Alternative TitlesEnglish: The First Step Synonyms: Fighting Spirit Japanese: はじめの一歩
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 76
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 4, 2000 to Mar 27, 2002
Duration:
23 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 8.931 (scored by 9119 users)
Ranked: #62
Popularity: #267
Members: 14,384
Favorites: 1,190 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
boxing comedy shounen sports |
SynopsisMakunouchi 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 heal his injuries. 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.
[Written by MAL Rewrite] |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Hajime no Ippo
Sequel: Hajime no Ippo - Champion Road, Hajime no Ippo - Mashiba vs Kimura, Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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Xinil
225 of 299 people found this review helpful
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76 of 76 episodes seen
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
First, let me say that I'm not a fan of boxing. In fact, I pretty much hate the sport. Honestly, who likes seeing people getting their head beat in every day?
With that being said, this series is brilliantly done. There's comedy, romance, and plenty, plenty, plenty of plot. Follow Ippo as he grows as a person and as a professional boxer. You'll laugh, and you'll probably cry here or there. The fact that I don't even like boxing never came in to play. You'll probably find yourself doing some jabs here and there while watching the show too. It's that captivating.
The supporting characters are awesome. Takamura, Kimura and Aoki are all equally hilarious. Each has a distinct personality that make them all very lovable. They also support Ippo as he meets his trials of boxing and life.
Definitely give this series a try. You won't be disappointed with the 76 episodes. In fact, you'll probably end up reading the manga because you don't want it to stop! read more
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ParaParaJMo
36 of 53 people found this review helpful
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76 of 76 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
The anime makes use of every character it introduces and develops them very convincingly and you can really connect to them. Such as Ippo in gaining more confidence and motivation, Takamura in wanting to become a champion and a hero, and Miyata wanting to prove that his father’s boxing style is the best. The characters all have back-stories of why they became fighters but they still live lives in certain ways you can still relate to them and they all have every day issues as real boxers would have such as Takamura’s weight control. As for the pacing, yes, the anime is long and the manga is 10 times longer, but still evenly paced and I feel the intention after getting to a certain point is that Morikawa-sensei wants to tell a life story in the same way Araki-sensei does with Jojo and you really start to feel that and you really feel the character’s grow and there are times you can emotionally react or care what could happen to that character.
The art style is very faithful to that of the style of the manga, except I felt that the bodies looked blockier and more massive than they needed to be in comparison to it. Plus, the venues such as Kourakuen Hall and the surrounding environments are well accurately represented because I’ve been there before on a number of occasions and fought in a judo tournament there so I thought that was pretty cool. I really love the training sequences with Ippo and he comes up with crazy methods and is an animal. The only real life athlete I can think of that compares to Ippo’s training ethic and regime is UFC fighter Sean Sherk.
And now lets get down to the heart and soul of this anime, and that is the fights. As someone who can’t stand the trendy over the top repetitive action you see in some animes today, this is definitely a liberation. This anime proves you don’t need fire balls or bullet time or any of that trendy bullshit to make a great fight. This is an anime that truly accurately portrays the technique, excitement, and intensity of the real sport of boxing by implementing all these real life moves and fighting styles. 1st example is Ippo. He is based on a prime Mike Tyson who uses the peek a boo stance, worked the body, and had an effective jab once he got on the inside. Sendo Takeshi is based on Razor Ruddock with his smash punch which is a mix between a hook and an uppercut. And Mashiba is based on Thomas Hearns where he uses his freakish reach to use a crazy jabbing system. And Hayami, you think his shotgun is unrealistic? Before Ali got suspended, he had incredible speed, 10x faster than the Ali who came back who was still pretty fast. There’s a video of Ali out there where he landed 15 punches in 3 seconds. And you know the old saying of how styles make fights? Well, that saying is applied very well in this anime and applies it very well and is just poetry in motion.
The dub seriously sucks. Takamura sounds like Adam Carolla. Ippo just doesn’t fit. Miyata sounds like a chain smoker. And the sound quality and the overall execution is just as bad as GTO’s dub where it sounded like they hired 5 voice actors. Avoid the dub at all cost. But once again, time to give you more info on the seiyuu cast. It’s very interesting to note that the voice of Kaoru from Prince of Tennis, Kiyasu Kohei plays Ippo himself. Despite that deep and hissing voice is the nerdy and assuming Ippo. And one of my personal favorites Tomokazu Seki plays my favorite character Miyata. He does a great job of being that lone wolf kind of character and knows how to keep his cool. And I truly felt that Takagi Wataru, the voice of Onizuka from GTO was born to play Aoki. And Onosaka Masaya the voice of Momoshiro in Prince of Tennis and Vash the Stampede from Trigun was also born to play Sendo. If anything, this is an anime that is truly meant to be watched in Japanese.
The music is also pretty awesome and a quality you can’t deny which you can’t get in manga obviously. The opening themes Under Star and Inner Light have a heavy intense feel to it where you can really emotionally react to the clips in the opening theme and to the scenes whenever presented as a background song in the anime itself. And I like how the ending themes 360 and Yuuzora no Kamihikouki gives a different kind of emotional reaction where it’s more about relating to the characters and the hardships they go through, but yet there’s this huge reward waiting for them at the end.
The only significant flaw I would say is that they ended this anime where the excitement truly begins in the manga. I say Ippo conquering Japan is just only the beginning because after that, the other characters get more focused and the development gets deeper and the fights get better. But overall, this anime has excellent themes in finding something you’re good at, and sticking to it and always keep believing. The good news is, you really don’t have to be a boxing fan or have any knowledge of boxing to really get into this anime. This anime will probably do it for you. After awhile, you start saying to yourself, how would Ippo do against Manny Pacquiao, or how would Takamura do against Roy Jones, Jr. So it really sparks interest in that kind of way from what I’ve experienced. Also, this anime truly accurately represents the Japanese feel of boxing itself. If you ever watch Japanese fighters, they are very exciting to watch. They love to go at it and fight with every last ounce of breath. I really have no experience competing in actual boxing since I’m more of a traditional martial arts kind of guy, but I only took up boxing for awhile just to improve my hands and when you’re training, you just got that tempting feeling to do the moves from the series and even train like Ippo because the things he does, you can go out and try for yourself for real since you can’t fly or shoot fire balls. I say that alone is magically captivating. If you want an anime free of virtually every stereotype and cliché, this one is for you.
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Recommendations
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Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi is the same as Hajime no Ippo but the difference that Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi is about Martial Arts and not about Boxing as in Hajime no Ippo.
Both anime have a weak main character who strives to become stronger.
They both are about bullied boys with no friends who discover fighting by meeting someone who beats up the bullies and the boy (Ippo/Kenichi) decides to take on fighting. Then they shift between training and facing enemies of increasing difficulty until the get to the one on top. Although there are some unavoidable differences (ippo boxes and his enimes are in the pro boxing scene and kenichi uses many different martal arts and fights the dominant gang, Rangarock and the humor is different too), the two anime are pretty much the exactly the same and although I´m not into martial arts or boxing, they are both entertaining, motivating, interesting and worth watching all the many episodes
I found Ippo and Kenichi really similiar when speaking about personality, also both start as weakling underdogs but after tremendous training both kickass. If you liked main character development, you should check this one.
Hajime no Ippo and Kenichi are very similar, mostly by looking at the main characters. Makunouchi is a weakling, Kenichi is a weakling. However, they both train hard and become stronger in order to achieve their goals. Makounouchi wants to know what it means to be "strong", and Kenichi wants to become stronger to protect his friends from harm.
Though Kenichi is about martial arts and Ippo is about boxing, these anime's have very similar main characters. They both start out weak and slowly get stronger and stronger. What I loved about these shows was watching them train and then seeing the results of their training come out in the middle of their fights! They are both also very funny series', though Kenichi is a bit more lighthearted and has a little more romance thrown in.
Hajime no Ippo and History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi are very similiar. You can tell by looking at the pictures. Both Ippo and Kenichi are weaklings. They have been into fights and beaten but Ippo joins the Boxing Gym and Kenichi joins the Ryouzanpaku dojo so they can become stronger. They learn from their master and they both train hard to become strong so they can achieve their goals.
Similar leading characters that both train hard to become strong. Both get trained by masters at a gym, or in the case of kenichi at his Dojo.
Both have some good comedy moments, but more so kenichi.
Both shows are fun and the main characters are very similar both go from being weak to getting stronger.
Both animes are action packed combined with good humor. The story revolves around a character who used to be picked on, but gains confidence when training to become a better fighter. The difference is mainly between the style (boxing vs. martial arts) and the arena (boxing ring vs. street fights). If you like one of them, you WILL like the other one.
It's a lot like Ippo, but to me, it just seems a bit trite and full of fan service. Don't get me wrong, I have had a few lol's out of it (the voice acting makes Kenichi seem super frantic and twitchy, which I find humorous), but I wouldn't suggest it for older adults. It's a very teen oriented (is Shonen the right word???) series. Lots of training, fighting, and boobs.
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Both about sports. Main character goes through necessary personality changes to further their goals, in said sports. More Humor, than Hajime no Ippo.
Both Ippo and Sena are thrown into a world which they have no knowledge about, yet both seem to find their place and their talents which help them rise to the top. Also, they both have a group of friends to support them.
The biggest similarity both shows have is both main characters seem like ordinary people, with the potential to become extraordinary, and are thrown into an extraordinary situation in which their natural talents seem to develop at a fast pace.
Both have wimp-like main characters at the beginning. But they get stronger and stronger. You can LMAO while watching*most of the time*.
Both protagonists start out unaware of the sport, but through hard work and determination become good at it.
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Opening Theme#1: "Under Star" by Shocking Lemons (eps 1-25)
#2: "Inner Light" by Shocking Lemons (eps 26-52)
#3: "Tumbling Dice" by Tsuneo Imahori (eps 53-76)
Ending Theme#1: "Yuuzora no Kamihikouki" by Naoya Mori (eps 1-25)
#2: "360°" by Mori Naoya (eps 26-52,75)
#3: "Eternal Loop" by Saber Tiger (eps 53-74,76)
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Related ClubsHajime no Ippo, Anime Galaxy & Trinisete Fansub - Brasil, Animetr, The Sunday vs. Magazine Fan Club, Arab Otaku, Takamura Fan Club, ♥ No sense of Direction ♥, A.S.A (Adiktus sa Anime), SKETCHY LINES EVERYWHERE Appreciation Club, We love Martial Arts! Dont we !, Otaku, BISAYA presents KUMINGKOY sa Japan, This Is The True Spirit of Men!, SKETCHY LINES EVERYWHERE Appreciation Club, SKYclub ~ SKY Animes, Battle Arena, The Fight Club, the (e)XtremeFlash Fanclub, Anime Latino, Anime Fights/Battles. We Luv Anime Guys, ~ONII-SAN... Big Brothers club~, Whatever...., HentajGejtan, MAL Rewrite, Boxing Club, russian shounenfags!, BANZAI! federation, Claim an Athlete, Ippo's LARGE penis fanclub, The Hajime No Ippo Fan Club, Overrated Animé Club, Anime Experience, Untitled Club, russian shounen fans!, Sports (Anime) Fans, Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger, OMG, It`s So BIG!!!, The District , Group of Anime Addicts (GAA), Anime 360, EVERYONE WELCOME!, The London Club, The Classics Club, Rain Down Paradise, B-A 0Taku-ForC3, Firecracker Fists, Claim a Sport, Claim a Character's Ambition/Dream, MadHouse, Battle of Anime, Quotes, Combat Club, MALs Comedy Club see all
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