Hajime no Ippo: Champion Road is a TV special of the Hajime no Ippo anime, which is the adaptation of Jōji Morikawa's Hajime no Ippo series.
Details[]
- Characters Introduced: Kazuki Sanada, Dankichi Hama, Kinoshita, Tsugumi Kinoshita, Gotō, Takanori Koshimizu, Jeff Miyama, Ikoshi Jackie, Cuboro Sala
- Techniques Introduced: Hien, Tsubame Gaeshi
- Locations Introduced: Kinoshita Boxing Gym, Teito University Department of Medicine, Kahuna Pasta House
Summary[]
Ippo begins helping at the Makunouchi Fishing Boat for the first time since his victory against Sendō. Umezawa and the fishing customers call Ippo a champion, which makes him feel embarrassed. After helping at the boat, Ippo does his morning roadwork with Wanpo following him and wearing a new jacket that he got from Kumi as a birthday present. Ippo remembers the celebration party on his birthday for becoming the JBC featherweight champion at the Sugar Ray. Ippo sat and talked with Kamogawa, who congratulated him on his good work. He also told Ippo that becoming the champion is not the end, as he is now a target for those who are aiming for the belt, warning him that he must work harder than ever before. Aoki and Kimura went over to Ippo and told him that he has to sing too, but Ippo didn't want to, making the duo angry. Takamura jokingly asked Aoki and Kimura how it feels to be surpassed by their kōhai, as he himself is about to become the world champion so he is unable to understand how it feels. Aoki and Kimura got angry and claimed that they will succeed one day, with Aoki vowing to get a champion belt for Tomiko's sake, resulting in Takamura pinning Aoki down. Tomiko entered the Sugar Ray and became shocked as she saw Aoki passed out. When Takamura claimed that Kimura fought with him, Tomiko attacked Kimura, slapping him across the face many times. Takamura laughed at Kimura until he got hit wit a cane by Kamogawa. As Ippo sat with Kumi, he received a new jacket as a gift by Kumi, which he was thankful and happy for. Takamura ruined his mood as he wondered what her "sweet" brother Mashiba would think of him.
In the present, Ippo notices the tree where he caught the ten leaves that got him into the Kamogawa gym and become a boxer, remembering the moment that happened three years ago. As Ippo continues doing his roadwork while thinking about Miyata, the man he's thinking about was jogging towards him. Ippo believes that God willed them to meet, happily walking towards the disgusted Miyata, who backs away. Miyata claims that he changed the course of his roadwork since he wanted to tell him something. Miyata mentions how the title of "champion" is something much sought after for someone who did win the Rookie King Tournament. Ippo is surprised Miyata thinks that since he is ranked third in the OPBF, making his rank lower than Miyata's. Ippo claims that he has always worked hard to catch up to him, remembering losing to him in the first spar, however, Miyata remembers losing to him in the second spar. Miyata tells Ippo that the Champion Carnival comes after the turn of the year, so he will have his first title defence. Miyata tells him to not get ousted from the throne since their match is still unfinished. As Miyata jogs away, Ippo thinks that he must not lose so he can finish their fight.
Later, at the Kamogawa gym, while Ippo and Kamogawa are having a mitt practice session, Yagi tells Kamogawa that he has a phone call. The caller is Nekota, who reveals to Kamogawa that a certain man has returned to Japan, telling him to look at page 94 in the Monthly Boxing Fan issue from two months ago and look carefully at the left corner. Kamogawa recognises the man and thanks Nekota for letting him know. As Ippo is curious, Kamogawa explains to him that the man in the audience is Dankichi Hama, a popular trainer in Mexico and someone he fought against when they were boxers. He reveals that he fought Dankichi two times, winning by knockout both times, while Nekota won against him three times as well. Ippo thinks Kamogawa and Nekota must have been strong, but Kamogawa claims that he felt very lucky since Dankichi is a genius whose boxing style was swift like a swallow. He adds that Dankichi's Sunday punch was called the "Hien," which neutralised both in-fighters and out-boxers alike, however, his weakness was that he had a glass jaw. Kamogawa explains that during a match, a lucky punch landed on Dankichi's jaw in a counter attempt, resulting in a swallow that was rendered flightless.
Having entered the gym unnoticed, Dankichi approaches Ippo and Kamogawa and tells the latter that it was a painful punch he gave him that his jaw still remembers. In the meeting room, Dankichi tells Kamogawa that the thought of fighting him again has made him very excited since his boxer is ranked first in this month's JBC featherweight rankings. Dankichi reveals that his boxer is Kazuki Sanada, the former junior featherweight champion who defended his title five times before relinquishing it and moving to the featherweight class. Dankichi tells Kamogawa to not think of it as payback, as his greatest joy in his boxing days was fighting him, and now after so long, their pupils will be fighting each other to resume their fight. Kamogawa points out that Ippo has a completely different style of boxing than he did, but Dankichi claims that Ippo taking Kamogawa's path is enough. Kamogawa comments that his relationship with Sanada must be a short one since he only recently returned, but Dankichi notes that Sanada is an able learner: having long since mastered the Hien. Before leaving, Dankichi warns Kamogawa and Ippo that he didn't only teach Sanada the Hien, but also the Tsubame Gaeshi, and that there will be two swallows in the ring.
Later, Ippo spars with Kimura, who was instructed by Kamogawa on how the Hien works to help Ippo. Kimura uses a left jab, which Ippo ducks under. However, as Ippo attempts to dash in closer to Kimura as he pulls his fist back in, the latter quickly lands a left hook on Ippo. Confused as to why he got hit, Ippo attempts to dash in again as Kimura pulls in his fist after a left jab. Ippo realises that Kimura isn't pulling his fist back all the way and instead changed it's course, turning it into a left hook that Ippo blocks. As they stop sparring, Ippo is surprised that the course-changing punch is what the Hien is. Kamogawa explains that there are many variations such as a jab-to-hook or an uppercut feigned as a jab, so an out-boxer would find it hard to counter, and an in-fighter wouldn't even get close, which means the Dempsey Roll is neutralised by his left. Ippo wonders about Sanada's right punches, which Kamogawa believes is what the "Tsubame Gaeshi" is for, thinking that it is an anti-in-fighter right-handed blow to be used against him. As Ippo wonders what it could be, Kamogawa claims that there isn't any point obsessing over an unknown punch, so they will focus on defeating Sanada. At the Monthly Boxing Fan, Fujii informs Mari that the Kinoshita gym declined their interview as they are busy developing a new blow to use against Ippo. Fujii adds that he went to the Kamogawa gym to interview Ippo, who was his usual self, wanting to go into the ring with the mindset of a challenger.
Mari goes to the Teito University Department of Medicine, where Sanada is a fifth year student at, thinking of how he is the only son of the owner of the Sanada General Hospital. When Mari meets Sanada and asks for an interview, he tells her that it is fine as long as it isn't about his new punch. Mari asks Sanada why he continues boxing when he is highly regarded in the university and was assured of getting the medical doctor title. Sanada claims to admire his parents, and believes that doctors have a wonderful profession, however, he sometimes doubts the path his parents chose for him. He adds that him starting boxing began as a coincidence when he saw an ad calling for apprentices. Doing fairly well in sports, he went to the Kinoshita gym to relieve stress by hitting the sandbags, claiming that it felt great. Sanada mentions that about half a year later he had a sparring match and was badly beaten up. Sanada was later able to control his opponents after he researched subjects such as what angle would be needed in striking the jaw to bring about unconsciousness, how many punches can he hit while the opponent's legs are paralysed, and what are the effects and duration of a body blow, which is said to be slow-recovering. However, Sanada notes that things became unpredictable in the pro ring, since even when he thought he finished his opponent off, they still got up, and it was the same for him. He adds that he never felt so strongly about his will and strength before and felt the satisfaction of victory, making him unable to stop boxing. Mari asks Sanada if it was for satisfaction that he relinquished his belt to fight Ippo, as the power difference would be tough to overcome. Sanada answers that that is what makes it more rewarding, noting that Ippo's fists have overwhelming power, however, since he is a medical student, his hands know how to heal people, but they are also trained in destroying people.
At the Kamogawa gym, Ippo mentions to the gym members that Fujii told him that Sanada is the only son of a doctor. Kimura notes that the Sanada General Hospital is a major one, and Aoki claims that Tomiko mentioned it before about a "handsome boxer" who is the only son of a hospital owner and popular with the nurses. Takamura and Kimura thinks that Sanada would be a "hot date," however, Aoki boasts that Tomiko said that she wasn't interested in him. Takamura notes that being popular among nurses, aside from Tomiko, means that Kumi must know him, wondering what side Kumi will be on. As Ippo gets nervous, Kimura believes that Kumi will cheer for Ippo, however, if he loses, there is no guaranteed. Takamura points out that if he loses pathetically, he may lose two important things: the belt and the woman to Sanada. Ippo mentions that Kumi is not his girlfriend, so he would only be losing his belt, making Takamura angry that he does not think of her as his girlfriend still despite everyone knowing how he feels. Takamura, Kimura, and Aoki then tries to get Ippo to confess, with Ippo not wanting to. After much pressing and after Takamura brings a phone over, Ippo says he will do it under one condition. Ippo agrees to confess if he wins against three people in an arm wrestling match. An arm wrestling match is then held with Ippo against Kimura, Aoki, and then Gotō, as Takamura notes that it would be unfair if he partook in it. Ippo easily defeats Kimura and Aoki, dislocating the latter's shoulder. Gotō was next, however Takamura knocked him out due to him knowing that Gotō would lose. Ippo tries to back out, but then he gets angry when he notices Takamura enjoying himself as he deceives Ippo. Not wanting to lose to people like them, Ippo gets ready for the arm wrestling match against Takamura. Though even at first, they cause the table to break and Takamura ends up the winner. With it being a promise, Ippo sets up a date with Kumi to confess.
Ippo meets up with Kumi at the Kahuna Pasta House where they eat dinner. As they eat, Ippo is worried about how he will say his confession, and if she doesn't feel the same way, he may never see her smile again. He then remembers Aoki telling him that he heard from Tomiko that Kumi likes someone. When they leave, Wanpo greets them at the door. Kumi mentions that she wants to take him to the park. Ippo attempts for a long time to confess his love to her, however, he could not do it. Instead, he tells her about how he wants her to be present at his match against Sanada, who Kumi mentions that the nurses at her hospital will be cheering for and want her to be there cheering for him as well. Kumi becomes upset that Ippo does not seem to care if she cheers against him. Ippo then makes the situation worse by saying that she isn't obligated to cheer for him, nor is it his right to ask for her to cheer for him, so she can cheer for the person she likes. Kumi leaves, claiming that that is what she will do. Nearby, Takamura, Aoki, and Kimura were watching the whole time, surprised that Ippo got dumped. That night, at the Mashiba residence, Mashiba comes home and asks Kumi where their dinner is. As he keeps repeating the question, an irritated Kumi throws a magazine at him and tells him to get it himself for once. Later, at the Kamogawa gym, Takamura, Aoki, and Kimura watch Ippo viciously punching a sandbag, leading Aoki to wonder if they went to far, and Kimura thinks they should try and cheer him up. Takamura doesn't think they should, as Ippo lost one important thing, and now all he has is boxing, suggesting that they should support him so that Ippo can at least keep the belt. Ippo is irritated that he let himself get distracted by those three devils. Ippo begins focusing on his title defence match, doing various training sessions.
Three weeks before the event, the Kinoshita gym is having an open house sparring session for reporters to see Sanada spar. As they watch the spar Fujii and Mari witness Sanada using the Hien on his sparring partner and then back away when his sparring partner was about to attack after receiving a liver blow. Fujii assumes Sanada has sharp instincts since he anticipated the retaliation, however, Dankichi explains that it is not instinct, but palpation, which is the process of using touch to medically examine a patient's body. Dankichi notes that Sanada can do something similar to it by connecting a punch. The spar then ends as the sparring partner goes down when Sanada was about to use his Tsubame Gaeshi after landing a right uppercut. Later, as Ippo spars with Kimura at the Kamogawa gym, Fujii and Mari watches. Fujii and Mari notices that their anti-Hien strategy seems to be repelling it with a right guard and then stepping in.
The day before their match, Ippo and Sanada pass their weight check at the Kōrakuen Hall. Walking away from the venue, Sanada asks Dankichi if Ippo is always like that, remembering meeting Ippo at the weigh-in, where the champion delayed his comment to the reporters since he forgot he was the champion. Sanada thinks that Ippo didn't seem pressured, and Dankichi believes that Ippo doesn't seem to be the type to be deceitful. Ippo and Kamogawa assume that the Tsubame Gaeshi is a hook or uppercut. Ippo mentions that he noticed that Sanada's chest muscles were much larger than his junior featherweight years. Kamogawa notices how Ippo seems to be like his usual self. Outside the Makunouchi Fishing Boat, a group of the customers reveal a banner to use while cheering for Ippo. Umezawa then gives Ippo new red boxing shoes and trunks from him and Hiroko, with the trunks having twelve stars signalling the twelve knockouts Ippo achieved. While Sanada plays video games with Kinoshita's daughter, Kinoshita Tsugumi, Tsugumi calls him a doctor, but Sanada claims that he is not a real doctor yet despite clearing Tsugumi's cold. He mentions that there are things he can't cure like the fear of disease, wishing that he could cure both the sicknesses and the fear. However. he believes to accomplish that, people must be brave, so he wishes to become strong to give others courage. He thinks that his previous opponents were not able to let him test true strength, however, he believes that Ippo, who defeated Sendō will. At the Makunouchi Fishing Boat, Ippo thinks about how it will be the first time he enters from the red corner. Remembering that his belt is the same one Date wore and the same belt he so painstakingly took from Sendō, he will never give up the belt that the people he respected so much put on, determined to win.
The next morning, before Ippo leaves for his match. he tells Umezawa he will win by knockout. Umezawa believes Ippo is pumped up, but Hiroko thinks otherwise as she knows that Ippo does not usually act that way, believing that he may lose. At the Kōrakuen Hall, as the match is about to begin and Sanada in the ring, Ippo arrives to the ring nervously, feeling the pressure of his first title defence. At Ippo's corner, Kamogawa instructs Ippo to dodge Sanada's first blow, then he will be able to relax and set the pace.
The match begins, and after both boxers touch gloves, they keep a distance from each other. Ippo thinks how he must dodge Sanada's first blow to catch his rhythm. Ippo sees Sanada start to throw a left, however, when he began to move to dodge it, Sanada feints the left and lands a right straight on Ippo's face. Ippo loses his balance as he stumbles back before regaining his footing at the ropes. Ippo panics, not knowing what he got hit with. Sanada lands a combination of punches on Ippo's face at the ropes. Kamogawa is annoyed by the experience of the former champion, as he threw a right from the start and familiar with the pressure of one's first title defence match. After hitting Ippo's face with a clean right straight, he calculates that it will take him five seconds to recover from it. Sanada throws a combination of punches on Ippo's guard for five seconds before backing away when Ippo throws a right uppercut. Dankichi thinks of how Sanada anticipated Ippo's recovery and dodged it. Kamogawa believes this is the worst opening to a match for Ippo, whose style isn't based on evading a blow to catch one's rhythm. Ippo starts weaving his body and enters the Peek-a-Boo Style before going towards Sanada. Ippo dodges a left jab and aims towards Sanada's open body, however, the jab turns into a hook, causing the Hien to hit Ippo's face. Ippo sees another left incoming, wondering what kind of left it will be before getting hit by two left straights. Ippo backs away, unable to get the right timing to jump in. Kamogawa mentions to Yagi that while Ippo won the title by his own proficiency, he hasn't fully matured as a champion. Sanada hits Ippo's guard with a combination of Hiens while thinking that the Peek-a-Boo Style's guard is troublesome, but Ippo can't defend his belt staying curled up like he is. The first round ends right after Ippo gets hit by a damaging right hook. The announcer reveals that the scoreboard is 10-9 in the challenger's favour.
At Ippo's corner, Kamogawa sees that Ippo came back beaten up and breathing heavy, while the swelling speaks the danger of the Hien. Kamogawa tells Ippo that just keeping a tight guard alone is useless, and to close in before getting tricked by the Hien. He adds that the only way to change the pace is to move before Sanada does. At Sanada's corner, Sanada checks his pulse and informs his seconds that everything is fine, but Ippo's Peek-a-Boo Style is troublesome. Sanada claims that despite the swelling on Ippo's face, his critical spots remain tightly guarded. Dankichi instructs Sanada to keep using the Hien on his guard to make him more tense as the main objective is something that even an acclaimed trainer like Kamogawa won't figure out: that the Hien is a pawn for the "second swallow" to take flight.
As the second round begins, Ippo plans to change the pace, rushing towards Sanada with his Peek-a-Boo Style. Sanada plans to rely on his Hien in order to stop him, but he only brushes air as Ippo has initiated the movement of the Dempsey Roll. Sanada stops the Dempsey Roll motion by pushing his body onto Ippo's. Dankichi remembers Sendō showing the rough, but efficient way of stopping the Dempsey Roll, thinking that a punch that can be stopped ceases to be a finisher. Sanada moves behind Ippo and punches his block to send Ippo to the ropes, switching their positions. Ippo tries to do a Dempsey Roll again, however, he is unable to keep the motion going due to Sanada's Hien hitting him. Ippo then gets pushed back to the ropes by Sanada's Hien combination, guarding against them while waiting for a moment to strike back. Sanada's rhythm changes, and Ippo guards against a right uppercut. Ippo then prepares to guard against a second right uppercut, however, the uppercut goes through Ippo's stiff Peek-a-Boo Style block and hits him. Dankichi bets Kamogawa is surprised by what the Tsubame Gaeshi is. Realising that the double right uppercut is the Tsubame Gaeshi, Ippo retaliates and hits Sanada's guard with a right that causes damage to Sanada through the guard and makes him fly back to the other side of the ring. Sanada is surprised by Ippo's speed of recovery. Sanada blocks Ippo's combination of punches and escapes the ropes by using his Hien and begins hitting Ippo's block on the ropes with the Hien. With Ippo on the ropes guarding against the Hien, Sanada launches his Tsubame Gaeshi, with the second hit going through Ippo's guard again, causing Ippo to go down and become unconscious. Sanada knows that he jolted Ippo's brain vertically, so it will be almost impossible for the paralysed champion to get back up. in ten seconds. Ippo, after hearing Kamogawa in his unconsciousness wanting him to come back to him as he knows how to beat the Tsubame Gaeshi, Ippo gets up, wanting to go back to Kamogawa. The second round shortly ends after Ippo gets up.
At Sanada's corner, Dankichi is amazed by how Ippo got up in response of his second's voice, thinking that the bond between Ippo and Kamogawa is extraordinary. Takamura reveals to Aoki and Kimura that the Tsubame Gaeshi is a sideways uppercut. He explains that given the fact that the eight ounce glove is seventeen centimetres long but only ten centimetres tall, if turned sideways, the impact area is seven centimetres smaller; this means that the first uppercut creates a small opening, while the second uppercut being a smaller weapon passes through the guard and connects on the target. At Ippo's corner, Kamogawa has no way of telling him the strategy to beat the Tsubame Gaeshi due to the fact that he is too hurt to understand anything at the moment. With the time up, as Ippo left for the third round, Kamogawa tells him to remember what Kenta Kobashi did that gave him trouble in their match.
When the third round begins, not wanting to let Ippo recover, Sanada rushes towards him and uses the Hien. Ippo blocks the Hien and gets his guard hit by the first uppercut of the Tsubame Gaeshi. Ippo then successfully blocks the second sideways uppercut with the Cross-Arm Block, remembering that Kobashi used the Cross-Arm Block against him. With the block, Ippo advances toward Sanada, guarding his lefts. After Ippo gets into close range after getting hit by Sanada's left and right hooks in the process, Ippo switches to the Peek-a-Boo Style. Ippo hits Sanada with a liver blow and the two begin a close range exchange due to Sanada being unable to escape the ropes. Ippo wins the exchange as Sanada goes down. Sanada motionlessly kneels on the floor while the count goes on, and it appears he will not be able to get up. While downed, Sanada checks the damage on his body and estimates when parts of his body will recover. After the check-up, Sanada gets up at the count of eight and attacks the approaching Ippo's guard with Hiens to keep him away. Ippo notices the Hiens are getting weak, so he knocks two of them away and steps in to Sanada chest. However, the gong sounds right after, ending the third round.
As Sanada goes to his corner, he thinks of how Ippo has pinned down the timing of his Hien and neutralised his Tsubame Gaeshi. Dankichi comments on how good Kamogawa is for having Ippo use the Cross-Arm Block. Dankichi reveals to Sanada another strategy: get inside the eye of the storm by taking the match to an ultra close-ranged fight. At Ippo's corner, Kamogawa tells Ippo to finish it in the next round so they can celebrate his first title defence match victory.
When the fourth round begins, Ippo and Sanada have a close-ranged exchange for two minutes. In the exchange, Ippo's punches get dodged while Sanada lands precise body blows. Yagi is shocked that Ippo is getting hit from inside his compact punches, while Kamogawa mentions that trying to finish the match unconsciously makes one swing wider, which allows Sanada to get inside those wide swings. Kamogawa adds that Sanada is also accurately hitting the inner organs' critical points, a strategy only possible given Sanada's medical knowledge. Running out of oxygen, Ippo's face turns blue due to cyanosis. As Ippo begins to lose balance from the body blows and swings much slower, Sanada uses his Tsubame Gaeshi, but Ippo blocks the second uppercut by putting one of his hands between the attack and his jaw, still causing damage. Ippo blocks Sanada's Hiens while his back is to the ropes. Ippo throws a desperate left uppercut that Sanada dodges. As Sanada attacks Ippo with body blows again, he notices Ippo is at his limit and throws a right straight, making Ippo start to fall. Ippo barely manages to stop his fall by hanging onto the ropes. Ippo's light returns to his eyes and he releases a punch that misses as the fourth round ends.
At Sanada's corner, Sanada tells Dankichi that he pounded Ippo's body relentlessly, and if it were someone else, the match would have ended already. Dankichi believes Ippo shouldn't be able to move anymore and only have enough power for one last big shot, but that is like a land mine, advising Sanada to not step on it. As Sanada claims he will end it in the next round, Dankichi thinks of how he has never met a boxer who has met his expectations this well. Dankichi remembers that Kamogawa taught him this same tension, satisfaction, and loss back when they fought each other, believing that the time has finally come for his revenge to dawn. In Ippo's corner, Kamogawa tells Ippo to stay on the defensive and finish it in the later rounds. However, Kamogawa knows that Ippo knows he doesn't mean it, as there is no way for him to recover this damage before the match ends, and that the next round he will be finished. Ippo knows that the next round is the last, but tells himself that as long as he can move, he will do his best and challenge Sanada to the end. Before Ippo heads out for the fifth round, he receives a slap on the back by Kamogawa as a request due to not being able to stand up.
To Sanada's shock, Ippo dashes towards him as the fifth round begins and relentlessly attacks Sanada, who blocks and dodges the punches, but is soon pushed to the ropes. Ippo lands a right straight, but Sanada remains calm and lands a body blow. Despite being in tremendous pain, Ippo returns with an attack of his own. Sanada thinks that if he can survive Ippo's barrage, he will win the fight, as his opponent will no longer be able to move. With little energy left, Ippo starts moving from side-to-side and starts his Dempsey Roll motion, however, Sanada pushes his body onto Ippo's, stopping it. Ippo lands a liver blow as Sanada stepped in as he predicted Sanada would step-in to stop the motion. Ippo then hits Sanada with a Gazelle Punch. Continuing his knockout pattern he used against Sendō, Ippo uses his Dempsey Roll on Sanada until Ippo ran out of energy. Ippo attempts to hit Sanada, who withstood all of Ippo's punches, however, Ippo's right barely grazed Sanada's cheek. Sanada launches a finishing right, falling down from the momentum and missing Ippo, causing a down. The referee then signals the end to the match, with Ippo winning his first title defence match.
Seeing that the match is over, Ippo immediately sits down. Kamogawa goes to Ippo and tells him that he won and that Sanada had incredible spirit wit tenacity of a great boxer. With the help of his seconds, Ippo walks away from the ring and goes to his waiting room in the hall. At Sanada's waiting room, Sanada, satisfied after lasting through the Dempsey Roll, decides to retire and focus on his medical career, thanking Dankichi, as without his presence, he could never have fought so hard. Suddenly, Mari enters the room and urgently informs Sanada that Ippo went to sleep and started snoring. Seeing this as a dangerous symptom, Sanada goes to Ippo's waiting room and checks on him. Sanada concludes that it is a sound sleep caused by fatigue, recommending that they get a CT scan to be sure. Everyone in the room notices how Ippo is holding onto his JBC belt tightly, believing that no one would be able to pry it out of his hands.
Later, Kamogawa and Nekota see Dankichi off at the Narita Terminal 1. Before Dankichi leaves, he mentions to Kamogawa how it seemed like Ippo was being pushed by something every time it he almost gave up, thinking that it was the trust of his second. He adds that it is no wonder Ippo is strong since it was like he was fighting as two people. He further adds that his excuse for losing is that he didn't have the time to develop such a relationship with Sanada, but Sanada has no regrets and has another dream. Dankichi hopes that when Sanada looks back, he will know that he didn't trip over a small rock, but faced a tremendous mountain. After Dankichi left on the plane, Nekota tells Kamogawa that Dankichi is headed for the United States of America. While fishing Ippo thinks that Sanada reminded him of something he'd almost forgotten, and with it, he can start walking towards a higher goal. He believes that until he knows what it means to be strong, he will remain as the challenger. Kumi approaches Ippo and reveals that she was at the venue watching the fight. While Ippo assumed that she was cheering for Sanada with the other hospital workers, she claims she was alone and cheered for the person she liked, which was Ippo. Ippo thanks her. Takamura, Aoki, and Kimura watch from afar wanting Ippo to tell her he loves her. As a fish starts taking the bait on the line, Ippo hurriedly tries to catch it, however, the fish lets go, causing the fishing pole to violently knock a nearby ice chest away, landing on Aoki's head and giving away Takamura, Kimura, and his location.
Trivia[]
- The video game console that Sanada and Tsugumi played on was the original Xbox, though the controller is a cross between the Xbox's and PlayStation's.
- The video games that are in Tsugumi's room are:
- Megmix 200X
- Buyo - A reference to the Puyo Puyo series.
Anime-Manga Differences[]
See also: Anime-Manga Differences
- Due to the TV special being released before the OVA, the events in the First Step Arc and Execution Arc are switched in the anime.
- Round 290 was not adapted.
- The anime changes the following:
- Since the First Step Arc and Execution Arc switched places in the anime, Wanpo has a smaller appearance than he did in the manga due to being younger in the anime and lacks his collar that he had in the manga as well.
- In the manga, Ippo's first day back to helping at the Makunouchi Fishing Boat happened in the Execution Arc, however, it happened in the First Step Arc in the anime.
- In the manga, Kumi gave Ippo the new jacket as a late birthday gift before telling him that she may not be able to see him again. In the anime, she gave it to him at the celebration party on his birthday at Sugar Ray.
- In the manga, Ippo meets Dankichi and Sanada after Kobashi's match. In the anime, he meets Dankichi when he visits Kamogawa at the Kamogawa gym, and Sanada at the weigh-in before their match.
- In the manga, Nekota told Kamogawa to look at last month's Monthly Boxing Fan issue to find out who he wants him to look at. In the anime, it is a Monthly Boxing Fan issue from two months ago.
- In the manga, since Ippo already met Dankichi and Sanada, he already knew who Dankichi was when Kamogawa was shocked to see Dankichi in the magazine. In the anime, Ippo did not know who Dankichi was.
- In the manga, during Ippo and Kimura's spar, Ippo's shirt was long-sleeve and had "KAMOGAWA BOXING GYM" on the back. In the anime, Ippo's shirt is short-sleeve and has "KBG" on the the back.
- In the manga, during Ippo and Kimura's spar, Kamogawa was wearing a business suit and a hat. In the anime, Kamogawa is wearing a white long-sleeve shirt that has "KBG" on the upper-left and on the back.
- In the manga, during Ippo and Kimura's spar, Aoki was wearing a tank top over a long-sleeve shirt. In the anime, Aoki was only wearing a long-sleeve shirt without the tank top.
- In the anime, Fujii's interview with Ippo was shortened and was shown as a flashback.
- In the manga, when Ippo mentions to the Kamogawa gym members that Sanada is the only son of a doctor, Aoki wears a shirt with a frog on the back of it and on the front of it in the upper-left. In the anime, the frog is only on the front of it in the upper-left.
- In the manga, when Ippo mentions to the Kamogawa gym members that Sanada is the only son of a doctor, Kimura wears a hoodie. In the anime, he wears a jacket.
- In the manga, during the arm wrestling match, Aoki wore the same frog shirt as before it started. In the anime, Aoki changed his shirt to a navy blue one.
- In the manga, an emotionless Ippo brought the audio recording of his confession to Takamura, Aoki, and Kimura at Takamura's place, misinterpreting that Ippo got dumped after having sexual intercourse. In the anime, it was changed to the three following Ippo and Kumi, hiding in the bushes and witnessing Ippo getting rejected.
- Due to this change, the scene at the Kamogawa gym where Aoki, Kimura, and Takamura watch Ippo punching a sandbag has slightly different dialogue in the anime.
- In the manga, Dankichi knocks Fujii with a wooden cane before Sanada's spar began. In the anime, it happened during the spar.
- In the manga, Sanada's spar against the JBC junior lightweight third ranker ended in the second round. In the anime, it ended in the first round.
- In the manga, Sanada played video games with Tsugumi before his weigh-in with Ippo. In the anime, it happened after the weigh-in.
- In the manga, the video game console Sanada and Tsugumi played on was the Sega Saturn, and game they were playing appears to be Virtua fighter 2. In the anime, the video game console was the original Xbox, and the fighting game they were playing feature two male characters with similar appearances to that of characters from the Seint Saiya anime.
- In the manga, Ippo and Kamogawa talked after the weigh-in while walking down Ippo's usual roadwork spot. In the anime, they talked while walking away near the Kōrakuen Hall.
- In the anime, the match poster for Ippo and Sanada's match has the date removed and the time for the doors to open is 17:30, while the opening gong is 16:00 rather than 18:00 in the manga.
- In the manga, during the Ippo vs. Sanada match, Ippo's seconds were wearing a long-sleeved shirt with "DYNAMITE GLOVE" on the front and back. In the anime, they are wearing a long-sleeved shirt with "K.B.G" (Kamogawa Boxing Gym) on the back.
- In the manga, during the Ippo vs. Sanada match, Sanada's seconds were wearing a long-sleeved shirt with "DYNAMITE GLOVE" on the front and back. In the anime, they are wearing a long-sleeved shirt with "木下" (Kinoshita) on the front upper-left.
- In the anime, Miyata is shown watching the Ippo vs. Sanada match, silently walking away after Ippo won.
- In the anime, Takamura, Aoki, and Kimura are present in the scene with Ippo and Kumi fishing.
- The anime removes the following:
- In the manga, Kenta Kobashi and Ryūichi Hayami had a match. In the anime, this is removed.
- In the manga, Kamogawa explained details about the Japanese fighter jet "Hien". In the anime, this was removed.
- In the manga, Fujii, his assistant, and Mari talked about how Ippo's title defence match against Sanada was decided. In the anime, this scene was removed.
- In the manga, Gotō explained in detail what the Japanese fighter jet "Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien" was like during World War II and then Kamogawa told Kimura how the technique Hien works. In the anime, these scenes were removed.
- In the manga, after Ippo and Kimura finishes their spar, Ippo wanted Kimura to continue, but Kimura explained that the technique strains his wrist. In the anime, this is removed.
- In the manga, Fujii, his assistant, and Mari went to the Kinoshita gym and was unable to go inside since it was closed to visitors. In the anime, this scene was removed.
- In the manga, Aoki told the Kamogawa gym members that Sanada is known as "Super Doctor S" which is a reference to the Super Doctor K series. In the anime, this mention was removed.
- In the manga, Ippo suggested multiple ways to get him to accept the condition to call and confess to Kumi until it was decided by Kimura to arm wrestle. In the anime, this is removed.
- In the manga, Ippo hesitated before finally calling Kumi after losing against Takamura in the arm wrestling match. In the anime, this was removed.
- In the manga, Takamura gave Ippo an audio recorder to record himself confessing to Kumi and then later attempted to masturbate to the recorded audio. In the anime, these scenes were removed.
- In the manga, At the Mashiba residence Mashiba asked Kumi how long she was going to sleep in the day after her date with Ippo, resulting in her throwing things and screaming at him to leave her alone. In the anime, this scene was removed.
- In the manga, there was dialogue between Fujii and Mari, who also noted that Sanada's sparring partner is a JBC junior lightweight third ranker before the spar began. In the anime, this is removed.
- In the manga, during Sanada's spar against the JBC junior lightweight third ranker, Sanada checked his pulse before the second round began and Fujii noted how Sanada is like Salvador Sánchez. In the anime, this is removed.
- In the manga, after watching Sanada's spar, Fujii went to the Kamogawa gym and talks to Ippo and Kamogawa before watching their mitt practice session. In the anime, this was removed.
- In the manga, Nekota, Dankichi and Kamogawa had a conversation about Ricardo Martínez at the Sugar Ray. In the anime, this scene was removed.
- In the manga, Nekota visited the Kamogawa gym looking for Kamogawa. Takamura told him that Kamogawa is with Ippo at the weigh-in. In the anime, this scene was removed.
- In the manga, Miyazaki was present when Ippo received his new boxing shoes and trunks. In the anime, he was not present.
- In the manga, when Ippo received his new boxing shoes and trunks, Umezawa compared the twelve stars signalling his twelve knockouts is like fighter planes in the war that marked down their kills. In the anime, this is removed.
- The anime removes Fujii and Mari walking to the Kōrakuen Hall, Ippo and Sanada's scenes in their waiting room, and Sanada's ring entrance.
- In the manga, in the first round of Ippo vs. Sanada, after Ippo is hit a right hook, he tries to hit back, but Sanada dodges until the first round ends. In the anime, the first round ends when Ippo is hit by the right hook.
- In the manga, in the second round of Ippo vs. Sanada, after Ippo got up from his down and hits Sanada's guard with a right, the second round ends. In the anime, the second round ends right after Ippo gets up from his down.
- In the manga, during the third round, Dankichi tells the worried Kinoshita that Sanada is giving his body a thorough body examination while downed. In the anime, this is removed.
- In the anime, the third round ends quicker, as Sanada clinching Ippo after getting up and hitting his head until the clinch breaks is removed in the anime.
- In the manga, after Ippo won, a reporter wanted to do an interview, but Kamogawa declined an interview. In the anime, this is removed.
- The anime removes a scene of Hiroko and Umezawa at the Makunouchi Fishing Boat and the first half of the scene of Ippo fishing.
- The anime adds the following:
- The anime adds a flashback during Ippo's morning roadwork that extends the party at Sugar Ray that happened in Episode 76 (Season 1).
- The anime adds a flashback during Ippo's morning roadwork of Ippo doing the test to catch ten leaves, as well as his spar against Miyata.
- The anime adds a scene during Ippo's morning roadwork of Ippo and Miyata having a conversation.
- The anime adds a scene of Fujii and Mari talking at the Monthly Boxing Fan about being denied an interview at the Kinoshita gym and he told her about his interview with Ippo.
- The anime adds a scene of Fujii and Mari watching Ippo and Kimura spar after they watched Sanada's spar.
Credits[]
Characters are named as they appear in the credits.
Episode Credits[]
| Role | English Name | Japanese | Rōmaji |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screenplay | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | 筆安 一幸 | Fudeyasu Kazuyuki |
| Storyboard | Satoshi Nishimura Ken'ichi Kawamura Yūzō Satō |
西村 聡 川村 賢一 佐藤 雄三 |
Nishimura Satoshi Kawamura Ken'ichi Satō Yūzō |
| Director | Satoshi Nishimura Ken'ichi Kawamura Yūzō Satō Nanako Shimazaki Kentarō Nakamura |
西村 聡 川村 賢一 佐藤 雄三 島崎 奈々子 中村 賢太郎 |
Nishimura Satoshi Kawamura Ken'ichi Satō Yūzō Shimazaki Nanako Nakamura Kentarō |
| Animation Director | Kōji Sugiura Yoshiyuki Itō Noriyuki Fukuda Toshiyuki Kan'no Satoshi Tasaki Daisuke Yoshida |
杉浦 幸次 伊藤 嘉之 ふくだ のりゆき 菅野 利之 田崎 聡 吉田 大輔 |
Sugiura Kōji Itō Yoshiyuki Fukuda Noriyuki Kan'no Toshiyuki Tasaki Satoshi Yoshida Daisuke |
[]
| First Step Arc | |||||||||||||||||||
| Manga Volumes | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 34 | 35 | |||||||||||||||||
| Manga Rounds | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 290 | 291 | 292 | 293 | 294 | 295 | 296 | 297 | 298 | 299 | ||||||||||
| 300 | 301 | 302 | 303 | 304 | 305 | 306 | 307 | 308 | 309 | ||||||||||
| 310 | 311 | 312 | 313 | 314 | |||||||||||||||
| Anime Rounds | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV Special 1 | |||||||||||||||||||