SUZU, Ishikawa Prefecture--Even being New Year's Day did not stop Takehito Takaeda from taking his Shiba Inu dog, Kenshiro, for a stroll around the neighborhood, which is their daily routine.

The film's story is a prequel to the Fist of the North Star depicting the one year interval between Kenshiro's defeat at the hands of Shin and their later battle. Unlike the others in the series ...