Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger's promotional art.
Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger (はじめの一歩 New Challenger) is the second anime adaption of the Hajime no Ippo manga, and sequel to Hajime no Ippo. It was produced by studio Madhouse, directed by Jun Shishido, and aired from January 6, 2009 to June 30, 2009. The third season is Hajime no Ippo: Rising.
Overview[]
The second season went into development due to the high ratings of the reruns of the first season. The main cast from the first series returned, although Kumi was voiced by actress Yuka Hiraka rather than Kobayashi Sanae. In addition, an almost entirely new production staff was used. According to Koyama Rikiya, the voice of Takamura at the time, a sequel was already being planned.
The story resumes from where the first season ended, with the Ichirō Miyata vs. Arnie Gregory match. The second season also covered Eiji Date's rematch with Ricardo Martínez, Ippo Makunouchi's fight against former kōhai Naomichi Yamada, who uses the ring name "Hammer Nao", Manabu Itagaki's debut match against Fumito Makino, and Mamoru Takamura]'s junior middleweight championship match against Bryan Hawk.
Episodes[]
| Full list of the episodes from all seasons - Anime Guide |
| # (Season) | # (Series) | Episode Title | Japanese Airdate | English Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77 | "A New Step" | January 6, 2009 | |
| 2 | 78 | "Bloody Cross" | January 13, 2009 | |
| 3 | 79 | "To the Promised Place" | January 20, 2009 | |
| 4 | 80 | "Moving Towards the World" | January 27, 2009 | |
| 5 | 81 | "The World's Power" | February 3, 2009 | |
| 6 | 82 | "A Back to Chase After" | February 10, 2009 | |
| 7 | 83 | "The Devil's Advent" | February 17, 2009 | |
| 8 | 84 | "A Blow from the Soul" | February 24, 2009 | |
| 9 | 85 | "Qualifications for Succession" | March 3, 2009 | |
| 10 | 86 | "Underdog" | March 10, 2009 | |
| 11 | 87 | "Ippo VS. Hammer Nao" | March 17, 2009 | |
| 12 | 88 | "The Conditions for Being a Pro" | March 24, 2009 | |
| 13 | 89 | "Ippo on the Beach 2" | March 31, 2009 | |
| 14 | 90 | "Two Sparring" | April 7, 2009 | |
| 15 | 91 | "Itagaki, Debut Match" | April 14, 2009 | |
| 16 | 92 | "The Two Hawks" | April 21, 2009 | |
| 17 | 93 | "Wild Child" | April 28, 2009 | |
| 18 | 94 | "Extreme Weight Loss" | May 5, 2009 | |
| 19 | 95 | "Critical Situation" | May 12, 2009 | |
| 20 | 96 | "World J. Middleweight Title Match" | May 19, 2009 | |
| 21 | 97 | "BATTLE OF HAWK!" | May 26, 2009 | |
| 22 | 98 | "Brawling Battle" | June 2, 2009 | |
| 23 | 99 | "Supporting Hand" | June 9, 2009 | |
| 24 | 100 | "King" | June 16, 2009 | |
| 25 | 101 | "Please Accept This Bronze Statue" | June 23, 2009 | |
| 26 | 102 | "NEW CHALLENGER" | June 30, 2009 |
Gallery[]
Opening and Ending[]
Opening[]
Ending[]
See also[]
- Hajime no Ippo - for info about the first season
- Hajime no Ippo: Rising - for info about the sequel to New Challenger and the third season of the anime
- List of Seiyū - for the list of voice actors.
- Music - for the soundtrack listing.
- http://www.ntv.co.jp/ippo/newchallenger/index.html - Official website