Hokuto no Ken (NES)

This critically panned Famicom game based on the popular manga sold over 450,000 copies in Japan, proving that Famicom-owning kids back in the 1980s were just as gullible as their NES-playing counterparts when it came to buying licensed trash.

Unused Graphics


Kanji characters for unused finishing moves. With the exception of the first one from the top, all of these are techniques used by the game's boss characters in the manga. Presumably they would've appeared whenever the player lost during a boss battle, just like in Hokuto no Ken 2. From top to bottom, they are:


 * Hokuto Kaikotsu Ken (North Dipper Bone Crushing Fist), used by Kenshiro
 * Assatsu (Crushing Death), used by Mr. Heart
 * Nanto Gokuto Ken (South Dipper Hell Butcher Fist), used by Shin
 * Hokuto Rakan Geki (North Dipper Arhat Strike), used by Jagi
 * Kyokusei Jūji Ken (Pole Star Cross Fist), used by Thouzer
 * Hokuto Shinken Ōgi Musō Tensei (Secret Technique Subconscious Rebirth), used by Kenshiro and Raoh

Hidden Message
This message appears near the beginning of the ROM, at offset (it appears edited here; the lines were originally separated with forward slashes).

Hokuto no ken copyright Tue.24.Jun.1986 Shouei system Pic. by K.Suzuki M.Higa Prg. by M.Yoshihara Y.Kishimoto Y.Sakakura BGM by M.Hara Trading by H.Tokuyama OCHAKUMI by K.Yoshino N.Satoh M.Takano Voice data special thanks to NINTENDO WE ARE TIRED.

Easter Egg
Select two players mode. At the title screen, shout to the microphone on the second controller 10 times, then hold on the second controller Down + Left + A + B and press Start on the first controller. From now, the second player's movement controls will be scrambled. When he like to move left, it will move right, and so on. Nice joke.