A Buddhist funeral ceremony is to be held for "Fist of the North Star" ("Hokuto no Ken") character Raoh. In keeping with the series' established background, the ceremony is to be held at the Shingon sect's Tokyo branch, as the Hokuto Shinken martial arts technique was brought to Japan by a pupil of Shingon founder Kukai, also known as Kobo Daishi.

According to an April 6th report by Sports Nippon, the funeral is to be held on April 18th at the Shingon Koyasan Tokyo Betsuin in Tokyo's Takanawa, in advance of the April 28th premiere of the latest "Fist of the North Star" anime movie, "True Saviour Legend Fist of the North Star - The Legend of Raoh: Fierce Fighting Arc". Hosted by the film's distributor, the ceremony will be held in an authentic manner, with series creator Buronson representing the family of the deceased and manga artist Tetsuo Hara participating as well. Raoh's voice actor for the film, Takashi Ukaji, will read the funeral oration, and singer Shinji Tanimura, a manga fan and friend of Tetsuo Hara, will be acting in an official capacity.

This is not the first mock funeral ceremony held for an anime or manga character. A memorial for "Ashita no Joe" hero Joe Yabuki's rival Tohru Rikiishi was hosted in Kodansha's hall in March, 1970. The editorial department of Weekly Shonen Magazine was flooded with letters from fans when the character's death was revealed. Noted playright Shuuji Terayama's Tenjou Sajiki theatrical troupe planned and executed the funeral, with Shuuji Terayama leading the event. Attended by approximately 800 fans, the event attracted a great deal of media attention. Unlike the "Ashita no Joe" event, however, Raoh's funeral will take place at a real temple.

Produced using the anime fund mentioned in a previous article, "True Saviour Legend Fist of the North Star - The Legend of Raoh: Fierce Fighting Arc" is the middle installment in a five-part series. Part 1, "The Legend of Raoh: Martyred Love Arc", was released in March 2006 and followed by the "Legend of Yuria" OVA on February 23rd. Another OVA, "The Legend of Toki" is planned for release this winter, with "The Legend of Kenshiro" debuting in theaters next year. "The Legend of Raoh: Fierce Fighting Arc" is the conclusion to the Raoh saga that began with "The Legend of Raoh: Martyred Love Arc", and features the epic battle between Kenshiro and Raoh.

* True Saviour Legend Fist of the North Star Official Homepage

* For related items, see Fist of the North Star

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