Megalo Box is one of several hotly anticipated anime making a return in 2021. The futuristic new vision of a classic boxing anime, the series' gritty nature makes it a throwback to before the days of moe and harem anime dominating the industry. The show's first season was as gritty as it was good, combining an underdog sports story with cyberpunk visuals and hip-hop songs.
Megalo Box's next season takes place several years after the first, promising another rags to riches tale. With a Funimation simulcast on the way in the next month, here's a look at the show's roots and where it's gone so far.
The Origin of Megalo Box
As previously mentioned, Megalo Box got its start as the 50th-anniversary project for the legendary boxing series Ashita no Joe. This project was initially going to manifest in many different ways, with one of the initial ideas being a simple spinoff of the franchise. That idea would have focused on Joe's friend and rival Rikiishi Toru. Director Moriyama You later decided that he wanted to create a series with a protagonist who was as likable as Joe but with primarily original elements. The result was a series with a similarly named protagonist and focus on boxing, but with a very different setting.
Megalo Box's Story So Far
The series takes place in a far-flung futuristic dystopia where unregistered civilians live on the outskirts of society. One way which these outcasts can potentially make their bones in the world is through Megalo Boxing. This hi-tech take on the classic sport involves the fighters attaching mechanical apparatuses to their frames to unleash lethal punches. The protagonist is Joe, a.k.a. Junk Dog, who scraps in the underground fights of the city's overlooked population.
Joe gets into a fight with the bodyguard of the head of the powerful Shirato Group, who convinces him to try his hand at making it to the top of the official Megalo Boxing circuit. Given an official ID and three months to train and receive an advertising group's backing, Joe/Junk Dog fights to enter the Megalonia tournament and gain a new life for himself.
The other fighters in the series all have commercialized, corporate backing, and like Joe, they are essentially reimagined versions of characters and archetypes from the original Ashita no Joe. This includes his nemesis Yuri, a version of Rikiishi, who convinces Joe to try his boxing hand at Megalo Boxing after soundly trouncing him. Beyond the boxing and training, there's corruption swirling around those behind Megalonia, with many trying throughout the series to get Joe to throw his matches.
Megalo Box is set amidst the backdrop of a dilapidated, cyberpunk future, which only enhances the show's resolution as being intentionally anachronistic to resemble anime produced before HD's advent. The pulse-pounding and gritty action are boosted by a thumping hip-hop soundtrack, adding to the series's overall aesthetic.
Season 2 will take place seven years after the first, with an older and more weathered Joe being joined by an all-new cast. According to the official press release, Joe will now be known as Nomad, picking up his Megalo gear and fighting once again.
Where to Watch Megalo Box
When the show's first season aired in Japan in 2018, it was simulcast for international views on Crunchyroll. Later on that year, it was shown on Toonami in the West and can currently be viewed for free through Tubi and Pluto and on Netflix and Hulu. The Blu-ray version, which contains a short mini-movie, can also be purchased through Amazon.
The second season will premiere in Japan at the beginning of this upcoming April with Funimation licensing it -- making it available for simulcast through their service for international viewers.