Fist of the North Star
"You are already dead." - What Kenshiro says at the end of EVERY. FUCKING. FIGHT.
"ATATATATATATATATATATA!!!" - What Kenshiro says at the beginning of EVERY. FUCKING. FIGHT.
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Setting aside the fact that it's manga and anime and thus Weeaboo for a moment, this is the single manliest show in existence. If you got Vance Motherfucking Stubbs, Colonel "I Ripped Off an Eldar Farseer's Leg and Beat Her to Death With It" Straken, General Sturnn, Gabriel Angelos, and Commissar Fuklaw, Khârn and every World Eater in existence to come together and produce a show using only their pure manliness, this is dangerously similar to what they would probably come up with. That plus Weeaboo, anyway.
And the result is a show that whilst loaded with moralfaggotry (and often ironic moralfaggotry), manages to be so in a way that makes it fairly entertaining, which is something that a lot of other works trying to moralfag (I.E. Chick Tracts) fail miserably at.
Yes, you just read that correctly.
Fist of the North Star is a series taking place in a post-apocalyptic world wherein mankind has descended into barbarism and the strong prey upon the weak. Into this horrid world, there is a man who is trained in a martial arts style called Hokuto Shin Ken, which is centered around punching people using their pressure points and causing them to explode in fountains of gore, like an Angry Marine feeding someone a Plasma Grenade. This man is Kenshiro, a genuinely good-hearted protagonist who protects the weak and who is searching for his Fiance, Yuria. And it only gets more epic from there. The series leads across a dizzying array of support characters and antagonists, ranging from hilarious and uplifting to terrifying and tragic.
Like Eisenhorn for the 40K universe, this work is known for its genuinely touching moments as well as its fuckawesome action sequences and hilariously over-the-top violence. It all-but-single-handedly broke the "men aren't allowed to cry" schtick of the 1980s, bringing us the source of MANLY TEARS that would eventually give rise to the Manly Marines.
Paradoxically, so much is in the series that was simply absent from other works of the time, that it stands on its own, like Rogue Trader, even to this very day. Even minor characters are well-developed and well fleshed-out - even the fucking horse. The villains are monstrous (often being as depraved as people can get), but are very human characters and you get a sense of how far they've fallen to get that way. The setting is dark and disturbing, but has bits of genuinely uplifting moments and more than a few bits of hilarity brought about by the dry humor of several characters (Mostly the Protagonist, Kenshiro, and supporting cast members Bat and Rei).
It is a work of such power and depth that it truly transcends its medium. It's a powerful show - as well as a hilariously awesome campaign setting for GURPS or d20 Modern if you want to take it to its extreme, and several fa/tg/uys have already done so.
Chuck Norris wishes he was anywhere near as awesome as any of the protagonists in this series. Even the fucking horse.
Even Khorne tolerates this series, despite the moralfaggotry, weeaboo-ness, and the fact that the Blood was openly censored (by making it glow white, which usually worked, but occasionally resulted in comic gold) in order to get the show past censors and allow it on network TV in its anime format. Presumably the huge body count the show had helped sway the blood god's opinion.
Plot
Near the end of the 20th century, a nuclear flame engulfed most of the Earth's surface, reducing most of the world into a vast desert wasteland. The survivors of mankind banded together in tribes in order to fight over the few supply of uncontaminated food and water still left in the world, with the strong often preying on the weak. Kenshiro, the successor of the assassination art known as Hokuto Shinken, wanders the wasteland after being separated from his fiancee by a rival martial artist. Accompanied by two young children, Bat and Lin, Ken becomes a savior to the weak and innocent from the various gangs threatening their survival. Throughout the course of his journey, Kenshiro encounters various formidable rivals and adversaries, ultimately culminating with Kenshiro's eldest adoptive brother Raoh, an oppressive tyrant who challenges Ken for the right of the Hokuto Shinken succession.
Several years afterward, Kenshiro reunites with the now grown Bat and Lin in order to stand up against a corrupt Imperial Army. The three, with the help of other rebels, manage to expose a conspiracy within the Imperial Army to keep the Heavenly Empress (Lin's estranged twin sister, Lui) imprisoned. The Empress is saved, only for Lin to be taken to the "Land of Asura", a country of warriors where only the mightiest survive. Kenshiro crosses to Asura in pursuit of her, only to find himself fighting against the three generals who rule over the land. Kenshiro finds himself fighting not only against his own blood brother Hyou, but also Kaioh, Raoh's own brother. After defeating Kaioh, Kenshiro goes on a few further adventures with Raoh's orphaned son, Ryu.
Fist of the North Star and /tg/
Fist of the North Star is considered one of the only manga/anime works that /tg/ will openly tolerate, if only because it's widely considered fucking awesome and 100% distilled manliness, despite the fact it's main character screams like a version of Bruce Lee crossed with Doomrider when attacking. General gist is that it's about the only manga/anime /tg/ will openly tolerate, and that's fucking unique.
Suffice to say, there's a few amusing examples of Fist of the North Star's influence on /tg/.
It is often joked that one of several commanders of the Manly Marines is a reference to Kenshiro (he is).
Additionally, the infamous Ranger build, which /tg/ used to break 4e before it even came out, Kenshiro Cascadero "Rattata" Orcuslayer, is named for Kenshiro.
If this isn't enough, several DMs have run humorous and hilarious campaigns in GURPs and d20 Modern by using Fist of the North Star as an example. The combination of a post-apocalyptic world and the fact that the martial arts the protagonists and antagonists use is a form that makes people explode (unless they are using Nanto Seiken, in which case it tears them apart in a matter similar to an Eversor) is a bit of curiosity that has never truly gotten old.
Reviews
FIST OF THE NORTH STAR KICKS ASS. IT'S UNGODLY FAGGOTY SOMETIMES, BUT IT KICKS ASS! THE BLOOD SPILLED IS ALMOST ADEQUATE ENOUGH TO PLEASE ME! - Khorne, the Blood God
"Amiba encouraged me to follow my dreams of being a complete bastard and experiment on sentient creatures!" - Dark Eldar Haemonculus
"HENCEFORTH ALL USERS OF DUAL POWER FISTS IN THIS CHAPTER WILL LEARN HOW TO DO THAT FUCKING RAPID-PUNCHING THING OR SO HELP ME I WILL DISCIPLINE YOU." - Temperus Maximus, Angry Marine Chapter Master.
This ALMOST got near the body count I made during my Dominion of Fire." - Angron
/TG/'s RATING
FIGHTING - 6: Unlike Dragonball Z, characters don't spend ages talking about how they're gonna fight or spend whole episodes powering up. So, there's there's lots of actual fighting to be had.
GURO - 9001: No wait, scratch that. The 'fights' in this show basically Kenshiro waving his hands in a general direction and everyone who were supposed to hate explodes in a spray of gore. Except for special cases at the ends of episodes. Khorne likes this show only because of this. Even the horse engages in wholesale slaughter.
Gayness - 9001: As is mandatory for all animu reviewed by /tg/.
Character Depth - 9001: Even the fucking Horse has a detailed fucking backstory. The villains are huge dicks, and this is improved by fleshing them out, to make them more human in spite of them being cockbags. This makes their inevitable comeuppance that much more satisfying and meaningful; an example of what good fucking villains should be like.
Mecha - 1: What giant robots? Kenshiro does punch a WWII-era T-34 Light Tank to scrap, however if it counts.
Manly Tears - 11: This show practically invented them. Some of the scenes in the show are so moving that even the manliest of Neckbeards are moved to tears (Rei's death and Raoh's fight vs. Toki both being well-known points for this). You can sniffle this once. Even Angry Marines are stirred into a slightly-more-reserved anger than usual.
Moralfaggotry - 11: Kenshiro's view of morality is shoved down your throat further than the cock of a forum admin. Fortunately when he does it, it's often done well (I.E. on someone who fucking deserves it) or absolutely fucking hilarious, as it is in this. Even so, it at least attempts to show how moral rightness is not just whimpering in the corner talking about love. It actually shows how to be forceful in the name of righteousness.
Lulz - 7: Despite Kenshiro's rampant moralfaggotry, many innocents die in this series is truly hilarious manners.