I guarantee seeing his frog punch for the first time will have your sides in splits. Aoki rounds out the group with his eclectic blend of humor and bizarre boxing style. The story arc where he develops his own signature move is actually one of my favorite in the series thus far.

Kimura gives a more everyman approach with a neat and subdued boxing style that becomes more complex as we get to know his personality. In Team Kamogawa, readers will come to know of Takamura, whose godlike ability is both a source of awe and comedic value as he is just too overpowered. The high tension boxing scenes will titillate your senses from the moment Ippo enters the sports hall, right until the final bell is rung.Įven after 1,300 chapters, these scenes never feel repetitive due to a unique cast of characters, each with their own skills, strengths and weaknesses. Hajime no Ippo manages to deliver on this with a brilliant style and pace that hasn’t aged, even though this manga is older than I am. One of the key draws of a “sports manga” is the points of conflict where the protagonist goes against his opponents. Despite its linear and somewhat simple narrative, it wasn’t long before I was hooked and reading it every morning before work, each lunch break and in lieu of an evening stroll, became a ritual for me. Yet, the more I read, the more I knew I had to keep reading. To provide a benchmark, One Piece, another famous manga that is frequently cited for its brilliance as much as its length, only just hit 1,000 chapters in January 2021. This was no easy feat, with 1,325 chapters published as of November last year and counting, as the series has not ended yet. The series then opens up to his journey from amateur to professional and beyond together with the many noteworthy friends and rivals he makes along the way.Īs a well-lauded “classic” manga, I knew I had to make reading it to as near completion as possible would become one of my goals for 2020. This encounter changes the course of his life forever as Ippo becomes inspired to take up the gloves at Kamogawa Gym, run by retired boxer Genji Kamogawa. During one particularly nasty beat-up, he is saved by Mamoru Takamura, a professional middleweight boxer. Hajime no Ippo ( はじめの一歩 ), sometimes known in English as “Fighting Spirit” is a Jyoji Morikawa manga featuring a young boy’s quest to answer the question, what does it mean to be strong? Enter Ippo Makunouchi, a shy high schooler with no friends and a lot of bullies on his back.

Hajime no ippo manga trainer