Fighting Spirit (2000–2014)

Fighting Spirit rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

TMDb8.647/10· 1K votes

About Fighting Spirit

Makunouchi Ippo is an ordinary high school student in Japan. Since he spends most of his time away from school helping his mother run the family business, he doesn't get to enjoy his younger years like most teenagers. Always a target for bullying at school (the family fishing business grants him a distinct odor), Ippo's life is one of hardship. One of these after-school bullying sessions turns Ippo's life around for the better, as he is saved by a boxer named Takamura. He decides to follow in Takamura's footsteps and train to become a boxer, giving his life direction and purpose. Ippo's path to perfecting his pugilistic prowess is just beginning...

Cast of Fighting Spirit

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  Kohei Kiyasu

  as Ippo Makunouchi (voice)

• 

  Rikiya Koyama

  as Mamoru Takamura (voice)

• 

  Wataru Takagi

  as Masaru Aoki (voice)

• 

  Keiji Fujiwara

  as Tatsuya Kimura (voice)

• 

  Jurota Kosugi

  as Ralph Anderson (voice)

• 

  Hidenobu Kiuchi

  as David Eagle (voice)

• 

  Hisao Egawa

  as Iwao Shimabukuro (voice)

• 

  Shin-ichiro Miki

  as Ryuhei Sawamura (voice)

Our take on Fighting Spirit

Also known as Hajime no Ippo, this boxing anime follows bullied, gentle Ippo as he discovers the ring and trains relentlessly to find his own strength. Funny, technical and genuinely thrilling about discipline and self-respect, it's a high point of sports anime. If its underdog grit and fight-night tension hooked you, seek out sports anime and boxing dramas about heart, training and the long road to belief in yourself.