Karakter & Staf

Ippo Makunouchi

Utama

Male · Umur 16-

Nationality: Japanese Boxing style: Infighter, Peek-a-Boo Height: 5'5" (164.0 cm) Reach: 65" (165.0 cm) Weight Class: Featherweight Specialty: Liver Blow, Gazelle Punch, Dempsey Roll Ippo Makunouchi is the main protagonist of the series. He lives with his mother, Hiroko Makunouchi, and helps with the family charter boat fishing business. Ippo is a classic power in-boxer and is well known for his Peek-a-Boo style of boxing and hard punches which include three signature punches: a rib-cracking liver blow, Gazelle punch (an uppercut variant), and the Dempsey roll technique. His signature punches appear to be modeled after Mike Tyson, Floyd Patterson and Jack Dempsey respectively. Ippo is bullied throughout most of his school life. After being rescued by Takamura, he ends up being brought to Kamogawa Gym, where he displays an explosive punching power. After seeing a video of Mike Tyson, he becomes inspired to take up boxing to feel reborn with strength. He soon proves himself to Takamura and Kamogawa, and starts on the path to being a pro boxer.

Kouhei Kiyasu

Mamoru Takamura

Utama

Male

Height: 185 cm (6'1") Takamura is very hearty, rude and often behaves vulgarly. He is a loud arrogant boaster who tends to refer to himself as Ore-sama (a Japanese name suffix intended for people of great importance) and he rarely ever shows a shred of consideration towards other fighters after a loss. Takamura was discovered on the streets by Coach Kamogawa Genji, and his speed, power, and technique are all high-level to the point that he is capable of handling both In Fighters and Out Boxers without too much trouble. Unlike most characters in Hajime no Ippo, he has no special finishing blow, but every punch he has possesses killer destructive power. With the wild power to always force out any situation he claims will happen, he is a man who does everything he says he will. As the one who got Ippo, Aoki and Kimura into boxing, he is well respected at the Kamogawa Gym. Even though he constantly looks down on and ridicules their achievements, his unrivalled strength and the few moments his true kindness leaks out prevent them from losing their respect for him. Takamura loves to pick on his fellow gym mates, with Aoki usually the first on his list. Although he tends to get more serious when hearing about or training for his next match, he still finds the time to play pranks on everyone and goof around. The character for Taka (鷹) in his name means hawk, and as a result he is sometimes nicknamed The Japanese Hawk by announcers and spectators (most notably during his matches against Brian Hawk and David Eagle). He lives alone at the Ohta Inn apartment complex, and his room is littered with junk, old food, pornography, and even his boxing belts. His pompadour hairstyle is his trademark.

Rikiya Koyama

Masaru Aoki

Utama

Male

Aoki was a punk from his childhood up through high school, at which point he encountered, fought and got beat down by Takamura Mamoru (who was then a middleweight with two wins under his belt). This loss motivated him to quit school along with his close friend Kimura Tetsuya to become boxers at Kamogawa gym. Although their initial goal was to land a clean hit on Takamura, they grew to love boxing and develop their own skills. Aoki became a clownish boxer whose signature techniques, the Frog Punch and Look-Away, eventually led him to a draw in a Japanese title match with then-champion Imae Katsuka. Currently in the series, Aoki has an ongoing rivalry with Papaya Dachiu, the lightweight champion of the Philippnes, with whom he has drawn two consecutive matches.

Wataru Takagi

Tatsuya Kimura

Utama

Male

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. 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 13–5–3, with 8 KOs.

Keiji Fujiwara

Manabu Itagaki

Utama

Male

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, 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. Itagaki's character is based on former 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 9 Matches 8-1-0 (W-L-D), with 6 KOs.

Daisuke Namikawa

Genji Kamogawa

Utama

Male

Head coach and founder of the Kamogawa gym. He fought as a prizefighter in Japan shortly after the end of World War II. 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. As a coach, Kamogawa's wealth of knowledge and experience has been tapped into on multiple occasions during training as well as in matches. Although he rarely admits it aloud, he is extremely proud of his two best boxers, Takamura and Ippo.

Kenji Utsumi

Kumi Mashiba

Pendukung

Female

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. (Source: Wikipedia)

Yuka Hirata

Takeshi Sendo

Pendukung

Male

Sendo is an In Fighter with arm strength on par with Ippo Makunouchi. To date, he is the only boxer to face Ippo more than once in the pro ring and is his chief rival. Sendo is a featherweight and his most well known move is his powerful smash. He greatly admires boxer Rocky Marciano, to the extent that he will personally point out that he is not the same "Rocky" from the film of the same name. He is also a fan of Mamoru Takamura. Sendo is modeled after the real-life "Naniwa Rocky", boxer turned actor Akai Hidekazu.

Masaya Onosaka

Naomichi Yamada

Pendukung

Male

Yamada was a weakling who, like his Kamogawa gym sempai Ippo, was often bullied. He was given the nickname Gero-michi because of his tendency to vomit whenever pushed physically. However, after joining Kamogawa gym and taking up boxing in the Junior-welterweight class, his self-confidence and physical condition steadily improved.

Daisuke Sakaguchi

Ichirou Miyata

Pendukung

Male · Umur 16-

Ever since he was little, Miyata has always wanted to be like his dad. His dad, Suzuki Miyata, used to be a boxer, until a career-ending jaw bone injury forced him to retire. Miyata takes his training dead seriously, and has always believed in his father's old beliefs, that skill can beat strength. You hardly ever see the guy smile because he thinks that he doesn't have the privilege to smile unless he wins a boxing match.

Tomokazu Seki

Eiji Date

Pendukung

Male

At an age swiftly approaching thirty, Date is an old-timer for a boxer but is nevertheless the man that Ippo looks up to. Years ago, he lost his World Title Match to the champion, Ricardo Martinez, who was defending his title for the 2nd time. He was knocked out in the 2nd round, and among other injuries, got a scar on the bridge of his then-fractured nose. Date gave up boxing after that in order to settle down with his wife Aiko (a woman from a rich family who sacrificed a lot to be with him, and who just had a miscarriage at that time) and raise a family. But Date was a born boxer -- he found he could not contain his combative nature for long, and after Aiko told him that she wanted their son Yuuji to see his dad fight, he picked his career back up to the top. Date is strong in every way, but his greatest weapon is the Heartbreak Shot, a corkscrew blow to the heart that immobilizes the opponent.

Masaki Aizawa

Masahiko Umezawa

Pendukung

Male

Umezawa was originally the leader of Ippo's bullies at high school, but later became a fan of his after he became a pro boxer. During high school he would wear his hair in a pompadour style, a trademark of many Japanese delinquents. By the time they had graduated, Umezawa's relationship with Ippo changed from fan to friends, although he was not ready to admit this at the time. During high school he was protrayed as mean and unwilling to admit that he viewed Ippo as a friend, but after graduation he grew out of his delinquent ways and was portrayed as friendly and a bit more comical. During high school and up through his years with Makunouchi Fishing Boat, he attended most of Ippo's matches, often wearing a handmade support headband and acting as Ippo's main cheer leader. After he retired from Makunouchi Fishing Boat to become a manga artist, Itagaki Manabu took over his job. It is unknown whether he has attended any of Ippo's matches since he left. In some ways, Umezawa can be viewed as Morikawa Jouji's avatar character.

Mitsuaki Madono

Ricardo Martinez

Pendukung

Ricardo Martinez is currently the only 'Super Champion' in the series. He has the longest title run in the series, with 21 defenses of his WBA Featherweight Title over a decade. He became WBA Featherweight Champion at the age of 21. His fame is so great, even those in Mexico who don't know the President's name knows his name. Ricardo's strength far exceeds that of the other known featherweights. His power is on par with Ippo's; his damage retention allowed him to take several heavy blows from Date without any lasting damage; his jabs are able to stop Ippo's Dempsey Roll and knock him unconscious on their own. For reasons unknown, he has always stayed in the WBA and never tried to become undisputed champ, leaving the massive number of World contenders avoiding him to scramble for the WBC belt. George Morikawa listed Martinez as the second strongest character in the series (behind Takamura). Ricardo Martinez is based on Ricardo Lopez, one of the few boxers to retire undefeated.

Masashi Sugawara

Haruhiko Yagi

Pendukung

Male

Yagi is the manager of the Kamogawa Gym and a contemporary of Miyata's father. His duties primarily consist of publicity and match booking, but he also takes part in managing the finances, selling merchandise, and occasionally even assists with the training now and then. He is a kind and friendly person, often adding kun to the end of the names of the Kamogawa gym members. He is a master fisherman and whenever he fishes his personality changes (in the words of Miyata's father, "he gets the face of a demon"). He is so good in fact, that it has been said that he could become the World Champion of fishing. Additionaly, numerous fishing ponds put up "No Yagi Allowed" signs after losing so many customers because Yagi was catching all the fish.

Toshihiko Nakajima

Bryan Hawk

Pendukung

Male

An American boxer, the WBC Junior Middleweight champion, who is most likely based off of the semi-retired British boxer, Naseem Hamed.

Akio Ootsuka

Mari Iimura

Pendukung

A 23-year-old sportswriter who works alongside Fujii. 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. She's interested in Ippo.

Emi Shinohara

Jikkyou Announcer

Pendukung

The defining voice of the Ippo franchise, the ring announcer is with us throughout every liver blow, gazelle punch, and Dempsey roll of every match. His approach to color commentating makes Howard Cosell look like Max Kellerman and is often more enthusiastic and aggressive than the fighters in the ring. He is unrivaled on the mic and unbiased toward the fights, refusing to shy away from controversial criticisms and insisting on calling it how he sees it. Many life lessons can be learned from this great man, whose mysterious past, or even name may never be revealed.

Jin Horikawa

Ginpachi Nekota

Pendukung

Nekota Ginpachi is a long time friend and eternal rival of Kamogawa Genji. He lives as a hermit in the mountains with his dog Hachi. Nekota is still very much involved in boxing. He watches matches in tape when he's able to get them and helps train the Kamogawa team for upcoming fights and even spent a stint in Kamogawa Gym teaching newcomers. 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.

Ichirou Nagai

Miyata no Chichi

Pendukung

Male

Ichiro Miyata's father and coach, and the one who passed on to him the love of boxing. He is a former a Japan and OPBF champion and considered a world contender when he was in his prime.

Unshou Ishizuka

Minoru Fujii

Pendukung

Fujii is a veteran reporter who often knows about any given boxer's current situation. He has been following Makunouchi Ippo's career since his second spar with Miyata Ichirou and could possibly be viewed as Ippo's first fan. He often visits the Kamogawa Boxing Gym in order to give Ippo info on his upcoming opponents and is, among many others, greatly looking forward to Makunouchi vs. Miyata III. Fuji covered the Rookie King Tournament that Ippo participated. He gave more attention to Makunouchi Ippo than the other reporters because he already knew Ippo's potential. Fujii is very laid back and unkept, often looking as though he just woke up. His hair is usually uncombed and he often has stubble in addition to his regular moustache. In addition to Ippo, he also seems to be friends with Takamura Mamoru and Date Eiji. He used to be accompanied on assignments by a younger reporter, but sometime before Ippo's second match against Sendou Takeshi he gained a new partner in Iimura Mari. A seldom-noticed running gag of the series is Fujii's constant attempts to quit smoking. He changes between cigarettes and nicotine replacement tubes regularly.

Kenichi Ono

Kyousuke Imai

Pendukung

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. 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. (Source: Wikipedia)

Yuuichi Nakamura

Hachinoe Coach

Pendukung

Issei Futamata

Tomiko

Pendukung

Tomiko is a nurse who works in the same hospital as Kumi and is also Aoki's girlfriend. She is very kind and very devoted to Aoki, usually assaulting anyone who picks on him or laughs during his matches. She has even stood up to Takamura before. Like Aoki, Tomiko likes to tell fortunes. Unlike him though, she uses tarot cards and is more accurate than him (according to Aoki). She and Aoki currently live together in an apartment. (Wikipedia)

Shouko Tsuda

Aiko Date

Pendukung

Date Eiji's Wife. She strongly supports his boxing career and even helped push him back into it after he temporarily retired.

Sakiko Tamagawa

Yuuji Date

Pendukung

Eiji Date and Date Aiko's second son.

Naomi Wakabayashi