Hokuto Shinken
Hara originally depicted Kenshiro as a teenager who fought against the rival martial arts school of the Taizanji Kenpō in the 1980s Japan in his two-part prototype version of "Hokuto no Ken". This version of the character was given the full name of . In this setting, Kenshiro was the 23rd successor of Hokuto Shinken, preceded by his unnamed father, who in turn learned the art from the 21st successor, Master . This Kenshiro was much more cheerful than the Kenshiro of the serialized manga, having yet to experience the same hardships at the start of the story and lacking his iconic seven scars. After Kenshiro's girlfriend, Yuki is murdered and Ken is framed for her death, Kenshiro becomes a wanted fugitive who sets out to overthrow the Taizanji organization.