Hajime no Ippo/Characters

This is a list of the characters featured in Hajime no Ippo. Very incomplete, so please help?

Ippo Makunouchi
A shy, humble boy, Ippo lost his father Kazuo at a very young age and now spends his free time helping his mother run their fishing boat business. His introverted nature naturally attracts bullies who like to beat him up.

During one of those beating-up sessions, he is saved by Mamoru Takamura, who takes him to the Kamogawa boxing gym where he also discovers his powerful punch. Turns out working your life long lifting extremely heavy stuff builds a muscle or two. Ippo joins the Kamogawa gym and begins his boxing career to find out the meaning of strength.

Ippo is truly an unwritten paper of a student, closely following what he is taught to the best of his ability. He is famous for his ridiculously powerful punching power and endurance, often giving him spectacular comeback K.O.s. His defense isn't bad either, as he uses the peek-a-boo style of Mike Tyson. Despite his shy behaviour outside the ring, he shows remarkable courage and determination inside it. He is the current Japanese featherweight champion. -
 * All of the Other Reindeer (was bullied at school because of his sort-of part time work as a fisherman)
 * Berserk Button: Do not insult his Fire-Forged Friends. Never ever!
 * Bi the Way (speculated to be this by some fans, due to his attitude towards Kumi and Miyata)
 * Butt Monkey
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
 * The Determinator
 * Disappeared Dad (his father Kazuo died when he was a child, and we don't know about his relatives aside of his mother Hiroko)
 * The Dutiful Son
 * Extreme Doormat (At first)
 * Gag Penis (he is very well endowed)
 * Heroes Love Dogs (Wanpo)
 * Hey, It's That Voice! (the other role by Kouhei Kiyasu, aside of Kaoru Kaidoh. In the Latin-American dub he sounds like an Older and Wiser Ash Ketchum, and MUCH lulz have been had at expense of this)
 * Ho Yay (with Miyata and maybe Volg. Lampshaded by Kimura and Aoki, who say "Ippo is gay for Miyata!")
 * Humble Hero
 * I Just Want to Be Badass
 * Invincible Hero (He wins almost all of his fights. An always by KO. Somewhat justified as he literally can't win in any other way, due to his boxing style)
 * Magnetic Hero (Earns the respect of many boxers he met)
 * Mighty Glacier -> Lightning Bruiser (At the beginning, he only has his strength and endurance. He later gains incredible dashing speed, weaving ability(is able to dodge completely Shigeta's rapid fire "Shotgun" punch and Mashiba's flicker) and the Spam Attack Dempsey Roll. His nickname God of Wind derives from his ability to deal very powerful blows quite rapidly)
 * Shrinking Violet
 * Steve Staley
 * Red Baron (God of Wind)
 * Took a Level In Badass
 * Twice Shy (with Kumi)
 * When All You Have Is a Hammer (his Dempsey Roll)

Mamoru Takamura
Big, loud-mouthed, perverted and mean, Takamura is a jerk. He is also undefeated two-time world champion and the idol of everyone at the Kamogawa gym. Because despite his bullying behaviour, he is something of a big brother to the other boxers: he is the one that got all of them into boxing and occasionally uses his vast knowledge to give them advice. Due to his status as the golden champion, he's also their idol. As much as he looks like someone with a giant ego and nothing to back it up, Takamura is something of a Guile Hero, rarely being defeated in anything even unrelated to boxing. He used to be a delinquent feared by everyone on the streets, until coach Kamogawa discovered him and got him into boxing, for which Takamura is very thankful. And despite his normally dirty behaviour, he is honest and serious about boxing. Despite being a natural genius, he is also a hard worker.

We first meet Takamura as he saves Ippo from bullies and takes him to the boxing gym. He has a troubled (due to his jerkass personality) but nontheless close relationship to coach Kamogawa. Kamogawa notes that he loves to see Takamura fight in the ring. Takamura is actually the disinherited middle son of the Takamura Development company. He was kicked out after starting a huge fight during one of his older brother Suguru's rugby matches. Despite that, his sister and little brother still support him.

Takamura gains his first title in an epic fight against Bryan Hawk, WBC Junior Middleweight Champion. He later climbs up a weight class and fights against David Eagle for the next title. Another one of his most notable feats is beating a bear in a fight. The story even made it into the local news, which resulted in the temporary nickname Bearslayer. It also gave him three huge scars on his chest, but those only make him look even manlier.

Word of God has it that he's the best boxer in the series. He's described in-story as the ideal boxer, combining athleticism and skill as well as intelligence and instincts. His strength and stamina are almost superhuman and his instincts border on the supernatural. Upon their first meeting, Kamogawa described him as a "diamond that didn't need to be polished", easily able to take the Japanese title at that point already. Kamogawa also believes that Takamura has completely surpassed his teachings and thus often lets him fight however he wants in the ring. He's only had real trouble in two fights so far (his two matches for the world title) and often knocks out his opponent in the first round in showy fashion. Due to his boxing insight, he often serves as the Mr. Exposition during matches of other people.

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 * Animal Motifs: Multiple, actually. The hawk, the bear and the rhinoceros beetle. Every fighter he has fought since winning the WBC Jr. Middleweight Championship has been named after an animal (Rickey Mouse, David "Golden" Eagle, Ronald Duck)
 * Badass (and HOW)
 * Badass Boast: Pulls one on Hawk, although he only thinks it.
 * Beat Them At Their Own Game: It's Takamura going berserk that ultimately and finally turns the tides against the unorthodox Hawk at the darkest moment of the fight. Against the by-the-books Eagle, it's remembering his boxing training with Kamogawa to guide his hands when he couldn't see any more.
 * Big Brother Mentor (in an, uhm, special way)
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer (Absolutely Badass as a boxer. Almost absolutely Jerkass when not at work or at training.)
 * Casanova Wannabe
 * Cherry Tapping (Beating an opponent with just his left)
 * Combat Commentator
 * The Determinator
 * Deuteragonist
 * Everything Is Worse With Bears
 * Fallen Prince
 * Finishing Move: Averted. Takamura does not have a Sunday Punch.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars (His are good. Badass.)
 * Guile Hero (a master of the Indy Ploy when in the ring)
 * Jerkass (oh, boooooy)
 * Has a few rare moments where a Hidden Heart of Gold shows through however. Like in the times he gives useful advice to Ippo during training.)
 * Lightning Bruiser
 * Magnificent Bastard
 * Meaningful Name: Taka means hawk. Thus, his nickname in the ring is The Japanese Hawk.
 * Mr. Exposition: Usually serves as this during the matches of other people
 * Rated "M" for Manly
 * Red Baron (Japanese Hawk, Bear Slayer)
 * Remember When You Blew Up a Sun? ("I've won against a bear! I'll tear you to to shreds!")
 * Rikiya Koyama
 * Scars Are Forever (Three scars on his chest from a fight with a bear)
 * Sempai-Kohai
 * Showy Invincible Hero
 * Sir Swearsalot
 * Smug Super
 * Tall, Dark and Snarky
 * Ted Baxter (In everything BUT Boxing)
 * Testosterone Poisoning
 * Training From Hell (he subjects others and himself to this. In his case, he has to forcibly keep himself five classes underweight for a title match since there's a general lack of credibility in the Pacific Heavyweight scene.
 * Traumatic Haircut: Minor but still significant, he loses his trademark hairstyle after a severe beating by Hawk. Inversion occurs as every fan will tell you he looks downright beautiful that way.
 * Trickster Archetype
 * The Unfavourite (He was disinherited for crying out loud!)
 * Unstoppable Rage (Against Hawk. Big fucking time.)
 * Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist
 * Volleying Insults (with Date.)
 * What the Hell, Hero? (Deals these to Ippo twice: once when he thinks he's not serious enough as a boxer, later .)
 * OTOH, his Jerkass behavior is often brought up by many others, and Team Dad Kamogawa beats him up with his cane when he goes too far.
 * Wrestler in All of Us

Masaru Aoki


Ippo's senpai and Kimura's best friend. Aoki provides much of the gym's comic relief and exercises one of the world's most unusual fighting styles. A few of his signature techniques include the fan-favorite Frog Punch, double punch, an untorqued (ineffective) corkscrew punch, and the utterly ridiculous Lookaway (which has also been adopted by Takamura). In the past, he and Kimura were the toughest high-school thugs around, but now Aoki's real job is at a ramen restaurant. Due to the numerous times being dumped by the pretty girls in high school, he's developed a taste for women with unattractive faces. He has fought for the Japanese lightweight championship, losing in a draw, and shares an apartment with his girlfriend, Tomiko, a friend of Kumi Mashiba whose nice personality and good body more than compensate for her less-than-stellar face. Aoki seems to be based on either former world champion Jorge Páez, or hardcore fight fan hero Emanuel Augustus for their offbeat fighting styles and records. His current record stands at 20 Matches 11-6-4 (W-L-D), with 6 KOs, and the best rank he reached is 1st in Lightweight. His signature "Look Away" technique is based on a skill former World Middleweight Champion Jake LaMotta had used in his career and his signature move the "Frog Punch" is based on real-life former world champion Koichi Wajima whose signature move was called the "Frog Jump".

Aoki is ranked 7th in JBC Lightweight rankings.

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 * Animal Motifs (the frog)
 * The Ace: subverted with Boxing, but played straight with everything else. Aoki is good at baseball(People from his high school team say that if he and Kimura kept playing, they would have went to Koshien), bowling, and his ramen shop is extremely successful.
 * The Chew Toy (even more unlucky than Ippo, and that's something)
 * Delinquents (he and Kimura, in their Backstory)
 * Ensemble Darkhorse (Big time, he continually ranks extremely high on polls)
 * Team Chef (justified, he has a part-time work in a ramen restaurant)
 * Chef of Iron (well, he can kick ass, so..)
 * Those Two Guys (with Kimura)
 * Portmanteau Couple Name(Aokimura)
 * Ugly Guy, Hot Wife (Played it straight in his backstory, then subverted it when he became the only Kamogawa boxer with a girlfriend - and Tomiko is a Genki Girl as well as a a borderline female Gonk)
 * Wataru Takagi

Tatsuya Kimura


Ippo's senpai and Aoki's best friend. He is the smooth, collected type and a romantic at heart, but trains as hard as anyone. His style incorporates a fast left and faster footwork and is considered by Miyata to have "no weaknesses" yet, it also doesn't have strengths either which creates Kimura's weakness. In the OVA, which was dedicated to Kimura, he is in training for his bid for the Japanese junior lightweight championship against Ryo Mashiba, he developed a devastating vertical combination known as the Dragon Fish Blow, which Kimura learned while watching his pet fish jump up and eat his meal in front of him. Another interesting fact is that, out of all the opponents that had fought Ryo Mashiba, Kimura is the only one Ryo had feared during a match. In the past, he and Aoki were the toughest high-school thugs around, but now Tatsuya's real job is at his family's flower shop. His current record stands at 24 Matches 17-5-3 (W-L-D), with 8 KOs, and the best rank he reach is 3rd in Jr. Lightweight. However, this rank was enough for him to get a title match, because the 1st & 2nd resigned from fear of Mashiba.

Kimura is ranked 7th in the JBC Jr. Lightweight rankings. After losing to Ryo Mashiba, he announced his retirement from boxing. Shortly after, unable to stay away from boxing, he returned saying he'd spell his name in katakana (タツヤ, Tatsuya) instead of kanji (達也,, Tatsuya). Kimura's character seems to be at least partially based on former world champion "Fearless" Freddie Pendleton, who had been a journeyman fighter his entire career, yet was still able to fight on even terms with some of the best in the world with his high level of skill. -
 * Big Brother Mentor (has his moments, being more down to Earth than Aoki and Takamura)
 * Delinquents (he and Aoki, in their Backstory)
 * Keiji Fujiwara
 * Only Sane Man (sometimes)
 * Those Two Guys (With Aoki)
 * Portmanteau Couple Name(Aokimura)

Genji Kamogawa


Head coach and founder of the Kamogawa gym. He fought as a prizefighter in Japan shortly after the end of the Second World War. Along with his friends, Ginpachi Nekota and Dankichi Hama, Kamogawa developed a style of fighting that both presumably became the forerunner of boxing in Japan and emphasized scientific theory in its techniques. In his prime, Kamogawa's talents included the fearsome, yet self-destructive, Tekken (Iron Fist) blow which is a left hook body blow enough to knock someone down and an unyielding spirit which has been passed onto his students. As a coach, Kamogawa's wealth of knowledge and experience has been tapped into on multiple occasions during training as well as in matches. He may seem to be a bit gruff towards his boxers, but maintains very strong relationships based on trust and spirit; i.e., he rescued Takamura from his life as a thug by introducing him to boxing. Although he rarely admits it aloud, he is extremely proud of his two best reliable straight-forward boxers, Takamura and Ippo.

During Ippo's comeback fight, Coach Kamogoawa was hospitalized due to over fatigue. Therefore not being able to teach Ippo a technique that would utilize both attacking and defending simultaneously. He was shocked during Ippo's match with Ponchai when, during the timeout after the first round, Ippo declares a Knock Out within the Second Round. Coach Kamogawa's pride was lifted up, however, when Ippo did the Dempsey Roll for the first time, not even knowing what it was called.

Ippo's matches with Volg and Sanada proved how tight the bond between the Coach and his athlete is. During Ippo's fight with Volg, Ippo made a remark to Kamogawa: "Amazing". Kamogawa thought that Ippo was referring to Volg's Power. Ippo stated "I followed everything you taught me during training and it's working.". During the end of the fight with Sanada, Ippo was sitting on the neutral corner due to the damage he sustained from the fight. Kamogawa reached out a hand to Ippo to let him up and Ippo stared in amazement at his Coach's hand, referring to it as "The hand that pushed me to exceed my limit". -
 * A Father to His Men
 * Badass Grandpa (Much physically and mentally stronger than you'd think)
 * The Determinator: In his past. Big time. And he's still very strongwilled.
 * Grumpy Old Man
 * I Was Quite a Looker: The flashbacks reveal that he was very Tall, Dark and Handsome
 * Kenji Utsumi
 * Parental Substitute (to Takamura, after he's disinherited by his rich family. Also towards Ippo, who grew up without his dad)
 * Stern Teacher
 * Team Dad (oh so much)
 * Team Dad (oh so much)

Haruhiko Yagi


Manager and Assistant Trainer of Kamogawa Boxing Gym, he also acts as a cutman during matches. Called "Yagi-chan" by his pupils, he is the one responsible for the gym's finances, equipment maintenance, promoting matches and acquiring and selling tickets. He knows a great deal about boxing himself, having been a boxer at Kamogawa Gym once. -
 * Informed Ability - he is a good fisherman.
 * Mr. Exposition
 * Team Mom

Manabu Itagaki


The most recent addition to the roster, the charming Manabu has a prodigy's talent and was the captain of his high school's boxing team. Cheerful and a lover of bad puns (as are the rest of his family), Manabu is a fierce outboxer with extremely high speed and reflexes and whose fighting style is uncanny in its resemblance to Miyata's. His most powerful technique is a furious hail of mid-power blows known as the Hedgehog or Porcupine, which was employed in an East Japan Rookie Kings showdown with his longtime nemesis, Kyosuke Imai. Outside of boxing, Manabu is employed as an assistant at the Makounouchi family's fishing business. He has a big crush on Kumi but prefers to keep his feelings for himself because of his respect for his Idol Ippo. Itagaki's character is based on retired world champion Oscar de La Hoya for his prodigy-like natural ability and good looks, whom Itagaki has admitted to idolizing in the manga. His current record as the Rookie King of his class stands at 11 Matches 11-1 (W-L-D), with 9 KOs.

Itagaki is currently listed as 6th in JBC Featherweight rankings, also Itagaki is one of the speed square which consists of 3rd Saeki, 5th Karasawa, 7th Fukui.

Recently, It's been shown that Itagaki has become quite smitten for Kumi, but realizes feeling is not mutual. -
 * Confusion Fu: How he starts taking the advantage in his match with Saeki.
 * Daisuke Namikawa
 * Fragile Speedster
 * Mega Manning: He has recently began copying techniques from Miyata (Jolt Counter) and Woli(grabbing the rope while jumping around the ring)
 * Naive Newcomer
 * Pungeon Master: Apparently In the Blood,  is like this.
 * The Scrappy
 * Skilled but Naive

Ichirou Miyata
Miyata is a very skilled outboxer specializing in counters. As a rookie, he was recognized as a genius, although his great abilities stem more from hard work than one might initially believe. He's a very cool-headed and intelligent person. Despite his somewhat cold demeanor, he has a great fighting spirit and is nicer than one might think at first.

He's Ippo's main rival but also idol, as the two constantly try to top each other and grow as boxer with the other one as their goal. He's the current reigning OPBF Featherweight Champion, which he won from Arnie Gregory. Miyata has a deep relationship with his father and trainer, who was the reason Miyata got into boxing in the first place, to prove that his fathers way of boxing isn't wrong. This is why he got into boxing much earlier than any of the other boxers, long before he could even become pro boxer.

Miyata is a Fragile Speedster and very skilled counter-puncher. He loves high-risk, high-reward counters. He has very low punching power and a "glass jaw", which are significant weaknesses. He attempts to overcome these with technique and speed. He has a remarkably great fighting spirit, probably on par with Ippo's. Somewhat surprisingly, Word of God says he's the third best pound-for-pound boxer in the series.

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 * The Ace (to a slight degree)
 * Achilles Heel (his lack of physical strength and his "glass jaw" )
 * Bishonen (and how)
 * Chick Magnet
 * The Determinator (Yeah, really. In fact, the "green eyes of determination" that are sometimes seen first appeared in him.)
 * Fragile Speedster -> Glass Cannon (He later gains excellent counters that make his attack power much more fearsome on top of his speed, but he remains fragile, due to his weight control. To quote Kamogawa, "A blade with an incredible cutting edge is easily broken.")
 * Generation Xerox
 * Ho Yay (with Ippo. Lampshaded more than once)
 * It's Personal (towards Randy Boy Jr.)
 * Like Father, Like Son
 * Missing Mom (his parents are divorced)
 * Nerves of Steel
 * Tomokazu Seki
 * Red Baron (God of Lightning)
 * The Scrappy (his long and persona fight with Randy Boy had people screaming that he was a Spotlight-Stealing Squad)
 * Weak but Skilled (His physical strength and durability are pathetic. He makes up for it by being one of the most skilled boxers in the story, with excellent counters that compensate for his lack of strength)
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy (he took up boxing to fulfill his father's shattered dreams. In a subversion, his dad and coach isn't a stage father and they get along quite well)

Takeshi Sendo
Nicknamed the Naniwa Tiger in his hometown where he is quite a popular figure, Takeshi Sendo is a brash and hotblooded boxer. He has an elaborate backstory, so much that he had is own gaiden chapter focusing on his past. His mother died few after he was born, his dad was a firefighter who died while rescuing a boy during a blaze when Sendo was very little. Sendo continued to follow his father's advice by trying to help others. One day he and his friends got beaten up by bullies. Frustrated of being unable to protect them, he swore to do it by any means - and the next day, he grabbed his baseball bat and ambushed said bullies, beating them up as punishment. By high-school Sendo had become very extreme with his protection - he was leader of a gang of delinquents and quite possibly the most feared street fighter in Osaka. Despite that, he never attacked people but rather defended the weak. His absolute refusal to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear on such injustice got him into trouble quite often.

Because he's such an excellent fighter, he got rather bored since nobody could satisfy his hunger for an equal. That is when Yanaoka met him and introduced him to boxing, after resisting one of Sendo's attacks. Easily becoming East Japan Rookie King, he saw Ippo Makunouchi which made him very excited, to say the least.

Sendo has an extremely aggressive boxing style, barely ever using a proper defense and preferring to take hits if he can dish out something in return. His punching power is spectacular and on par with Ippo's. He also has excellent natural fighting insincts but lacks a bit in technique.

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 * Animal Motifs (The tiger)
 * Badass (So damn much)
 * The Berserker
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Blood Knight (Hilariously, he tries to explain to Ippo that he's this trope without sounding like a dumb brute)
 * Bully Hunter (Ever since he was a kid. So much that he became a Delinquent... to protect people from other gangsters)
 * Delinquent (For righteous reasons.)
 * The Determinator (Quite possibly the greatest one in the series. He took the Dempsey Roll twice in a match and got back to his feet both times.)
 * Determined Defeatist (At the end of his second match against Ippo, absolutely refuses to fall to the ground or go unconcious, despite knowing full well that he's lost and can't continue.)
 * Gag Penis (hilariously used in his introduction)
 * Graceful Loser
 * Hot-Blooded
 * The Idiot From Osaka
 * Intergenerational Friendship: He is usually seen with his Tag Along Kids.
 * Kindhearted Cat Lover
 * Large Ham
 * Lightning Bruiser
 * Mighty Glacier: Formerly.
 * Masaya Onosaka
 * Odd Friendship (With Sawamura, of all people, stemming from their first meeting as delinquents where they fought to a stalemate.)
 * Parental Abandonment
 * Raised By His Grandmother
 * Rated "M" for Manly
 * Red Baron (Naniwa Tiger, Rocky of Naniwa)
 * Ryu and Ken
 * Testosterone Poisoning
 * Unskilled but Strong (Relies on natural strength and his fighting instincts, but lacks technical skill)
 * Unstoppable Rage (Seriously. You do not want to make Sendo angry in the ring. Shigeta and Ippo can assure you.)
 * We Help the Helpless (His motivation for becoming a delinquent)

Eiji Date
A retired Featherweight boxer and now trainer, Date was the two time Japanese Featherweight Champion and even fought on the world stage. He has been the only fighter to defeat Ippo. He lost to Ricardo Martinez twice, once in the past and the second time in an epic fight that showed his great determination.

He's a smart, technically skilled boxer with great experience. Despite the contrast to that, his boxing style is very aggressive. He is good friends with Takamura. After his second loss against Martinez, he passes on the baton to Ippo.

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 * The Ace
 * Achey Scars (the one on his nose bridge )
 * Badass Beard
 * Defeating the Undefeatable: This guy handed Ippo his first and only loss. Subverted
 * He's Back and My Greatest Second Chance (pretty much his leitmotiv)
 * Hot Dad (more rugged than the standard, but still quite good looking)
 * Iron Woobie
 * Parental Marriage Veto (his wife Aiko was The Ojou and the eldest daughter, so her family was quite worried since they weren't sure if he could provide for her. .)
 * Perma Stubble
 * Retired Badass
 * Tony Oliver
 * Worthy Opponent:
 * Younger Than They Look (is only 29 years old. Takamura, Jerkass as he is, calls him old man)

Ryou Mashiba
In front of the grave of his parents, then-highschool student Ryo Mashiba made two promises. First, he wouldn't rely on or believe in anyone else. Second, that he'd protect his little sister Kumi at all costs. Due to his tough life, Mashiba is unsociable and cynical, rarely seems to care about anyone other than his sister and has no concern for his opponents.

A highly intimidating character, Mashiba is former Japanese Junior Lightweight champion and current OPBF Lightweight champion. He's a vicious outboxer who's most notable for his use of the Flicker Jab. He has exceptional reach and is quite skilled, and not to mention he will do anything it takes to win, even cheating if necessary. -
 * Berserk Button:
 * Big Brother Instinct (Follows his sister and Ippo's dates, much to Ippo's horror and general hilarity)
 * Big Ol' Unibrow
 * Blood Knight
 * Cry for The Devil (Has one of the saddest backstories)
 * Combat Pragmatist: Him  was genuinely accidental, but it didn't stop him from using it to his advantage. He's Genre Savvy enough to believe that, even if he explained the circumstances, no one would believe it anyway.
 * Determinator (In his fight against Ippo, )
 * Heel Face Revolving Door
 * Heroic Sociopath
 * Knight Templar Big Brother (You hurt Kumi, you go to HELL)
 * Masaki Terasoma
 * Red Baron (Grim Reaper)
 * Sibling Yin-Yang
 * Red Baron (Grim Reaper)
 * Sibling Yin-Yang

Ryuuhei Sawamura
A dark, remorseless boxer from Nagoya. Albeit quiet and cold, he is extremely violent and cruel when he fights, going as far as blatantly cheating even when he's at the advantage. He is a lonely individual and his only friends are his old teacher and Takeshi Sendo, though he treats neither with any respect or kindness. Despite his outwardly cold and stoic personality, he can lapse into fits of madness when he's at his worst. One of the most notable traits of his is that he doesn't box for success, but rather to torture and destroy his opponent. He will often prolong matches to continue beating his opponent instead of simply ending it. He experiences defeat at the hand of a very angry Ippo for his bad attitude towards boxing. Despite the hopes of his old teacher, his personality doesn't get better, though he does learn the value of hard work and develops an actual will for success. He later fights Mashiba for the Japanese Junior Lightweight title. Despite being brutally knocked out of the ring by Mashiba, he wins the title as Mashiba is disqualified. Due to the damage he suffered from the fight, he has a traffic accident, which forces him to retire from boxing. After that, his sociopathic tendencies seem to have calmed down, even showing a sense of sarcastic humour. Sawamura has a great eye for boxing, possibly equal to that of Takamura.

He has quite possibly the darkest past of all characters in the story. He stabbed his abusive father as a kid and his mother abandoned him when she first noticed his sociopathic tendencies. He was alone for pretty much his entire life, which is the reason why he shut himself off from other human contact to such a degree. This is made worse by the fact that he was extremely hated in his town and was constantly attacked by others. He already met Sendo in the past. Both renowed street fighters that never lost, Sendo fought him until Sawamuras old teacher intervened. The teacher later begs Sendo to become Sawamuras friend, as it is the loneliness that makes him so bad. Because of this, Sendo and Sawamura share a somewhat odd 'friendship'.

As bad as his personality is, he is an absolute genius as a boxer. His natural instincts are great and he's a gifted counter puncher. In fact, his sense for counters is mentioned to be even higher than that of Miyata. His athletic abilities are fairly average, but his high skill, analytical ability and talent more than makes up for it. It's easily possible that he could have won against Ippo, had he been serious about defeating him. -
 * Abusive Parents
 * Ambition Is Evil: Not in the traditional sense; he gains ambition while he's still evil.
 * Awesomeness By Analysis
 * Ax Crazy: Not on the level of Bryan Hawk, but still.
 * Blood Knight
 * Blood Lust
 * Combat Pragmatist
 * Combat Sadomasochist: He seriously only fights to torture others, not to win.
 * Dark and Troubled Past
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Delinquents
 * Driven to Villainy
 * Evil Tastes Good
 * Freudian Excuse
 * Friendless Background
 * From Nobody to Nightmare
 * Jerkass Woobie: Kawabe-sensei certainly sees him as this.
 * Loners Are Freaks
 * Morality Pet: Kawabe-sensei tries to be this, but more often than not, it doesn't work.
 * Mr. Exposition: During Miyata's match with RBJ.
 * Odd Friendship: With Sendo.
 * Parental Abandonment (His mother abandoned him after becoming terrified by him)
 * Real Men Eat Meat (Oh boy does he love meat.)
 * Red Baron (Owari Dragon)
 * Self-Made Orphan (Stabbed his stepfather.)
 * Red Baron (Owari Dragon)
 * Self-Made Orphan (Stabbed his stepfather.)

Dr. Kazuki Sanada

 * Chick Magnet
 * Hospital Hottie
 * Genius Bruiser (An excellent doctor and a fearsome fighter)
 * Graceful Loser
 * Worthy Opponent
 * Koichi Yamadera

Naomichi Yamada
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 * Butt Monkey
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
 * Daisuke Sakaguchi
 * Disappeared Dad (we only see his mom, but no word on his father)
 * Fragile Flower
 * Gonk
 * Tony Oliver
 * Vomit Discretion Shot (He throws up so often that he's nicknamed "Geromichi", which comes from the Japanese word for puking)
 * Tony Oliver
 * Vomit Discretion Shot (He throws up so often that he's nicknamed "Geromichi", which comes from the Japanese word for puking)
 * Vomit Discretion Shot (He throws up so often that he's nicknamed "Geromichi", which comes from the Japanese word for puking)
 * Vomit Discretion Shot (He throws up so often that he's nicknamed "Geromichi", which comes from the Japanese word for puking)

Kenta Kobashi

 * Alliterative Name
 * Genre Savvy
 * Heroic Self-Deprecation
 * Taiki Matsuno
 * Weak but Skilled

Ryuichi Hayami

 * Bishonen
 * Chick Magnet (AND HOW)
 * Kouji Tsujitani
 * Idol Singer
 * The White Prince

Takuma Saeki

 * Bunny Ears Lawyer
 * Better to lose than to in-fight (decides he'd rather take the chance of losing by fighting at middle range than resort to the in-fighting tactics his coach recommends for surviving the round. Even Itagaki is surprised.)
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * The Determinator (forces himself to see through Itagaki's feint through sheer force of will rather than turn to in-fighting. Also pushes himself off the mat after his first down in their fight despite his legs being all but dead.
 * Fun Personified
 * Kiyoyuki Yanada (Playing Against Type)
 * Lightning Bruiser (maybe one of the best examples in this manga. Even Date has problems with his speed)
 * Slipknot Ponytail (Keeps his long hair tied up when he fights, it goes loose )

Kyousuke Imai
The longtime rival of Itagaki Manabu, Imai was the one boxer who managed to thwart Itagaki in his high-school days. They fought a total of three times in the amateur ring; each time Imai was victorious. His build, KO pattern, and even hairstyle are remarkably similar to those of Itagaki's senpai, Makunouchi Ippo. Imai is ordinarily cool and composed, bearing a poker face even in the heat of battle. Eventually, Itagaki defeats Imai in a heated battle. It seems the only people who can rouse him out of this perpetual calm are Ippo, Itagaki, and Itagaki's sister Nanako -- with whom Imai is very much smitten.


 * The Comically Serious
 * Love Makes You Crazy: Has a huge crush on Manabu's sister Nanako.
 * The Rival: To Itagaki
 * The Stoic

Keigo Okita

 * Hiroaki Hirata
 * The Stoic
 * Not So Stoic
 * Generation Xerox: Copies his boxing technique from Date

Yusuke Oda

 * Bishonen /
 * Brilliant but Lazy (said to have been this at the beginning)
 * Last Second Chance (he fights Ippo to not lose the support of his gym and the love of his girlfriend Reiko, who is the daughter of the owner )
 * Nobutoshi Canna
 * Last Second Chance (he fights Ippo to not lose the support of his gym and the love of his girlfriend Reiko, who is the daughter of the owner )
 * Nobutoshi Canna

Kojima Hisato
The opponent for Ippo's eight domestic championship title defense. Dropped two weight classes for the chance to challenge Ippo, and has a tremendous deal of confidence in the power of his punches. Is constantly trying to anger Ippo, first by calling every opponent he's fought before trash, and then by telling him his coach is a hack. Also claims to know an, as of yet undisclosed, "weakness" in Ippo's boxing, that he claims makes it impossible for him to lose their match.


 * Ascended Fanboy : Quite possibly the biggest fan of Makunochi Ippo in the manga's universe (also, probably the ONLY fan of Aoki in the manga universe. XD) Doesn't stop him from being a complete dick to him for mysterious reasons.
 * Body Horror : His skin and bones look during the weigh-in before the fight can be considered this. Only Takamura has ever looked worse after a struggle of weight management.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars : Has a pair of scars running between the knuckles of his right hand. According to Ippo, they don't look like boxing wounds.
 * Jerkass Facade : Shown to be a lighthearted guy who deeply cares about his kouhai, loves his wife and unborn child, and respects Makunochi Ippo from the bottom of his heart. Every time he crosses paths with Ippo, though, all he ever says are cutting and condescending things.
 * Tempting Fate : you may have your reasons... but are you SURE you know what you're getting into by pushing all the berserk buttons of the hardest punching featherweight in all of Asia?
 * Worthy Opponent : What he says when they're together aside, he considers Ippo to be this: expecting their bout to be the hardest fought he's ever had... the kind of fight he'll "have battle scars when he walks away from." Of course, he still plans on winning.
 * Worthy Opponent : What he says when they're together aside, he considers Ippo to be this: expecting their bout to be the hardest fought he's ever had... the kind of fight he'll "have battle scars when he walks away from." Of course, he still plans on winning.

Jason Ozma
One of Ippo's first opponents, he is an american soldier stationed in the Okinawa base. He looks huge and scary, but is a great guy at heart.


 * Face of a Thug
 * Gentle Giant
 * Nice Guy
 * Scary Black Man (Subverted: he looks like one, but is an absolute sweetheart)

Alexander Volg Zangief
Volg is a Russian boxer and was Amateur World Champion, born and raised by a single mother near to Leningrad/St. Petersburg. Subverting pretty much every common cliche associated with Russians, Volg is an extremely kind-hearted and soft-spoken person who initially got into pro boxing in order to pay for the medical assistance of his Ill Girl mother, after his trainer discovered his amazing talent.

Volg quickly becomes friends with Ippo, but after a loss by decision against Sendo, he is forced to leave boxing and return to Russia. Much later, his mother dies of her illness and his life is filled with an emptiness he decides to fill with boxing once again. And so he makes a comeback and decides to do so in America.

Volg is an extremely talented boxer with superb skill. While he excels at outboxing and taking points, he is forced to adopt a more aggressive infighting style in Japan, in order to attract attention as a foreigner. It is heavily implied that he could be much better than he already is, if he fought in his natural style, which we have yet to see.

-
 * Animal Motifs (The wolf)
 * Bishonen
 * Evil Redhead (Subverted, he's a genuinely Nice Guy)
 * Dave Wittenberg (as "David Lelyveld")
 * The Dutiful Son
 * Ho Yay: With Ippo, according to some
 * Husky Russkie (Subverted again. See Evil Redhead)
 * Jack of All Stats: Flirting with Lightning Bruiser.
 * Lzherusskie
 * Missing Mom (Mrs. Volg was an Ill Girl. Guess what happened)
 * No Sense of Direction (Justified Trope, as his Japanese is very rusty and he can't read the kanji on the subway signs)
 * Red Baron (White Fang)
 * Shrinking Violet (mild case)
 * Spell My Name With an "S": It's either Volg or Vorg, depending on the translation.
 * Toshiyuki Morikawa
 * Worthy Opponent

Ponchai Chuwatana

 * The Comically Serious
 * Jerkass
 * Sacrificial Lion

Woli
Woli is a 17 year old Indonesian man who lives on a remote island... Together with wild monkeys. He is discovered by Miguel Zail, former trainer of Bryan Hawk. Woli is a true boxing genius, and very talented. Very, very talented. His natural instincts are comparable to those of Takamura of all people. And it shows, since Woli became Indonesian Featherweight Champion after only three fights. To compare, Ippo wasn't even finished with the Japanese Rookie Tournament by then. Despite his innate talent, he has a cheerful, fun-loving and naive personality. His trainer Miguel makes it clear the he's his "last son" and that he plans to pour all of his knowledge into him and unlike with Hawk, won't rely solely on his natural abilities. Due to his one-in-a-billion talent, almost every character who has seen him predicts a great future for him.

He fights Ippo as his fourth match. It quickly seems as if Ippo is no match for him, despite Wolis inexperience. However, Ippo manages to eventually beat him due to built up damage on Woli's ribs. Neither Woli nor his trainer see the loss as something dramatic, merely a great experience for Woli, which is the only thing he lacks yet. Kamogawa makes it clear that he won't make Ippo fight Woli again, because he knows it was only his inexperience that let Ippo win the fight, and believes that Ippo won't stand a chance against a more experienced Woli.

As a prodigy of prodigies, Woli can be said to have the most potential of all Featherweight boxers. His innate fighting insticts allow him to naturally use high-level techniques without having properly trained them. For example, he throws Sendo's Smash and Mashiba's Flicker Jab simply because it was an appropriate move in the situation. His agility is top-notch as well, comparable to that of Miyata and Itagaki. He can use both outboxing and infighting and is especially dangerous in the corner, where he can easily set up counters.

-
 * The Ace
 * Animal Motifs (The monkey)
 * Base Breaker: His fight with Ippo.
 * Friend to All Living Things
 * Keet
 * Nature Hero
 * The Scrappy
 * Skilled but Naive: He is made of this trope
 * Wild Child

Ricardo Martinez
The living legend, Ricardo Martinez is the undefeated, seemingly invincible Featherweight World Champion. He's a Mexican who enjoys such popularity that there's a higher chance Mexicans know him than their own president. Stoic and quiet, Martinez is rarely surprised by anything. He gave Date Eiji his first loss in a brutal T.K.O. In a sparring match against Ippo, Martinez knocks him unconcious in the first round with jabs alone and also easily counters the dempsey roll.

He has a revenge match against Date Eiji which he also wins without visible injuries. However, Date is the boxer Martinez respects the most, for his unbreakable spirit and willpower.

His boxing style is pretty much perfect. In his natural style, he combines intelligence and skill with instincts and violent power. His athletic abilities and reflexes are top-notch and he rarely if ever falls for someones trap. He has over 60 wins, almost all by K.O., and not a single loss or draw in his career. Word of God states that he is the second best boxer in the story, only behind good old Takamura.

-
 * The Ace
 * Badass Mustache
 * Defeating the Undefeatable: Averted HARD.
 * Lightning Bruiser: It's presented in the series that Ippo's Dempsey Roll can be defeated by either pushing into him to stop his windups, or by pulling back and countering the hooks. Only Martinez is fast and strong enough with his left that he jabs Ippo's face through ALL of the roll's rotations, effectively knocking poor Ippo out while he's standing.
 * Living Legend
 * The Quiet One
 * The Stoic
 * Worthy Opponent: To Eiji Date

Bryan Hawk
Easily the most detestable boxer in the story, Bryan Hawk was WBC Middleweight Champion until his defeat at the hands of Takamura. He loves to provoke and humiliate his opponents, has a contemptuous attitude towards boxing and is extremely arrogant, as well as too lazy to properly train. Despite that, he's even worse in the ring. Hawk is the epitome of the word 'wild', being almost uncontrollable even by his trainer and extremely violent in the ring, easily approaching Ax Crazy levels. He is beaten by Takamura in a match of epic proportions.

Hawk grew up in the slums of New York, where he survived by beating his threats with bare hands, whether they were armed or not. His trainer Miguel stumbles upon him while he's beating an already unconcious man. Shocked by the insanity in Hawks eyes, but also noticing the potential he had, Miguel invited him to a place where he could fight all he wanted and be payed for it. And a license to kill...

Like Takamura, he has unbelievable natural talent and power. He is so strong that despite rarely training, he seems invincible in the ring. Because of his violently insane personality, he is extremely dangerous and has no consideration for his opponent. Hawk is perhaps the most unorthodox boxer in the series, throwing odd punches and swaying backwards to dodge. His trainer calls his style not boxing, but simply violence. But it's the lack of skillfull boxing that makes him so dangerous, as he becomes a highly unpredictable opponent.

-
 * Akio Ohtsuka
 * A Lady On Each Arm: He loves this trope.
 * Ambiguously Brown
 * Ax Crazy
 * Blood Knight
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Brilliant but Lazy: Brilliant in boxing, not in terms of intelligence, of course.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: A villainous example.
 * Complete Monster: He makes everyone look nice in comparison. Everyone, even Ryuuhei.
 * Well, he's the closest thing you can get to one of these characters in a realistic boxing anime, anyway.
 * Dark-Skinned Blond Guys Are Evil
 * Depraved Bisexual: Not stated directly, but considering he gets sexual pleasure from violence...
 * The Determinator: Subverted. He never had to fight from equal footing or worse before Takamura, and the ego shattering leads to his Villainous Breakdown.
 * Dismotivation: Hawk and training? No way.
 * Eagle Land: Type 2
 * Evil Laugh
 * Gratuitous English: "GOOO TOOO HEEEEEELLLL!!"
 * Technically, he's American.
 * Hard Work Hardly Works: Initially played straight as he admittedly rarely goes into a fight with any significant training and still is a World Champion. Pointed out by the Kamogawa crew by the lack of definition his body shows. Successfully averted in his fight against Takamura.
 * Humiliation Conga: Which leads to a Villainous Breakdown
 * Indy Ploy
 * Interplay of Sex and Violence
 * Insane Equals Violent
 * Jerkass
 * Large Ham
 * Lightning Bruiser
 * Not So Different: With Takamura
 * Politically-Incorrect Villain: He's blatantly racist against Japanese and makes it a point to humiliate them.
 * Psycho for Hire: Possesses the same mentality as one.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: MAJOR example here.
 * Satisfied Street Rat
 * The Scrappy: In universe case.
 * Sex Is Violence: Hawk needs sex to compensate for a lack of violence. He also seems to become sexually aroused by violence.
 * Slasher Smile
 * Smug Snake: A bit.
 * Street Urchin: His backstory
 * Unskilled but Strong: Subverted in that his lack of formal boxing training gave him a different, rather than lack of, skill set which made him unpredictable.
 * Unsportsmanlike Gloating
 * Villainous Breakdown: Takamura broke his spirit, big time. We get to see how "well" he is when David Eagle meets him long after Hawk's loss to Takamura.

David Eagle
The complete opposite of Bryan Hawk in both personality and boxing style, David Eagle is the WBC Middleweight Champion. Eagle is an honorable and friendly man, always looking for a greater challenge. He used to be olympic gold medalist until he went into boxing. Because of his shining attitude, Ippo says he looks like a classic super hero. He is defeated by Takamura.

Eagle is a highly orthodox fighter, best at the very basics of boxing. His technique and concentration are top-notch and his best weapon is a simple one-two. He's also rather intelligent in the ring and uses mind games against his opponent.

Another trait is his great fighting spirit, which Takamura compares to that of Ippo, even mentioning he's just like him.

--
 * The Ace
 * Cavalier Competitor
 * Defeating the Undefeatable: Takamura sure did.
 * The Determinator: "Just like Ippo."
 * Eagle Land: Type 1
 * Foil: He is the complete opposite of Brian Hawk in almost every imaginable way.
 * Graceful Loser
 * Honor Before Reason: He is unwilling to exploit, which is something anyone would have done in that situation. The reason he didn't? He cared more about having a fight that would require him to give 100% than he did about simply winning, and a doctor stop wouldn't give him that.
 * Knight in Shining Armor
 * Lonely At the Top: He accepted Takamura's challenge, flew to Japan, and fought on enemy turf because he had never faced an opponent against whom he had to fight with everything he had, and he hoped Takamura would be the rival he'd always hoped for. His inner monologue even implies that the reason he lost their neck-and-neck fight was because he was satisfied to finally have a worthy opponent, and cared more about this than the outcome of the match, whereas Takamura never lost sight of his goal of taking Eagle's championship belt.
 * Red Baron (Golden Eagle)
 * The Strategist
 * Worthy Opponent

Randy Boy Jr.


The son of Randy Boy, the boxer who fought Miyata's dad and inflicted him a Game-Breaking Injury that destroyed his career. . More than a decade has passed, and now Randy Jr. is a boxer in his own right. He became OPBF interim champion during Miyatas absence and naturally has a 'unison' match against him for the belt. Despite the fact that, he makes it clear that he doesn't have a grudge against Miyata.

His fighting style resembles that of his father, which he claims to be a coincidence since he rarely ever saw his father. His most distinguishing feature is the fact that he's a genius switch-hitter, able to change between normal stance and southpaw very fluidly. This creates a 'satic' that disrupts the opponents rythym, especially that of counter punchers. Because of this, he's the worst possible match-up for Miyata. He has gained the ring-name "Asura" for his ability to 'go' and 'see' everywhere in the ring.

-
 * Generation Xerox
 * I Am Not Left-Handed: Somewhat subverted, as he is equally skilled fighting both southpaw and orthodox.
 * Like Father, Like Son

Malcolm Gedoh
The reigning Philippines Featherweight national champion, a crooked fighter who offers to fix his fights in exchange for prize money. Prior to becoming a boxer, Malcolm stole money on the streets and it led to him getting shot and scarred on the shoulder. He's known as "The Magician" for his the tricks he uses inside of the ring, such as the use his long arms to block one's vision while using good his footwork to get away from his opponent. Another trick is how he throws off an opponent's depth perception by loosening the strings on his left glove so that it flings off his unclenched fist, making his reach seem even longer. After losing the fight with Ippo, Malcolm later confessed that his loss to Randy Boy, Jr. led him to give up his world aspirations and box only for the money rather than competition.


 * Money, Dear Boy: His motivation for boxing.
 * My Greatest Failure: He uses it as Freudian Excuse for his actions.
 * Only in It For The Money
 * Screw the Rules, I Have Money
 * Street Urchin: His backstory
 * Trickster: He's nicknamed "The Magician" for using many visual tricks

Hiroko Makunouchi
Hiroko is Ippo's widowed mother. She is a very kind and strong willed woman who cares for her son a great deal. She started running the fishing business after her husband, Kazuo, died after saving his friend Sakuma. Though she refuses to attend any of Ippo's matches because she doesn't want to watch him get hurt, she supports his boxing wholeheartedly because she knows how much joy it has brought to his life and how it has helped him with his self-esteem. Since Kazuo's death, Ippo and Hiroko have been more or less alone in the world; so the strength of their family bond is no surprise.


 * Open-Minded Parent
 * The Pollyanna (adult version, as she's almost unfailingly cheerful despite how hard her life has been)
 * Yamato Nadeshiko
 * Yamato Nadeshiko

Kazuo Makunouchi
Ippo's deceased father. Not much is known about his past other than he was a fisherman who loved to get into fights, and that he had a powerful punch. He died when Ippo was much younger, saving his friend Sakuma in a storm. Ippo's mother said that Kazuo was more suited to be a boxer than Ippo was. In a flashback in volume 56, Kazuo said Ippo was weak and he was going to "train" him. It is unknown what training he was planning to put Ippo through. It is through his strategy that Ippo beat Miyata (When Kazuo was to fight a stronger opponent, he would picture his opponent as a fish and all the tension would go away). He also won his match against Iwao Shimabukuro with the same strategy


 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: To not get nervous, whenever he got into fights he pictured his opponent as. . . a fish. Yeah, really. Ippo does the same against Miyata
 * Death By Origin Story
 * Disappeared Dad
 * Generation Xerox: Looked like an Older and Wiser Ippo.
 * Heroic Sacrifice: How he died, saving a friend during a storm

Masahiko Umezawa
We first meet Umezawa as a bully in Ippo's school who is constantly tormenting and eploiting him. However, as Ippo begins to get into boxing and grow more as a fighter, Umezawa notices the changes in him and discovers a newfound admiration for the guy he used to push around. He started to watch all of Ippo's fights and invite other delinquents to do so, as they were all boxing fans. After graduation, Umezawa decides to help Ippo by working at the Makunoichis' Fishing Shop so he could focus on his training. Currently he is easily Ippo's 1# fan and one of his best friends. -
 * Character Development (Easily one of the best cases in the series)
 * Delinquents
 * Expository Hairstyle Change (stops slicking his hair back after graduation)
 * Jerkass (He Got Better)
 * Heel Face Turn and Heel Realization
 * Hidden Depths: He dreams of becoming a succesful mangaka and is actually a pretty good artist.
 * Mitsuaki Madono

Kumi Mashiba
Kumi is Ryo Mashiba's sweet-natured, but hard-working and willful younger sister, and as such understands him better than anyone else. She will do almost anything to support her brother and make him happy, including going to his matches even though she doesn't like to see him get hurt. Ippo becomes infatuated with her early on, but didn't have a chance to tell her until more than a year later, when they met in an hospital as patient and nurse some months after the Ippo/Mashiba ring. They become friends and Kumi comes to like Ippo back, but their relationship tends to suffer from their friends' and relatives' constant interference, and also was somewhat strained after Ippo thought she was smitten with Dr. Sanada, until Kumi herself clarified the mistake after their match but didn't get a chance to say that Ippo was the one she really loved. Kumi tends to be modest and shy, but she will stand up for her brother and friends at a moment's notice. -
 * Hospital Hottie
 * Morality Pet (If she wasn't around, Mashiba would be even more of a jerk.)
 * Sanae Kobayashi
 * Stephanie Sheh (as "Jennifer Sekiguchi")
 * Sociopathic Boxer's Beautiful Little Sister
 * Yamato Nadeshiko

Tomiko

 * Genki Girl
 * Gonk
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: Shouko Tsuda aka Izumi Curtis.
 * Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Inverted, she is who is the ugly one while Aoki is the better looking of the two.

Aiko Date

 * Happily Married
 * Hot Mom
 * Ill Girl
 * The Ojou
 * Plucky Girl
 * Sakiko Tamagawa
 * What the Hell, Hero?
 * Yamato Nadeshiko

Minoru Fujii
A reporter for a boxing magazine that has been following Ippo's career since his second spar with Miyata. Occasionally he drops by with information concerning opposing fighters in upcoming matches for the Kamogawa gym members.


 * Intrepid Reporter
 * Kenichi Ono
 * Mr. Exposition (if there's someone in the local boxing corner with good contacts and handy info, it's him)
 * Perma Stubble
 * Sharp-Dressed Man
 * Smoking Is Cool

Mari Iimura
A 23-year-old sportswriter who works alongside Fujii at Boxing Fan Monthly. Iimura's calm indifference and sharp wit serve often to put off those who would judge her only for beauty, but she is an avid boxing fan and, though less experienced than some, an outstanding journalist. Has an interest in Ippo, but as with most of the love in the series, her love is unrequited
 * Cool Big Sis
 * Emi Shinohara
 * Hot Scoop
 * Meganekko
 * Tall, Dark and Bishoujo
 * Love Rectangle: With Ippo, Kumi, and Nanako

Dr. Yamaguchi

 * Cool Big Sis
 * Hello, Nurse!
 * The Medic
 * Meganekko
 * Yuko Kobayashi

Miyata Sr.
Miyata Sr. is the trainer of his son, Ichiro Miyata. He was a former OPBF champion who was headed for the World stage before having his jaw broken by Randy Boy Sr, ending his career. Broken, as both a fighter and a man, Miyata Sr. began drinking heavily, causing his wife to leave him. However, he finds hope in his son, who has picked up his boxing style without having been formally trained and becomes his trainer.


 * Alcoholic Parent: Was this before training his son.
 * Like Father, Like Son
 * No Name Given
 * Stage Dad (Subverted, Miyata took up boxing because he chose to.)
 * Unsho Ishizuka

Jinpachi Nekota
Nekota Ginpachi is a long time friend and eternal rival of Kamogawa Genji. In the past he was a natual boxer with wild instincts that even Kamogawa and Dankichi said were better than theirs but never admitting to Nekota. With fast reflexes and superb agility, Nekota was as powerful as Kamogawa and Dankichi. However, after a match with Kamogawa, Nekota found himself suffering from. Knowing this, he still took on American soldier Ralph Anderson, who was a Welterweight world ranker before WWII. He was beating Anderson before getting hit by a rabbit punch, causing a Game-Breaking Injury which allowed Anderson to win. Now, Nekota is a freelance boxing trainer on par or better than Kamogawa. He frequently shows up to big fights in the Japanese boxing scene as well as to support the Kamogawa gang in their biggest of fights.


 * Badass Grandpa
 * Bald of Awesome
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer
 * Eyes Always Shut
 * Ichiro Nagai
 * Team Dad
 * Two Guys and A Girl (In the backstory, with Kamogawa and )
 * Two Guys and A Girl (In the backstory, with Kamogawa and )

Yuki-san
A beautiful young woman who adored sunflowers. Yuki met Kamogawa and Nekota at a boxing match in the 1950s. Smitten, they offered to put her up at Kamogawa's house to protect her from American soldiers. It was soon revealed, however, that Yuki was a victim of radiation poisoning from the American bombing of Hiroshima, and that she had come to Tokyo in hopes of living out her last days in happiness. When Nekota left Tokyo to live in the mountains, Yuki went with him; Kamogawa asked her to take care of his now-impaired best friend. Although—or perhaps because—Yuki had fallen in love with Kamogawa, she spent the rest of her life in the mountains with Nekota as per his request,


 * Bodyguard Crush (on )
 * Flower Motifs (sunflowers)
 * The Woobie
 * Yamato Nadeshiko
 * The Woobie
 * Yamato Nadeshiko

Sakaguchi-san

 * Expy: Of Don King, and how
 * Jerkass
 * Large Ham

Dankichi Hama

 * Badass Grandpa
 * Glass Cannon: He was a brilliant fighter with the use of the Hien, a jab which is quickly changed into a hook or an uppercut. His problem: a glass jaw.
 * The Rival: To Kamogawa
 * Stern Teacher (to Sanada, and later to )

Reiko Mikami

 * Akemi Okamura
 * Meganekko
 * Name's the Same (with a certain exorcist)
 * Plucky Girl
 * What the Hell, Hero? (threatens Yusuke with dumping him for becoming lazy and greedy. )
 * Yamato Nadeshiko