This page contains the answers to some frequently asked questions about Hokuto no Ken.
Isn't this game all about Toki?
Not at all! While Toki is still regarded as the strongest character with the most favorable matches, much has changed since the early days of the game's release, and it is possible to win with any character.
Alright, so what are the tiers then?
Tier lists usually fail to accurately display character strength and everyone has their own opinion which spawns tons of lists with minor variations, but if you really want to break the game down into general tiers, they looks something like this:
Top Tier: Toki, Rei > Yuda > Raoh
Mid Tier: Everyone else
Jagi Tier: Jagi
For a more accurate assessment of each character, the below matchup chart does a far better job of summing things up.
| → | ト キ |
レ イ |
ユ ダ |
ラ オ |
ケ ン |
サ |
マ ミ |
シ ン |
ハ |
ジ ャ |
合 計 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| トキ | ＼ | 5.5 | 5.5 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 65(+20) |
| レイ | 4.5 | ＼ | 5.5 | 7 | 5.5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5.5 | 8 | 57(+12) |
| ユダ | 4.5 | 4.5 | ＼ | 4 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
56(+11) |
| ラオウ | 3 | 3 | 6 | ＼ | 6 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 50(+5) |
| ケンシロウ | 3 | 4.5 | 3 | 4 | ＼ | 7 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 44.5(-0.5) |
| サウザー | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | ＼ | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 41(-4) |
| マミヤ | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4 | ＼ | 4 | 7 | 6 | 41(-4) |
| シン | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | ＼ | 7 | 6 | 41(-4) |
| ハート様 | 3 | 4.5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ＼ | 6 | 30.5(-14.5) |
| ジャギ | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ＼ | 24(-21) |
Heart is assumed 2P side. (Source: Hokuto Wiki)
As you can, the top 3 characters have very good matchups all around. Raoh, often considered to be somewhere between the top tier and mid tier, has good matchups against the lower ranked characters, but bad matchups against the top 2, Toki and Rei. The rest of the mid-ranked characters have very balanced matchups except against the top 4 characters. Mr. Heart ranks quite low but has very high potential(which is pretty common for 'grappler' characters in almost all fighting games), and in the hands of a skilled player he can easily overcome his bad matchups. As for Jagi, he is more of a comedy option character, having two 9:1 matchups, with even his best matchups being 4:6.
I am in/going to Japan. Where can I play this game?
Hokuto no Ken has strong communities centered in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. For the total Hokuto no Ken experience Nakano TRF is recommended, and is probably the only arcade you will find anywhere carrying more than one Hokuto machine(let alone four). With multiple tournaments per week, you can't go wrong with TRF. Also in the Tokyo area, the new Takadanobaba Mikado is a great spot to check out as well. Port 24 Yagoto in Nagoya also holds tournaments regularly and is your best bet in central Japan.
An up-to-date listing of arcades carrying the game can be found on the Arcade Listing page on the Hokuto Wiki, or in the individual area threads on the Hokuto BBS(A small amount of Japanese knowledge/Google Translate is required for these pages).
Where can I find match videos?
The best place to find Hokuto no Ken match videos is without a doubt Niconico. An account is needed to watch videos, but signing up is free. To get started, making a search for Hokuto no Ken or Nakano TRF(the main Hokuto arcade in Japan) should come up with plenty of high-level matches.