On the occasion of his highly awaited presence at Lucca Comics & Games 2025, the Master Tetsuo Hara, author of Hokuto no Ken, signs a piece of work, which celebrates the link between his fiction universe and the Italian audience.
Named The Savior in the Arena, this majestic oil on canvas (about 70x60 cm) blends the iconic power of Kenshiro with elements coming from the Italian artistic tradition, such as painting, sculpturing, classic architecture and iconographic symbolism. In the middle of the painting, Kenshiro towers fiercely in an amphitheater, surrounded by red banners and bathed by a celestial light, while picking up the elm of a defeated enemy. An image full of meaning, which results from a meticulous study of Italian historic resources.
This work will be the visual core of the monograph Tetsuo Hara: Like a bolt from the blue, the world first exhibition entirely dedicated to the main works of Tetsuo Hara, held in an astonishing Renaissance church, Chiesa di Santa Annunziata dei Servi di Lucca, from October 25th up to November 2nd, 2025. More than 100 original works, among paintings and manga panels, have been selected to offer an unprecedented insight into the artistic and narrative evolution of the sensei.
However, this is not the only homage payed to the Master Hara. The Savior in the Arena will be the protagonist of the exclusive variant cover of the first volume of Ken il Guerriero – Hokuto no Ken Extreme Edition, published by Panini Comics.
Furthermore, thanks to COAMIX, the publishing house established by Hara himself, this piece of work becomes a Limited Edition T-shirt (300 pieces, one size fits all) and a limited and signed prestigious art print, counting only 50 pieces, which only 1/50 will be in Lucca. The mercandise will be available at the exhibition store, starting from October 25th.
The Master Hara will be present in Lucca from October 30th, up to November 2nd, ready to meet and greet the audience with signing sessions, events and interviews performed by national and international media. It is an unmissable event, not only for the Hokuto no Ken enthusiasts, but also for the comics, art, and visual culture fans. For the first time, the post-apocalyptic epic of Hokuto no Ken blends with the Italian aesthetic, thanks to the interpretation of one of the Masters of the Japanese comics and brought to Italy thanks to the constructive collaboration between Lucca Comics & Games, Panini Comics, COAMIX and Animeimport.
Further details will be released soon on Lucca Comics & Games, Panini Comics and COAMIX social channels.
