Black Belt/Chapter 1

The first chapter takes place in the domain of Kung Fu fighter Ryu in Black Belt or Southern Cross Town (サザンクロスタウン) in Hokuto no Ken. The backdrop varies based on the version played (with Black Belt portraying a fully-intact oriental landscape and Hokuto no Ken portraying an urban wasteland), but it has no effect on the gameplay. The common (or "small") enemies are Chinese Kung Fu men in Black Belt and King's Soldiers (KING兵) in Hokuto no Ken, in both cases lackeys of the area's boss.

The chapter starts off with a beat 'em up segment against small enemies. This will be the pattern for all future chapters, though some chapters don't have as many bosses as others. The small enemies can easily be dealt with using kicks. Their strategy is simply to crowd you on both sides, and their only method of attack is punching. The reach of the kick allows you to defeat them before they can even attempt a punch, though make sure to watch both sides of the screen; while their attacks only do a tiny amount of damage, let them get close to you and that damage will add up.

Boss: Shin
Shin (Ryu in Black Belt) is the final boss of the first chapter, standing in the way between Kenshiro and the love of his life, Yuria. Shin's attacks do a good deal of damage, and so some finesse is required here. The safest strategy involves jumping kicks; perform one of these during an attack of Shin's, and his attack will be interrupted. The much riskier and quicker strategy involves punching Shin immediately after he attacks. As always, punches do much more damage than kicks, but kicks are far more versatile, giving you at least a little room for error in mistimed kicks. However, for both strategies, timing is key; Shin will either chop downward or kick upward, and between these attacks, he'll either advance on you (if you're backing away) or back away from you (if you're advancing on him). A tiny window between these attacks and movements of his is your prime opportunity for attack.

Once Shin's health is depleted, Kenshiro will perform the Hundred Rending Fists (北斗百裂拳) on his opponent, killing him. Unfortunately for Kenshiro, the short scene that follows - in which he finds that the "Yuria" in Shin's captivity is nothing more than a doll - ensures that his journey is far from over.