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.

Like this series? Post a comment!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:
· Length: 100+ Volumes (On-Going)

View Manga Online:
· Begin Reading Start Here!

Want the latest?
· Chapter 1184 (finally got it!) New! Added 2/1/2018
· Chapter 1203-1204 (Not sure where 1184 is but we'll add it when it's available) New! Added 2/1/2018

Extras:
· View Ippo: New Challenger Anime Series
· Read Anime Review
· Read Manga Review
· Discuss on Message Forum

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· One Piece
· Real
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· Vagabond

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 it, 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.

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Amateur Manga

Manga Scan Information

The manga scans you will find on this site are ones created by fans. They are not scanned versions of the licensed English versions. On the topic of licensed manga series, I do host licensed series unlike many sites that take down manga scans when they get licensed. I feel that showcasing the series actually helps in sales. I usually do not host entire series (usually just the beginning or latter volumes) so people tend to purchase the actual graphic novels when they find out how good they are. As for the fansubbed manga scans, they are created by manga scanlation groups. You can get a full list of groups over at Manga Updates. These groups create these fansubs for the fans - I simply distribute them online. Within each series you will certainly see information pertaining to the groups that created the manga scans. Please support the groups by visiting their web site or mIRC channel.