Black Belt (1986 video game)

Black Belt is a 1986 beat 'em up game developed and published by Sega for the Master System. The story follows Riki, a martial artist on a mission to save his girlfriend from his rival. Gameplay consists of a series of side-scrolling stages where the player battles waves of minor enemies and the occasional sub-boss. Stages culminate in more challenging boss encounters, each requiring the player to use a specific attack to win.

The game is a modification of the Japanese Mark III title, Hokuto no Ken, based on the manga series of the same name, which is known as Fist of the North Star outside Japan. The export version of the game was released without this license, forcing alterations to character names and graphics. It is one of the earliest works of programmer Yuji Naka prior to his involvement in Sonic the Hedgehog.

First released in Japan in July 1986, Black Belt was localized for North America, Europe, and Brazil. Japan also saw a Wii Virtual Console re-release and a PlayStation 2 remake as part of the Sega Ages line. While commonly compared to Irem's Kung-Fu Master in both visuals and mechanics, Black Belt received mixed reactions from critics with some consensus on its boss fights being a positive highlight and its levels being too repetitive.