To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the hit 1980s manga "Fist of the North Star," a brand new anime series titled "Fist of the North Star" will be broadcast and streamed in 2026. It has been adapted into anime in the past, including the TV anime that aired from 1984 to 1988, and the passionate performances of the star-studded voice actors have been much talked about. We spoke to Shunsuke Takeuchi as Kenshiro, Wataru Takagi Mogami as Toki, and Daisuke Kusunoki as Raoh, who will be playing the "Four Hokuto Brothers" in the new anime, about their thoughts on the new anime.
◇Respect for seniors
--The original manga was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump (Shueisha) from 1983 to 1988. Did you read the manga when it was being serialized?
Wataru and I are from Mr. Kusunoki's generation.
Mogami: I was in elementary school when the series was being serialized, so I read the comics after it finished.
Takagi-san: There were no e-books like there are now, so I used to borrow comics from friends and read them.
We also played pretend games as Mogami-san .
I remember playing pretend games with Mr. Kusunoki .
Mogami -san and Daisuke-san, you weren't even in elementary school at the time, were you? (laughs) It wasn't pretending, it was a fight, right?
Kusunoki: I guess so (laughs).
--Takagi-san has played Jagi in games and other things before.
This is my first time working on a Takagi-san anime, so I was really happy. I wasn't auditioning.
Kusunoki: With such an amazing production, I was happy just to be invited to audition, but I thought it would be difficult... After all, Kenji Utsumi's presence as Raoh is just too big.
Mogami-san is the boss of my agency (Ken Productions, founded by Utsumi-san), so if an anime was going to be produced to celebrate the 40th anniversary, I wanted someone who inherited Utsumi-san's philosophy to play the four brothers, even if it wasn't me.
Did you greet Takagi-san when he was chosen?
First, we went to the graveyard.
Takeuchi: It's a work with a long history, and I have a strong image of that person playing this character.
You have a lot of respect for Takagi-san .
It's also a textbook example of Kusunoki-san's battle anime. However, rather than imitating it, we need to make it something new.
I have a lot of respect for Takagi-san , but I want to make something new. If it's not, there's no point in making a new anime. But it's difficult, because people will definitely compare it to him.
Mr. Kusunoki: Because everyone who has played the role up until now has been amazing.
◇Cast members facing the same direction
-What is your impression of Kenshiro, played by Takeuchi?
Even before Kusunoki-san was chosen, I was sure she would be auditioning because I could picture her in my head.
Takagi-san is perfect!
Mogami- san also has a Reiwa feel to her.
I think a live-action version of Takagi-san would work.
Takeuchi-san, that's impossible (laughs).
-What was the recording like?
Takeuchi-san, you add a lot of ad-libs even during the test.
Kusunoki-san 's ad-libs as Jagi were amazing. It almost spilled over into the next cut (laughs). It was funny.
Takagi-san: In my defense, I usually ad-lib within the time limit, but this time we were doing it like a pre-recording (a method of recording the audio first and then producing the video to match that audio later). It was difficult to decide how much I could play around with the minor characters.
The lines don't stray from Takeuchi 's original work, but I could feel the passion that everyone put into every word they said.
Mr. Kusunoki: The old anime was so interesting, so in that sense there is a lot of pressure. There's no point in doing the same thing.
Mogami: Everyone is working towards the same goal: to create modern anime.
-What did you think when you watched the new anime?
Takeuchi: Even the gritty details, like blood splatters, look beautiful. There's artistry in the roughness, and I think that's the appeal of "Fist of the North Star." That's what's expressed here.
Mr. Kusunoki: Of course, old anime is also attractive and each has its own good points. I also rewatched all of the old anime. As I get older, I feel things differently than I did back then. So, I hope that not only existing fans, but also the new generation will enjoy the new work.
