Raoh

Raoh
	; Raoh, as depicted in the manga
Name in Kanji	ラオウ
Name in Romaji	Raō
Alternate spelling(s)	Laoh; Rao; Raou; Lao; Laou;
Fighting Style	Hokuto Shin Ken (Gō no Ken) and other styles
Allegiance(s)	Himself
Family	Ryuou (ancestor) ; Hahaja (unnamed mother); Kaioh (older brother); Toki (younger brother); Sayaka (younger sister); Jagi (adoptive younger brother); Kenshiro (adoptive younger brother); Ryuken (adoptive father/sifu); Ryu (son);
Position(s)	The Conqueror of Century's End (世紀末覇者 Seikimatsu Hasha)
Appearances	Manga: Chapter 64-136 (Ch 42 in flashbacks); Anime: Episode 32-49; Legends of the True Savior; Ten no Hao; Various other works;
Voice actor(s)	Kenji Utsumi; Tesshō Genda (Legend of Heroes, J-Stars Victory Vs, Legends ReVIVE, Fitness Boxing: Hokuto no Ken); Takashi Ukaji (Raō Den Jun'ai no Shō, Yuria Den, Raoh Den Gekitō no Shō, Toki Den, Ten no Haoh); Shigeru Shibuya (Raō Den Jun'ai no Shō- Young Raoh); Kunihiro Kawamoto (Yuria Den, Raoh Den Gekitō no Shō, Toki Den- Young Raoh); Takayuki Kondō (Ten no Haoh- Young Raoh); Rikiya Koyama (Ten no Haoh PSP); Fumihiko Tachiki (Hokuto Musou, Shin Hokuto Musou); Hiromu Miyazaki (Shin Hokuto Musou- Young Raoh); Kazuya Ichijō (DD Hokuto no Ken); Takashi Matsuyama (Ichigo Aji); Masami Iwasaki (Hokuto ga Gotoku); John Snyder (TV series dub); Wally Burr (1986 movie dub); Jason Douglas (Raoh Den Junai no Shou dub); Andrew Love (Ten no Haoh dub); Dave B. Mitchell (Hokuto Musou dub); Patrick Seitz (Hokuto ga Gotoku dub)

"Even the gods quake in fear before the power of my fists!"

— Raoh in episode 32

Raoh (ラオウ, Raō), also known by his alias Ken-Oh (拳王, The King of Fists), is one of the inheritors and practitioners of Hokuto Shinken. Unlike his brother Toki, who used his fist to heal the sick, or Kenshiro, who used his fist to protect the innocent, Raoh chose to become the most powerful martial artist of all time, and used his fist to become a mighty conqueror of the wasteland, subduing all people in his wake.

Raoh is among the most fearsome combatants the wasteland has ever seen. He is rivalled only by Kenshiro, Toki (at his peak health), and Kaioh (whom prophecy claimed Raoh would ultimately defeat). He also avoided conflict with Souther, but only due to the mystery of his immunity to Hokuto Shinken, and was said to be stronger than him otherwise.

Raoh led a campaign of ruthless and cruel conquest across the planet, not seeking to install a functioning society or caring about the well being of his subjects, but only spreading his reign for the ability grow more powerful. He was so ambitious that he claimed to rival even the gods themselves in power.

His name became synonymous with the star Bōkyōsei (暴凶星, Violent Evil Star).

Biography

Childhood

Raoh was the eldest of Ryuken's four adopted sons. He is the biological older brother of Toki and Sayaka, and the younger brother of Kaioh. Raoh was originally a native from the island of Shura. After the death of his mother, Raoh was orphaned and sent to the mainland by Jukei, along with his little brother, Toki, and the baby Kenshiro to train with Ryuken, the master of Hokuto Shinken. When they met Ryuken, he left Raoh and Toki at the bottom of a canyon and promised he would only adopt the one who made it to the top first. Raoh clawed himself to the summit but carried Toki with him and ordered Ryuken to adopt both of them. Ryuken was moved by this act and agreed, taking Raoh as his apprentice. Raoh trained hard under Ryuken, driven by the desire to become the strongest. He made a promise with Toki that should he fall victim to his own ambition, his little brother would stop him at any cost.

The King of Fists

As Raoh developed a fierce and terrifying fighting style, Ryuken came to fear his power and chose Kenshiro as his successor to Hokuto Shinken. Consequently, Raoh broke the 1800 year law of Hokuto by refusing to give up his power. Ryuken tried to stop him from misusing the Hokuto style, but Raoh killed him and left the temple to further his ambition. He assumed the title of Ken-Oh (拳王 King of Fists) and amassed an army to conquer the wasteland. Among those to join under his banner were Jagi, Amiba, Yuda and Ryuga.

Battle in Mamiya's Village

Raoh established the mighty stronghold of Cassandra as a prison for martial artists, whose secret scrolls he had stolen to perfect the ultimate fighting style. He also kept Toki imprisoned there to prevent him joining forces with Kenshiro. However, Cassandra was liberated by Kenshiro, and Toki was rescued. Raoh launched a counterattack on Mamiya's village, where he fought with Rei of the Nanto Suicho Ken style and defeated him with a fatal blow to Rei's Shinkesshū pressure point, dooming the Nanto fighter to die a gruesome death in 3 days. Kenshiro challenged Raoh for revenge and the two battled to a bloody standstill after Toki intervened to stop them killing each other.

The Holy Emperor Souther

After his fight with Kenshiro, Raoh would carefully survey what Souther was up to, as he was constructing the holy mausoleum with child slaves. The wound he sustained in his fight with Kenshiro, along with Souther's bodily secret, prevented Raoh from engaging with the rival warlord, and he set up a temporary base while he continued to recuperate. After receiving word that Kenshiro was defeated by the Nanto Ho'o Ken master, Raoh ordered a few of his troops to find and rescue him, and had him delivered to Lin, Bat and Shu. Later, after he and Toki had taken down a considerable amount of Souther's army, the two of them observed as Kenshiro triumphed over Souther in their rematch.

Final battle with Toki

Raoh later confronts Koryu, a master of Hokuto Shin Ken and an old rival of Ryuken. Raoh seeks to fight the old master as his way of gauging the recovery of his wound that Kenshiro inflicted on him. Raoh and Koryu fought, and despite the latter attempting to defeat Raoh with the Shichisei Massatsu, Raoh overpowered him, destroying Koryu's hands and pummeling him to death. Toki sensed that the time was drawing near for him to fight Raoh, and soon enough, Raoh would finally duel with Toki to settle their childhood promise. Toki, weakened by his radiation poisoning, was defeated but Raoh spared his brother's life in a rare act of mercy. Toki would later die during a confrontation with Ryuga.

The Last Nanto General

Raoh later fought against the Nanto Goshasei - guardians of the mysterious Last Nanto General, who had risen up to challenge Raoh's conquest. Three of the Goshasei would fight him directly: Huey of the Wind, Shuren of the Flame, and Raoh's old rival Juza of the Clouds, only for all of them to die by Raoh's hand. When Raoh discovered the General's real identity was Yuria, his unrequited love and Kenshiro's fiancée, he marched onward to claim her for himself. However, after a brief entanglement with Tou and Rihaku of the Ocean, he was met by Kenshiro, who had now learned the ultimate Hokuto Shinken technique Musou Tensei, which overwhelmed him with fear. Raoh managed to escape with Yuria in his clutches and retreated to his fortress. Haunted by his fear of Kenshiro, Raoh abandoned the title of 'Ken-Oh' and swore to become a ferocious demon. His first act was to confront Fudou of the Mountains, formally known as "Fudou the Demon", a ghost from his past and the first man to teach him fear. Fudou was now a reformed character, adopting orphans of the wasteland, but he was forced to fight when Raoh threatened to slaughter his children. Despite withstanding Fudou's relentless charge, Raoh was terrified of the vision of Kenshiro reflected in Fudou's eyes and left the battlefield in disgrace.

The Final Battle

On the brink of despair, Raoh decided that only killing Yuria would bring him the sorrow needed to learn Musou Tensei and defeat Kenshiro. However, as he prepared to strike, he discovered Yuria was hiding a terminal illness the whole time. Yuria's courage in the face of her impending death moved Raoh to tears and stopped him from killing her. Instead, he placed her in a temporary coma, slowing the spread of her disease. As fate would have it, this moment bestowed Raoh with Musou Tensei, and he took Yuria's body to the Hokuto Renkitōza, faking her murder in order to provoke Kenshiro into their final showdown. After a grueling battle, Raoh realized he could not overcome his opponent, whose soul was strengthened by the blood and tears shed against his great rivals. Conceding defeat to his younger brother, Raoh proclaimed to have no regrets and sent his remaining life-force into the sky, restoring light to the world as he died standing proudly. His body was buried beside Toki's grave.

Hokuto no Ken (1986 movie)

In the 1986 movie, Raoh watches alongside Jagi as Shin defeats Kenshiro and kidnaps Yuria. After which, he orders Jagi to dispose of Kenshiro by throwing him into an abyss to perish in darkness. He also gives Jagi the title of successor, which was now worthless to him. Raoh visits Ryuken at the Hokuto dojo, confirming Kenshiro's "death" and his own goal to conquer the heavens. Ryuken is left with no choice but to seal his eldest son's power but Raoh murders his master and leaves the dojo to fulfill his ambitions.

During the follow year, Raoh begins his path of conquest by eliminating rival warlords, such as the Fang Clan, before marching to Southern Cross to challenge Shin. Upon his arrival he captures Yuria (who was in the midst of escaping) and defeats Shin, leaving him alive long enough to warn Kenshiro.

Raoh returns to his stronghold of Cassandra in anticipation of the final battle, using Yuria as his bait. However, Kenshiro arrives too late to save Rei, who himself challenges Raoh to save Yuria. The two Hokuto brothers engage in a bloody clash which is brought to a halt when Lin intervenes. Realizing the role Lin will play in the future, Raoh leaves the battlefield and postpones his war with Kenshiro for another day.

Whereas in the original Japanese theatrical release and English dub, Raoh is the victor only for Kenshiro to be saved by Lin, this was changed in the Japanese home video version where the fight ends in a stalemate.

Personality

Ever since his childhood, Raoh was motivated by a fervent desire to grow and become the strongest, driven in large part because of the death of his parents thus motivating him to grow stronger to survive. As he trained and grew along the years, so did his goals, becoming a highly ambitious individual who would pursue greater strength and the might to conquer even the heavens themselves. Determined and unafraid he was willing to challenge anyone who would obstruct his plans, even Gods if needed. He was notably more compassionate in his younger days, climbing a cliff one-handed with Toki and demanding Ryuken to adopt the two of them. He even asked Toki to seal his fists if he ever went stray, showing strong morality.

In his adulthood, however, he's power hungry and extremely ruthless, inflicting a slow and painful death on his foes on purpose so that they would live long enough to fear him and thus cement his own status as the strongest King of Fists. For all his nearly arrogant belief on his power, he could still offer praise to fighters who could match him, and was an honorable combatant. He is disgusted by those who would dare filth a proper match, and even went as far as snapping the neck of a violator at one point. Although his ambitions run deep, there is still compassion in his heart, as he was able to mourn others including those that he killed himself.

Although normally confident of his power and willing to face any challenger that comes before him, Raoh was not entirely devoid of fear and was in fact easily destabilized in the face of a person with sorrowful eyes, because only a person who knows love can feel sorrow, which Raoh had discarded for his ambitions. Upon being struck with fear for the first time he becomes increasingly aggressive even with his own men and is tormented by the prospect that his status as the King of Fists may be in peril due to the fear he felt after facing Kenshiro who mastered Muso Tensei through sorrow. Ultimately Raoh had warmer feelings, especially for Yuria although he refused to admit them. Yuria believes that Raoh may have wanted Kenshiro to beat him all along since power and fear can conquer the chaotic world, but can never achieve true peace.

Fighting Style

As a master of Hokuto Shinken, Raoh boasts extraordinary fighting power. He uses the hidden vital points to inflict a slow and agonizing death on those who oppose him - as was the case with Rei. Raoh further added martial arts stolen from Cassandra into his fighting style and displayed techniques from both Nanto Seiken and Rakan Niō Ken in the TV series.

His Gō no Ken (Strong Fist) style overpowers enemies with immense force and enhances his own strength depending on his opponent. Toki describes his style as being akin to a strong current that becomes raging and more violent in face of another strong current. Raoh possesed mastery over Tōki an aura he could channel for different effects and even shield him from attacks by repelling them with his own power, and could even use this aura for his own devastating long range blasts. Raoh had great strength to go along with his size, and could (in particular in the anime) send several people flying with a mere swing of his fists, destroying them in brutal ways and even pulverize through steel and bone instantly.

Raoh was an extremely powerful adversary and could defeat Rei, Kenshiro, Toki, amongst many others by himself. It took Kenshiro several encounters, and eventually his mastering of Muso Tensei, for the King of Fists to be finally defeated.

Appearance

Raoh has had several incarnations in the various Hokuto no Ken media. In the original manga color illustrations, Raoh is depicted with white skin and blonde hair. However, like much of the cast, his palette was altered for Toei Animation's TV series, which opted for a swarthier complexion and jet-black hair. Depending on the animators, Raoh also appears older and more rugged than his manga counterpart in some episodes. Modern installments, such as the True Savior Legend series and Ten no Haoh are closer to the manga, depicting Raoh with silver and blonde hair respectively and lighter skin tones.

Character Rating

From Hokuto no Ken: Kyūkyoku Kaisetsusho: Seikimatsu Haō Retsuden.

Level: AAA
Power: 5
Speed: 4
Skills: 5
Looks: 3
Charisma: 5

Stats

Height: 210cm (6'11")
Weight: 145kg (320 lbs)
Bust: 160cm (63 in)
Waist: 115cm (45 in)
Hip: 130cm (51 in)
Neck Circumference: 65cm (26 in)
VOICE: Kenji Utsumi (TV series, 1986 movie), Norio Wakamoto (ep 32), Keiichi Nanba (young; TV series), Nobuo Tobita (young; Hokuto no Ken 2), Takashi Ukaji (Legends of the True Savior movie series, Ten no Haoh TV series) Norman Mozzato (TV series, 1986 movie;italian version)

Trivia

The God of War from the video game Forgotten Worlds shares a striking resemblance with Raoh, and also Zeus from World Heroes series.
Goliath, a boss in the video game Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (Konami, 2008), apart from making reference to the biblical character of the same name, is also a nod to Raoh, and even performs his characteristic fist held high pose when defeated.
Raoh and Kokuoh are inspired by the Frank Frazetta painting (and eponymous character) Death Dealer. One artwork featuring the two characters is directly referenced from the original Death Dealer painting.
Raoh's first appearance is in chapter 42 of the manga, but only as a flashback. His first physical appearance is in chapter 64. His final physical appearance is in episode 136.