Fighting Spirit poster

Fighting Spirit

★ 8.8 20K votes 2000–2002 1 season · 76 episodes Ended Nippon TV
SportsAthletic competition and the world around it.This show: 10/10AnimeJapanese animation traditions and grammar.This show: 9/10AdrenalineAction and thrills as the primary reward.This show: 8/10Coming of ageGrowing up as the central arc.This show: 8/10HopefulPersistent optimism in the face of adversity.This show: 7/10Outsider leadA misfit or newcomer as our way into the world.This show: 7/10
Rate this series
Starring
Rikiya KoyamaKôhei KiyasuSteve StaleyRichard EpcarWataru TakagiKatsuyuki Konishi
Starring
Rikiya KoyamaKôhei KiyasuSteve StaleyRichard EpcarWataru TakagiKatsuyuki Konishi
Ratings per Episode
246810
Votes per Episode
06251k2k3k

Fighting Spirit Episode Ratings Heatmap

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S18.58.17.98.47.67.98.78.98.07.77.78.48.07.78.18.77.27.67.58.38.18.08.68.49.17.88.29.08.97.97.75.18.18.69.17.77.77.78.17.68.57.98.87.88.38.88.27.98.49.09.38.25.48.07.78.48.89.68.58.28.97.59.08.28.27.88.28.08.68.78.19.39.39.39.69.88.8

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About

"An underdog boxing story with real emotional weight"

Fighting Spirit follows Ippo, a bullied, painfully shy teenager who stumbles into a boxing gym after being rescued from a beatdown, and discovers he has a genuine gift for taking punches and throwing them back. What starts as comic-relief training arcs gradually becomes a surprisingly emotional underdog sports story, built around vividly drawn rivals, a found-family gym full of oddball mentors, and fight choreography that treats every jab and counter like it matters. It's slow to build, often silly, but earns real investment once the gloves come on.

Watch it for

the meticulously choreographed boxing matches that make every punch feel earned and consequential.

Maybe skip if

you dislike slow-building sports stories heavy on training arcs and comic filler.

Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.

All Seasons

▼
The First Step2000
8.538K7629h 8m
EpTitleRatingYoursVotesRuntime
▶1Hajime no ippo8.1
85123 min
▶2Doryoku no seika7.9
64923 min
▶3Ureshi namida8.4
65723 min
▶4Shado bokushingu7.6
56323 min
▶5Three months for the counter7.9
54023 min
▶6Saisen no gongu8.7
60223 min
▶71 cm no hakairyoku8.9
73323 min
▶8Promise to Meet Again8.0
50823 min
▶9C Class License7.7
47423 min
▶10Debut Match!7.7
47023 min
▶11Obsession for Victory8.4
49423 min
▶12Becoming a Bully's Buddy8.0
46823 min
▶13The Eastern Japan Rookie Championship Tournament Begins7.7
45123 min
▶14Powerful Arms! Hooks vs. Uppercut!8.1
45123 min
▶15Test of Endurance8.7
52723 min
▶16Anticipating a Fierce Fight7.2
55323 min
▶17Ippo on the Beach7.6
43923 min
▶18Clinch7.5
40323 min
▶19Dream of a KO8.3
43123 min
▶20Shotgun's Menace8.1
41223 min
▶21The Way to Capture a Prodigy8.0
40223 min
▶22Forward! Forward!!8.6
44323 min
▶23The Other Semi-Final8.4
40623 min
▶24To the Promised Place...9.1
60323 min
▶25Grudges, Sorrows & Dreams7.8
38423 min
▶26The Battle for Distance8.2
38923 min
▶27Death Match9.0
58123 min
▶28Victory or Defeat8.9
48423 min
▶29Rocky of Naniwa7.9
38223 min
▶30To Enemy Ground7.7
36423 min
▶31Traces of Intense Battles5.1
33823 min
▶32Throw Your Right!8.1
37323 min
▶33Smash Force8.6
39423 min
▶34The Rookie King9.1
62223 min
▶35The Counting Journey7.7
35423 min
▶36The Champ and I7.7
34823 min
▶37A Thing to Strive For7.7
34723 min
▶38Two Rookies of the Year8.1
35623 min
▶39Challenge in a Foreign Land7.6
36823 min
▶40A Counter to Surpass All Counters8.5
41623 min
▶41Barf-michi's Big Fight7.9
35923 min
▶42Sharing a Dream8.8
48123 min
▶43The Speed Star7.8
34023 min
▶44Blind Spot in the Ring8.3
34823 min
▶45The White Fangs of the Wolf8.8
40323 min
▶46Be the Gazelle8.2
33423 min
▶47The Fighting Spirit Within7.9
32823 min
▶48The Red Wolf8.4
35923 min
▶49The Courage to Believe9.0
50923 min
▶50Something to Convey9.3
82323 min
▶51The Group Date8.2
37723 min
▶52The Challenger (Recap)5.4
29423 min
▶53So That I Can Be Myself8.0
33323 min
▶54Fists of the Champ7.7
31823 min
▶55The Japan Featherweight Title Match8.4
34423 min
▶56The Power That Stands in the Way8.8
38623 min
▶57Conclusion9.6
1K23 min
▶58Heartbroken8.5
36223 min
▶59A Determined Gaze8.2
33023 min
▶60Rival8.9
76623 min
▶61Comeback Anxiety7.5
31723 min
▶62Revival9.0
44423 min
▶63Youth of Fire8.2
34023 min
▶64Hot Rod Era8.2
33723 min
▶65The Summer of the Kamogawa Corps7.8
31323 min
▶66Mr. Takamura's Tears8.2
34923 min
▶67The Kamogawa Gym Swings Into Action8.0
31023 min
▶68The Coach's Crisis8.6
35623 min
▶69The Trap of the Southpaw8.7
35023 min
▶70The Young Punk8.1
31823 min
▶71Time for the Showdown9.3
58223 min
▶72Lollapalooza9.3
1K23 min
▶73Surpass That Moment9.3
1K23 min
▶74Mixup9.6
1K23 min
▶75A Step Further9.8
2K23 min
▶76Boxer's Fist8.8
40023 min

Full Cast & Crew

Cast

Rikiya Koyama Mamoru Takamura
Kôhei Kiyasu Ippo Makunouchi
Steve Staley Ippo Makunouchi
Richard Epcar Genji Kamogawa
Wataru Takagi Masaru Aoki
Katsuyuki Konishi Ring Announcer, Hachinohe Boxer
Tomokazu Seki Ichirou Miyata, Ichiro Miyata
Kenji Utsumi Genji Kamogawa
Grant George Referee, Kimura
D.C. Douglas Genji Kamogawa, Aiko's Brother

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