Takeuchi Shunsuke's "Fist of the North Star" New Anime Interview

The all-new anime "Fist of the North Star" is being produced to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the hit manga "Fist of the North Star," which was a huge hit in the 1980s, and Shunsuke Takeuchi is set to play Kenshiro, which has been much talked about. Takeuchi is known for his deep voice and is a talented voice actor despite his young age. How did he tackle the role of such a popular character in such a popular work? We spoke to Takeuchi directly.

◇We met when we were in elementary school

"Fist of the North Star" is a popular manga that was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) from 1983 to 1988, with a total circulation of over 100 million copies. It was adapted into a TV anime in 1984, recording a peak audience rating of 23.4%. Famous lines such as "You're already dead" became a huge hit. Various media mixes have been developed, including animated films, original video animations (OVAs), games, and musicals. A new anime will be broadcast and streamed in 2026.

Although the original work was serialized before Takeuchi was born, he says he read it when he was in elementary school after a friend recommended it to him.

"Convenience store books were really popular in my generation, and that's how I first came across Fist of the North Star. The story is set at the end of the century, in a world devastated by a nuclear bomb. It's not surprising that something like this could happen at any time, and even as a child I would think about it and talk about it with my friends, wondering how I would survive in that situation. It's not completely different from our everyday lives. Up until then, I hadn't come across many works set in the end of the century, and I was drawn in by the unique worldview. At the time, there were a lot of works that featured psychic battles, so the idea of ​​surviving in a devastated world using martial arts was a fresh idea. I also felt that the idea of ​​using the Hokuto Shinken to bring out 100% of a person's potential was romantic."

The role of Kenshiro was chosen through an audition. Kenshiro has been played by a variety of actors, including Akira Kamiya in the 1984 TV anime version.

"Kenshiro, as well as the other characters, have been played by a variety of people. I enjoy listening to the acting of everyone who has appeared in 'Fist of the North Star,' and I already knew the voices of the previous main character cast members. I've also watched 'Fist of the North Star' from the perspective of voice acting culture. I was happy to be able to be included in that. However, I'm actually a Nanto fan... I liked Rei, so I hadn't really thought much about the Kenshiro elements within me. When I was given the opportunity to play this role, I was excited to think that there might be elements of Kenshiro within me, and I thought about what makes Kenshiro appealing."

◇If he wasn't kind, he wouldn't be Kenshiro

When he was chosen to play Kenshiro, he studied the acting of previous cast members.

"What caught my attention was the acting of Yusaku Matsuda, who is also the model for Kenshiro. Bruce Lee was one of the ideas behind Kenshiro, but I thought that Yusaku Matsuda was the key to his everyday speaking style and personality. I've always loved Matsuda's films, such as 'Black Rain,' but when I saw his work from the 'Violence Classroom' era, I paid close attention to his acting. I also took inspiration from the acting of Hiroshi Abe in 'Fist of the North Star: Legend of the True Savior.'"

Yusaku Matsuda is a great actor who needs no introduction. What did Takeuchi want to learn from this great actor's acting?

"Mr. Matsuda has a kindness that he doesn't speak about. My interpretation is that there are times when you can see his true self, or when he shows his weaknesses in unexpected ways, and I tried to capture that. In the world of 'Fist of the North Star,' Kenshiro is sometimes looked down upon by the weaklings. That means there is an air of him being looked down upon. But when he fights, he is strong. I tried to express that nuance. During the actual recording, there was also talk of 'making eye contact with children and innocent beings.' At first, I thought he would never treat children too childishly, but instead he has a kindness. In a devastated world, he is someone who keeps his spirits up and is able to empathize with others. I tried to link that nuance with Mr. Matsuda's acting."

◇Life-sized youthful feel

As the character is well known, he felt a great deal of pressure, saying, "I'm a fan myself, and the character has been played by great seniors. I'm sure everyone has an ideal image of Kenshiro." He also said he felt pressure from the famous "strange bird sound" of "Atatatata!"

"I was very particular about the strange bird sound. I was also told to 'find your own strange bird sound,' so I thought about it a lot. I listened to the performances of the actors who had played the role so far and tried to find my own strange bird sound. First of all, when I listened to Kamiya Akira's strange bird sound, it was an F-sharp to A-range, so I tried to achieve that. Katsuyuki Konishi is also amazing. Hiroshi Abe and Takehito Koyasu also had patterns that were close to their natural voices. The strange bird sound of the English cast member was a kung fu-like 'te te te te'. I listened to the strange bird sounds of various people and tried to find my own sense of sound. It can't be too light, it's really difficult. There are roughly 16 different types of 'ta', and I tried to keep it constant rather than creating waves."

He has many famous lines, such as "You're already dead."

"It's full of great lines, and everyone has an image of them in their minds. I tried not to make it sound like Kabuki. Matsuda doesn't act in a showy way, so I tried to capture that nuance and redefine the great lines. I consulted with the staff and tried to challenge myself by saying them slowly or casually."

Takeuchi said, "Compared to the previous actors, I am closer to Kenshiro's age, and I think my life-sized youthful feel may be unique to me as a Kenshiro," expressing his desire to play the Reiwa era Kenshiro with respect while inheriting the brilliant performances of his great predecessors.

Takeuchi is a stoic actor. He researched and studied before taking on this big role. "It's difficult after all," he said, but somehow it looked like he was having fun.