Series · 2000
Hajime no Ippo
はじめの一歩
Ippo helps his mother run a fishing-boat business and is bullied at school. A professional boxer, Takamura, intervenes one day and introduces him to boxing. Ippo’s wish to become stronger gives him a reason to attempt the demanding training that follows.
Takamura’s first assignment is to catch falling leaves with his bare hands. Ippo has a week to work out the movement before they meet again. It gives his wish for strength a small, repeatable task, before a sparring session against Miyata exposes the difference between enthusiasm and a trained boxer’s technique.
Training gives Ippo a new group of people to answer to. In the gym, he stands at the front with his fist extended while Takamura watches behind him and other members look on. The space is crowded and ordinary, with ropes and equipment close at hand. Learning to box begins here, under observation, before the sport can become a public contest.
Three television-series packages · Approx. 50 hours · 127 episodes
Television-series packages through Rising: original (76, including its bonus episode), New Challenger (26) and Rising (25), 127 programmes in total. Champion Road and Mashiba vs Kimura are separate special/OVA additions and are excluded.