Hajime no Ippo is a cornerstone of the sports anime genre, and now fans can watch more of the boxing-themed franchise thanks to Crunchyroll.
Early this year the streaming service added Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! anime series and the Champion Road special to its expansive catalog, and Crunchyrolll recently announced that episode 76 of the series, "Boxer's Fist," and the popular OVA Mashiba vs. Kimura are now also available to stream for members in Canada and the United States.
The original Hajime no Ippo manga by George Morikawa has been an ongoing serialization in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine since October 1989; as of September 2021, it has produced 132 volumes worth of content. The story follows high school student Makunouchi Ippo as he pursues a career in boxing, winning several titles and defeating various opponents. Currently, there are over 96 million copies of the series in circulation and it was voted one of the top 100 manga by TV Asashi's Manga Sōsenkyo poll in 2021.
Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! originally aired on Nippon TV in Japan between Oct. 4, 2000, and March 27, 2002. Madhouse (The Vampire Dies in No Time, The Irregular at Magic High School) animated the series with Satoshi Nishimura (Cutey Honey Flash, Midori no Makibao) serving as director, Tatsuhiko Urahata (Beyblade, Cardcaptor Sakura) overseeing series composition, Tsuneo Imahori (Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain) composing the music and Koji Sugiura (Overlord, Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond) designing the characters.
Madhouse also animated Hajime no Ippo: Mashiba vs. Kimura, which debuted on Sept. 5, 2003. While Urahata, Imahori and Sugiura were once again a part of the creative team, Hitoshi Nanba (Fate/Grand Order: First Order, Vampire Princess Miyu) replaced Nishimura as director. In both the series and OVA, Kohei Kiyasu (The Prince of Tennis, Blade of the Immortal) voiced protagonist Ippo, Keiji Fujiwara (Magi: Adventure of Sinbad, Cautious Hero: The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious) played Tatsuya Kimura and Masahiko Tanaka (Attack on Titan: The Final Season, Pokemon Journeys: The Series) voiced Mashiba Ryo.
These entries in the Hajime no Ippo franchise aren't the only classic anime to recently join Crunchyroll's ever-expanding catalog. For example, the BL series Gravitation and its OVA, Gravitation: Lyrics of Love, became available on the streaming service earlier this month. Moreover, Crunchyroll is premiering several new titles as part of its fall lineup, including The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, The World's Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat, Platinum End, Build Divide -#00000 (Code Black)-, Blade Runner: Black Lotus and High Guardian Spice.
Source: Crunchyroll