Fighting Spirit

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(Redirected from Hajime no Ippo)

Template:Infobox animanga/Header Template:Infobox animanga/Anime Template:Infobox animanga/Footer Fighting Spirit, known in Japan as Hajime no Ippo (はじめの一歩) and also literally translated in English as The First Step is a boxing anime and manga series created by Jyoji "George" Morikawa (森川 ジョージ Morikawa Jōji) which is serialized by Kodansha in Weekly Shonen Magazine.

The manga has been running since 1989 and currently spans 74 tankōbon. A 76-episode anime adaption was produced by Madhouse Production and ran on the Nippon TV Network from October 2000 to March 2002. The anime is licensed in North America by Geneon as Fighting Spirit.

Contents

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Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Ippo Makunouchi (幕之内 一歩 Makunouchi Ippo) is a very shy high school student who never had the time to make friends because he was always busy helping his mother with the family fishing boat business. Because he kept to himself a group of bullies got into the habit of picking on him. On one particular day these bullies decided to give him a rather serious beating. A middle-weight professional boxer who was passing by stopped the bullies and took Ippo to the Kamogawa Gym (鴨川ボクシングジム), owned by a retired boxer Genji Kamogawa (鴨川 源二 Kamogawa Genji), to treat his injuries. After Ippo awoke to the sounds of boxers training, the boxer who saved him, Mamoru Takamura, tried to cheer Ippo up by letting him vent his frustrations on a sandbag. It was then that they had their first glimpse into Ippo's talent for boxing. After that incident, Ippo started his regular training and began his path in Japan's professional boxing.

The story focuses heavily on character development, even during the matches something is learned about the fighters. This is probably why the series has lasted as long as it has. Ippo and his rivalary with Miyata is the main draw in the early part of the series. That later changes to Ippo's path towards the Japanese Featherweight Championship and eventually the world championship. Along the way we are given glimpses into the other side character's pasts and current boxing trials.

The anime series has two spin-off movies that were actually part of the manga. Champion Road, which takes place after Ippo becomes the Japanese Featherweight Champion and showcases his first defense of the title. Kimura Vs. Mashiba, which pits one of Ippo's senpai (upper classmen) against the Japanese lightweight champion (who happens to be Ippo's love interest's brother).

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Characters

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Kamogawa Gym (鴨川ボクシングジム)

  • Ippo Makunouchi (幕之内 一歩 Makunouchi Ippo) - The kind and easily intimidated titular hero of the series, Ippo wishes to become stronger, both physically and mentally, by becoming a pro boxer. As a boxer, Ippo's greatest strength lies in his undying willpower and his natural physical strengths, which include monstrous stamina, raw power, and capacity to withstand damage. As results of Ippo's complete trust in Coach Kamogawa's teachings, he has mastered several techniques which he has combined into several knockout combinations -- the deadliest being variations of the vaunted Dempsey Roll. Whenever he can, he helps his mother (Hiroko) at home with the family occupation of renting out fishing boats. It is implied that he may become romantically linked to Kumi Mashiba. His current record as Japan's featherweight champion is 19-1-0, with 19 KOs.
  • Mamoru Takamura (鷹村 守 Takamura Mamoru) - A veteran boxer who introduces Ippo to the sport, after rescuing him from bullies. Gifted with incredible physical ability, Takamura has an equally large ego and is not above bad-mouthing his enemies, teammates, and even Coach Kamogawa. But in fact, his strong will enables him to endure pain beyond human limits in his training and even allowed him to take down a fully grown bear with several counters. He is the estranged son of a family that runs a large line of successful hotels and resorts, and actually he was quite a troublemaker until Coach Kamogawa managed to get him out of a life of street violence. Currently, Takamura has a record of 19-0-0, with 19 KOs, and is the reigning WBC Middleweight Champion. His current aspiration is to conquer the next 4 classes up through heavyweight.
  • Masaru Aoki (青木 勝 Aoki Masaru) - Ippo's senpai and Kimura's best friend. Aoki provides much of the gym's comic relief and exercises one of the world's most unique fighting styles. A few of his signature techniques include the fan-favorite Frog Punch, double punch, an untorqued (ineffective) corkscrew punch, and the utterly ridiculous Lookaway (which has also been adopted by Takamura). In the past, he and Kimura were the toughest high-school thugs around, but now Aoki's real job is at a ramen restaurant. Due to the numerous times being dumped by the pretty girls in high school, he's developed a taste for women with unattractive faces. He has fought for the Japanese lightweight championship and shares an apartment with his girlfriend, Tomiko. His current record stands at 10-6-4, with 6 KOs.
  • Tatsuya Kimura (木村 達也 Kimura Tatsuya) - Ippo's senpai and Aoki's best friend. He is the smooth, collected type and a romantic at heart, but trains as hard as anyone. His style incorporates a fast left and faster footwork. In training for his bid for the Japanese junior lightweight championship against Ryo Mashiba, he developed a devastating vertical combination known as the Dragon Fish Blow. In the past, he and Aoki were the toughest high-school thugs around, but now Tatsuya's real job is at his family's flower shop. His current record stands at 13-5-3, with 8 KOs.
  • Manabu Itagaki (板垣学 Itagaki Manabu) - The most recent addition to the roster, the charming Manabu has a prodigy's talent and was the captain of his high school's boxing team. Cheerful and a lover of bad puns (as are the rest of his family), Manabu is a fierce outboxer whose fighting style is uncanny in its resemblance to Miyata's. His most powerful technique is a furious hail of mid-power blows known as the Hedgehog or Porcupine, which was employed in an East Japan Rookie Kings showdown with his longtime nemesis, Kyosuke Imai. Outside of boxing, Manabu is employed as an assistant at the Makounouchi family's fishing business. His current record as the Rookie King of his class stands at 6-1-0, with 5 KOs.
  • Genji Kamogawa (鴨川 源二 Kamogawa Genji) - Head coach and founder of the Kamogawa gym. He fought as a prizefighter in Japan shortly after the end of the Second World War. Along with his friends, Ginpachi Nekota and Dankichi Hama, Kamogawa developed a style of fighting that both presumably became the forerunner of boxing in Japan and emphasized scientific theory in its techniques. In his prime, Kamogawa's talents included the fearsome, yet self-destructive, Tekken (Iron Fist) blow and an unyielding spirit which has been passed onto his students. As a coach, Kamogawa's wealth of knowledge and experience has been tapped into on multiple occasions during training as well as in matches. He may seem to be a bit gruff towards his boxers, but maintains very strong relationships based on trust and spirit.
  • Haruhiko Yagi (八木 晴彦 Yagi Haruhiko) - The manager of Kamogawa Gym and a part-time trainer. Friendly and knowledgeable, Yagi-chan is also in charge of securing match posters, selling tickets, and anything else involving the gym's finances. He knows a great deal about boxing himself, having been a boxer at Kamogawa Gym once. Additionally, although Yagi was not a skilled boxer, he is a master fisherman who can outfish anyone.
  • Tomoyuki Shinoda (Shinoda Tomoyuki) - One of the trainers at the Kamogawa Gym. He is normally a second to some of the Kamogawa boxers during their matches; in fact, he knows Aoki and Kimura even better than the Coach does.
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Kawahara Gym (川原ボクシングジム)

  • Ichiro Miyata (宮田 一郎 Miyata Ichirō) - Ippo's greatest rival. Not only is the taciturn Miyata a boxing prodigy, but he's also blessed with good looks, amazing reflexes, and nearly unmatched speed. Miyata's chosen weapons, counter punches, was inherited from the boxing style his father used to reach the Oriental-Pacific Boxing Federation's title match. He began at Kamogawa Gym with Takamura as his senpai, but later transferred to Kawahara Gym in hopes of one day facing Ippo in an official match. Miyata has trained all across the Pacific and eventually returned to the mainstream boxing scene as the main contender to the OPBF featherweight title. Together with the Jolt Counter, a full-body powered blow, Miyata KO'd Arnie Gregory to become the current regional champion. He has defended his title 5 times, all by KO, boosting him up to the rank of WBC #5 Featherweight. Miyata is currently waiting for Ippo to ascend the ranks of the OPBF with a record of 22-1-1, with 20 KOs.
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Naniwa Gym (なにわ拳闘会)

  • Takeshi Sendou (千堂 武士 Sendō Takeshi) - Brash and fearless, Sendou is the hero of Osaka's boxing fans, to whom he is known as "Rocky" or the "Naniwa Tiger." Ippo and Sendou have considered each other national rivals ever since their matches for the Rookie King and Japanese Featherweight titles. Considered to be a superior infighter to Ippo at mid-range, Sendou employs a devastating series of hybrid uppercut/hook blows known as Smashes and an incredible dash that rivals Ippo's own powerful step-in. Sendou is nicknamed for Rocky Marciano, the only heavyweight champ to retire undefeated. He has held the Japanese featherweight championship once, defending it twice by KO, and has a record of 17-2-0, with 16 KOs.
  • Hiroyuki Hoshi (星 洋行 Hoshi Hiroyuki) - Sendou's Kouhai and equally as brash, though he is more polite towards Sendou. He joined the Naniwa Gym out of his admiration of Sendou and like Sendou, he was the West Japan Rookie King. Upon meeting with Ippo, he stated his plan of challenging Ippo right after he beat Itagaki for the Rookie King title.
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Toho Gym (東邦ボクシングジム)

  • Ryo Mashiba (間柴 了 Mashiba Ryō) - Known by ringnames such as the "Executioner" or "Shinigami (God of Death)" by those who watch his matches, Mashiba is one of the most intimidating boxers in the series. He effectively combines an inhuman reach and the offensive Detroit version of the Hitman stance to create a devastating whiplike technique known as the Flicker Jab to eat away at his opponent's guard and resolve. Those fortunate and/or skilled enough to make it through his barrier-like Flicker still have to deal with his power-packed Chopping Right, which cuts down those who would deal damage up-close. Outside of the ring, Mashiba is a quiet, if unnerving figure who is spurred on to earn wages and box for prize money all to support both himself and his younger sister, Kumi, after their parents died in a tragic accident many years ago. He is a former Japanese junior lightweight champion and holds a record of 17-2-0, with 13 KOs.
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Ohtaki Gym (大滝ボクシングジム)

  • Kenta Kobashi (小橋 健太 Kobashi Kenta) - Kobashi stands as one of the lower key boxers, having entered boxing in the same class and year as Ippo. While both are openly shy and mellow in temperament, Kobashi does not share Ippo's skill as a boxer and resorts to duller tactics to attain victory in the ring. In matches, he is known to throw together simple jabs, footwork, and clinching in a defensive style designed to win on points. Lacking destructive power in his punches, Kobashi has focused on less aggressive boxing and even utilizes a strong cross-arm block to hold superior attackers at bay. He is a former junior featherweight champion of Japan (defeating Ryuichi Hayami and ending his career), but has since retired without defending once to become a trainer.
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Otawa Gym (音羽ボクシングジム)

  • Ryuichi Hayami (速水 龍一 Hayami Ryuichi)- A prodigy outboxer with incredibly fast punches, he is known for his "Shotgun", a barrage of fast punches intended to down his opponent quickly and decisively. Although he was a former Inter-High Champ, he lost to Ippo in the third round of the East Japan Rookie King Tournament. He later moves down to the Junior Featherweight Division. He's also an incredibly handsome fellow, and has a legion of female fans who always cheer for him whether he wins or loses.
  • Alexander Vorg Zangief - The World Amateur Champion is a handsome young boxer from Russia who excels at outboxing and taking points, but adopts a vicious infighting style when he moves to Japan (Ippo notices at first sight how sad and unsatisfied he looks after this happens). Vorg originally takes up boxing in order to provide medical assistance for his ill mother, but after consecutive losses to both Ippo and Sendou, he is forced to leave the Otawa Gym and return to Russia and stays with his mother until her death. Besides his incredible outboxing technique, Vorg's greatest weapon is a vertical combination called "White Fang": a short, quick left uppercut, followed by an incredibly fast and powerful chopping right. Vorg later returns to Japan to get his old boxing gloves from Ippo before he went to America, and ended up helping him train for Ippo's upcoming match against Sawamura Ryuhei. Currently Vorg is in America fighting at the world stage and, under the training of Dankichi Hama, is the 4th ranked IBF Jr. Lightweight fighter.
  • Kyosuke Imai (今井 京介 Imai Kyosuke) - The longtime rival of Itagaki Manabu, Imai was the one boxer who managed to thwart Itagaki in his high-school days. They fought a total of three times outside the professional ring; each time Imai was victorious. His build, KO pattern, and even hairstyle are remarkably similar to those of Itagaki's senpai, Makunouchi Ippo. Imai is ordinarily cool and composed, bearing a poker face even in the heat of battle. It seems the only people who can rouse him out of this perpetual calm are Ippo, Itagaki, and Itagaki's sister Nanako -- with whom Imai is very much smitten.
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Kinoshita Gym (木下ボクシングジム)

  • Kazuki Sanada (真田 一機 Sanada Kazuki) - Handsome and highly intelligent, Sanada's full-time job is as a doctor at the same hospital in which Kumi works. Before moving up to the Featherweight division, he successfully defend the Junior Featherweight Champion title five times. He is the pupil of Genji Kamogawa's old nemesis, Hama Dankichi, and in a fight, he uses his immense knowledge of human physical capabilities to predict his opponents' moves. His specialties include two of Dankichi's inventions: the "Hien" (飛燕) -- named after a model of highly maneuverable Japanese fight plane, it's an unpredictable left jab known in English as the Swallow -- and the "Tsubame Gaeshi", a piercing double uppercut known in English as the Swallow's Return.
  • Takuzo Karasawa (唐沢 拓三 Karasawa Takuzō) - Sanada's kōhai (後輩). After Sanada's retirement from boxing, Karasawa wanted to bring glory back to their gym, and so challenged Ippo for the featherweight championship title. He planned to use his lightning-fast feet to evade the champion's punches and counter the Dempsey Roll, but was mercilessly KO'ed in the second round.
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Hachinohe Gym (八戸拳闘会)

  • Jason Ozuma (ジェイソン・尾妻 Jeison Ozuma, United States Army) - An American soldier stationed in Japan, Ozuma proves a difficult opponent for Ippo in the first round of the Rookie King Tournament. While fearsome in fights, Ozuma's usual personality is almost unnervingly polite and outgoing. He boxes in order to earn money for his gym, his coach and his training partners, whom he treats like his own family. Ozuma wields an explosive hook equal even to, if not better than, Takamura's.
  • Naomichi Yamada (山田 直道 Yamada Naomichi) - A bashful young man who first joined the Kamogawa Gym as Ippo's follower. His intial nickname was "Geromichi" (a japanese pun based on the fact that he threw up after every part of training). While in public he is awkward and uncomfortable, Naomichi puts everything into his training for his hope for strength and self-confidence. Having had to move away, Naomichi now boxes for a different gym under the alias "Hammer Nao." His speciality, a solar-plexus blow, was his main weapon when he challenged his former senpai and current Japanese featherweight champion, Ippo Makounouchi. Although he appears to front a cold personality as "Hammer Nao", he remains a very kind person at heart. He is also blessed with a very good singing voice.
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Okinawa Seaside Gym (めんそ～れ沖縄)

  • Shimabukuro Iwao (島袋 岩男 Iwao Shimabukuro) - Known as the "Ryukyu Warrior", Shimabukuro hails from a small fishing village in Okinawa. Though even shorter than Ippo, his body is like a steel fortress, bulky and cabled with muscle; and his strong lungs enable him to fight without having to breathe for many minutes. He longs to fight with Ippo in a great battle between men of the sea. He was the first challenger to successfully and seriously exploit one of the Dempsey Roll's weaknesses.
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Karil Gym (鬼槍留ボクシングジム)

  • Ryuhei Sawamura (沢村 竜平 Sawamura Ryuhei) - A boxer from Nagoya, Sawamura was introduced to boxing by a high school teacher who constantly tried to keep him out of trouble. As a child, he was abandoned by his mother after he attacked her abusive boyfriend with a knife. Sawamura's lust for violence carried over into his boxing career as well, and he shows no remorse for his almost criminal behavior. Nicknamed the "Owari Dragon", Sawamura is very lax about rules in the ring, and will perform illegal moves even if he has an advantage over the other boxer. His specialties include counterpunches and a deadly, twisting jab called the Bullet.
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Nakadai Gym (仲代ボクシングジム)

  • Eiji Date (伊達 英二 Date Eiji) - At an age swiftly approaching thirty, Date is an old-timer for a boxer, but is nevertheless the man that Ippo looks up to. Years ago, he lost his World Title Match to the champion, Ricardo Martinez. He gave up boxing after that in order to settle down with his wife Aiko and raise a family. But Date is a born boxer -- he found he could not contain his combative nature for long, and picked his career back up. Date is strong in every way, but his greatest weapon is the Heartbreak Shot, a corkscrew blow to the heart that immobilizes the opponent. He is the sole boxer to have defeated Ippo in the ring. After this fateful match, Date went after the WBA title -- and a rematch with Ricardo Martinez -- but lost by K.O. The injuries he received in this fight included broken hands and a fractured jaw, and seriously limited Date's chances of making a return to the ring. Currently, he trains other boxers at the Nakadai Gym.
  • Keigo Okita (沖田 佳吾 Okita Keigo) - A boxer at Nakadai Gym. Okita, an exceedingly serious young man, idolizes Eiji Date to the point of mimicking his style and special techniques. Date's favor of the relatively inexperienced Makunouchi Ippo inflamed Okita's jealousy, and he challenged Ippo to a match. Though confident that his special "corkscrew blow", a punch copied from Date, would carry him through the fight, Okita was soundly defeated by Ippo in the first round.
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Sameichi Gym (魚交一ボクシングジム)

  • Keiichi Take (Take Keiichi) - A crafty, veteran boxer in his early thirthies, from the Fukuoaka Prefecture in Kyuushuu. He was ranked the 1st seed in the Featherweight Division when Date was the Champion his first time around. Take had challenged Date for the Championship back then, but had to pull out of the fight to look after his son, Hide, who had become seriously ill. After Hide had recovered, he was bullied because others thought his father was a coward for not fighting Date. Take then returned to the boxing world to fight for his son and had risen to the 1st seed again to challenge Ippo for the Championship.
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Other gyms

  • Yusuke Oda (小田 祐介 Oda Yusuke) - A handsome boxer with an admittedly unimpressive record of 3-3-0 (3KOs), Oda is Makunouchi Ippo's first opponent in the professional ring. Oda boasts a crushing right cross that easily knocked out his first few opponents; but it was soon revealed, to Coach Mikami's dismay, that he hated to train. Instead, Oda often chose to spend time with his girlfriend -- the coach's daughter Reiko. Later, when he risked losing both Reiko and the Nishikawa gym's support, Oda threw himself into training and regained the spirit of a boxer. Though he did lose to Ippo, due to the return of his old love for boxing he kept both Reiko's love and the trust of Coach Mikami.
  • Yoshio Fujiwara (藤原 義男 Fujiwara Yoshio) - Fujiwara, an arrogant boxer with a body like a Mack truck and a forehead of stone, is Ippo's second opponent. When he realizes that Ippo is too much for him, he resorts to illegal headbutting to stun the young fighter.
  • Takuma Saeki (冴木 卓麻 Saeki Takuma) - Another amateur boxer turned pro, he was considered an Olympic hopeful while he attended the Toyou College of Athletics. Saeki is a skilled outboxer, nicknamed the "Speed Star" for his incredibly quick fists and feet; even Date couldn't touch him when they sparred. Saeki likes to dazzle his opponents with his fast footwork, then blindside them with volleys of punches.
  • Ricardo Martinez - The longtime WBA featherweight champion. Having made quick work of Date and sixty other unlucky opponents, Martinez is undefeated and seemingly invincible. His strength, speed, ability, and reflexes are almost otherworldly. Martinez is also touted to have "the world's best jab", a jab with no shoulder movement and a very powerful snap. Though he rarely deigns to speak to his opponents, Martinez respects boxers who manage to last more than a round or two against him.
  • Brian Hawk - The WBC junior middleweight champion. An fighter of enormous build, Hawk is detested throughout Japan for his contemptuous attitude towards boxing, often bringing his personal entourage of "Hawk Girls" along to matches and other events. Raised in the toughest parts of New York, Hawk survived with his incredible talent for hand-to-hand violence. He apparently derives sexual pleasure from this violence. He loses the World Championship Belt to Takamura.
  • David Eagle - The WBC middleweight champion, and a fighter the complete opposite of Brian Hawk in terms of both personality and fighting style. An orthodox hard puncher, he climbed undefeated to the top after only 17 matches, with 15 wins by way of knockout. His level of basic techniques is high and has great concentration due to his vast Olympic and amateur experience, where he was also undefeated. Eagle's greatest weapon is a highly polished one-two, which Takamura even admits is of the highest class in terms of power and delivery. Eagle is pleasant and easygoing outside the ring, and shows excellent sportsmanship inside it.
  • Dankichi Hama (浜 団吉 Hama Dankichi) - A former friend and rival of Kamogawa and Nekota. In his younger days, Dankichi boxed along with the two, but never managed to reach their level. Nevertheless, he is a brilliant tactician who, since having left Japan for Mexico, is renowned for his successful training of several champions, including Sanada Kazuki. Dankichi still harbors deep feelings of rivalry towards Kamogawa, and strives to one day train a boxer that can defeat Makunouchi or Takamura.
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Other characters

  • Hiroko Makunouchi (幕之内 寛子 Makunouchi Hiroko) - Hiroko is Ippo's widowed mother. She is a very kind and strong willed woman who cares for her son a great deal. She started running the fishing business after her husband, Kazuo, died at sea saving his crew. Though she refuses to attend any of Ippo's matches because she doesn't want to watch him get hurt, she supports his boxing wholeheartedly because she knows how much joy it has brought to his life and how it has helped him with his self-esteem. Since Kazuo's death, Ippo and Hiroko have been more or less alone in the world; so the strength of their family bond is no surprise.
  • Kumi Mashiba (間柴 久美 Mashiba Kumi) - Kumi is Ryo Mashiba's sweet-natured, but hard-working and willful younger sister, and as such understands him better than anyone else. She will do almost anything to make support her brother and make him happy, including going to his matches even though she doesn't like to see him get hurt. Ippo becomes infatuated with her early on and Kumi comes to love him back, but their relationship tends to suffer from their friends' and relatives' constant interference, and also was somewhat strained after Ippo mistakenly thought that she was smitten with Sanada, until Kumi herself clarified the mistake after their match. Kumi tends to be modest and shy, but she will stand up for her brother at a moment's notice.
  • Ginpachi Nekota (猫田 銀八 Nekota Ginpachi) - Making his home a lonely shack up in the mountain forests, Nekota is Kamogawa's best friend of over fifty years. Occasionally, Kamogawa will visit him in the mountains, once taking Ippo and the others there to train for upcoming fights. While a meddling old geezer who tends to overstay his welcome, he is nonetheless loyal, good-hearted and trustworthy to the boys at the Kamogawa Gym. Nekota proved a far greater technical boxer than even Kamogawa; but as a result of their constant spars, he developed the beginning stages of punch-drunk syndrome. Despite this condition, Nekota took it upon himself to challenge an arrogant American military officer, Ralph Anderson, in a boxing match to boost Japanese morale. Though Nekota had the upper hand, Anderson won by throwing an illegal rabbit punch, which resulted in permanent mid-brain damage.
  • Yuki (ユキ Yuki)- A beautiful young woman who adores sunflowers. Yuki met Kamogawa and Nekota at a boxing match in the 1950s. Smitten, they offered to put her up at Kamogawa's house to protect her from American soldiers. It was soon revealed, however, that Yuki was a victim of radiation poisoning from the American bombing of Hiroshima, and that she had come to Tokyo in hopes of living out her last days in happiness. When Nekota left Tokyo to live in the mountains, Yuki went with him; Kamogawa asked her to take care of his now-impaired best friend. Although -- or perhaps because -- Yuki had fallen in love with Kamogawa, she spent the rest of her life in the mountains with Nekota as per his request.
  • Masahiko Umezawa (梅沢 正彦 Umezawa Masahiko) - A classmate of Ippo's, Umezawa was the leader of a group of students who would regularly bully him. Together with his two flunkies, he made a habit of beating Ippo up, until the day that Takamura stopped him. After an initial failure to confront the fledgling boxer, Umezawa soon began to cheer Ippo on in his matches, and eventually took a job at the Makunouchi family fishing business to help out when Ippo's mother became ill. His ultimate goal, however, is to become a manga artist, and he eventually left his job to pursue it. In spite of all they went through in high school, the two are now the best of friends.
  • Minoru Fujii (藤井 稔 Fujii Minoru) - A reporter for a boxing magazine that has been following Ippo's career since his fights with Miyata. Occasionally he drops by with information concerning opposing fighters in upcoming matches for the Kamogawa gym members.
  • Mari Iimura (飯村 真理 Iimura Mari) - A 23-year-old sportswriter who works alongside Fujii. Iimura's calm indifference and sharp wit serve often to put off those who would judge her only for beauty, but she is an avid boxing fan and, though less experienced than some, an outstanding journalist.
  • Nanako Itagaki (板垣 菜々子 Itagaki Nanako) - Manabu Itagaki's younger sister. A flirtatious "genki" girl, Nanako is 16 years old and extremely interested in boys, harboring a particular taste for fighting men. She develops a crush on Ippo shortly after Itagaki introduces them, and finds herself competing with Kumi and Iimura for his attention.
  • Yamaguchi-sensei (山口先生) - A young doctor whom Ippo asks for help after his match with Ryo Mashiba, since he developed a serious injury during the fight but still wishes to face Sendou. She develops a training menu to allow him to train and fight without causing excessive strain on his damaged bones. Yamaguchi is a very attractive woman with a beautiful body, which at times distracts Ippo's friends (especially Takamura) from practice; but when her skills are needed, her efficiency and professional manner are admirable. Yamaguchi is also an expert in judo.
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Video Games

There have also been some video games based on the series, one of which has made it to the US and two of which have seen PAL releases. There is some confusion regarding the PAL title Victorious Boxers 2 Fighting Spirit as this is generally assumed to be the same game as Hajime no Ippo 2: Victorious Road, when actually it is the next title in the series, Hajime no Ippo - The Fighting! All Stars. The Japanese released Vicrorious Road is unique amongst the titles as it includes the option to create your own boxer and control his training, diet, weight etc. The second PAL title, Fighting Spirit, gives you a choice of over 70 fighters for VS play. Each title has its own story mode which closely follows that of the manga, though obviously the storytelling is not of the same quality. The games have attracted a loyal following and persuaded many fans of boxing games to consider importing for their PS2, as the VB series is reckoned by many to be the best game of its kind.

  • For PlayStation 2:
    • Victorious Boxers - Ippo's Road to Glory (US Title) -- はじめの一歩(Hajime no Ippo) (Japanese Title)
    • はじめの一歩2 VICTORIOUS ROAD(Hajime no Ippo 2: Victorious Road) (Japanese Title)
    • Victorious Boxers 2 - Fighting Spirit (US Title) -- はじめの一歩 ALL☆STARS(Hajime no Ippo - The Fighting! All Stars) (Japanese Title)
  • For GameBoy Advance:
    • はじめの一歩 THE FIGHTING!(Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting!) (Japanese Title)
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Anime Theme Songs

Opening Theme Songs

  1. Under Star by Shocking Lemon (Episodes 1 - 25)
  2. Inner Light by Shocking Lemon (Episodes 26 - 52)
  3. Tumbling Dice by Tsuneo Imahori (Episodes 53 - 76)

Closing Theme Songs

  1. Yuuzora no Kamihikouki by Mori Naoya (Episodes 1 - 25)
  2. 360° by Mori Naoya (Episodes 26 - 52)
  3. Eternal Loop by Saber Tiger (Episodes 53 - 76)
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External links

Official

English

Music

French

Japanese

Other languages

ja:はじめの一歩 tl:Knock Out th:ก้าวแรกสู่สังเวียน es:Hajime no Ippo

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