Fighting Spirit (manga)

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Fighting Spirit
はじめの一歩
(The First Step)
Genre Boxing, Sports
Manga
Author Jyoji "George" Morikawa
Publisher Flag of Japan Kodansha
Demographic Shōnen
Serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine
Original run 17 February 1990[1]
Volumes 84 with 806 chapters
TV anime
Director Satoshi Nishimura
Studio Flag of Japan Madhouse
Licensor Flag of the United States Flag of Canada Geneon
Network Flag of Japan Nippon Television
Original run 3 October 2000 – 27 March 2002
Episodes 76[2]
Animated film: Champion Road
Director Akira Nishimura[3]
Studio Madhouse
Licensor Flag of the United States Flag of Canada Geneon
Released 25 June 2003[3]
Runtime 90 minutes
OVA: Kimura Vs. Mashiba
Studio Flag of Japan Madhouse[4]
Episodes 1
Released 5 September 2003[4]
Runtime 60 minutes

Hajime no Ippo (はじめの一歩? lit. "The First Step"; in full, Hajime no Ippo: THE FIGHTING!), is a boxing manga series created by Jyoji "George" Morikawa which is serialized by Kodansha in Weekly Shōnen Magazine; its anime adaptation being known in the US as Fighting Spirit.

The manga has been running since 1990 and currently spans 84 tankōbon and is currently one of the longest manga ever. A 76-episode anime adaption was produced by Madhouse, the Nippon TV Network and VAP, directed by Satoshi Nishimura and ran on the Nippon TV Network from October 2000 to March 2002.[2] One OVA and a movie were also produced. It was announced that the anime would be licensed in North America by Geneon at the end of 2003.[5] Geneon released it as Fighting Spirit. It was called Knockout in the Philippines.

In 1991, the manga won the Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen.[6]

Contents

[edit] Story

Ippo Makunouchi 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 charter boat fishing business. Because he kept to himself, a group of bullies lead by Umezawa got into the habit of picking on him. On one particular day these bullies decided to give him a rather serious beating, but a middle-weight professional boxer who was passing by stopped the bullies and took the injured Ippo to the Kamogawa Gym (鴨川ボクシングジム Kamogawa Bokushingu Jimu?), owned by retired boxer Genji Kamogawa, to treat his wounds. 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. Ippo and his friendly rivalry 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, motivations, relationships to others 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, and Kimura Vs. Mashiba, which pits one of Ippo's senpai (upper classmen) Kimura against the Japanese lightweight champion Mashiba (the brother of Ippo's love interest).

[edit] Characters

Main article: List of Fighting Spirit characters
The kind and easily intimidated titular hero of the series, Ippo wishes to become stronger, both physically and mentally. As fate would have it, he meets Mamoru Takamura who introduces him to the world of boxing. From that moment on Ippo tirelessly trains to become a pro boxer and overcome his fears. 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. Whenever he can, he helps his mother (Hiroko) at home with the family charter boat fishing business. His current record as Japan's featherweight champion is 22–1–0, with 22 KOs and is ranked WBC #12.
Ippo's greatest rival. Not only is the taciturn Miyata a boxing prodigy, but he is also blessed with good looks, amazing reflexes, and nearly unmatched speed. He began at the Kamogawa Gym, but later transferred to Kawahara Gym in hopes of one day facing Ippo in an official match. Miyata trained all across the Pacific and eventually returned to the mainstream boxing scene as the OPBF (Orient Pacific Boxing Federation) featherweight champion. Miyata's record is 22–1–1, with 20 KOs. Miyata himself looked down on Ippo a little at first, but after he helped Ippo to buy new boots for their first match, he started to respect him more, developing a friendly rivalry.
  • 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 World War II. 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. As a coach, Kamogawa's wealth of knowledge and experience has been tapped into on multiple occasions during training as well as in matches. Although he rarely admits it aloud, he is extremely proud of his two best boxers, Takamura and Ippo.
A veteran boxer who introduces Ippo to the sport after rescuing him from bullies. Gifted with incredible physical ability, he is considered to be one of the very few Japanese boxers that can make it on the world stage. As a result of his incredible skill, Takamura has an equally large ego and is not above bad-mouthing his enemies, teammates, and even Coach Kamogawa. He is the estranged son of a family that runs a large line of successful hotels and resorts, and was quite a troublemaker until Coach Kamogawa managed to get him out of a life of street violence. Currently, Takamura has a record of 21–0–0, with 21 KOs, and is the reigning WBC Middleweight Champion. He takes pride in helping his friends and fellow boxers, especially Ippo, whom he has personally taken under his wing. His current aspiration is to conquer the next four 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 unusual fighting styles. In the past, he and Kimura were the toughest high-school thugs around, but now Aoki's real job is at a ramen restaurant. He shares an apartment with his girlfriend, Tomiko, a friend of Kumi Mashiba whose nice personality and good body more than compensate for her less-than-stellar face. 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 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. After losing to Ryo Mashiba, he announced his retirement from boxing. Shortly after, unable to stay away from boxing, he returned saying he would spell his name in katakana (タツヤ, Tatsuya) instead of kanji (達也, Tatsuya).
  • Manabu Itagaki (板垣学 Itagaki Manabu?)
The most recent addition to the roster, the charismatic Manabu has a prodigy's talent and was the captain of his high school's boxing team. Cheerful and a lover of bad puns, Manabu is a fierce outboxer with extremely high speed and reflexes and whose fighting style is uncanny in its resemblance to Miyata's. He is also one of the very few people who has connected on some level with Ryo Mashiba. 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 8–1–0, with 6 KOs.
  • 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 support her brother and make him happy. Ippo becomes infatuated with her early on, but did not have a chance to tell her until more than a year later, when they met in an hospital as patient and nurse some months after the Ippo/Mashiba match. They become friends and Kumi comes to like Ippo back, but their relationship tends to suffer from their friends' and relatives' constant interference.
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 later moves to Junior Lightweight Division where he reigns as Champion (defending the belt against Kimura, amongst others) before losing to Sawamura by disqualification in one of the dirtiest matches ever seen in the series (even knee strikes were present!). His greatest strengths are his height and incredible reach for his weight division, almost three inches longer than Ippo's. Outside of the ring, Mashiba is a very quiet, if also very unnerving figure who is spurred on to earn wages and box for prize money all to support both himself and his beloved younger sister, Kumi, orphaned after their parents died in a tragic accident many years ago. He holds a record of 17–2–0, with 13 KOs.
Brash and fearless, Sendou is the hero of Osaka's boxing fans, to whom he is known as "Rocky" or the "Naniwa Tiger". He is considered to be a superior infighter to Ippo at mid-range. He has held the Japanese featherweight championship once after Eiji Date's retirement (defeating Alexander Volg Zangief by decision), defending it twice by KO, and some time later, he loses his Featherweight belt to Ippo by KO. Sendou is Ippo's greatest rival, next to Miyata. He has a record of 17–2–0, with 16 KOs; both losses were against Ippo.

[edit] Production

 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.


[edit] Media

[edit] Manga

List of Hajime no Ippo chapters

[edit] DVD

Geneon distributed the Fighting Spirit series in North America on 15 DVDs with 5 episodes per disc. The first DVD was released on July 6, 2004 and the fifteenth released on December 19, 2006.[7] The DVDs included English and Spanish language tracks, as well as the original Japanese. The movie, Champion Road has also been released in North America on DVD by Geneon. Unfortunately, plans for the second OVA Kimura vs Mashiba are not in the works. Disc sales of the series did not break even. The first DVD was the best selling at ~5,000 units with each DVD afterwards selling ~1,000 units. In order for Geneon to break even on the series they needed 15,000 units sold on each DVD.[citation needed] Many fans blame the lack of marketing and the negative appeal that a "Sports" anime has on the mainstream audience.[original research?]

[edit] Video Games

There have also been some video games based on the series, first released on the PlayStation, then later the PlayStation 2 and GameBoy Advance, and recently to Wii, as well. Two of the games have been released in North America and in PAL Territories. There was some confusion regarding the Western title Victorious Boxers 2 Fighting Spirit prior to its Western release, 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.[8] The Japanese released Victorious 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 Western 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.

System English Title Japanese Title English Translation
PlayStation N/A はじめの一歩 THE FIGHTING! Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting!
PlayStation 2 Victorious Boxers - Ippo's Road to Glory[9] はじめの一歩 VICTORIOUS BOXERS Hajime no Ippo: Victorious Boxers
N/A はじめの一歩2 VICTORIOUS ROAD Hajime no Ippo 2: Victorious Road[10]
Victorious Boxers 2 - Fighting Spirit はじめの一歩 ALL☆STARS Hajime no Ippo - The Fighting! All Stars[11]
Game Boy Advance N/A はじめの一歩 THE FIGHTING! Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting![12]
Wii Victorious Boxers: Revolution はじめの一歩 THE FIGHTING! Revolution Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting Revolution[13]

[edit] TV Series

[edit] Episode List

Episode Japanese Title English Translation English Title
01 The First Step The First Step The First Step
02 努力の成果 Results of Great Effort Fruits of Labor
03 うれし涙 Happy Tears Tears of Joy
04 シャドーボクシング Shadow Boxing Shadow Boxing
05 カウンターへの3ヶ月 3 Months to Counter 3 Months to Counter
06 再戦のゴング Gong of the Rematch The Opening Bell of the Rematch
07 1cmの破壊力 Destructive Power of 1cm The Destructive Force of 1cm
08 再会の約束 Promise of Another Meeting Promise to Meet Again
09 C級ライセンス C Class License C Class License
10 デビュー戦! Debut Fight! Debut Match!
11 勝利への執念 Tenacity to Win Obsession for Victory
12 手荒なダチ宣言 Violent Friend Announcement Becoming a Bully's Buddy
13 開幕、東日本新人王戦 Curtain Rises! Eastern Japan Newcomer King Fight The Eastern Japan Rookie Championship Tournament Begins
14 強腕!フックvsアッパー! Strong Arms! Hook vs Upper! Powerful Arms! Hooks vs. Uppercut!
15 我慢くらべ Patience Comparing Test of Endurance
16 激戦の予感 Premonition of a Fierce Fight Anticipating a Fierce Fight
17 イッポ・オン・ザ・ビーチ Ippo On The Beach Ippo on the Beach
18 クリンチ Clinch Clinch
19 KOの夢 Dream of a KO Dream of a KO
20 ショットガンの脅威 Threat of the Shotgun The Threat of Shotgun
21 天才攻略の道 The Way of Capturing a Genius The Way to Capture a Prodigy
22 前へ!前へ!! Forward! Forward!! Forward! Forward!!
23 もう一つの準決勝 1 More Semi-Final The Other Semi-Final
24 約束の場所へ… To the Place of Promise To the Promised Place...
25 それぞれの想い Each Emotion Grudges, Sorrows & Dreams
26 距離の攻防 Attack and Defense of Distance The Battle for Distance
27 死闘 Struggle to the Death Death Match
28 勝敗 Victory or Defeat Victory or Defeat
29 浪速のロッキー Rocky of Naniwa Rocky of Naniwa
30 敵地へ To Enemy Ground To Enemy Ground
31 激闘の足跡 Footprints of Fierce Fighting Traces of Intense Battles
32 右を打て! Right Hits! Throw Your Right!
33 スマッシュの威圧 Powerful Pressure of the Smash Smash Force
34 新人王 Newcomer King The Rookie King
35 さらなる旅立ち To Go Further on the Journey The Counting Journey
36 王者との出会い Encounter with the King The Champ and I
37 目指すもの Something to Aim At A Thing to Strive For
38 二人の新人王 Two Newcomer Kings Two Rookies of the Year
39 異国での挑戦 Challenge in a Foreign Country Challenge in a Foreign Land
40 カウンターを超えたカウンター Counter that Surpassed the Counter A Counter to Surpass All Counters
41 ゲロ道の戦い Geromichi's Fight Barf-michi's Big Fight
42 夢への共感 Sympathy to Dream Sharing a Dream
43 THE SPEED STAR The Speed Star The Speed Star
44 リングの死角 Dead Angle of the Ring Blind Spot in the Ring
45 狼の白い牙 White Fangs of the Wolf The White Fangs of the Wolf
46 かもしかになれ! Become the Gazelle! Be the Gazelle
47 秘められた闘志 Concealed Fighting Spirit The Fighting Spirit Within
48 赤い狼 Red Wolf The Red Wolf
49 信頼する勇気 Confidence The Courage to Believe
50 伝えたいこと What I want to Say Something to Convey
51 合コン Combination The Group Date
52 挑戦者 Challenger The Challenger
53 俺が俺であるために I am Me So That I Can Be Myself
54 王者の拳 Fists of the King Fists of the Champ
55 日本フェザー級タイトルマッチ Japan Feather Rank Title Match The Japan Featherweight Title Match
56 立ちはだかる力 Power which Confronts The Power that Stands in the Way
57 決着 Conclusion Conclusion
58 傷心 Heartbreak Heartbroken
59 決意のまなざし Look of Determination A Determined Gaze
60 ライバル Rival Rival
61 再起への不安 Anxiety to Recovery Comeback Anxiety
62 復活 Revival Revival
63 炎の青春 Youth of Flame Youth of Fire
64 熱中時代 Enthusiastic Era Hot Rod Era
65 鴨川軍団の夏 The Summer of the Kamogawa Troops The Summer of the Kamogawa Corps
66 鷹村さんの涙 Takamura's Tears Mr. Takamura's Tears
67 動き出す鴨川ジム Kamogawa Gym Moves Out The Kamogawa Gym Swings into Action
68 会長の危機 The Chairman's Crisis The Chief's Peril
69 サウスポーの罠 Trap of the Southpaw The Trap of the Southpaw
70 ごんたくれ A Naughty Boy The Young Punk
71 決戦の刻 Moment of the Decisive Battle Time for the Showdown
72 LALLAPALLOOZA Lallapallooza Lallapallooza
73 あの時を超えろ Surpass that Time Surpass that Moment
74 ミックスアップ Mix-Up Mix-Up
75 さらなる一歩を Into the Next Step A Step Further
76 ボクサーの拳 Boxer's Fist Boxer's Fist

Champions Road (Hajime no ippo the movie)

[edit] Music

The music for the anime series was composed by Tsuneo Imahori, who also did the third opening theme song. Various tracks of guitars, drums, piano, horns, and combinations of the instruments were used to help accentuate the mood and action of the scenes. The soundtrack was released in Japan on two CDs, "First KO" & "Final Round".

[edit] Anime Theme Songs

Opening Theme Songs[2]

  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[2]

  1. Yuuzora no Kamihikouki by Mori Naoya (Episodes 1 - 25)
  2. 360° by Mori Naoya (Episodes 26 - 52, 75)
  3. Eternal Loop by Saber Tiger (Episodes 53 - 74,76)

[edit] References

 This article contains Japanese text.
Without proper rendering support,
you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of kanji or kana.
  1. ^ Tokyo Graph. Fighting Spirit (manga) - Hajime no Ippo. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d Fighting Spirit (TV). Anime News Network. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Hajime no Ippo - Champion Road (special). Anime News Network. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.
  4. ^ a b Hajime no Ippo - Mashiba vs. Kimura (OAV). Anime News Network. Retrieved on July 2, 2007.
  5. ^ Geneon Licenses. Anime News Network. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
  6. ^ Joel Hahn. Kodansha Manga Awards. Comic Book Awards Almanac. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
  7. ^ Fighting Spirit. Geneon. Retrieved on April 23, 2007.
  8. ^ Victorious Boxers 2: Fighting Spirit Review. PALGN. Retrieved on May 4, 2007.
  9. ^ PlayStation 2 - Victorious Boxers. PlayStation Underground. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
  10. ^ Hajime no Ippo 2: Victorious Road for PS2. GameSpot. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
  11. ^ GameSpot. Victorious Boxers 2: Fighting Spirit for PS2. Retrieved on April 4, 2007.
  12. ^ Hajime no Ippo GAMEBOY ADVANCE. Entertainment Software Publishing. Retrieved on March 24, 2007.
  13. ^ Hajime no Ippo Revolution Page. MouRa. Retrieved on March 24, 2007.

[edit] Reception

Source Reviewer Grade / Score Notes
Anime News Network Carl Kimlinger Overall (dub): B
Overall (sub): A-
Story: B
Animation: B+
Art: B+
Music: B+		 DVD/Anime Review of Hajime no Ippo: Champion Road, TV Special

[edit] External links

Official

Music

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Series currently running in Weekly Shōnen Magazine
Fighting Spirit • Kindaichi Case Files • Godhand Teru • School Rumble • Air Gear • Negima!: Magister Negi Magi • Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle • Ahiru no Sora • Tokkyu!! • Mō, Shimasen Kara • Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei • Area no Kishi • Daiya no Ace • Smash!! • Fairy Tail • Shinyaku "Kyojin no Hoshi" Hanagata • Yankee-kun to Megane-chan • Hammer Session! • Shibatora • Yokai no Oissha-san • Bloody Monday • Tobaku Haō-den Zero • Baby Step • Stand By Me • Hakutsu! Machine Yarō!! • Kagutsuchi
Website: http://www.shonenmagazine.com