List of Fighting Spirit characters

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This is a list of the fictional characters that appear in the manga and anime series はじめの一歩 (Hajime no Ippo, はじめの一歩^?), which english title is Fighting Spirit. Characters are grouped by the boxing gym they are a member of.

Contents 1 Kamogawa Gym 1.1 Ippo Makunouchi 1.2 Mamoru Takamura 1.3 Others 2 Kawahara Gym 2.1 Ichiro Miyata 3 Naniwa Gym 3.1 Takeshi Sendo 3.2 Others 4 Toho Gym 5 Otowa Gym 6 Kinoshita Gym 7 Hachinohe Gym 8 Karil Gym 9 Nakadai Gym 10 Other boxers 10.1 Japanese boxers 10.2 Foreign boxers 11 Other characters 12 Animals

[edit] Kamogawa Gym

[edit] Ippo Makunouchi

Ippo Makunouchi (幕之内 一歩, Makunouchi Ippo^?), voiced by Kōhei Kiyasu, is the main protagonist of the series. He lives with his mother, Hiroko Makunouchi, and helps with the family charter boat fishing business. Ippo is a classic power in-boxer and is well known for his Peek-a-Boo style of boxing and hard punches which include three signature punches: a rib-cracking Liver blow, Gazelle punch (an uppercut variant), and the Dempsey roll technique. His signature punches appear to be modelled after Mike Tyson, Floyd Patterson, and Jack Dempsey respectively. He is also extremely well-endowed, which Takamura discovers much to his dismay. Because of this lots of jokes are made at Takamura's expense, moreso in the manga.

Ippo is bullied throughout most of his school life. After being rescued by Takamura, he ends up being brought to Kamogawa Gym, where he displays an explosive punching power. After seeing a video of Mike Tyson, he becomes inspired to take up boxing to feel reborn with strength, as a sort of therapy. He soon proves himself to Takamura and Kamogawa, and starts on the path to being a pro boxer. He is also very good in uppercuts, rivaling Takeshi Sendo's. His current record as Japan's featherweight champion is 22–1–0, with 22 KOs, and he has a single digit ranking in the WBC. He is the 2nd best boxer in the whole episode after Mamoru Takamura. Even though he is not a technical boxer, he makes up for that with his superb fighting spirit.

[edit] Mamoru Takamura

Mamoru Takamura (鷹村 守, Takamura Mamoru^?), voiced by Rikiya Koyama, is a strong boxer that has never lost a match. He has an incredible athletic ability that shows through in his strength. Takamura also has an insatiable appetite for women, which is only overshadowed by his obsession for victory. At one point, he single-handedly knocks out an adult bear while sustaining gashes on his arm and most notably on his chest. The weakened bear is eventually killed, and he is dubbed "The Bear Slayer", he honors it by wearing its pelt, and the scars proudly.

He originally is a delinquent that often gets into fights. Because of his strength, he often leaves the victims with serious injuries. After being disowned by his family due to beating up at least twenty people at once, he continues to fight until he meets Coach Kamogawa. After weeks of training, and without a single spar, Takamura defeats his first opponent in 25 seconds of the first round by KO. He works his way to become the Japanese Middleweight Champion, and then moves on to become the World Junior Middleweight Champion and the World Middleweight Champion; this makes him the only current World Champion from Japan. His current aspiration is to conquer the next 4 classes up through heavyweight. He is the strongest in the whole episode and manga with only one punch enough to kill someone which is his straight.

[edit] Others

• 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. 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, 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.

Voiced by: Wataru Takagi

• 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 16-5-3, 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'd spell his name in katakana (タツヤ, Tatsuya) instead of kanji (達也,, Tatsuya).

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara

• 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 with extremely high speed and reflexes and 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 8-1-0, with 6 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 which is a left hook body blow enough to knock someone down 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; i.e., he rescued Takamura from his life as a thug by introducing him to boxing. Although he rarely admits it aloud, he is extremely proud of his two best reliable straight-forward boxers, Takamura and Ippo.

Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi

• Haruhiko Yagi (八木 晴彦, Yagi Haruhiko^?)

The manager of Kamogawa Gym and a part-time trainer. Friendly and knowledgeable, "Yagi-chan" (as his pupils affectionately call him) 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.

Voiced by: Toshihiko Nakajima

• Tomoyuki Shinoda (, Shinoda Tomoyuki^?)

One of the trainers at the Kamogawa Gym. Because he oversees the training of some of Kamogawa boxers, he is normally a second to some of them during their matches; in fact, he knows Aoki, Kimura, and Itagaki even better than the Coach does. Because of Aoki & Kimura's reputation for "mud slinging" matches, they would sometimes jokingly blame Shinoda for improperly training them. Shinoda almost resigned when he felt that he might not be able to draw out Itagaki's full potential.

Voiced by: Seiji Sasaki

[edit] Kawahara Gym

[edit] Ichiro Miyata

Ichiro Miyata (宮田 一郎, Miyata Ichiro^?)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki

Miyata a very skilled outboxer that specializes in counter punches. Considered by many to be a boxing prodigy, he uses the boxing style that his father used. After his father is forced to retire, Miyata decides to take on his style of boxing to prove its worth, and to go above and beyond him. He begins at Kamogawa Gym, but after losing to Ippo, he later transfers to Kawahara Gym in hopes of one day facing Ippo in an official match. 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.

Miyata originally starts to rise very rapidly in the Eastern Championship, until he is defeated by Ryo Mashiba. After physically recovering and graduating highschool, he visits Ippo and tells him that he's going in a tour through Thailand and Korea to improve his skills and then fight him. Miyata has trained all across the Pacific and eventually returns to the mainstream boxing scene as the main contender to the OPBF featherweight title. Together with the Jolt Counter, a deadly full-body powered counter blow enough to knock someone out cold, Miyata KOs Australian boxer Arnie Gregory to become the current regional champion. He has defended his title five times, all by KO, boosting him up to the rank of WBC #5 Featherweight. Miyata is now preparing to fight Randy Boy Junior. Successor of the style that defeated his father.

• Suzuki (鈴木, Suzuki^?)

Voiced by: Toru Ohkawa

• Miyata's Father

Voiced by: Unshou Ishizuka

Ichiro Miyata's father and coach, and the one who passed on to him the love of boxing. Formerly a promising boxer himself, when Ichiro was a very young boy he lost soundly to Randy Boy Senior and had his jaw fractured, so he was forced to retire. As a witness of his father's fall of grace, Ichiro decided to take on his style and become the best with it; in retribution, his father became his personal coach and advisor.

[edit] Naniwa Gym

[edit] Takeshi Sendo

Takeshi Sendo (千堂 武士, Sendō Takeshi^?), voiced by Masaya Onosaka, is an aggressive mid-range fighter, and his specialty punch is the "Smash", modified Dempsey Roll which he uses hooks, Deadly Smash and Ultra Low Smash which was popularized and created by Donovan Ruddock. He resides in the Naniwa Ward of Osaka, where his is known as "Rocky" and the "Naniwa Tiger." His "Rocky" nickname was influenced by his power boxing style similar to that of Rocky Marciano, the only heavyweight champion in history to retire undefeated. In a recent interview with Shounen Magazine, Hajime no Ippo's manga-ka, Jyoji Morikawa said that Hidekazu Akai was also one of his models for Sendo. Like Sendo, Akai was from Osaka and was nicknamed the Naniwa Rocky.

Sendo's mother died after childbirth, so he spent his first years with his father and paternal grandmother, raised under the motto "you should protect those around you". When he was around five years old, his father died in a firefight, but Sendo, proud of his father's sacrifice, continued to follow his advice by trying to help others. He started by helping people from bullies, but eventually became very violent with his "justice". By highschool, Sendo had already become one of the most feared street fighters and gang leaders in Osaka, but not attacking people, rather defending the weak.

One day, he beat up several boxers from Naniwa boxing gym, and met his coach, Yamaoka. He soon became interested in boxing, going on to win the Western Japan Rookie Championship. As a result he was slated to fight Ippo who defeated Ryo Mashiba to become the Eastern Rookie King Champion, during the All Rookie King Japan Tournament. However during the fight with Mashiba, Ippo injured his right hand and as a result decided to skip the fight with Sendo. After finding out Sendo literally goes out of his way to make Ippo change his mind and after seeing his determination to want to fight him so badly akin to his desire to want to fight Miyata, Ippo decides to go on with the match despite his handicap. In the end Sendo loses the fight by TKO, however despite this Ippo was left feeling that the battle hadn't fight hadn't been fully resolved, since he was clearly losing the fight and was barely able to walk when the 4th round was about to start but Sendo remained in his corner unsconscious due to a punch that Ippo connected to his temple.

Sendo has held the Japanese featherweight following a questionable win over Volg Zangief (that even Sendo himself didn't accept gladly) to decide who would take the Featherweight Championship vacated after Eiji Date retired, defending it twice by KO. Ultimately not only would he lose the title to Ippo in their rematch but as a result of Ippo's devastating punches, he was shelfed due to Ippo cracking his ribs with body blows and Liver blows.

Following his recent comeback he has a record of 17-2-0, with 16 KOs. After his last victory against a Mexican boxer, Sendou is ranked WBC #23 and declared his ambition to defeat the WBA champion, Ricardo Martinez. Recently, Jyoji Morikawa announced that a 48 page one-shot will be made, focusing on Sendo.

[edit] Others

• Hiroyuki Hoshi (星 洋行, Hoshi Hiroyuki^?): Sendo's Kouhai and equally as brash, though he is more polite towards Sendo. He joined the Naniwa Gym out of his admiration of Sendo and like Sendo, he was the West Japan Rookie King. Prior to boxing, Hoshi practiced Karate and would challenge other martial arts schools. He showed up at the gym one day and Sendo took his challenge. Sendo was the first man to stay standing from Hoshi's trademark move, the Ichigeki, a basic power punch from Karate thrown from the side of your body. Upon meeting with Ippo, he stated his plan of challenging Ippo right after he beat Itagaki for the Rookie King title, but he was unsuccessful and Itagaki won the match easily with his superior speed and reflexes.
• Yanaoka (柳岡, Yanaoka^?)

Voiced by: Naoki Tatsuta: A still young ex-boxer who works as a coach in the Naniwa gym. When Sendo attacked him and some rookie boxers, Yanaoka was the only one who could resist Sendo's attacks and could even see his weak spots as a fighter. Thanks to him, Sendo joined the Naniwa gym.

[edit] Toho Gym

• 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.

After beating Miyata in the Rookie King Tournament semifinal (he even resorted to stepping on Miyata's foot to keep him close), he lost to Ippo in the final match. He later moves to Junior Lightweight Division where he reigns as Champion (defending the belt against Kimura in a very close match, amongst others) before losing to Sawamura by disqualification in one of the dirtiest matches ever seen in the series, due to Sawamura's dirty boxing and Mashiba's grudge against him (even knee strikes were present.)

Outside of the ring, Mashiba is a very quiet, if also very unnerving and scary 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; because of all his pain and the humiliation coming from others, Mashiba has developed a big resentment against the rest of the world, which only started to wear down after losing to Ippo; with time, he comes to not really mind the relationship Ippo has with Kumi (though he still keeps an eye on them whenever he can, watching for Kumi) and goes to his fights on occasion; he even entrusts Ippo to take revenge on Sawamura, who gave Kumi a cut on her cheek.

As a former Japanese junior lightweight champion, he holds a record of 17-2-0, with 13 KOs. His belt was lost to Ryuhei Sawamura, though it was because of a disqualification on part of Mashiba's brutal attitude during the fight (such as causing Ryuhei to collapse out of the ring and hit his head on the floor)

Voiced by: Masahiko Tanaka

[edit] Otowa Gym

• Ryuichi Hayami (速水 龍一, Hayami Ryū'ichi^?)

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 last second of the first round of the East Japan Rookie King Tournament. He later moves down to the Junior Featherweight Division. After his loss to Kenta Kobashi for the Junior Featherweight championship, he retires from boxing due to his weak chin, seriously damaged in the fight with a one-two combination from Kobashi. He's an incredibly handsome fellow, very popular outside of boxing as a model and teenage idol, and has a legion of female followers who always cheer for him whether he wins or loses.

Voiced by: Kōji Tsujitani

• Alexander Volg Zangief

The World Amateur Champion is a handsome boxer from Russia who excels at outboxing and taking points, but adopts a vicious infighting style when he moves to Japan (Ippo notices how depressed he looks after this happens). Raised by a single mother in a small town near to St. Petersburg, Volg originally takes up boxing in order to provide medical assistance for his seriously ill mom (who coincidentally looks a lot like Hiroko Makunouchi, but with longer and reddish hair), but after consecutive losses to both Ippo and Sendou, he is forced to leave the Otawa Gym and return to Russia, staying by his mother's side until her death. Besides his incredible outboxing technique, Volg's greatest weapon is a vertical combination called "White Fang"( a short, quick left uppercut, followed by an incredibly fast and powerful chopping right). Volg later returns to Japan to get his old boxing gloves from Ippo before he goes to America, and ends up helping Ippo train for his upcoming match against Sawamura Ryuhei. Currently Volg is in America fighting at the world stage and, under the training of Dankichi Hama, is the 4th ranked IBF Jr. Lightweight fighter. His personality is very humble and polite, though he's a very good boxer, Volg admits that he doesn't really like boxing as it hurts other people but only does it so he can help his ill mother back home but finally comes to realize he has passion for boxing. There was also a running gag at the beginning, related to his rusty Japanese. When Ippo met Volg when he couldn't read kanji in the subway, and few minutes after their first conversation he got in trouble with other native Japanese people for the very same reason.

Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa

• 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 in the amateur 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.

[edit] Kinoshita Gym

• 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, "Hien"^?) -- 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. After his failed attempt to obtain the Featherweight Championship from Ippo, he retires from boxing to continue his work as a doctor.

Voiced by: Kōichi Yamadera

• Takuzo Karasawa (唐沢 拓三, Karasawa Takuzō^?): Sanada's kōhai (後輩, kōhai^?). 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 due to Ippo's choice to seal the Dempsey Roll and focus on a back-to-the-basics approach on boxing.

[edit] Hachinohe Gym

• Jason Ozuma (ジェイソン・尾妻, Jeison Ozuma^?), United States Army

An African-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. After fighting Ippo in the Rookie King first round he retired.

Voiced by: Masahiro Kobayashi

• Naomichi Yamada (山田 直道, Yamada Naomichi^?)

A bashful young man who first joined the Kamogawa Gym as Ippo's follower. His initial 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 due to his widow mother's work, 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.

Voiced by: Daisuke Sakaguchi

[edit] Karil Gym

• 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. He was involved in a car accident the night he won the fight against Ryo Mashiba for the Japanese Jr. Lightweight Title and retired as reigning champion. On the night that Kawabe (Sawamura's teacher) met Sendo he said that like Sendo, Sawamura hadn't lost a street fight to anyone. Recently Sawamura made a cameo, his face being heavily scarred due to his motorcycle accident.

[edit] Nakadai Gym

• 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 was knocked out at the second round and, among other injuries, he got a really notorious scar on the bridge of his then-fractured nose.

Date gave up boxing after that in order to settle down with his wife Aiko (a woman from a rich family who sacrificed a lot to be with him, and who just had a miscarriage at that time) and raise a family. But Date was a born boxer -- he found he could not contain his combative nature for long, and after Aiko told him that she wanted their son Yuuji to see his dad fight, he picked his career back up to the top. 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, making Kamogawa throw the towel.

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. He has, however, passed on his dream to Ippo. Currently, he trains other boxers at the Nakadai Gym.

Voiced by: Masaki Aizawa

• Keigo Okita (沖田 佳吾, Okita Keigo^?): A boxer at Nakadai Gym who preceded Ippo as the Rookie of the Year. 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. Later, he was seen as one of Date's assistants during his fight with Ippo.

Voiced by: Hiroaki Hirata

[edit] Other boxers

[edit] Japanese boxers

• 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 straight 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's favor (she had heard how others mocked Oda for losing his fighting will) 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. Voiced by: Nobutoshi Canna
• 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. Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki
• 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. The cheerful, confident 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. Voiced by: Kiyoyuki Yanada
• 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. He trains at the Ohtaki Gym. 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 almost defeated Ippo by taking points in the Rookie King Tournament, but was KO´d in the last minute. 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. Incidentally, this is the name of real-life professional wrestler Kenta Kobashi; however the kanji for his real name is the same while the kanji for his ring name can be seen in the article on the wrestler (as well as the two being shown on the Japanese version thereof). Voiced by: Taiki Matsuno
• Iwao Shimabukuro (島袋 岩男, Shimabukuro Iwao^?): Known as the "Ryūkyū Warrior", Shimabukuro hails from a small fishing village in Okinawa and trains at the Okinawa Seaside Gym. 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.
• Keiichi Take (武　恵一, Take Keiichi^?): A crafty, veteran boxer in his early thirties, from the Sameichi Gym in the Fukuoka 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. He's also the first southpaw boxer Ippo fights in a professional match. He could be considered a master manipulator and has a boxing style like Aoki. Ippo is able to KO him just 1 minute into the 6th round of Ippo's 7th title defence match.

[edit] Foreign boxers

• Jimmy Sisfer: Also known as Scratch J is a boxer from Thailand who was previously a Muay Thai champion, he has a very powerful right hook. He was the first boxer defeated by Miyata's Jolt Counter, while he was training in Thailand, as part of his travel to gain more experience. Sisfer comes back later in the series with his face full of scars and as Thailand's Featherweight champion to fight Ippo. In the fight, he reveals a devastating new blow that has the destructive power of a Jolt, without actually being a counter. However, he loses by KO when Ippo uses a variation of the Dempsey Roll that uses an uppercut/smash instead of a hook. Voiced by: Masaaki Ōkura
• Ponchai Chuwatana: A boxer from Thailand, he is the first to fight Ippo in his comeback after his loss to Eiji Date. Little is known about him, leading Ippo to be nervous before their match. He was also the first boxer knocked down by Ippo's new weapon, the Dempsey Roll.
• Arnie Gregory: An Australian boxer nicknamed "The Crocodile", his punches, especially hooks, are very powerful. He also uses a technique against counterpunchers called Bloody Cross. He was the OPBF Champion but lost his belt to Miyata. He was KO´d by Miyata's Jolt Counter when Miyata was almost done. His former trainer, Sakaguchi, has a vendetta against Miyata for taking the title and has been devising strategies to take him down.
• Ricardo Martinez: The longtime WBA featherweight champion. Martinez is considered the only active Super Champion in the world. Having made quick work of Date and sixty other unlucky opponents, Martinez is undefeated and seemingly invincible, as he demonstrated to Ippo in a one-sided sparring match. 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. The boxer he respects most is Date, as Date pushed him further than anyone else ever had in their rematch. Even so, Martinez's face was not even swollen up from their rematch, whereas Date's injuries were so bad that he had to retire.
• Bryan Hawk: The WBC junior middleweight champion. A 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 uses unorthodox punches that are very hard to predict, in words of his own coach, Hawk's fighting style is not boxing, it's simply violence. He apparently derives even some degree of sexual pleasure from this violence. He loses the World Championship Belt to Takamura and retire from boxing due to the injuries received in the match. Like many boxers in the show before he boxed he was a street fighter. He grew up in the most dangerous parts of New York and fought until he was discovered by Miguel Zale, who ran a boxing gym.
• David Eagle: The WBC middleweight champion, and a fighter the complete opposite of Bryan 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, as well as a great fighting spirit, that Takamura recognizes as one as great as Ippo's (The exact words were: "You know, Ippo? This guy looks just like you"). Eagle is pleasant and easygoing outside the ring, and shows excellent sportsmanship inside it. He loses his belt to Takamura.
• Randy Boy Jr.: The reigning OPBF interim featherweight champion. Little is known about the background of this fighter. The only thing that is known for sure is that he is the son of the boxer that caused Miyata Ichiro's father's retirement from boxing. This is one of the primary reasons why Miyata decided to break his promise to Ippo by turning down their promised match for the sole purpose to fight Randy Boy Jr., who happens to have the same fighting style his father used.
• Papaya Dachiu: The lightweight champion of Indonesia who is noticed for his particularly odd looking hairstyle. He fights using a lot of tricks, just like Aoki. His specialty punch is a tremendously powerful right straight called the Coconut Punch. He strengthens his right arm for his rematch with Aoki, making his Coconut Punch even more powerful. Papaya's weakness is a critical lack of stamina, which Aoki exploits in both of his fights with Papaya. Aoki has fought Papaya twice, with both matches ending in a draw.
• Eleki Battery: The junior lightweight champion of the Philippines, Eleki also boasts an odd hairstyle with a lightning bolt shaved on top of his head. He is a skilled outboxer like Kimura. Eleki's weakness was his exceptionally weak body. He toughened up his body for his rematch with Kimura. Kimura has fought Eleki twice, with both matches ending in a draw.
• Malcolm Gedoh: The featherweight champion of the Philippines. A crooked fighter who offers to fix his fights in exchange for prize money. He is also known as "The Magician" for his the tricks he uses inside of the ring. One of these tricks is to use his long arms to block one's vision and then use his footwork to get away from his opponent, which messes with their depth perception. He fights with the strings on his left glove loosened so that he can throw a jab with an unclenched fist, making his reach seem longer due to the glove trying to fly off of his fist. He has managed to take Ippo to Round 8, which is further than any other opponent has taken Ippo. He was Ippo's last opponent, losing the fight after he is hit by a flurry of hooks and a powerful uppercut which sends him off his feet.

[edit] Other characters

• Kazuo Makunouchi: Ippo's deceased father. Not much is known about his past other than he was a fisherman who loved to get into fights, and that he had a powerful punch. He died when Ippo was much younger, saving his friend Sakuma in a storm. Ippo's mother said that Kazuo was more suited to be a boxer than Ippo was. In a flashback in volume 56, Kazuo said Ippo was weak and he was going to "train" him. It is unknown what training he was planning to put Ippo through. It is through his strategy that Ippo beat Miyata (When Kazuo was to fight a stronger opponent, he would picture his opponent as a fish and all the tension would go away).
• 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 after saving his friend Sakuma

. 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. Voiced by: Yorie Terauchi

• 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, including going to his matches even though she doesn't like to see him get hurt. Ippo becomes infatuated with her early on, but didn't 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 ring. They become friends and Kumi comes to like Ippo back, but their relationship tends to suffer from their friends' and relatives' constant interference, and also was somewhat strained after Ippo thought she was smitten with Dr. Sanada, until Kumi herself clarified the mistake after their match but didn't get a chance to say that Ippo was the one she really loved. Kumi tends to be modest and shy, but she will stand up for her brother and friends at a moment's notice. Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi
• 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. Voiced by: Ichirou Nagai
• Yuki (ユキ, Yuki^?)- A beautiful young woman who adored 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, dying peacefully some time later.
• Dankichi Hama (浜 団吉, Hama Dankichi^?): A former friend and rival of Kamogawa and Nekota. In his younger days, Hama boxed along with the two, but never managed to reach their level, partially due to his unusually fragile jaw. 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. Hama still harbors deep feelings of rivalry towards Kamogawa, and strives to one day train a boxer that can defeat Makunouchi or Takamura. He is currently the trainer of Alexander Volg Zangief in America. Voiced by: Seizou Katou
• 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. Voiced by: Mitsuaki Madono
• 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. Voiced by: Kenichi Ono
• 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. Voiced by: Emi Shinohara
• 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, Yamaguchi-sensei^?): A young female doctor whom Ippo asks for help after his match with Ryo Mashiba, since he sustained a serious injury during the fight but still wished to stay true to his promise 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 and well-developed 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. Voiced by: Yuko Kobayashi

[edit] Animals

• Hachi (ハチ, Hachi^? lit. eight): Hachi is Nekota's pet dog. He is a very friendly dog that goes wherever Nekota does. Nekota even sneaked him into Korakuen Hall for Ippo's title fight against Sendo.
• Wanpo (ワンポ, Wanpo^? One-po): Wanpo is one of Hachi's sons. Nekota gave him to Ippo soon after Ippo won the Japanese Featherweight Championship. His name is a combination of English and Japanese to form a pun on Ippo's name, which literally means "one step". One pronounced using Japanese syllables is Wan (ワン, One^?).
• Mountain Bear: While training at Nekota's place in the mountains, the Kamogawa troop were told to be wary of bears. When Takamura was out jogging once, he encountered a bear that he was able to KO after a life threatening fight. He lets the bear go once he sees that it has two bear cubs following it. Nekota then later came upon the bear in its weakened state and shoots it to make a bear meat nabe that Takamura said he wanted to try, though Takamura was outraged when he found out. However, he decides to eat all the bear meat out of respect for the animal.
• Reiko (れいこ, Reiko^?): An arowana fish that Kimura keeps in his room. The fish is apparently named after the girl Kimura liked when he went on the group date with the girls from the hospital. Unfortunately for Kimura, she did not return the feelings. It was the jumping this fish would perform when fed that led Kimura to develop his "Dragon Fish Blow" he used in his title fight against Mashiba.

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