Hiroyuki Hoshi (星 洋行, Hoshi Hiroyuki) is a featherweight professional boxer and Takeshi Sendō's kōhai affiliated with the Naniwa Boxing Club.
Background[]
Hoshi challenging the Naniwa Boxing Club.
Prior to boxing, Hoshi practised karate at his family-owned karate dojo and would challenge other martial arts schools. He showed up at the Naniwa Boxing Club one day and Takeshi Sendō took his challenge. Sendō was the first man to stay standing from Hoshi's trademark technique, the Seiken, which earned Hoshi the nickname "One Shot". He became a professional boxer and joined the Naniwa Boxing Club out of his admiration of Sendō. Later, he won the West Japan Rookie King Tournament, becoming the "West Japan Rookie King".
History[]
Part II[]
Phantom Card Arc[]
Hoshi introducing himself to Ippo.
A few days after winning the West Japan Rookie King Tournament over Maezono Makoto, Hoshi went with Sendō Takeshi to Tokyo to watch the East Japan Rookie King Tournament finals match between Itagaki Manabu and Imai Kyōsuke in order to research his next opponent in the All Japan Rookie King Tournament. They watched Itagaki defeat Imai in a close battle with a decision win. After the match, Hoshi and Sendō went to greet Makunouchi Ippo and Itagaki, though Hoshi was disappointed after finding out Itagaki was not with Ippo. Hoshi continued to stare down Ippo, while Sendō wanted to head back to Osaka.
Hoshi wanting to challenge Ippo.
Hoshi asked Sendō if he planned on fighting Ippo again. After he heard that Sendō was going to wait until he was sure he was going to win, he asked Sendō if he didn't mind if he challenged Ippo ahead of him since he joined the Naniwa Boxing Club because he idolised Sendō, and he was interested in fighting the man who defeated his idol twice. Yagi interrupted that Hoshi didn't have the right to challenge for the title yet, but Hoshi countered that if he won the All Japan Rookie King Tournament, he would be ranked tenth, which would give him the right. When Ippo told Hoshi that Itagaki was strong, he asked Ippo to promise that when he beats Itagaki, that he would accept his challenge as Sendō and him leave.
Seiken Arc[]
Hoshi defeating Krati.
Hoshi went to the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium when his match against Bunsaku Krati as the semi-final match of the main event between Sendō and Jose Ramirez arrived. When the match began, Hoshi took his usual stance of having his left arm sticking out while his right hand is tucked at his side. Hoshi quickly knocked Krati out with a single Seiken after getting hit by a couple jabs in the first round as the referee ended the match without a count. After the match, Hoshi did a mic performance where he revealed to the crowd that he would be going to Tokyo to bring Sendō's JBC featherweight title back to Osaka after his next match. Hoshi closed his speech by thanking the crowd and telling them to have a safe trip home, causing Sendō to scold him when he went back to their venue's room since the crowd was starting to leave before his match against Ramirez began. As punishment, Sendō told him to stand in position next to a wall until his match was done. After Sendō won in the seventh round and came back to their room, Hoshi mentioned that he was worried since Sendō didn't return right away. Sendō, thinking Hoshi was mocking him, told him to continue standing in place while he took Ippo and Itagaki out, however, Sendō ended up forgetting about him.
Hoshi being defeated by Itagaki.
Later, he had his gym send a letter of challenge to the Kamogawa gym for him to challenge Ippo if he was able to defeat Itagaki. When his match against Itagaki arrived, he went to the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium. After they touched gloves to start the match, Hoshi charged toward Itagaki and threw his Seiken to finish the match quickly. However, Hoshi was hit by an uppercut counter instead, downing him. When Hoshi got up, he wasn't sure what Itagaki did to him, and had trouble moving his legs until he hit them to move forward toward Itagaki again with the intent to finish him. As Hoshi desperately tried to land at least one hit on Itagaki, he was unable to, as Hoshi's attacks were in slow-motion in Itagaki's eyes. Eventually, Hoshi attempted to hit Itagaki in a dual exchange when he throws a counter, however, when Itagaki attacked, Hoshi was unable to withstand his five rapid counter punches and was sent down. The referee ended the match without a count, resulting in Hoshi's loss in the first round. Afterwards, Hoshi got up in the ring and did a mic performance, where he told Itagaki that he may have lost, but it's not over between them, before tossing the mic to Itagaki and walking away.
Red Lightning Arc[]
Hoshi learning about Sendō's plan of going on a beat down tour
Outside the Sendō Shop, Sendō revealed to Hoshi that he would go on a beat down tour, showing him a list of boxers he plans to defeat, since he will be challenging for a world title soon and didn't want anyone in Japan to try and question his strength. Hoshi was proud of his senpai, thinking that he is a real man, and planned to look after the shop while he is away. A week later, when Hoshi went to the Naniwa Boxing Club, he was yelled at by Yanaoka Kazuhiro for letting Sendō go off on the tour without informing the gym.
Battle of the Beasts Arc[]
Hoshi went to the Yokohama Arena to watch Sendō's match against Mexican featherweight champion Jose Nargo. There, he was cheering for Sendō with his fellow Osakans. Hoshi watched as Sendō won by knockout in the eighth round.
Seeking Heights Arc[]
At the Naniwa Boxing Club, Hoshi was shadowboxing as he learned from Sendō that Ippo is going to have a come-back match.
Part III[]
Sendō in Mexico Arc[]
Hoshi arriving to Mexico.
When Sendō was leaving for Mexico, Hoshi was told by Sendō to bring followers to his home in order to protect his grandmother and teacher in his absence. When Sendō's teacher was worried about how Sendō would communicate with Mexicans, Hoshi claimed that he would be going with Sendō and that he could speak English. They then left for the airport, and a day later, they arrive at Mexico, immediately beginning their search for Alfredo. During their search, they met the "Scamaras Brothers" Milo, who spoke Japanese, and Marascas that helped them. Hoshi was a huge fan of the duo, and he annoyed Sendō when he acted relaxed even though they had trouble finding Alfredo. Milo drove Hoshi and Sendō to the J.C. Gym, where he heard a "big shot" Mexican boxer was there who is looking for sparring partners. When they arrived, Hoshi was worried, since Sendō became fired up as he saw that, instead of Alfredo, it was the undisputed WBA featherweight champion Ricardo sparring. While Hoshi was against the idea of Sendō sparring with Ricardo, Milo knew that Hoshi feels the same way as him, as if something amazing may happen. Hoshi watched Sendō and Ricardo's spar, which ended early when Sendō made Ricardo, who has never been downed before go down in the third round and Alfredo showed up, causing a lot of commotion. Afterwards, Ricardo set up a match for Sendō and Alfredo to fight as a semi-final undercard to his WBA featherweight title defence in three months, promising for the winner to face him in his next title defence.
Importance of the Support Role Arc[]
Hoshi talking to Sendō about Ricardo and Alfredo.
With Sendō finished with his business in Mexico, Hoshi went with him as he gave his regards to Milo before taking off back to Japan by plane. On the plane, Hoshi asked Sendō what would happen if he fought Ricardo in a real match. Sendō admitted that he stands no chance as he is now. Hoshi told Sendō that he has to be ready to take on the world by force, however, Sendō claimed that he can not get into that. Once in Japan, Hoshi and Sendō went to the Kamogawa gym first to see Ippo. Sendō and Ippo went to the rooftop of the gym. After Sendō was finished talking with Ippo, Hoshi left with Sendō to Osaka.
Ippo in Mexico Arc[]
Hoshi asking Sendō if it bothers him that Ippo is acting like a tourist before his important match.
When Sendō's match against Alfredo was close, Hoshi went with him to Mexico, where he was accompanied by Yanaoka, the Naniwa coach, Milo, and Ippo. When Sendō, Alfredo, and Ricardo's weigh-in and press conference arrived, Hoshi went to the Arena México to attend it. During the press conference, Hoshi asked Sendō if it bothers him that Ippo is acting like a tourist during his important match, as it saddens him to see the one he once wanted to fight end up being a coward after retirement. Sendō told Hoshi to be quiet. Hoshi soon found out what Sendō meant when he sees Alfredo and Ricardo approach Ippo: that Ippo draws others in. After the press conference, Hoshi ate with Sendō and the rest of the group at a restaurant. At the Lucha Lucha Gym, Sendō wanted to spar to work off calories. Hoshi and Sendō pushed Ippo into doing a no-contact spar with him. Hoshi watched the spar, which ended when Yanaoka and the Naniwa coach arrived and stopped it since Sendō was intending to hit Ippo. Hoshi and Marascas were yelled at by Yanaoka for letting the spar happen.
Hoshi as a second for Sendō in his match against Alfredo.
The next day, he went with Sendō to the Arena México to be one of his seconds when the match against Alfredo began. After the second round, Hoshi suggested for Sendō to start fighting at middle range and tighten his guard since he has been taking too many hits, however, Yanaoka told Hoshi to be quiet. After the third round, Hoshi was worried about the condition Sendō is in, wondering what he can do to help. As seconds were called out of the ring, Hoshi tried to buy time by asking Sendō if he needs more water to drink or to gargle before getting stopped by Sendō and Yanaoka. During round four, the referee stopped the match as the taping on one of Sendō's gloves came loose. When Ippo noticed Hoshi fixing the tape and purposely going slow to buy time, Ippo yelled out to not stall and cool Sendō down because Sendō was already fired up, prompting Hoshi to quickly fix it. Hoshi celebrated in the ring as Sendō won in the fourth round by knockout. Hoshi helped Sendō, who's right fist is in pain due to it having broken bones, by letting him lean on him. After leaving the ring, Hoshi and the other staff took Sendō to the venue's doctor's office for his broken right fist before going back to the changing room to watch Ricardo's WBA featherweight title defence match against the former WBC featherweight champion, Billy McCallum. Hoshi watched as the match ended in Ricardo's victory by knockout in the first round. Afterwards, Hoshi and the rest of Sendō's group got ready to go back to Osaka, Japan.
Grim Reaper to the World Arc[]
Hoshi getting defeated by Imai.
While training at the Naniwa Boxing Club, Hoshi saw Sendō becoming excited that his right fist has finally healed, wishing for him to give it his all as well. Later, when Hoshi's JBC featherweight title match against champion Kyōsuke Imai arrived, he went to the Kōrakuen Hall. When the match began, both boxers rush to the centre of the ring. Hoshi sent out a right straight immediately, however, he was hit with a Cross Counter and a left hook as he slumped over. After recovering, Hoshi and Imai began a streak of right-on-right dual exchanges that ended with Imai stumbling and getting sent to the ropes after Hoshi landed a right straight. Hoshi attacked Imai's guard and got countered, however, he was able to land a right Seiken soon thereafter that caused Imai to slump over. Hoshi threw two more Seikens, with the first leading him to get hit by Imai's counter and the second leaving him open to get hit by a liver blow. Hoshi was stunned by the liver blow and was hit multiple times until the referee steps in to stop the match, resulting in Hoshi's loss. Hoshi was taken out of the ring on a stretcher. Hoshi passed out in another room, however, he woke back up after hearing Sendō being noisy due to him learning that Ricardo is going to fight Wally instead of him. A confused Hoshi went to where Sendō was at and asked him to let him focus since he has his match coming up. Since Sendō wanted to talk to him, Hoshi left the room with Sendō. Later at the Naniwa Boxing Club, Hoshi watched Mashiba win in his world title preliminary match against Juan García on TV.
Judgement Day Arc[]
At the Naniwa Boxing Club, after Sendō defeated four sparring partners in a day, the Naniwa coach stressed how it will be hard to find sparring partners. Hoshi apologised for being useless, as he can't spar with Sendō due to having sparred with him for multiple days in a row. After Hoshi put up a sign outside that said challengers are wanted, to everyone's shock, Takamura showed up. Takamura got Sendō angry and the two got ready to spar. The spar had to be stopped after Takamura got angry after getting hit with a Smash. Ichirō Miyata arrived to help Sendō on his anti-Ricardo strategy.
Match History[]
| Match History | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Result | Record | Date | Opponent | Location | Time | Type | Notes |
| ? | LOSS | N/A | 1999 |  Kyōsuke Imai[4]
|
Tokyo, Japan | 1(10), 2:58 | TKO | JBC Featherweight Title Match |
| Unknown Opponents | ||||||||
| 8 | LOSS | 7-1-0 | 1995-07 | Manabu Itagaki[5]
|
Osaka, Japan | 1(10), 1:30 | TKO | |
| 7 | WIN | 7-0-0 | 1995-05-25 |  Bunsaku Krati[6]
|
Osaka, Japan | 1(8) | TKO | |
| 6 | WIN | 6-0-0 | 1994 | Makoto Maezono[7]
|
Osaka, Japan | ?(6) | KO/TKO | West Japan Rookie King Tournament Finals |
| 5 | WIN | 5-0-0 | 199X | Unknown | Osaka, Japan | ?(4) | KO/TKO | West Japan Rookie King Tournament Semi-Finals |
| 4 | WIN | 4-0-0 | 199X | Unknown | Japan | ?(4) | KO/TKO | |
| 3 | WIN | 3-0-0 | 199X | Unknown | Japan | ?(4) | KO/TKO | |
| 2 | WIN | 2-0-0 | 199X | Unknown | Japan | ?(4) | KO/TKO | |
| 1 | WIN | 1-0-0 | 199X | Unknown | Osaka, Japan | ?(4) | KO/TKO | Pro Debut Match |
Successions[]
| Preceded by | Title | Succeeded by |
|---|---|---|
| Takuzō Karasawa | All Japan Rookie King (Featherweight) | Unknown |
| Unknown | West Japan Rookie King (Featherweight) | Unknown |
Appearance[]
Hoshi's appearance is somewhat intimidating, being tall for a featherweight and having a muscular body that one can see through his clothes[8]. Hoshi has fair skin and his black hair is cut in a buzz-cut and his eyebrows are thick. He has a prominent rectangular-shaped nose, a notable amount of stubble, and his eye colour is black.
In the ring, he wears dark coloured boxing trunks that have a star on both sides of the front as a reference to his surname, "Hoshi" meaning "star" (星).
Personality[]
Hoshi confident that he will defeat Itagaki.
Hoshi displays an extremely brash and hot-blooded personality, much like his senpai Sendō. He displays very little respect for others and tends to speak his mind extremely often, regardless of the situation. The only person to earn his respect is Sendō, whom Hoshi regards with utmost respect and politeness. He claims his reason to start boxing was because he admired Sendō's prowess, as the latter was the only person to remain standing after taking Hoshi's signature Seiken directly.
Boxing Abilities[]
Coming from the world of Karate, Hoshi is a very unorthodox boxer. Despite having no ability to outbox and little to no footwork, Hoshi has a powerful one-punch finishing blow called Seiken, also known as Seiken Chudan Tsuki, a punch thrown from the waist. Testaments of Hoshi's power come from how he couldn't find any competition during his karate days and more recently from how easily he dominated the West Japan Rookie King Tournament, even, according to Imai, knocking around the tournament's favour Maezono like he was some child.
Techniques[]
Weaknesses[]
Despite his immense strength and one-hit-KO Sunday Punch, Hoshi is remarkably challenged in nearly every other area of boxing. He's lacking in footwork, speed and technique and wouldn't think to compete in any of them. Additionally, as Itagaki demonstrated, His Seiken is easy to counter due to it's simple trajectory and inability to throw in combinations, making it arguably unfit for boxing.
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
- The name Hiroyuki means "western travel, to travel overseas" (洋行).
- Hiroyuki's surname Hoshi means "star" (星).
Trivia[]
- According to Takeshi Sendō, Hoshi has never fallen in any of his spars with Sendō.[9]
- Hoshi is the only boxer to become All Japan Rookie King without fighting in the All Japan Rookie King Tournament due to East Japan Rookie King Itagaki being resigned from it due to injuries on his left hand and achilles tendon.