Fighting Spirit [TV]
Ippo Makunouchi is a timid but hardworking boy who spends most of his time helping his mother with their charter fishing business. Ippo mostly kept to himself in school, and was always picked on by bullies as a result.
One day, when Ippo was being beaten up by his bullies as usual, a jogger who was passing by rescued him. Since the jogger cannot leave Ippo with his injuries, he took the kid to their gym, as it happens the he is a professional boxer.
With his wounds treated, Ippo wakes up to the sounds of the boxers training, and instantly felt awe and admiration. Mamoru Takamura, the boxer who saved Ippo, tried to cheer the boy up by letting him vent his anger on a sandbag which had his bully’s face on it. Ippo punched the sandbag with a surprisingly strong force, catching the attention of Takamura.
After thinking about the boxing gym and with what had happened, Ippo finally decides to take action on his dream of being stronger. He declares to Takamura that he wants to be a professional boxer, and begs Takamura to train him. Takamura, who was uncertain of Ippo’s determination gave the kid a challenge, to which Ippo was able to complete. Impressed, Takamura accepts to train him, and thus Ippo’s journey to the top of the boxing ranks begins.
About the Show
Hajime no Ippo is a boxing anime adaptation of the manga series under the same name, written and illustrated by George Morikawa. Produced by studio Madhouse, the anime series aired a total of 127 episodes (divided into 3 seasons) between October 3, 2000 and March 29, 2014. The first season, entitled “Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting!” has 76 episodes, while the second season Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger and third season Hajime no Ippo: Rising had 26 and 25 episodes, respectively. The manga series won the Kodansha Manga Award for the shonen genre in the year 1991. As of October 2013, Hajime no Ippo has already sold over 94 million copies.
Characters
Ippo Makunouchi
Ippo Makunouchi
