Viz Communications published the first sixteen chapters of Fist of the North Star in English as an eight-issue monthly comic in 1989, which were later reprinted in a single graphic novel collection in 1995. During that same year, Viz resumed publication of the series as a monthly comic until 1997, lasting eighteen issues (spanning chapters 17-44), which were subsequently reprinted in three additional graphic novels. The license was later acquired by Gutsoon! Entertainment, which published a new translation of the series in the form of a "Master Edition" featuring newly colorized artwork and retained the original right-to-left orientation of the art, as well as new cover artwork by Tetsuo Hara from the fourth volume and onward. The Master Edition of Fist of the North Star was published from