Besides Kenshiro, there are many Fighters in FIST OF THE NORTH STAR whose captivating tales cannot be told in just a few words.
Their stories collide in fierce battles, creating what have now become widely recognized as iconic scenes.
To this day, these moments remain engraved in the memories of fans.
We aim to recreate these battles as best as we can.
One of the ways of doing this is though animation scenes.
I know that many of you out there are wondering what exactly that means.
This is a feature that isn't particularly well known.
It's when an alternate animation plays out when one Fighter defeats another with their Secret Technique.
It only occurs between certain Fighters who have certain connections or relationships.
I'm sure you've probably seen different animation scenes play when Kenshiro or Rei deliver finishing blows to certain enemies.
This animation will only play out when certain Fighters defeat the last Fighter of the enemy Party with their Secret Technique, so there are probably many of you out there who haven't even noticed.
For example, if you defeat Raoh with Muso Tensei Kenshiro,
the scene where Kenshiro first uses Subconscious Transmigration of Souls at the castle is played out.
This animation refers to the scene where Kenshiro says, "Raoh, Toki is waiting for you!"
Fist of Strength Toki also has an alternate animation for defeating Raoh.
As his body succumbs to his disease, Toki realizes that he cannot get through to Raoh.
He embraces his dying wish, challenging Raoh to battle.
The animation shows Toki pointing to the sky.
Another example is when Raoh defeats Juza.
Upon realizing who The Last Nanto General really is, Juza challenges Raoh, risking his life to save her.
The animation shows Kokuoh mourning Juza.
The game contains numerous animations such as these, which are a throwback to heart-wrenching battles, and gently unravel the many tales from the manga.
Raoh's intense battles are naturally the more famous ones.
Besides the animation, there are even times where his lines change.
An example of this is when Kenshiro defeats Thouzer.
Kenshiro delivers the finishing blow to Thouzer, looks at him then mutters:
"You were a sorrowful man, all because of how deep your love was."
You can hear him say this in-game.
Alternate voice lines can also be heard when Kaioh defeats Kenshiro or Muso Tensei Kenshiro,
or when Crimson Star Juda defeats White Water Bird Rei.
The idea for this Easter egg started off at the development stage before the release of the game.
As we were going to recreate the original story in the game and the Fighters were going to be in 3D, we thought that including some kind of dialogue between characters would really take things a step further.
Currently, there are 6 alternate animation patterns and 15 alternate voice lines.
The examples listed in this article are just a small handful, so be sure to check out the rest of them.
We'll be introducing more of these in a future Developer Diary update.
We'll also be adding more alternate animation scenes for upcoming fighters.
With the addition of every new Fighter, we're excited to think of how users will recall the manga, wondering whether the latest Fighter has any alternate animation scenes or lines.
We hope you'll continue to enjoy the game and look forward to what's in store!
