Fist of the North Star, also known as Ken, the Great Bear Fist, is a Japanese manga series that was originally serialized from 1983 to 1988 in the Japanese magazine Weekly Sh??nen Jump, created by Tetsuo Hara and Buronson. The manga spans 245 chapters that were originally reprinted in 27 collected volumes (tank??bon) under the Jump Comics imprint.
Set in a post apocalyptic world where the Earth is barren and the strong survive by preying on the weak, the series follows the journey of Kenshiro, the successor of Hokuto Shinken ("Divine Fist of the North Star"), a secret martial arts style that allows its practitioner to destroy an opponent's body from within by striking into their secret channeling points, often resulting in a violent and gruesome death. Kenshiro uses his skills to protect the weak and innocent against the numerous villains that threaten their survival.

Set in a post-apocalyptic version of earth sometime near the end of the 20th century, a nuclear war has left the world in ruins, causing the oceans to evaporate and destroying most of the world's vegetation. Most of earth's survivors include villagers who try to thrive on what little resources they have and the numerous vicious gangs and tribes who prey on them. A martial artist named Kenshiro, a man with seven scars on his chest and the chosen successor of the legendary assassin's art Hokuto Shinken (The Divine Fist of the North Star) has sworn to protect the weak and innocent from the malicious gangsters that threaten their survival. Accompanied by two young children named Bat and Lin, Ken confronts numerous violent gangs through his journey. Eventually Ken faces his adoptive brothers who were also trained in the art of Hokuto Shinken, as well as the six top masters of the Nanto Seiken (The Sacred Fist of the South Star) school. His ultimate adversary is his eldest brother Raoh, a would-be world conqueror who broke the Hokuto Shinken law by refusing to give up the style.

Several years after Ken defeats Raoh, he returns to help his former sidekicks Bat and Lin, now leader of the Hokuto Army, to fight off against the tyranny of the Heavenly Emperor's Army led by the Acting Governor Jakoh. Not long after Jakoh's defeat, Lin is kidnapped and Ken is forced to travel to the Land of Shura (Shura no Kuni) to rescue her, a land of warriors ruled by Kaioh, who uses the style of Hokuto Ry??ken (The North Star Lapis Lazuli Fist), a malicious counterpart to Ken's Hokuto Shinken. After defeating Kaioh and rescuing Lin, Ken continues his journey and takes Raoh's orphaned son Ryu as his apprentice.