Koketsu



Koketsu is a minor villain in Fist of the North Star seen only in the manga.

Prior to his appearance, Koketsu was just an incompetent horse feeder for the horses in Ken-Oh's army. When he tried to earn Raoh's favor, he was rejected, causing the short man to hate him.

After Raoh's death, Koketsu took over some fertile land. When Balga tried to rush into Koketsu's hideout, the dictator reveals he had taken the general's son hostage and demands they work. In lieu of Balga's son dying, the soldier's kids would die instead. This robbed Balga of the will to fight.

He is first seen checking out the map of areas that he had taken over. After one area had all its serfs killed, Koketsu orders their corpses be used to replenish the land. Upon seeing the arrival of new slaves, Koketsu is spotted by Ryu, Raoh's son as the dictator had killed his aunt and uncle. One of the slaves, Jimba announces his intentions to kill Koketsu and take over his land, but is shot dead by his own men who had sided with Koketsu. With crops growing, he announces that crops will be weapons to rule the world and believes in the mind. Now that the era of wolves is over, Koketsu orders the slaves be taken to the Red Valley, where no grass had grown.

Kenshiro makes Koketsu wish to keep his word by using an attack that strips Kisuke of his hair and bursts out his tongue. Later, Kenshiro, Ryu and Balga lead a mutiny against Koketsu with the former two arriving in the madman's dining room. Believing Ryu is not strong enough to stop him, he brings out his mindless monstrous pet. While Kenshiro fights the monster, Ryu chases Koketsu to an isolated bunker. He takes time to insult Ryu, but is stabbed in the leg. Remembering the humilitation that Raoh gave him, Koketsu fires special crossbow arrows at the boy, injuring him.

Before he tries to kill him, Koketsu reveals some food reserves in a storeroom and the slaves will starve within six months. Suddenly, Kenshiro knocks the monster into the bunker and the former slaves gather. Desperate, Koketsu feeds his pet a pill and mounts him so they can fight as one with Kijū Ken. They try the spinning Hanku Ha Kon tonfa attack, but Kenshiro breaks the club and lashes the monster. Koketsu feeds his pet an overdose of his pills and tries to have him crush Ryu. Seeing that Ryu has the ironclad will of Raoh, Kenshiro punches the monster to death.

Realizing he can't win, Koketsu flees to his storeroom filled with a booby-trapped floor reacting to weight other than his. When Kenshiro arrives, Koketsu pretends to surrender, hoping to lure the Man with Seven Scars to his death, but the latter punches the wall, dropping some debris to increase Koketsu's weight. The spikes spear up and kill the dictator, with Kenshiro calling it a "worthy death for a filthy rat".

Powers and Abilities
While a timid and cowardly dictator, Koketsu is not entirely defenseless. He can use a monstrous Frankenstein-like pet and join with it to use Kijū Ken. He can also fire a crossbow with multiple arrows.