Fictional History
Hokuto Shinken is first described as an 1,800-year-old Chinese assassination art formed during the Three Kingdoms era. The art's power lies in channeling one's energy into a single blow and striking one of the 708 Keiraku Hikō (経絡秘孔?, "Hidden Channeling Points") in the human body (also known as acupressure points, power points, vital points, tsubo, etc.). This causes the victim to explode, be controlled involuntarily or otherwise incapacitated. It can also be used to heal certain physical and psychological wounds, such as restoring a person's voice, eyesight or memories, though the main purpose of Hokuto Shinken is assassination. The average person uses only 30% of their body's potential strength, but those who had mastered Hokuto Shinken can tap into the remaining 70% as well. Hokuto Shinken also derives power by using Tôki (闘気?, battle aura) or fighting aura to use the human body's full potential as well as to project energy attacks. These energy attacks can be also used to strike pressure points, as was the case when Kenshiro fought Souther. As with many Chinese Martial Arts, there is a soft style, which depends on accuracy and agility, which Kenshiro and Toki use, and a hard style, which Raoh uses often, which relies on brute power to annihilate targets.
Due to its deadliness, Hokuto Shinken can only have one successor per generation according to the art's law. Students who are not chosen to inherit the succession must renounce the style voluntarily or risk having their memories erased or their fists crushed. This is due to the extreme consequences of the style being held by one who is evil at heart; in this case, Raoh and Jagi were corrupted. Toki renounced his successorship due to his illness, hence nominated Kenshiro as the successor. In New Fist of the North Star, the role of successor is also to have said to hold the responsibilities of the guardian of the Emperor of Heaven in Chinese Astronomy and legend, being the merciless punisher of evil and protector of the innocent.
Late in the myth, it is revealed that the founder of Hokuto Shinken is a man named Shuken of the Hokuto Sōke (北斗宗家) bloodline and the ancestor of Kenshiro and Hyoh. Fist of the Blue Sky further develops the origins of Hokuto Shinken, where it is revealed that Hokuto Shinken is a blending of Shuken's original Hokuto style and the Keiraku Hikō techniques of Seito Gekken.
Hokuto Shinken was introduced to Japan through a pilgrimage of Kūkai in the 9th century.
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