Jackal, who attacked Bat’s village and killed Bat’s beloved “mother” Toyo to steal well water, sent Kenshiro into a rage. After moving the children Toyo had protected to a safe location, Kenshiro set out to wipe out Jackal’s gang. But before him stood a “giant enemy”: Devil Rebirth.
Before the broadcast, viewers were buzzing with anticipation: “Finally, Kenshiro’s greatest enemy appears today!” and “This time, the fight against Devil Rebirth is finally happening! Devil Rebirth is the largest-bodied enemy in ‘Fist of the North Star.’ I’m really looking forward to seeing how this new anime handles the fight!” Their expectations were met as a literal monster-level enemy appeared and thrilled the audience.
And at the very end of the episode, a character that all ‘Fist of the North Star’ fans have been waiting for made his first appearance!
In this article, we bring you the highlights of the Devil Rebirth battle that got viewers excited, along with fan reactions posted on X!
*The following text contains spoilers for those who have not yet watched the episode. Please proceed with caution.
From Horror Anime to Kaiju Anime?
Jackal went to his usual territory—a shop—to demand free water again. But today, the shopkeeper was acting strange. Instead of meekly obeying, he retorted provocatively: “Hmph, I have no more free water for you.” Jackal snapped, but the shopkeeper wasn’t scared—he looked down on him with contempt. The reason was Kenshiro’s “message of blood.”
What the shopkeeper saw was the battered body of Fox, splattered with blood and carried in on a wall, displayed as a gruesome trophy. Kenshiro’s reputation had already spread as “the man with seven scars,” and it was believed that Jackal had already caught the eye of that “Grim Reaper”—his days were numbered.
Regarding this rumor, viewers reacted: “Kenshiro’s become quite famous” and “The way rumors spread makes him seem more like a death god than a savior.” They also commented on Fox: “What a lovely souvenir” and “So Fox’s corpse has been there all this time…?”
“That brat… He’s going to slowly corner me and torture me to death, isn’t he?” Knowing Kenshiro’s strength had previously given Jackal an advantage, but now it backfired, making the threat more effective than for ordinary thugs.
Kenshiro also replied, “You should slowly savor the terror of being hunted…” and began to slowly corner Jackal, shifting to the role of the hunter.
Viewers reacted: “Calling Kenshiro a brat?” and “Kenshiro has quite a personality, doesn’t he?” They likened this new, psychological approach—strangling with a silken thread—to a slasher movie killer, posting: “Kenshiro is unleashing some serious brutality” “Whoa, slowly closing in…” “From hunter to hunted…” and even “Is this a horror anime?” “It’s like a horror movie, but the protagonist is the one terrorizing people.”
In horror movies, it’s common for the cornered protagonist to panic and turn on each other—especially among villains. And so it was: the thugs scrambled to escape, but their motorcycles had been destroyed. As they tried to jump into a truck, the driver already in the seat had his head burst like a balloon in front of their eyes.
Kenshiro appeared before the panicked thugs, glaring menacingly and pointing at them silently, as if to say “You’re next.” At this point, he was fully a horror character. Viewers commented: “What an ugly betrayal” and “Hell on earth (lol),” sending shivers down spines.
All of this happened within about five minutes of the episode. The terrified underlings started fighting among themselves, offering Jackal’s head, while Jackal tried to stop them by blowing them up with dynamite—Jackal must have felt no peace at all. As a last resort, Jackal released the “monster” Devil Rebirth.
Devil Rebirth is a giant violent criminal imprisoned in Bireny Prison. He has killed 700 people and been sentenced to death 13 times, but none of those executions could take his life. He is currently serving a 200-year sentence. As the largest character in ‘Fist of the North Star,’ fans had long awaited his appearance.
The viewer reactions heated up with references to the famous line from the movie ‘Sadako vs. Kayako’: “You fight a monster with a monster” and “You beat a monster with a monster!! theory” and “The spirit of using a monster to defeat a monster.” Then when the real deal appeared, posts poured in: “Devil Rebirth is here!” “There he is, Devil Rebirth! Is he that huge?!” “What the heck is Devil Rebirth?” “Can you really grow that big?” “This is a kaiju movie now…”
“By the seventh executioner, they’d probably get tired and think, ‘It’s going to fail anyway.'” Such comments flew during the Devil Rebirth fight, but the giant’s size, super strength, and ability to control wind pressure with the “Rakan Ninken” style overwhelmed Kenshiro. However, once Kenshiro got serious, Devil Rebirth was no different from any other thug. He knelt before Kenshiro’s Hokuto Shinken and was finally “executed”! Furthermore, Kenshiro showed no mercy to Jackal, who groveled and begged for his life. Kenshiro made him pay using the dynamite Jackal had hidden.
“I have no words of prayer for them.”
Thus Jackal was defeated, and Kenshiro returned to Bat, Lin, and the others.
Just when viewers thought the episode was over, the scene shifted to a certain wasteland. A group of thugs was trying to abduct a woman with a deep hooded cloak. They were excited by her beauty under the cloak and cheered as they moved to take her away. But “she” was no ordinary woman—nor even a woman at all, nor just a passerby.
His name is Rei, the master of Nanto Suichoken. Fans had been eagerly waiting for his appearance—one of the top popular characters in this series. In the Toei Animation version, he was voiced by Shiokawa Kenji, and his role with a medieval charm made him a fan favorite.
In this new anime, Rei is voiced by Nakamura Yuuichi. What kind of performance will he deliver?
“Rei has finally come!” “Rei is coming, and Mamiya too” “Before he took off his hood, his voice didn’t sound like Nakamura’s usual voice… He’s amazing” “Next week’s episode just got a lot more exciting.” The audience reacted with surprise and delight to this episode.
Episode 11, airing on June 5 (Friday) at 25:00, will feature Rei’s full debut—definitely one to watch!
Broadcast Information
Broadcasting since April 10, 2026 (Fri)
TOKYO MX / BS11 every Friday at 25:00
Worldwide exclusive streaming on Prime Video every Friday at 25:00
*First episode on April 10 (Fri) and April 17 (Fri) will be special two-episode broadcasts.
Staff
| Original Story | Buronson (Story), Hara Tetsuo (Manga) |
| Director | Maeda Hiroshi |
| Series Composition | Inukai Kazuhiko |
| Character Design | Hisa Tsune Naoki |
| Assistant Director | Ogasawara Kazuma |
| Animation Director | Kouji |
| Art Director | Aoi Takashi / Shimizu Wakako |
| Color Design | Tanaka Miho |
| CG Director | Ikeda Shinji |
| CG Supervisor | Koishikawa Jun |
| Photography Director | Takahashi Yuuki (Takahashi with a high ladder) |
| Editor | Kanayama Yoshinari |
| Sound Director | Konuma Noriyoshi |
| Music | Hayashi Yuuki |
| Opening Theme | [Alexandros] “Hallelujah” |
| Production Cooperation | NIA Animation / Kishida Studio BACU |
| Animation Production | TMS Entertainment / 7th Studio |
Cast
| Kenshiro | Takeuchi Shunsuke |
| Bat | Yamashita Daiki |
| Lin | M.A.O |
| Shin | Yuuji Koyasu |
| Yuria | Hayami Saori |
| Rei | Nakamura Yuuichi |
| Mamiya | Aoki Ruriko |
| Jagi | Takagi Wataru |
| Toki | Mogami Tsuguo |
| Raoh | Kusunoki Daisuke |
| Narration | Yamadera Kouichi |
(C) Buronson・Hara Tetsuo / Coamix, “Fist of the North Star” Production Committee
