Hajime no Ippo really caught my eye just because it’s one of the longest running manga out there. It’s almost ten years older than One Piece and, like Luffy and company, it just keeps on going.
It’s a sports manga that about a teenage boxer named Ippo who unexpectedly turns out to have a real talent for boxing. One that requires a lot of training and hard work to come out but it’s there. We follow him on his journey of constantly finding new and challenging opponents.
And you may think that description tells you everything you need to know to know about Hajime no Ippo. And that’s pretty fair. It’s a thirty-five-year-old series. I’ve now read the first couple years worth and it feels like the blueprint for any given sports coming of age story.
Yes, Ippo goes into boxing absolutely clueless. Yes, he somehow has an innate talent for boxing. Yes, he keeps learning new techniques that are key for his next fight. And, yes, he pretty much never loses.
One of the reasons that Prince of Tennis is perhaps my favorite sports mangas is that Ryoma starts off being a great tennis player with years of training under his belt. (Another reason is because it is Dragonball Z as middle school tennis.) A key line for me is when Ryoma says that he loses every day and other players think is some kind deep thought. No, it’s because Ryoma has to play every day against his insane tennis god of a dad.
Two things that has drawn me in to Hajime no Ippo is that Ippo is a compellingly sweet, caring protagonist and that you get to read chapters of him training. The manga does its best to tell us that Ippo earns his victories and that he deserves them.
Another thing that has kept me reading is that the series is at least as much of a comedy as it is sports. Poor Ippo has it worse than Lucille Ball when it comes to being on the receiving end of slapstick.
I’ll also note that at least the early volumes feel dated in their overall social outlook. As an example, the reactions to Jason Ozuma, the first black boxer Ippo faces, don’t feel racist as much as they feel weird. To be fair, the manga subverts expectations by making Jason a sweetie like Ippo outside the ring.
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Since I have read about Hajime no Ippo, I know that Ippo eventually retires due to fears of being punch drunk. Which is a kinder way of saying permanent neurological damage. And while punch drunk syndrome is a common boxing media trope, it’s also a real condition.
And I’m sure that, if Hajime no Ippo keeps on going, it will turn out he does not have punch drunk syndrome and make a triumphant return to the ring. But treating brain damage as a medical condition rather than an obstacle to overcome is a decision I respect.
I am positive that I am not going to read all of Hajime no Ippo. There is just too much content. However, even reading a little is fun.
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