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"The cherry blossoms are scattering"
—Hokuto (Street Fighter EX)

Hokuto (ほくと?), real name Shirase (訃, しらせ?), is a video game character from the Street Fighter EX series, first appearing in the original Street Fighter EX. She is a noble practitioner of the ancient martial art kobudō, and sibling to Kairi and Nanase.

Hokuto appears in Fighting EX Layer, a spiritual successor to the Street Fighter EX games featuring the original characters created by Arika for said games.

Biography[]

Appearance[]

Her initial outfit is that of a kyudo practitioner's uniform, being a pair of navy blue hakama and white tabi, with a red lacquered muneate breastplate, over a white short sleeved hakamashita like gi over a black necklong form fitting undershirt of purple hue. She wears her forelocks up with a headband, that prominently displays her forehead. Her long brown hair is let down. In-game, her white hakamashita like gi has long sleeves.

Her second outfit is a pink komon kimono, with small white pink cherry blossom patterns that run around her long, wide sleeves and the borders of her kimono's opening. Over a gold yellow obi, she wears a pair of verdant green hakama and white tabi. Her brown hair is tied in a high ponytail with a green band in two long and short fringes on each side, showing her forehead.

In Street Fighter EX3, her first outfit has minor changes; the sleeves of her gi became short sleeves, her high-neck undershirt is navy blue and her hakama is dark blue. Her long brown hair is darker and was styled shoulder-length in-game.

In her Shadaloo C.R.I., her appearance is largely the same but her hakama and hair are black and she is equipped with a single brown glove on her right hand.

In Fighting EX Layer, Hokuto's hair is now black (dark brown on her character portrait), has full fringes on her head and pulled down into a low ponytail. She retains her white headband which is connected to her white hairclip. Since Shirase is playable by default, this playable DLC fighter was in fact the real Nanase who is an amnesiac in disguise.

Her kimono shirt is white, the white short sleeves with red and brown trim have holes in each sides to show her shoulders, her mundate breastplate is blue with yellow flower designs, the flower petals resembles a shape of the crescent moon and her hakama is dark blue with a white trim and has a drawing of a brown mountain at the hem and also white snowflake designs. Her outfit retains the white tabi from her original outfit. She now wears a single black segmented fingerless glove that resembles gauntlets on her right hand with red linings on her wrist and has white knuckle guards and inner part of her fingerless gloves are red. She also has a red segmented wristband on her left one.

Personality[]

Hokuto is shown to be a very calm, noble and mature woman. Despite this, she has quite a temper, shown when Vega started taunting her with his womanizing ways during one of their matches. Because of the sorrow of losing Kairi, Hokuto is not a very open and expressive woman, otherwise she is sensitive of other people's family problems.

Concept[]

During the development of the original Street Fighter EX game, she was named Kobudo Onna (which translates to "kobudo woman" or "kobudo girl"), said name being likely a placeholder.[3]

Hokuto's use of the naginata, combined with her noble and calm demeanor, is likely a reference to the concept of the Yamato Nadeshiko noble woman.

Character Relationships[]

Kairi[]

Kairi and Hokuto grew up together as brother and sister. However, on a stormy night, Kairi was thrown into the sea from the ship in which he was traveling by Hokuto and lost his memories.[4] Once she's informed that Kairi is alive she immediately sets off to a journey to stop him, which meant facing him in a life or death confrontation.[1]

Nanase[]

After Nanase was born, the two trained together rigorously in the martial arts and were closely bonded as sisters. Before setting out on her journey to find Kairi she reveals the truth to Nanase before leaving.[4] In Fighting EX Layer she seals off Nanase's memories of the Mizugami and their conflict so that she could live as an ordinary girl.

Ryu[]

Ryu befriends and stays with Hokuto for a long period of time in the Street Fighter EX continuity. When Ryu is in Japan he'd visit Hokuto to train with her. Hokuto yearns for Ryu as he reminds her of her brother.[5] At one point, she wondered if Ryu really was her older brother.[6]

Ken[]

Their first encounter wasn't a friendly one as Hokuto doesn't allow strangers near her dojo. However once Ryu introduces Ken as his friend and rival she apologies for her rudeness and remains on good terms with him. She originally tries to fight Ken so Ryu wouldn't find out that he's gotten weaker but Ken brushes her off as he's only interested in facing Ryu.[7] Eventually Ken does take Hokuto up on her offer and she defeats him.[8] In the Street Fighter EX2 Drama CD (Extra Dra Night of Nanase and Hokuto), Ken helps her set up the computer and internet since Hokuto couldn't do it herself.

Story[]

Street Fighter EX series[]

Background[]

Hokuto was born to the Mizugami (水神, みずがみ) family, which has held a tradition in the art of Kobujutsu. Hokuto was born out of a tryst between a woman of the head Mizugami house and a man from a branch family, additionally inheriting ancestry from the main house of the Bushin clan as a result. Originally known as Shirase (?) during her childhood, Hokuto was entrusted to the head house at an early age, raised as Kairi's sister by the head of the family in order to conceal the tryst. After her younger sister Nanase was born, the two trained together rigorously in the martial arts and were closely bonded as sisters. Hokuto trained in the martial arts since an early age, refining them into her personal style, eventually blooming her talent to become the "seiden" (正伝) of the ancient hand-to-hand martial arts of the Mizugami.

Inevitably, fate would unfortunately come to divide her family. Being born of the tryst, the branch families of the Mizugami had held deep enmity towards their progenitor clan due to years of mistreatment and abuse. In addition to this strong feeling of hatred and resentment rooted deeply in her genealogy, growing up, Hokuto would unknowingly be influenced to develop an alter ego under her childhood name that would come to end the Mizugami. One stormy night, she pushed Kairi into the ocean in an attempt to kill him while under the influence of this persona, leading to the Seal of Blood being placed on her in order to erase all memories of her brother. One day, when she was 17, her foster father informed her of the existence of her older brother, who disappeared when Hokuto was still an infant. Her brother was in fact, still alive and walking the path of the Shura (修羅). Hokuto sets off to a journey to stop him, which meant that she would have to face Kairi in a life or death confrontation.[9][1] Eventually, Hokuto reached the end of her journey, and was reunited with her brother Kairi.

Endings[]

Street Fighter EX[]

"The cherry blossoms are scattering" She continued the fight for carnage, not knowing the true meaning of her blood-stained lineage. Will she keep fighting long enough to be reunited with her brother and mutually dye their fists red? Or else?

Street Fighter EX Plus α[]

"Wait, and everything will eventually return to where it began." The adopted daughter who was taken in by the Mizugami family. She is fighting in the place of the father who sealed Kairi's memories.

Street Fighter EX2[]

When she was a child, a dreadful power was sealed within Hokuto. But during her battle with Kairi, the seal was unleash, tainting her mind with darkness. After the battle ended, Nanase, who was shedding tears over her sister's transformation, called out to her.
"I was once again being tested by the dreadful power... But Nanase's voice... Her plead for my return awoke me."
Even without losing her mind, there was no one who could have defeated Kairi, except for Hokuto.

Street Fighter EX2 (special ending)[]

Her older brother Kairi lived like a flame illuminating the darkness. Hokuto still had memories of him, even knowing that his heart has been plunged into that darkness... The cruel tragedy of the past was repeated within the assassin's thoughts as well.
Perhaps it was too early, but the two siblings did not wait for Nanase.

Street Fighter EX2 Plus[]

"It is my duty to finish you..."
A confrontation between a brother and a sister is like an unthinkable cold glance that will never again smile. Never...

Street Fighter EX3[]

As the image of a man comes into her mind, Hokuto thinks, "Who are you? Brother... is that you?" Suddenly, she falls to the floor as wet tears roll down her cheeks. She knows that there is nothing she can do but wait for the time that she'll be free from the lost memory of her brother...

Street Fighter EX3 (in team with Kairi)[]

Hokuto has defeated Kairi just like she did when they fought years ago. And yet Hokuto cannot help thinking that he had intentionally pulled his punches before her hit. And so Hokuto thinks to herself, "Why? Why would he do that...?"

Bloody Hokuto[]

Main article: Bloody Hokuto

However, Kairi's presence dispelled the Seal of Blood (血の封印 Chi no Fūin?) implanted into Hokuto, turning her into an assassin whose only purpose was the erasure of Kairi's existence. Unknown to Hokuto, she had been placed under a mental suggestion to locate Kairi and kill him. To prevent this, Hokuto was implanted with the Seal of Blood by the elders of the Mizugami clan, which would be unleashed whenever Hokuto would come into contact with Kairi.

This form, known as Bloody Hokuto (血の封印を解かれたほくと Chi no Fūin o Tokareta Hokuto?, Hokuto Awakened to the Seal of Blood) is an alternate playable version of Hokuto that appears as a hidden character in Street Fighter EX Plus, Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha, and Street Fighter EX3. Bloody Hokuto can be distinguished from her regular counterpart by the red mark on her forehead and purple uniform.

Other appearances[]

Fighting EX Layer[]

Hokutofight

Hokuto in Fighting EX Layer

Hokuto appears as a playable downloadable character in Fighting EX Layer, the spiritual sequel to the Street Fighter EX games, under her real name of "Shirase", now in her "Bloody" form by default. A separate character bearing a similar appearance to her look in the EX games, going by "Hokuto" appears, though the relationship between the two is initially kept shrouded in mystery.

After the Seal of Blood was broken, Hokuto began to go by "Shirase", and was overtaken by her alternate persona, becoming an assassin only focused on eliminating Kairi. She erases Nanase's memories to avoid any obstacles to her goal, and sets off to kill Kairi once and for all.

The "Hokuto" playable in the game is revealed in her ending to actually be an amnesiac Nanase, who, after being instructed by the real Hokuto (Shirase) to kill her and end the curse of the Mizugami family, regains her memories and recognizes her older sister.

Gameplay[]

Fighting style[]

Hokuto fights using Mizugami-ryū Kobujutsu. Naginatajutsu is one of the skills taught in kobudo, on which Hokuto's fighting style is based. Hokuto uses the naginata as part of her Meteor Combo, and is seen wielding hand fans as part of one of her Super Combos. In Fighting EX Layer, Hokuto's fighting style is later given to the real Nanase while disguising as her and her current fighting style mixed with Bojutsu is now given to Sanane Suzuki.

Moveset[]

Hokuto's attacks usually advance towards the opponent before striking, and can duck under mid- and high-aiming attacks; one of her challenges in Trial Mode in Street Fighter EX2 Plus is to duck under a Hadoken to hit with a Shinkyaku Geki. She can also cancel these moves to fake out an opponent; her move Shin is a cancel of a lone Shinku Geki or Shinkyaku Geki. Her Kiren Eki can be charged by holding down the punch button used in command input, making it a good move for juggling opponents. Hokuto can also perform short, two-hit combos (i.e. Chugeki Hoh -> Shougekiha/Shinku Geki/Shinkyaku Geki, depending on input) and can counter attacks.

In Fighting EX Layer, Nanase who disguised herself as her older sister Hokuto retains all of her older sister's moves from the Street Fighter EX series and the first time she changes her current fighting style from Bojutsu to Naginatajutsu and no longer using her bo staff. Her former fighting style mixed with Bojutsu is now later given to Sanane Suzuki who is based on Nanase. Her dual fans during her Super Combo are pink with green flower and wind designs as opposed to her older sister's dual fans being white with pink cherry blosson designs.

Super Combo[]

Throughout the EX series, Hokuto uses a variety of weapons as her naginata being her primary weapon serving as her Meteor Combo. She has a total of four Super Combos and one Meteor Combo.

Her first Super Combo is the Kiren'Eki as she unleashes a powerful projectile with the use of bow and arrows. Her second Super Combo is the Kyaku Hougi which Hokuto wields dual fans to attack the opponent. In Fighting EX Layer, this move is mostly used by the player during the combo. Her third Super Combo is Renshou Geki as she heavily smacks the opponent followed by an uppercut. Her fourth Super Combo is the Renbu where Hokuto utilizes both punches and kicks and heavily stabs her opponent with her palm as the last blow. This move is similar to Kairi's Kyoja Renbu.

In Street Fighter EX3, she gains a new Super Combo called Kakusei where she is able to transform into Bloody Hokuto as both of her hands glowed while in this state which lasts the entire round. Bloody Hokuto also has gains additional moves during this state.

Her Meteor Combo is the Shirase Gatana where Hokuto wields her naginata to strike down on her opponent dealing heavy damage.

Movelist[]

Normal throws

  • Kyaku - neutral throw. 
  • Keishukou - directional throw,

Unique Attacks

  • Chuuhou - An overhead spinning elbow attack.
  • Gaikyaku - Long range thrust kick. Can combo into supers.

Special Attacks

  • Chuugeki Hou - an advancing elbow attack. Range depends on strength of punch button used. Can transition into another special attack:
    • Shougeki Ha - Double palm thrust. 2-hit combo.
    • Shinkuu Geki - does not combo, but she transitions into her backstep thrust kick.
    • Shinkyaku Geki - does not combo, but she transitions into her backstep sweep.
  • Shinkuu Geki - Hokuto steps back and then advances with a thrust kick. One of her famous counter attacks. She can also feint this move.
    • Shin - feint. She will spin back. Used to trick the opponent.
  • Shinkyaku Geki - another counter move where she steps back and then follows up with a low kick. Forward and Heavy Kick versions will sweep the opponent and can combo with her supers.
    • Shin - feint. She will spin back. Used to trick the opponent.
  • Ryuusui - throw. Hokuto grabs the opponent and thrusts them forward to switch sides. Opponent momentarily has back exposed which allows Hokuto to quickly follow up with an attack.
  • Gokyaku Kou - counter attack. Hokuto will perform a stance and if opponent tries to connect with a high attack she will quickly perform a counter attack.

Combos[]

Hokuto is not a huge combo character without meter. Her gameplay style is more focused around smart counter attacks.

Basic Special Combos: most of her combo enders involve her Chuugeki Hou > Shougeki Ha special attack. Ryuusui is used to start a combo with cr.LK and then Chuugeki Hou or Super.

  • j.HP, cr.MK x Chuugeki Hou > Shougeki Ha
  • cr.MK or MP > Chuugeki Hou > Shougeki Ha
  • Ryuusui > cr.LK x Chuugeki Hou > Shougeki Ha

Basic Super Combos: some of Hokuto's normal attacks and her unique attacks (aside from her overhead) will combo into Super.

  • Gaikyaku x Kyaku Hougi or Kiren'Eki
  • Chuugeki Hou x Kyaku Hougi or Kiren'Eki
  • Ryuusui > cr.LK x Kyaku Hougi or Kiren'Eki
  • Shinkuu Geki x Kyaku Hougi or Kiren'Eki
  • Shinkyaku Geki x Kyaku Hougi or Kiren'Eki


Stage Themes[]

Title Game Artist Track
Street Fighter EX
Yozakura Mankai Escape Goat Shinji Hosoe
Yozakura Mankai Street Fighter EX Shinji Hosoe
Yozakura Mankai Street Fighter EX -Arrange Sound Trax- Shinji Hosoe
Yozakura Mankai Street Fighter EX Plus α Shinji Hosoe
Technicbeat
Yozakura Mankai Technicbeat Soundtrack Shinji Hosoe
Yozakura Mankai Technicbeat Soundtrack Shinji Hosoe

Subpages[]

Quotes[]

Hokuto/Quotes

Gallery[]

Hokuto/Gallery

Trivia[]

  • Hokuto has the skill in using some weapons; naginata practicing kobudo, bow and arrows as seen in her Kiren'Eki Super Combo and using tessen accompanied by her ability to control the winds.
  • In one of her artwork for Street Fighter EX, Hokuto was depicted in her in-game appearance while in her bloody form as Shirase, she was depicted to show her in topless while her hakamashita like gi is hanging loose, showing her right breast. While in topless, this reveals the bloody power embedded on her left arm.
  • Hokuto's ending in the first Street Fighter EX shows her defeating five warriors, maybe ninjas, during an attack at her. These warriors, wearing a green body suit and a demon-like mask, look similar in appearance to Tekken fighter Kunimitsu as she appears in the original Tekken game.
  • Like Ryu, Hokuto's hair darkens over time in every game she appears in. Her hair is brown in Street Fighter EX through EX2, dark brown in Street Fighter EX3 and black in both her Shadaloo C.R.I. and her recent appearance in Fighting EX Layer.
  • Hokuto's dual fans are depicted being white in her first appearance in the Street Fighter EX. In her EX2 appearance, her white dual fans had pink cherry blossom designs. Her dual fans are grown larger during one of her win animations after defeating Garuda with a Meteor Combo finish. In Fighting EX Layer, it changes from white to pink with both green flower and wind designs in which Hokuto's amnesiac younger sister Nanase had disguised herself as her.
  • The following details on Hokuto's profile from the 1997 special issue "Gals Island 5" is as described[2]:
    • Foot size / 23.5cm
    • Charm point / "It's my chest" (comment from the person)
    • Favorite color / Crimson
    • Ideal male image / Not interested
    • Disliked men / Not interested
  • Asuka, a character concept designed for Street Fighter V that ended up being unused, bears a resemblance to Hokuto in terms of design.
  • Her secret alternate costume of her "bloody" form in the console version of the first EX game, bears strong resemblance to that of early PC-98 designs of Reimu Hakurei, from the Touhou Project series.
    • The two main composers of the first EX game, Shinji Hosoe and Ayako Saso, are noted for their arrangements of various Touhou Project songs under the Sound Sepher label.

See also[]


References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Street Fighter V Character Encyclopedia: Hokuto
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Gamest November 30, 1997 special issue "Gals Island 5" Shinseisha , p. 33.
  3. STREET FIGHTER EX: Early Development Version
  4. 4.0 4.1 Street Fighter V Character Encyclopedia: Hokuto with the Seal of Blood Broken
  5. Hokuto: "Please talk to me instead. You'll only sadden Ryu even more." (話になって下さい。リュウさんがますます悲しみます。)
    Hokuto: "From the first time we met. I knew this would be the case. Do you have no shine?" (初めに出会った時から。こうなることはわかっていました。あなたには輝きがないのですか。)
    Ken: "Shine?" (輝き?)
    Hokuto: "Yes, it's a very important shine." (そう、とても大切な輝きです。)
    Hokuto: "I realized this. I didn't want you to fight Ryu-san."(このことに気がつきもせず。リュウさんと戦って欲しくなかった。)
    Hokuto: "That's why, i asked you to face me first. Please go home." (だから、お願いしたのです先に私と手合わせして下さいと。お帰り下さい。)
    Hokuto: "I don't want to see Ryu-san's back, who I adore as much as my brother, like that again!" (わたくしは、兄と慕っているリュウさんのあんな後ろ姿は。二度と見たくありません!) from Street Fighter EX Drama CD Final Round: "Empty Duel"''
  6. Hokuto -> Kairi/Ryu: Older brother? (兄?, Ani) from Gamest Mook EX Vol.67, Street Fighter EX character relationship chart.
  7. Ken: "Sorry young lady. I'm here to fight Ryu. There's no reason to fight you."(悪いがお嬢さん。俺はリュウと戦うために来たんだ。君と戦う理由はない。)
    Hokuto: "But, then..." (でも、それでは...)
    Ryu: "What's the matter, Hokuto? What are you saying?" (どうしたんだ、ほくと? 何を言っている?)
    from Street Fighter EX Drama CD Final Round: "Empty Duel"
  8. Eliza: "Ken!"
    Hokuto: "Just as i thought. You are not qualified to fight Ryu now." (やっぱり。今のあなたがリュウさんと戦う資格はないわけ。)
    from Street Fighter EX Drama CD Final Round: "Radiance as a house of grappling"
  9. The pure beautiful girl with a Japanese style, who keeps her long hair fastened with a headband, and dressed in archery style apparel. As someone who was raised in the orthodox house of Koryu Jujitsu which is the direct bloodline of the branch schools, she is among those who is in charge of a variety of skills and has even created techniques which don’t belong to any of the schools. On her 17th birthday, she was informed by her foster father that she had an older brother of her own, and she journeyed out to search for him. She is certain to have a destined clash with her brother, although the person in question has yet to find out. She bears cute facial features, but for some reason, her biggest downside is that she’s inexpressive and unsociable? (弓道着風の衣装に身を包み、 ロングヘア にハチマキをしめた、純和風美少女。 とある流派の正統な血筋の者として生まれながら他流派の古流柔術家に育てられ、 さまざまな技を仕込まれるうち、 どちらの流派にも属さない新たな技を作り上げた。 17歳になった日、 自分に兄がいると育ての父から聞かされ、 兄を捜すために旅立つ。 兄と激突する運命にあるが、 本人はまだそのことを知らない。 顔立ちはかわいいけれど 、 無表情で無愛想なのが玉にキズ? ) from Hokuto's backstory entry for Street Fighter EX.
  10. https://twitter.com/StreetFighter/status/1315654022070775809
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