Ashita no Joe 2 Episode 47 Discussion

killerimpact said:
Epic show! The excitement and plot of this show is indisputable. No doubt this is one of my favourite series but I would have liked if Joe won his last (Jose Mendoza ) fight; since he never won his last two (Rikiishi and Carlos) big fights. Overall 10/10

TheFireNinja said:


I can understand why you would feel that way about Joe. And I do find it a shame that you weren't able to enjoy it. But personally, I think Joe changed as a character when it came to the entrance of Rikiishi into his life as well as his death. Before he met him, Joe was like a wild animal. Because he was an orphan and always fended for himself, he didn't know what it was like to depend on others. So, he either ran away or resisted people since he couldn't read good intentions. But Rikiishi helped to humanize Joe through his rivalry with him. In him, Joe found an idol, a brother, and a close friend. He was able to understand Joe because they both had wild spirits that no one could tame. The only differences between them were Rikiishi's skill and confidence as a professional boxer. Which made Joe strive to become a professional boxer himself.

In the beginning, he looked at boxing simply as a sport where men could duke it out for fun. But after ending Wolf Kanagushi's career with a broken jaw, he started to realize how tragic the sport of boxing really was. And then the hurdles that Rikiishi went through to fight Joe as well as his untimely death made Joe question what it meant to be a boxer and what burdens he would have to carry. But ultimately, he decided to honor the boxers he crushed as well as their ambitions by fighting his way to the top no matter the risks to his well-being. And that's what made me really like Joe as a character. His sense of selflessness. But you're entitled to your own opinions.

Narutofreak1412 said:
"Danpei went back to drinking hard after joe's death for awhile but pulled himself together eventually and honored Joe's memory by successfully continuing to train boxers in the new gym they built together. Joe gave Danpei his life back, so Danpei lived it, as best he could. He had some strong contenders come out of Tange Gym, inspired by Joe's legend, but nobody could ever replace him. Many years later Danpei passes away quietly following a night of drinking and chatting with Joe's ghost in the old abandoned gym under the bridge, and is found in the morning by Nishi. Yoko arranges for his burial beside Joe and Rikiishi.

Yoko never loved again, nor married. She retired from managing the SBC for many years (coming back only as needed) but funded it to allow it to continue without her. She took over the affairs of Shiraki Corp from her father after his death and managed it successfully, though without an heir. Eventually she converted most of her wealth to philanthropic ventures, notably the funding of research towards a cure for punch drunk syndrome via the "Yabuki Foundation" which also gives assistance to boxers such as Carlos Rivera so they can live and heal. She visits the graves of Joe and Rikiishi religiously, every week, without fail. Eventually Suga's biography of Joe and Rikishii's story is published, funded of course by Shiraki Corp.

Jose announced his retirement immediately after the bout; although victorious, he was mentally and spiritually defeated. His love for his family and the lingering fear he experienced facing Joe Yabuki would never allow him to box again. He would devote the rest of his life to his family and vanish from the public eye, never truly the same from his final match. When he did rarely speak out, it was in favor of lowering the 15 round limit to 12, as well as instituting stricter regulations to protect the health and safety of men who risk their lives in the ring.

Carlos healed enough to speak publicly about boxing and Joe, but remained in care the rest of his life. A gym in Venezuela is named after him and dedicated to the achievements of the Beltless Champ, with an ownership stake going directly to him (arranged by Yoko). Carlos and Jose reconciled later in life, even becoming friends.

Noriko always held secret sadness in her heart, though she lived happily with Nishi and gave him a family. She couldn't understand Joe and why it had to be the way it was. Nishi lived blissfully unaware of her feelings.

The neighborhood kids grew up to be strong personalities and very successful in their individual ventures, never wanting to let Joe's memory down. The neighborhood became less of a slum for their hard work and they mostly stayed close, making their homes there.

Namidabashi and its inhabitants canonized Joe (yea this basically happened in real life) with graffiti, statues, and restaurant names like Joe's Ramen. He would endure as a folk hero to this day, inspiring countless young people to fight and live with passion regardless of the odds.

Joe finally got his rematch with Rikiishi."

- Arcadia1810

Shocked said:
And there's the legendary moment. I've been spoiled for Ashita no Joe's ending from various other anime's references and parodies, so I knew the ending long before I started the show. But, I'm glad to now have context. Joe is a self-centered drifter with no concern for anybody but himself. He throws himself into life-or-death situations just to feel alive, but somehow manages to form a community around him. Ever since Rikiishi's death, Joe too has been trying to find some way to die a meaningful death, preferably in the ring. He didn't care who or how, he just wanted to relinquish all the pent up feelings of frustration within him, regardless of how others around him might feel. Everyone around him was just a means to an end—his end. At this finale, Joe finally got what he wanted.

I'd describe Ashita no Joe as a story about a broken man trying to find a way to die feeling fulfilled. However, for this ending to have occurred, the boxing commission would have to somehow condone its athletes beating each other to death, and not assessing their health before and after each fight. Both fighters' sides are also complicit in letting their boxers fight until they're broken or dead. Were there no rules against bloodshed? Were there no safeties in place to discourage excessive use of force or inflicting permanent damage? While winning is important, if you're ruined in a fight, you wouldn't be able to fight anymore. I understand Joe's situation a bit, where he's not fighting to win, but he's fighting for self-fulfillment. Still, I just can't understand how those in administration would let boxing get this bad. This is professional boxing, not a pit fight.

Ashita no Joe as an anime is a great drama, but its core requires a lot of people conceding that bloodshed and death is somehow natural in the ring. It turns boxing from a full-contact sport with understandable risks, into death matches that somehow manages to televise people killing each other. Reading up on death in boxing, it's a lot more commonplace than I'd expect, which does make me wonder how boxing is still an active sport today. If nothing else, I'm glad Ashita no Joe doesn't shy away from showing how bad things get, but I'd like to at least have some consequences for causing others irreparable damage or death.

For now, I'll leave off on my final impression of Ashita no Joe: a fantastic, violent drama that, while I don't personally enjoy, is an amazing, timeless work that I'm glad to have finally experienced. Now for my extended thoughts:

Narutofreak1412 said:
"Danpei went back to drinking hard after joe's death for awhile but pulled himself together eventually and honored Joe's memory by successfully continuing to train boxers in the new gym they built together. Joe gave Danpei his life back, so Danpei lived it, as best he could. He had some strong contenders come out of Tange Gym, inspired by Joe's legend, but nobody could ever replace him. Many years later Danpei passes away quietly following a night of drinking and chatting with Joe's ghost in the old abandoned gym under the bridge, and is found in the morning by Nishi. Yoko arranges for his burial beside Joe and Rikiishi.

Yoko never loved again, nor married. She retired from managing the SBC for many years (coming back only as needed) but funded it to allow it to continue without her. She took over the affairs of Shiraki Corp from her father after his death and managed it successfully, though without an heir. Eventually she converted most of her wealth to philanthropic ventures, notably the funding of research towards a cure for punch drunk syndrome via the "Yabuki Foundation" which also gives assistance to boxers such as Carlos Rivera so they can live and heal. She visits the graves of Joe and Rikiishi religiously, every week, without fail. Eventually Suga's biography of Joe and Rikishii's story is published, funded of course by Shiraki Corp.

Jose announced his retirement immediately after the bout; although victorious, he was mentally and spiritually defeated. His love for his family and the lingering fear he experienced facing Joe Yabuki would never allow him to box again. He would devote the rest of his life to his family and vanish from the public eye, never truly the same from his final match. When he did rarely speak out, it was in favor of lowering the 15 round limit to 12, as well as instituting stricter regulations to protect the health and safety of men who risk their lives in the ring.

Carlos healed enough to speak publicly about boxing and Joe, but remained in care the rest of his life. A gym in Venezuela is named after him and dedicated to the achievements of the Beltless Champ, with an ownership stake going directly to him (arranged by Yoko). Carlos and Jose reconciled later in life, even becoming friends.

Noriko always held secret sadness in her heart, though she lived happily with Nishi and gave him a family. She couldn't understand Joe and why it had to be the way it was. Nishi lived blissfully unaware of her feelings.

The neighborhood kids grew up to be strong personalities and very successful in their individual ventures, never wanting to let Joe's memory down. The neighborhood became less of a slum for their hard work and they mostly stayed close, making their homes there.

Namidabashi and its inhabitants canonized Joe (yea this basically happened in real life) with graffiti, statues, and restaurant names like Joe's Ramen. He would endure as a folk hero to this day, inspiring countless young people to fight and live with passion regardless of the odds.

Joe finally got his rematch with Rikiishi."

- Arcadia1810