Synonyms: The Fighting!, Fighting Spirit, The Fighting! Ippo, Hajime no Ippo Gaiden: Naniwa Tiger
Type: Manga
Volumes: 133 +
Chapters: Unknown
Status: Publishing
Published: Sep 27, 1989 to ?
Genres: Action, Comedy, Drama, Shounen, Sports
Mangaka: Morikawa, George (Story & Art)
Serialization: Shounen Magazine (Weekly)
Synopsis: Makunouchi Ippo has been bullied his entire life. Constantly running errands and being beaten up by his classmates, Ippo has always dreamed of changing himself, but never has the passion to act upon it. One day, in the midst of yet another bullying, Ippo is saved by Takamura Mamoru, who happens to be a boxer. Ippo faints from his injuries and is brought to Takamura boxing gym to recover. As he regains consciousness, he is awed and amazed at his new surroundings in the gym, though lacks confidence to attempt anything. Takamura places a photo of Ippo’s classmate on a punching bag and forces him to punch it. It is only then that Ippo feels something stir inside him and eventually asks Takamura to train him in boxing. Thinking that Ippo does not have what it takes, Takamura gives him a task deemed impossible and gives him a one week time limit. With a sudden desire to get stronger, for himself and his hard working mother, Ippo trains relentlessly to accomplish the task within the time limit. Thus Ippo’s journey to the top of the boxing world begins.
Background
Hajime no Ippo was awarded the 15th Kodansha Manga Award for best shounen manga in 1991.
Related manga
Prequel: Hajime no Ippo Gaiden
Adaptation:
- Hajime no Ippo Special,
- Hajime no Ippo: Champion Road,
- Hajime no Ippo: Mashiba vs. Kimura,
- Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger,
- Hajime no Ippo,
- Hajime no Ippo: Rising
No promotional video.
AMV
Groups Scanlating
Binktopia
Buried With Manga
Endless Abyss
Franky House
Head Scanlation
I Eat Manga
Ignition One
Ignition-One
Joufu Scans
MangaStream
MangaZone
Ookina Ippo Scans
SnoopyCool
Optimist
Source: MAL Manga info, Baka updates
Characters:
Date of birth: November 23, 1973
Nationality: Japanese
Boxing style: Infighter, Peek-a-Boo
Height: 5'5" (164 cm)
Reach: 65" (165 cm)
Weight: 124 lbs.
Weight class: Featherweight
Gym affiliation: Kamogawa Gym
Specialty: Liver Blow, Gazelle Punch, Dempsey Roll
Ippo Makunouchi 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.
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. He soon proves himself to Takamura and Kamogawa, and starts on the path to being a pro boxer.
His Pro-Debut Match was against Oda Yusuke, He was largely regarded as a lazy and unmotivated boxer, but when his girlfriend threatened to break up with him, he committed himself to training. From the first time the boxers met, there was tension between them, as a misunderstanding led Oda to believe Ippo made fun of him. On the actual fight, Ippo seemed to have the advantage from the beginning of the match, but was saved by his coach from losing the fight due to a cut. Ippo managed a comeback by knocking Oda out with a series of jabs, thus winning the fight.
Birthday: July 7, 1969
Homeland: Tokyo, Japan
Family: Takamura Suguru (older brother), Takamura Kyouka (older sister), Takamura Wataru (little brother)
Occupation: Professional Boxer
Weight Class: Middleweight (Currently), Junior Middleweight
Height: 185 cm (6'1")
Reach: 189 cm (74")
Style: Hybrid
Stance(s): Orthodox Stance, Brawling Stance, Hitman Style
Current Affiliation: Kamogawa Boxing Gym
Trainer: Kamogawa Genji
He is a multi-weight class (currently middleweight) hybrid boxer affiliated with the Kamogawa Boxing Gym. He is the current unified WBC and WBA Middleweight champion and strongest known character in the series.
Takamura is very hearty, rude and often behaves vulgarly. He is a loud arrogant boaster who tends to refer to himself as Ore-sama (a Japanese name suffix intended for people of great importance) and he rarely ever shows a shred of consideration towards other fighters after a loss.
Takamura was discovered on the streets by Coach Kamogawa Genji, and his speed, power, and technique are all high-level to the point that he is capable of handling both In Fighters and Out Boxers without too much trouble. Unlike most characters in Hajime no Ippo, he has no special finishing blow, but every punch he has possesses killer destructive power. With the wild power to always force out any situation he claims will happen, he is a man who does everything he says he will.
Birth date: September 9, 1971
Homeland: Tokyo, Japan
Occupation: Chuuka Soba chef
Weight Class: Lightweight
Height: 171 cm (5'7")
Reach: 171 cm (67")
Style: Unorthodox boxing style
Stance: Orthodox Stance
Current Affiliation: Kamogawa Boxing Gym
Trainer: Shinoda
He is an unorthodox lightweight boxer and one of the core members of the Kamogawa Boxing Gym. He, along with Kimura Tatsuya, are known to have been scouted into boxing by Takamura Mamoru, an individual they swore to defeat but eventually came to admire.
Aoki was a punk from his childhood up through high school, at which point he encountered, fought and got beat down by Takamura Mamoru (who was then a middleweight with two wins under his belt). This loss motivated him to quit school along with his close friend Kimura Tetsuya to become boxers at Kamogawa gym. Although their initial goal was to land a clean hit on Takamura, they grew to love boxing and develop their own skills. Aoki became a clownish boxer whose signature techniques, the Frog Punch and Look-Away, eventually led him to a draw in a Japanese title match with then-champion Imae Katsuka. Currently in the series, Aoki had a going rivalry with Papaya Dachiu, the lightweight champion of the Philippines, with whom he has drawn two consecutive matches.
Genji Kamogawa (鴨川 源二)
Birthday: January 15, 1917
Homeland: Japan Tokyo, Japan
Family: Nekota Ginpachi,Mamoru Takamura
Occupation: Kamogawa Gym Founder and Coach
Weight Class: Bantamweight
Style: In Fighter
Current Affiliation: Kamogawa Boxing Gym
Trainer: Himself
Date(s) Retired: 1947
Kamogawa Genji is a deuteragonist in Hajime no Ippo. His influence on the story rivals those of Takamura Mamoru's and Miyata Ichirou's; all three inspire Makunouchi Ippo to continue boxing. He is a retired boxer who founded the Kamogawa Boxing Gym. He acts as the trainer of both Ippo and Takamura,as well as a cornerman for the boxers under Shinoda Tomoyuki.
Tatsuya Kimura (木村 達也)
Homeland: Tokyo, Japan
Weight Class: Junior Lightweight
Height: 171 cm (5'7")
Reach: 171 cm (67")
Style: Out Boxer
Stance: Orthodox Stance
Current Affiliation: Kamogawa Boxing Gym
Trainer: Shinoda
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. He is a junior lightweight boxer. Along with Makunouchi Ippo, Takamura Mamoru, Aoki Masaru, and Itagaki Manabu, he rounds out the core members of the Kamogawa Boxing Gym. His main fights in the series are against Mashiba Ryou and Eleki Battery.
Kimura and Aoki Masaru were best friends since kindergarten. In high school they began brawling and causing trouble with students from rival schools, namely North High, which eventually led to their expulsion. Kimura was the most affected by this because he was worried he had disappointed his mother. One day the pair attacked North High's Takamura Mamoru and lost miserably. Seeing Takamura's strength as a boxer, they decided to join the Kamogawa Boxing Gym to try and become strong too.
Birthday: August 14, 1975
Homeland: Japan Tokyo,
Occupation: Professional Boxer, Makunouchi Fishing Boat worker
Weight Class: Featherweight
Height: 168 cm (5'6")
Reach: 168 cm (66")
Style: Out Boxer
Stance: Orthodox Stance
Current Affiliation: Kamogawa Boxing Gym
Trainer: Shinoda
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, 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. Itagaki's character is based on former world champion Oscar de La Hoya for his prodigy-like natural ability and good looks, whom Itagaki has admitted to idolizing in the manga.
Source: MAL (I've shortened the original text for each character)
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