Hajime no Ippo is one of the finest anime series for sports lovers, particularly boxing aficionados. It’s deep, dark, and thrilling, with each individual having a complex narrative and a painful past. We’ll go over some of the strongest characters and all you need to know about them in this post so that all Hajime no Ippo fans may enjoy the story.
Hajime no Ippo, popularly known as Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting!, is a manga series by George Morikawa that has been adapted into an anime television series. It tells the narrative of Ippo Makunouchi, the protagonist, who began boxing in an attempt to address one dilemma: “What does it mean to be strong?”. Ippo Makunouchi was a quiet high school student who couldn’t make friends since he was usually supporting his mother in managing their family fishing charter business. As he was quiet, a gang of bullies led by Umezawa became accustomed to hitting him.
Whenever these bullies gave him a particularly bad thrashing one day, a passing middleweight professional boxer intervened as well as carried the wounded Ippo to the Kamogawa Gym, which is managed by former boxer Genji Kamogawa, for treatment. When Ippo awakened to the noises of boxers practicing, Mamoru Takamura, the boxer who had rescued him, wanted to cheer him up by allowing him to express his anger on a sandbag. They got their initial taste of Ippo’s boxing prowess at that point. Following that encounter, Ippo gave the subject a lot of thinking and concluded that he wanted to pursue a professional boxing career.
1. Eiji Date
Eiji Date, a former featherweight professional boxer, is the owner and instructor of the Date gym. Prior to his second loss to Martinez, he was a JBC, and OPBF featherweight champion yet was usually called to as the world’s second most successful featherweight fighter by Ricardo Martinez. During the happenings of Ippo’s debut national championship route, he performed the first minor adversary. His brother found him a position at his business company when he retired. Date had a successful business career and had been given a promotion, it was revealed. He was, nevertheless, troubled by his inherent desire to box.
Eiji Date
2. Alexander Volg Zangief
Alexander Volg Zangief is a Russian junior lightweight boxer who is the IBF junior lightweight champion. After becoming a featherweight boxer associated with the Otowa gym, he now trains in the United States with Dankichi Hama. And were let leave from the Otowa gym before he was a featherweight fighter, he withdrew and returned to Russia alongside his mother. He finally returned like a junior lightweight after his mother died. Volg spent his youth in a region on the outskirts of Russia.
He resided there along with his ailing mother, who perhaps he cherished and looked for. Tragically, the mother’s illness as well as the cold temperature in Russia left her confined and sick. Volg was always on his way to the local hospital, despite his determination. On all these occasions, he came across a wolf and bemoaned his own frailty, conveying his desire to be just as powerful as a wolf in terms of protecting his mother.
Alexander Volg Zangief
3. Ryou Mashiba
Ry Mashiba is an ex OPBF lightweight champion as well as the older brother of Kumi Mashiba. He is indeed a lightweight multi-weight class pro boxer connected with Th Boxing Gym. While Durin the Rookie King competition, he emerged as the primary adversary. Miyata Ichir, Makunouchi Ippo, Kimura Tatsuya, Sawamura Ryhei, Aaron Domingo, and Iga Shinobu are among his notable opponents. Mashiba has had a habit of misbehaving since he was a child. He experienced a life in which he constantly felt lonely as whether he could only count on himself since no one else trusted him.
Ryou Mashiba
Mashiba had been a disruptive student in school, and he was taught to behave as a kid must. Mashiba’s parents passed away in a vehicle crash while he had been in high school. He pledged two things at their graves: that he’d never depend on anybody except himself, and anyone who endangered Kumi Mashiba will indeed suffer terribly. Although Kumi was welcomed to remain at people’s houses when each of their parents died, they harbored major doubts about Mashiba. Mashiba always had coworkers accuse him of acts he didn’t do, as well as the cops accusing him of crimes he didn’t do.
4. Takeshi Sendou
Takeshi Sendō is a retired JBC featherweight champion and a professional boxer from the Naniwa Boxing Club. He was the major enemy in the Rocky of Naniwa Arc and the Lallapallooza Arc, and he was the second Japanese champion Ippo had to battle for the title. He’s grown into a great rival to Ippo throughout times. When he was a child, his sole ambition has been to battle the toughest people he can find. Sendō’s mother passed away shortly after giving birth, thus he spent his childhood years mainly with his father as well as great grandmother, who taught him to “defend people around you.”
His father, a firefighter, perished and he was a child while saving a small kid around Sendō’s age from a fire. Sendō admired his father a lot, and his demise hit him hard, although he was grateful for everything he did, which inspired him to acquire confidence as he grew older, and he kept following his advice by attempting to serve people.
Takeshi Sendou
5. Ichirou Miyata
Ichirō Miyata is a professional boxer who is the current OPBF featherweight champion as well as Ippo Makunouchi’s hero and perennial adversary. Miyata is a competent out-boxer who excels in counter punches and has a calm attitude. Many believe him to become a boxing prodigy, and he fights in just the same way as his father. Miyata wanted to take up his father’s technique of boxing following his father was set to quit and establish its value on the international scene. He began his training at Kamogawa Gym, wherein he finally met Ippo and sparred with him. Miyata switches to the Kawahara gym just after two spars, having resulted in Miyata’s triumph and failure, with the expectation of someday fighting Ippo during an official game to finish the fight.
Ichirou Miyata
Miyata used to sit at the ringside of his father’s boxing contests when he was a kid. Miyata watched in disbelief while his father was beaten according to what he felt was a “lucky punch” by Randy Boy Senior in his sixth OPBF featherweight championship defense contest. People he knew attended his father in the hospital when he was transported there and had to resign due to a fractured jaw; nevertheless, Miyata remained beside his father’s side constantly. Miyata’s mother abandoned the family, and Miyata’s final interaction with her was through a message she left. Whilst holding his father’s old boxing gloves, something his father didn’t like and hit him, the previously cheery Miyata stopped smiling and spoke less.
6. Ippo Makunouchi
Ippo Makunouchi is one of the main protagonists of Hajime no Ippo. He is an instructor, a former reigning featherweight JBC champion, and an ex featherweight professional boxer from Kamogawa club. He began boxing in order to find the solution to a specific question: “What does it entail to be strong?” Since then, he’s developed rivalries with Ichirō Miyata, Takeshi Send, and Ry Mashiba, as well as a unity with Mamoru Takamura, Masaru Aoki, and Tatsuya Kimura, and a profound appreciation for his coach, Genji Kamogawa, to whom he aspires to really be a world champion in order to commemorate the coach’s precepts. He became a trainer upon retirement after boxing, working as a second for fellow gym colleagues while teaching Taihei Aoki as well as Kintar Kaneda.
Ippo Makunouchi
Ippo Makunouchi was raised by a single mother, Hiroko Makunouchi, for most of his youth because his father, Kazuo Makunouchi, perished in his boat fell in a storm while he was young. During the period that his father was absent at sea, Ippo went to the beach daily to await his homecoming. He trusted his father when he said that when he returned, he would never abandon Ippo and Hiroko. Despite the fact that his father haven’t ever reappeared, Ippo was nevertheless able to rest certain that his father kept his pledge by locating the cap he wore.
7. Ricardo Martinez
Ricardo Martnez is the WBA featherweight super champion and the “POUND for POUND” No. 1 in the world. Date Eiji, two times for the WBA championship, and Makunouchi Ippo in a spar are his primary opponents in the series. Alfredo Gonzales has been beaten twice by him. Ricardo’s inherent boxing skill, as per Takamura Mamoru, is incalculable and unearthly. According to Kamogawa Genji, most people enter the WBC championship simply to avoid meeting Ricardo. Ricardo is a name familiar to Mexicans who are unfamiliar with their politicians. Because of Ricardo’s participation in the WBA, WBC champions were not even regarded as the greatest of all time. He’s the one responsible for Date’s infamous scar.
Ricardo Martinez
He had become a world champion just at age of 21, and then as time went on, he became renowned as someone that rips all from others who oppose him; he forced the majority of all those who battled him to quit; in a sense, he is the devil, “El Diablo.” He ruthlessly trounced the formidable opponent at the moment, Date, in the second phase from one of his initial challenges like a champion, forcing him to withdraw and seek retribution since at.
8. Bryan Hawk
Bryan Hawk is a former professional boxer as well as ex WBC junior middleweight champion out from the United States of America, whose been discovered by Miguel Zale, a world-renowned boxing coach while protecting himself against thugs in the streets of his city. He had won a world championship as well as the remainder of the matches simply because of his body and raw ability, despite the fact that he seldom trained and spent more time with ladies than those in the ring.
As a relatively young champion, he met his sad fate when defending his title against the “Japanese Hawk,” who didn’t care if he knew who he was facing. Hawk was overtaken, emotionally shattered to the core, and therefore unable to return to the ring. Hawk was born and raised as a street kid in New York’s rough neighborhoods. He grew up in a world of survival street conflicts, where every day was a battle for existence so only the toughest emerged intact. Repeatedly, he fought firearms and knives only with his arms.
Bryan Hawk
9. David Eagle
David “Golden” Eagle is a professional boxer from the United States who is a longtime WBC middleweight champion and Olympic gold medalist. He was defending his WBC middleweight championship against Takamura Mamoru for the third time. He was paired with Mike Elliot throughout his Olympic career. At a reception for the Olympic boxing squad, Elliot stated to Eagle that when he enters the professional ring, he intends to have about which is like a chess game, in which both he and his adversary outsmart one another. As Eagle questioned if he thought anyone would be able to stay up with him, Elliot said that if he continued to win, he would ultimately find someone who could.
David Eagle
He faced and beat Richard Bison twice throughout the Olympic qualifiers during his Olympic career. Prior to commencing his great pro career, Eagle was indeed an Olympic gold medalist who had gone unbeaten. Eagle was claimed to have never experienced defeat in his fifteen battles before becoming world champion, because of his determination and tactical ability. After watching one of Bryan Hawk’s fights in person as the WBC middleweight champion, Eagle thought that Hawk might be his biggest danger in the foreseeable, and he prepared himself if Hawk intended to win his upcoming weight class.
10. Mamoru Takamura
Hajime no Ippo’s deuteragonist is Mamoru Takamura. He is a pro boxer who competes in many weight classes and is also the WBC super-middleweight champion. He trains at the Kamogawa gym. Takamura’s particular goal is to win six weight classes, ranging from intermediate middleweight to heavyweight. His journey started after he won the JBC middleweight title and then dropped down to the WBC junior middleweight title. He later returned to the middleweight division, where he became the WBC as well as WBA middleweight champion. Takamura rose towards the super middleweight division after several defenses, eventually and became the WBC champion in the division.
Mamoru Takamura
Takamura was the alienated middle son of Takamura Enterprises, with his older sister Kyka as well as younger brother Wataru supporting him. Suguru, Mamoru’s elder brother, and ex-rugby player, persistently slandered his great boxing achievements and perpetuated the stereotype that Mamoru is merely a bully who delights on thugging people. After Suguru’s squad was defeated and spectators were criticizing him during a rugby game, Takamura wounded roughly 20 of such fans, resulting in Suguru’s squad being suspended for a year. Takamura would subsequently live by his own wages as nothing more than a pro boxer, disregarding his family’s considerable riches.
Sword Art Online was originally a Japanese light novel series by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by Abec. Reki Kawahara had originally written this as a web novel on his website from 2002 to 2008. These light novels started publication on ASCII Media Works’ Dengeki Bunko imprint from 10 April 2009. It got so much popularity that the series has spawned 12 manga adaptations, two seasons of anime television series, a television film, and an animated film. The first and the second season of the anime series was titled “Sword Art Online” and “Sword Art Online II,” respectively and both have Kazuto Kirigiya at the forefront. Till now, six video games have been released based on this, and Netflix is also making a live-action series on this franchise.
The series takes place in the year 2022, set in a futuristic world where a new virtual reality MMORPG called Sword Art Online has been released. Kazuto Kirigiya is the protagonist of this Isekai anime franchise. Kazuto, born as Kazuto Narusaka, takes up the name Kirito in this gaming world. He, along with Asuna Yuki, plays through various worlds inside of this virtual reality world. His avatar name Kirito comes from a combination of parts taken from his actual name.
Now, Kirito being the protagonist, is the most popular character from the series. Here are some of the facts about Kazuto Kirigiya that you need to know about!
1. Kazuto Made His Own Computer
Kazuto is very passionate when it comes to the subject of computers and gaming. He even built his own computer from scratch. He is so invested in this subject that he built the computer while he was just in middle school. This proves just how smart he is and how motivated he is about the things he actually cares about. Although it is unknown whether Kirito still uses that same computer to play Sword Art Online, it does seem unlikely. Kirito made the computer while he was in middle school, but the year Sword Art Online takes place is 2022. So it is highly unlikely that he is still using the same computer.
Young Kirito
2. He Always Keeps His Level A Secret
When you are playing any game, it doesn’t matter which one, it is better to never reveal your hand to others. Kazuto understands this very well. That is why throughout his life in the Sword Art Online game, he always makes sure to keep his level a secret. Kazuto, with his avatar name, Kirito, joined the Moonlit Black Cats. All the other guild members had a lower level than him, whereas he had the highest level. But he still kept it a secret. However, Kirito also believes that his secrecy was the reason why the guild members lost their lives.
Kazuto keeps his levels a secret
3. Kazuto Is Actually An Orphan
Kazuto Kirigiya lost both of his parents while he was very young. When Kazuto was just one year old, both of his parents died in an accident. It is still not known whether they died of vehicular or a natural accident. Due to this, he was adopted by his aunt and uncle, who also happen to be Suguha’s parents. So even though, Kazuto and Suguha are actually cousins, they are officially brother and sister under the official registry.
Kazuto is actually an orphan
4. His Relationship With Asuna
One of the most wholesome things about the Sword Art Online anime is the relationship between Kirito and Asuna. Asuna Yuuki is the female protagonist of the series. The two began their friendship when they met each other in the Labyrinth on the 1st Floor and later on formed a party for the boss battle. They became friends first and went on to date as lovers in the game. Kirito and Asuna even spent time together in Asuna’s house inside of the game world. Basically, they had a flirty phase. They went on to get married inside of the online world in Sword Art Online.
Kirito and Asuna
5. Kazuto Loves Asuna’s Cooking
Kazuto’s love for Asuna’s cooking started while he was stuck in the Sword Art Online game world. Normal food just did not do it for him at that time. The reason for that is all the food in the game world was bland. Kirito, later on, finds a way to make it taste better, and that is by applying a substance that looks like honey. After Asuna becomes friends with him and then further into lovers, she cooks food for Kirito almost every day. Her food became Kirito’s favorite food in the two years they were staying inside that game. And it stayed his favorite even after the two lovebirds returned to the real world.
Kirito loves Asuna’s cooking
6. Kazuto’s Love For Calculating Random Things
One of the quirky parts about Kazuto Kirigiya’s personality in the series is his love for calculating random things out of the blue. This extra information about Kirito came out at the beginning of Sword Art Online II to add some spice to his character. However, it is a feature that is in line with his previous endeavors in the series. Since he loves working with computers so much, it only makes sense he also enjoys calculating random numbers sometimes. For example, Kirito will calculate how many bites of food he eats before his stomach is actually full or how far the Earth is from the Sun.
Kirito likes calculating things
7. He Has An Average IQ
Now, this is another random fact about our hero. Kirito actually has an average IQ. In a poll in Japan for a popularity contest run by Dengeki Bunko, Renki Kawahara said that Kirito actually scored an average IQ on a test he took in middle school. However, that in no way implies he is stupid. Before Kazuto entered Sword Art Online as Kirito, he attended school just like everyone else. And this IQ score does no disservice to his role as the main character in the franchise. In fact, the opposite is true. A hero that is too perfect would be quite boring as the carrier of this series.
Kirito has an average IQ
8. Kazuto Rides A Motorcycle
Kazuto Kirigiya may seem a bit generic as an Isekai protagonist, but there are still some surprising facts about him that many fans may not know about. Kazuto loves to ride motorcycles. Fans of the series first get to see Kazuto ride a motorcycle in the second half of Sword Art Online during the Fairy Dance arc when he goes to visit Asuna in the hospital. The model of his bike is Yamaha DT125R 2015.
Kirito with his motorcycle
9. Kazuto Is A Dual Sword-Wielder And More!
Kazuto Kirigiya is one of the only characters throughout the series who has the capability of wielding two swords at the same time. He is proficient in controlling two swords at once, which is a very difficult thing to do. A dual-wielder has to control both of his hands perfectly and sync for the attacks to land perfectly. He has to be ambidextrous while wielding his swords. Since he is so adept at controlling two swords at the same that makes him the best dual-wielder in Sword Art Online. Kirito could master this skill as he has really fast reactions and reflexes.
Kirito with Dual Blades
Not only this, Kirito actually wanted to wield three swords at the same time. However, he still has not managed to master this ability as of yet.
10. Kirito Always Saves His Data
Kazuto Kirigiya is one of the very few beta players of the Sword Art Online game. He had always saved the data of the previous games he played. This strategy of his has time and again saved his ass throughout the gameplay. Not only did this tactic help him win in numerous battles, Kirito almost always had the upper hand because of this. And that is what makes him such an interesting protagonist.
Kazuto protects his Data
If you haven’t yet watched or read anything from the Sword Art Online franchise, then definitely check it out. The game is set in the year 2022, which makes this year the perfect time to start watching this anime. The anime series is available for streaming on Crunchyroll or Netflix . Watch the movie on Hulu.
