in a postapocalyptic wasteland ruled by savage gangs, a hero appears to bring justice to the guilty. This warrior named Ken holds the deadly secrets of a mysterious martial art known as Hokuto Shinken--the Divine Fist of the North Star!

In a postapocalyptic world, humanity has risen from the ashes of all-out nuclear war to a nightmare of endless suffering. It is a time of chaos. Warlords and gangs of savage marauders rule the broken ruins of civilization, terrorizing and enslaving the survivors. Life has become a brutal struggle for existence and death the only release.

Kenshiro has crossed the only sea left on earth and arrived in the land of the Asuras to rescue Rin. It is a blighted place, ruled by a brutal code whereby only those who survive hundreds of deadly battles before the age of 15 are allowed to live. Although Kenshiro knows Jask is using Rin as bait to lure him and Falco into a trap, the two warriors won't be stopped. On his way to the Gate of the Asuras, Kenshiro learns about another rogue martial artist, a man whose Hokuto Ryuken style might just lead the land of the Asuras to salvation--or damnation!