Saburō Watanabe (渡辺 三郎, Watanabe Saburō) is a semi-recurring character in Hajime no Ippo. He is a former junior bantamweight boxer and a former WBA and WBC champion. He works as a TV commentator for Kōrakuen Hall occasionally, commentating on the East Japan Rookie King Finals between Makunouchi Ippo and Mashiba Ryō, and the All Japan Rookie King Tournament Finals between Ippo and Sendō Takeshi.
History[]
Part I[]
East Japan Rookie King Tournament Finals[]
Saburō was the guest commentator for the Dynamite Glove broadcast with the TV Announcer, where he provided commentary for the East Japan Rookie King Finals between Makunouchi Ippo and Mashiba Ryō. He watched as Ippo was able to defeat Mashiba.
All Japan Rookie King Tournament Finals[]
Saburō was the guest commentator for the All Japan Rookie King Tournament finals match between Ippo and Sendō Takeshi with the TV Announcer. During the match, he provided boxing details and analysed a replay moment when Ippo was able to block Sendō's punch.
JBC Title Match - Date Eiji vs Makunouchi Ippo[]
Saburō was one of the guest commentator for Ippo's JBC title match against Date Eiji with the TV Announcers.
Appearance[]
He has short black hair, and a shortly trimmed moustache on his face. He is usually seen in a headset and microphone when he is providing commentary on TV. He tends to be wearing a sports coat with a tie for his TV appearance.
Etymology[]
- The name Saburō means "three" (三) (sabu) and "son" (郎) (rō).
- Saburō's surname Watanabe means "transit, ford, ferry, cross, import, deliver, diameter, migrate" (渡) (wataru) and "environs, boundary, border, vicinity" (辺) (be).
- Watanabe is is a common surname in Japan.
Trivia[]
- Saburō does not appear in the anime.
- Saburō might be based on the former super flyweight (junior bantamweight) world champion boxer Jirō Watanabe.
Gallery[]
