About Hajime no Ippo

Hajime no Ippo is an epic series about boxers and the challenges they face in and outside of the ring. Ippo Makunouchi was never popular in school and was constantly being picked on. One fateful day he met a professional boxer by the name of Takamura Mamoru. Takamura shows Ippo what it is like to be a boxer and from that day on Ippo realized that boxing might be the answer to his life-long question of, "What is it to be strong?"

To put how much I've enjoyed Hajime no Ippo over the years into words would be rather difficult. I can start by saying that although this series is about boxing, it really shines as a comedy. The mixture of action, fighting, and humor is really amazing. There is tons of character development to the point that even without the main character, Ippo, this series could still succeed. I've seen a lot of anime series and one thing that works great in all of them are rivalries. In Hajime no Ippo you get a new rival for every match since boxing is very personal - one on one. Aside from highly recommending this series to anyone who enjoys anime (even if you're not into boxing), I can say, without hesitation that this series is one of the best out there.

View Hajime no Ippo Manga Online

Hajime no Ippo has been not yet been licensed. Please support the English version if you enjoy this series.

Current Status:
· Next Update: Volume 1-12 on 5/15
· Rotating Volume: 1-78+
· Length: 78+ Volumes (On-Going)

Downloads:
Volume 01 · Volume 02 · Volume 03 · Volume 04 · Volume 05 · Volume 06 · Volume 07 · Volume 08 · Volume 09 · Volume 10 · Volume 11 · Volume 12 · Volume 13 · Volume 14 · Volume 15 · Volume 16 · Volume 17 · Volume 18 · Volume 19 · Volume 20 · Volume 21 · Volume 22 · Volume 23 · Volume 24 · Volume 25 · Volume 26 · Volume 27 · Volume 28 · Volume 29 · Volume 30 · Volume 31 · Volume 32 · Volume 33 · Volume 34 · Volume 35 · Volume 36 · Volume 37 · Volume 38 · Volume 39 · Volume 40 · Volume 41 · Volume 42 · Volume 43 · Volume 44 · Volume 45 · Volume 46 · Volume 47 · Volume 48 · Volume 49 · Volume 50 · Volume 51 · Volume 52 · Volume 53 · Volume 54 · Volume 55 · Volume 56 · Volume 57 · Volume 58 · Volume 59 · Volume 60 · Volume 61 · Volume 62 · Volume 63 · Volume 64 · Volume 65 · Volume 66 · Volume 67 · Volume 68 · Volume 69 · Volume 70 · Volume 71 · Volume 72 · Volume 73 · Volume 74 · Volume 75 · Volume 76 · Volume 77 · Volume 78 · Purchase Anime DVDs

Want the latest? (For everything after Volume 78)
· Chapter 744-753
· Chapter 754-763
· Chapter 764-773
· Chapter 774-783
· Chapter 784-793
· Chapter 794-803
· Chapter 804
· Chapter 805
· Chapter 806
· Chapter 807
· Chapter 808
· Chapter 809
· Chapter 810 New! Added 5/2/2008

Extras:
· Preview Anime Here
· Read Anime Review
· Discuss on Message Forum

Also Recommended:
· New Grappler Baki
· One Piece
· Real
· Slam Dunk

Support Official Release

Actually, Hajime no Ippo doesn't have an English license just yet. That is why I'll go ahead and promote the English Region 1 DVD release. Hajime no Ippo has been licensed under Geneon under the title "Fighting Spirit" (instead of Hajime no Ippo). It's rare for an anime series to be just as good as the manga, but Hajime no Ippo pulls off this feat. I thoroughly enjoyed the anime series as much as the manga. In fact because obviously the anime has more features than the manga (sound, moving animation) I found I enjoyed the anime a bit more than the manga. Of course the anime ends around volume 31 (and the OVA/Specials end at volume 35) so there is a ton of more material in the manga. But still, the anime is great and entertaining. The original Japanese voices (especially Ippo, Takamura, and Aoki) really make the characters, well for lack of a better term, have more character.

I get asked this a lot: "When will Hajime no Ippo's manga be licensed in English?" Unfortunately I have no answer to this. It will happen when it does. It's a shame that this series hasn't been picked up. It seems with each new Japanese volume that the English release looks farther and farther away. Let's face, Hajime no Ippo is a beast. With over 76 volumes it might be too big of an investment for an English release. Lots of man hours, money, and time would be needed to release that many volumes, which in my opinion is the reason it hasn't been licensed yet.

Though it's a long shot, I feel if you support Geneon and their English DVD release there might be a better chance of Hajime no Ippo manga being licensed.