Hajime No Ippo Overview
About “Hajime No Ippo”
The anime series Hajime no Ippo was produced in Japan in the year 2000. It was adapted from the manga written by George Morikawa. The initial broadcast of the first anime television series, which consisted of 75 episodes and was directed by Satoshi Nishimura and produced by Madhouse, Nippon Television, and VAP, took place on Nippon TV between October 4, 2000, and March 27, 2002. The episodes that aired between March 16, 2001, and March 21, 2003, were included on the twenty-five DVDs that were released by VAP. The complete series is presented on DVD, and it contains one episode (number 76) that was never broadcast in Japan. A film for television titled Hajime no Ippo: Champion Road was first shown on television on April 18, 2003. On September 5, 2003, the original video animation (OVA) titled Hajime no Ippo Mashiba vs. Kimura was made available to the public. Nippon Television aired a second series, Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger, from January 6 to June 30, 2009. Mamoru Takamura’s voice actor, Rikiya Koyama, announced on his blog in 2009 that a sequel to the television series Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger was now in production. At the conclusion of his most recent blog article, he stated, “Of course, a sequel is also being prepared!!” It was revealed that the third season of Hajime no Ippo would begin airing during the fall 2013 season in the 34th issue of Kodansha’s Weekly Shnen Magazine, which was published in July 2013. Hajime no Ippo: Rising is the name of the third season, which ran from October 5, 2013, to March 29, 2014, and consisted of a total of 25 episodes. The anime series Hajime no Ippo: Rising was shown on Crunchyroll. In North America, the first series was distributed by Geneon Entertainment under the name Fighting Spirit after they obtained permission to do so in the year 2003. The complete series of Fighting Spirit was distributed across 15 DVDs, each of which contained five episodes. The first DVD was made available for purchase on July 6, 2004, and the fifteenth one was made available on December 19, 2006. The DVDs featured audio in a variety of languages, including the original Japanese, as well as English and Spanish language tracks. The television movie Champion Road was made available to audiences across North America on January 9, 2007. There was never any intention to turn Mashiba vs. Kimura into an original video animation. The series’ DVD sales were lackluster. Discotek Media announced in September 2020 that the series had been licensed for a release in 2021. This includes all 76 episodes, Champion Road, and the original video animation Mashiba vs. Kimura, which will be shown for the first time in North America.
Hajime No Ippo by Release Order
TV series
Season 1: Hajime no Ippo (2000-2002)Season 2: New Challenger (2009)Season 3: Rising (2013−2014)
Specials
Hajime no Ippo: Boxer no Kobushi (2003)Hajime no Ippo: Champion Road (2003)
OVAs
Hajime no Ippo: Mashiba vs. Kimura (2003)
Watch Order
‘Hajime No Ippo’ Story ARC
A total of 55 ARCs are there in ‘Hajime No Ippo’. Here is an overview of those ARCs season by season.
Season 1: Hajime No Ippo
The name of this piece is “Fighting Spirit.” If you are considering watching this anime, you should begin with the episode that you are currently viewing. There are a total of 76 episodes in the season, and watching them all will help you gain a deeper comprehension of the story’s overarching narrative. You will also have a far better knowledge of the characters as a result of this. Ippo is a high school student who the other students bully at his institution; nevertheless, his life changes when he is introduced to boxing by a professional fighter.
Special: Hajime No Ippo: Boxer No Kobushi
After finishing the first season, you should absolutely give the franchise’s special, “Hajime No Ippo: Boxer No Kobushi,” a watch. A one-of-a-kind episode is included in the series overall. It tells the story of how Takamura got his start in boxing and the lessons he learned along the way. Watching this special will help you comprehend the rest of the impending plot, so make sure you don’t miss it! I won’t give away any spoilers, so all you have to do is watch it and have pleasure in it.
Special: Hajime no Ippo: Champion Road
The Hajime no Ippo: Champion Road special is yet another installment in the saga. The first episode of the television movie Hajime no Ippo: Champion Road was broadcast on April 18, 2003. This special episode serves as a more appropriate conclusion to such a lengthy animation. It is recommended that you watch this after you have finished watching the first special and only then move on to the other episodes of the franchise.
OVA: Hajime No Ippo: Mashiba Vs. Kimura
Despite the fact that the champion’s route provided a satisfactory conclusion, it also marks the start of a new narrative. A conclusion of this nature is more appropriate for such a lengthy anime. The OVA titled “Hajime no Ippo: Mashiba Vs. Kimura” runs for one hour and is unquestionably something that viewers should make time to watch. Therefore, you shouldn’t give it much thought because it’s an OVA; just dive right in. You shouldn’t pass up an opportunity like this.
Season 2: Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger
You are familiar with the first season of the Hajime no Ippo franchise and are now watching the second installment, titled New Challenger. The anime has not yet concluded, so there will most likely be additional episodes. The second season is comprised of a total of 26 episodes. There are a lot of people who say that you should watch this season after you finish the first one, but if you want the best experience possible, you should watch all of the specials and the OVA.
Season 3: Hajime no Ippo: Rising
This is the third season of the show overall throughout all of its iterations. You won’t have to wait for any special episodes or original video animations (OVAs) to see this one because there won’t be any in between the second and third seasons. After that, there will be no more regular seasons or one-off specials. You are about to watch the final chapter of the anime, and you will enjoy it very much.
