuto no Ken 2 Ichigo Aji+ is a "double title" that will adapt both series. The article listed that Akitarō Daichi will return from the 2013 anime to direct the "DD2" part of the program, and that Mankyū (Mobile Suit Gundam-san, Tono to Issho) will direct the "Ichigo Aji" side of the program.
The article also listed that DD Hokuto no Ken 2 will follow Kenshirou at "Seikimatsu Gakuen" (End of the Century Academy), and listed the DD Hokuto no Ken 2-side's cast, which is the same as the 2013 TV anime series:
Shinnosuke Tachibana as Kenshirou
Tomokazu Seki as Toki
Kazuya Ichijou as Raoh
Shūta Morishima as Bat
M.A.O as Lin
Akira Kamiya as Ryūken
Yui Horie as Yuria
Ryōtarō Okiayu as Shin
Update 2: Animate.tv has since republished the article to officially confirm the information.
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history