Last Updated: April 07, 2022
Even though the description of boxing as a sport is still questioned by some, it is difficult to disregard the fact that boxing or fist combats are some of the first forms of combat sports that appeared. And somewhere down the line, boxing became less and less like a sport and took on features from the “entertainment sports” category.
This shows the entertainment factor of boxing which is why it has a sub-genre of its own and is also popular among anime fans. The audience is hooked on their seats for the moves and strategies that might be difficult for the real world. But as we have pointed out in our anime lists before, there is nothing too outrageous, too outlandish for anime. If it can be thought of, an anime series can be made out of it.
Here we have a list of Top 22 Best Boxing Anime of 2020, which includes the most recent contenders as well as the most notable champions of the field.
1. Ashita No Joe
Aired On– October 13, 1980
Episodes – 47
Ashita no Joe is a Japanese boxing manga series written by Asao Takamori and illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba. It has been adapted into various media, including Megalo Box, an anime that was made as a part of the 50th anniversary of Ashita no Joe.
Ashita No Joe is an intense drama of passion, dreams, rivalries and friendship. And each of these things blesses and haunts our protagonist, Joe Yabuki. He takes us on his journey which is taxing beyond belief. He starts from bad roots, everything that could go wrong went wrong and he was imprisoned in his teen years. But an incident there, the two fights that he fought there gave him a new direction- Boxing.
This direction of Boxing gives him a place in the world. As noticed in the Anime from his teen years to his destination of being a world champion, he hustles. This hustling never stops, at first he is doing it for himself, then for his coach and finally for Rikiishi. This final person in Rikiishi strives to always do better. He wants to take over the Boxing world for him because he could have but wasn’t able to because of Joe.
The series falls and rises on Joe. His rise from nothing to everything truly touches a chord, but what really makes the difference is that he never loses his working-class values of loyalty and humility. You get emotionally attached to him, his burden is felt by the viewers and when he is getting tired and out of the fire at the end, you also feel that. Thus the question regarding his destiny at the end has become such a central issue in Pop Culture. For many reviewers, it is one of the best Animes ever made.
2. Megalo Box
Aired On- April 6, 2018
Episodes- 13
Megalo Box is a 2018 anime television series created in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the manga Ashita no Joe. It is produced by the studio TMS Entertainment and 3xCube, which also produced the second Ashita no Joe anime in 1980. The head of the production is director Yō Moriyama, working with screenwriters Katsuhiko Manabe and Kensaku Kojima, with music composed by hip-hop artist Mabanua.
It takes a lot of inspiration from Ashita No Joe and it is very evident. The theme of Passion and dreams are also here. The most similar thing in both the animes is definitely, that both of them start on a premise of promise. There is a promise made in both of them that makes the protagonists climb up their ranks and push themselves to become better boxers.
Like in Ashita No Joe, this Anime also shows the rise of a working-class boy, Junk Dog. It is his lack of money that makes him trivialize his sport. He fights in underground illegal rings in fights that have a fixed result where his coach GansakuNanbu directs him on when to lose a fight. But a fire is lit under him when he is defeated by Yūri, the highest-ranked player in the Elite boxing championship titled Megalonia.
He decides to train himself and rise vigorously in the ranks to gain an opportunity to play in the tournament again.
The series was broadcast in Japan from April 6, 2018, to June 29, 2018, and was simulcast on Crunchyroll. The series was licensed by Viz Media for an English release and began airing on Toonami in the United States from December 8, 2018. A second season has been announced that will take place several years after the events of the first season.
3. Hajime No Ippo: New Challenger
Aired On-January 6th, 2009
Episodes-26
The New Challenger Saga, also known as Peek of the World Saga, is the fourth story saga, and the last in the first part of the series, with 7 arcs.
It was adapted into an anime season called also New Challenger, except the last arc, that got pushed at the end of the next anime season, Rising.
Just like the original series, this iteration also thrives due to a wonderful cast of characters. The characters are much layered and we get to see and feel their deepest thoughts and experiences.
The story resumes from where the first series ended, with the Miyata Ichirō vs. Arnie Gregory story arc. The series also covered Date Eiji’s rematch with Ricardo Martinez, Ippo’s fight against former kouhai Yamada Naomichi (Hammer Nao), Itagaki’s debut match against Makino Fumito, and Takamura’sJr Middleweight championship match against Bryan Hawk.
The arc focusses a lot on Ippo’s heartbreak, it begins literally with his break up from Kumi. The focus then shifts to Kimura and the efforts he begins to put in for his upcoming match. The match in question is a JBC junior lightweight title match against the champion MashibaRyō. He begins to dedicate himself wholeheartedly into the training to the extent of sparring with a much more superior Boxer Miyata. The match between Kimura and Mashiba is everything that it was touted to be. It was so passionate, that it ended with Kimura fighting even after losing his consciousness. In this anime we see our beloved characters going through the extremes. They bury themselves into their passion, support each other as well as the fight against each other for their aim.
4. Hajime No Ippo Rising
Aired On- October 6, 2013
Episodes- 25
Hajime no Ippo: Rising or Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! Rising is the third season of the Hajime no Ippo anime. It started airing on October 6th, 2013 at 1:35 am and concluded airing in April 2014.
Rising aired for 25 Episodes. The anime contains main events such as Aoki’s title match, Ippo’s 4th and 5th title defense match, and Takamura’s Middleweight World title match. The last Episodes tell the story of Kamogawa and his rival Nekota in their younger years, the After the War Arc.
This iteration begins with the anticipation of Takamura’s first WBC junior middleweight title defense, Aoki’s JBC lightweight title match, the first round of Itagaki’s East Japan Rookie King Tournament match, and Ippo’s fourth HBC featherweight title defense.
Aoki’s title match comes as a shock to him as he till that moment thought that he was fifth in his ranks. It is there that he is informed of something happening to the first to fourth rankers. Everyone thought that Aoki sort of put a curse on him.
Everyone becomes fired up for their matches and they begin to train. Ippo in this series really struggles with his goals, he doesn’t know his ultimate aim and doesn’t have a set ambition in front of him. But all of it gets changed when his coach tells him point-blank that he is not ready to fight Miyata. This gives him the push needed to improve himself, as this was the first thing that he wanted when he entered the world of boxing.
5. Hajime no Ippo
Aired On- October 4, 2000
Episodes-76
Hajime no Ippo is a Japanese boxing manga series written and illustrated by George Morikawa. It has been serialized by Kodansha in Weekly Shōnen Magazine since October 1989 and collected into 127 tankōbon volumes as of February 2020.
A 76-episode anime adaptation produced by Madhouse titled Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! aired on Nippon TV from October 2000 to March 2002.
This series is our first glimpse into this world. For any series to flourish it needs to have a great origin story, and this one achieves this feat in spades. We are taken into the story of a young boy IppoMakunouchi who is an extremely shy high school student, unable to make friends due to always being busy helping his mother run their family fishing charter business.
Since he is an outcast, he is regularly tormented by bullies. After one of such altercations, he comes across Mamoru Takamura. As he is severely injured with his pride and respect on the floor Takamura takes Ippo to his gym. There, seeing the boxers and more importantly punching the sandbag, he falls in love with the sport. When he talks to Takamura, Takamura is taken aback and insulted as he thinks Ippo considers all this child play.
However, Takamura felt that he couldn’t outright refuse Ippo, especially since his feat of punching the sandbag much harder than anybody else in the gym (except for Takamura). Therefore, he challenges Ippo to catch 10 falling leaves from a tree simultaneously after a week of training, fully convinced that Ippo would fail. But to his surprise, Ippo succeeds and he takes Ippo to his Gym, Kamogawa Gym. The coach doesn’t want to admit him and therefore puts him into the ring with Miyata, a boxing prodigy.
As expected, Ippo loses by KO, but not until Miyata struggles to dodge his punches and finally ends the match with his trump card: “The Counter”. Coach Kamogawa decides that he has great fighting sense and spirit and decides to train him to eventually become the Japanese champion with a world ranking while Miyata becomes the OPBF (Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation) Champion.
This Anime is primarily a coming of age story, we witness the growth Ippo goes through and how he deals with the various trials and tribulation life throws at him.
6. Ring ni Kakero
Aired On-October 6, 2004
Episodes-36
Ring niKakero is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump between January 1977 and October 1981.
An anime adaptation produced by Toei Animation premiered in October 2004. It was followed by a second season premiered in April 2006, a third season in April 2010 and the fourth season in April 2011.
This Anime follows two characters RyuujiTakane and his sister Kiku, who also acts as his coach. Their dream is to become the biggest and the most famous fighting duo in the country. This dream has originated from their desire of being like their father and to help their lonely mother. In the past, their father was a famous boxer. Ryuuji and his sister both inherited their father’s talent for boxing with Ryuuji inheriting his strength and techniques while Kiku picked up his talent for analysis and strategy.
As he takes his first steps towards this adventure of a lifetime Ryuuji faces a lot of adversities that give him both friends and enemies. His relationship with Jun Kenzaki (his eternal challenger and supposedly best friend) has also been portrayed brilliantly. They both love each other but they also now have to beat each other in order to be the best. The most heart-wrenching moment in the series happens when Kenzaki gets terribly injured and almost crippled.
This takes a toll on Ryuuji as from now on he is not participating in this sport for himself but also for Kenzaki’s legacy. One of the most endearing things about Ryuuji is his daunting spirit, we see it in many matches that even when he reaches his breaking point he doesn’t give up.
7. Nozomi Witches
Aired On-August 5, 1992
Episodes- 3
Nozomi Witches, sometimes also called Bewitching Nozomi, is a manga series by Toshio Nobe which was adapted into a three-episode anime OVA series in 1992.
It is one of the smallest animes here in this list, but it definitely has the most heart. It is about a lot of things, an unlikely friendship, passion, as well as hard work.
At its core, this Anime is about the friendship between Nozomi and RyōtarōShiba. They both couldn’t be more different- Nozomi is a beautiful former actress who moves back to Japan from New Zealand and RyōtarōShiba is your normal average High School student. The only thing common here is that they both move into the same neighborhood. A chance encounter between them makes Nozomi realize that Ryoutaro has genius reflexes and vision.
This makes Nozomi push Ryotaro to join a boxing club. At first, it is too much for Ryotaro but when he realizes Nozomi’s true intentions behind it, he also starts to put his whole into the endeavor. Nozomi through Ryotaro wants to realize her dream of seeing her brother representing Japan in the Barcelona Olympics.
It boasts a huge cast of Hiromi Tsuru as NozomiEgawa, Nobutoshi Hayashi as Ryōtarō, KōheiMiyauchi as Eddie, Keiichi Nanba as Hongō, RyūseiNakao as Morino, Toshiyuki Morikawa as Nanjō and Noriko Uemura as Ryōtarō’s mother.
An interesting tidbit about the series is that Because Mitsuru Adachi did the character designs for the OVA series, it is sometimes mistakenly attributed as one of his works.
8. Ashita No Joe 2
Aired On- 18 July, 1981
Episodes- 1
Ashita No Joe 2 is iconic, to say the least. It is a staple of pop culture in every way possible. The Anime transformed the way people visualized arts, People found a piece of themselves in Joe. They found their passion in his fire. This installment puts Joe on a crossroads, where he is about to give up his dream.
His foray into the boxing world started with a promise. The promise that he made to Tōru. What he never ever even thought in his nightmares, happens when during the fight Tōru collapses and meets his death. But Joe feels worse when he realizes the reason behind it. He died from the combined effects of the extreme weight loss on his body and brain hemorrhage that he sustained during the fight. This dehydration occurs because of the weight loss he has incurred to train himself for this fight.
This affected Joe deeply making him rethink everything, the promise was always a positive thing for him, something that he looked fondly. Even when he suffered defeat at the hands of Tōru, he was glad and burned up to try harder. Tōru was never an adversary to Joe, he was an ideal he wanted to be like, a destination he wanted to reach and a dream he wanted to fulfill. His death ended all of that because now boxing for Joe didn’t have the vitality it once had.
Joe leaves the gym behind and begins wandering. On his travels he comes across the likes of Wolf Kanagushi and GoromakiGondo, men who unintentionally fan the dying embers inside him, leading him to put his wanderings to an end.
After coming back to the Gym, he realizes the sport is not his anymore it is his and Toru’s, that he is fighting for both of them. This realization pushes him further and we accompany him on this journey where he makes mistakes, gains success and puts it all on test- all of this ultimately culminates in a fight with Carlos Rivera.
9. Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
Aired On- April 6, 2010
Episodes-26
Rainbow: NishaRokubō no Shichinin, is a Japanese manga series written by George Abe and illustrated by MasasumiKakizaki.
An anime television series produced by Madhouse covering 10 volumes of the manga aired from April 6 to September 28, 2010.
This is an Anime that will break your heart and will also make you think. It will break your heart thinking about situations and backgrounds every protagonist in this series faces and will make you think about class distinction, how people view each other and how an act of friendship can transform someone’s life. The friendship the seven boys share is the heart and soul of the series. In the ghastly environment of Shōnan Special Reform School, they become each other’s family and confidant. They provide each other the trust, love and most importantly home that their families failed to provide them.
As far as boxing is concerned it is associated with RokuroutaSakuragi aka Bro. Through him, it is reflected that Boxing is not all about matches and tournaments. It is also about the fighting spirit it induces in you. The sense of protection it fills in you, which makes you everyone’s protector just because you are stronger than them. This latter quality is found in spades in Bro.
It also is a huge example of how supervision affects children. If your guardian is not good then the child’s life will be a battle for him. Therefore our seven protagonists face a life of battlefield in the series because of how their superiors treat them.
10. Baki the Grappler
Aired On- January 8, 2001
Episodes-48
Grappler Baki, known as Baki the Grappler in North America, is a manga series written and illustrated by Keisuke Itagaki. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Champion from 1991 to 1999 and collected into 42 tankōbon volumes by Akita Shoten.
A 24-episode anime aired on TV Tokyo between January 8 and June 25, 2001, and was quickly followed by a second 24-episode series from July 22 to December 24, 2001. An original net animation (ONA) was released on Netflix between June 25 and September 24, 2018, followed by an upcoming second season that will release on June 4, 2020.
This series is about retribution and family dynamics. The latter part is justified by the fact that the protagonist of the series is Baki and the antagonist is none other than his father Yujiro Hanma. Baki throughout the course of this anime functions with one goal only to defeat his father. The reason behind it is that his father murdered his mother.
As a protagonist, Baki is perfect, even though he is from a rich background there is a source of relativity there, mainly because of his dysfunctional family. His mother used him as a centerpiece in the battle for his father’s affection and his father sees nothing in him other than a future competitor. But even in this barrage of hurt, there is some disoriented love and affection which makes him say “Why do I feel the sense of being hugged… whenever I strike him…?” about Yujiro.
11. Levius
Aired on: November 28, 2019
Episodes: 12 episodes
When war comes it washes out the compassion, what lives is the survival instinct. This anime is one of the best anime because it gives the chance to revisit the phrase survival after a war. This story is about a boy Levius who aspires to be a boxer for his survival.
The story is set in the 19th-century world. Imperial City has seen the worst damages of war and is trying to recover gradually. A new sport is emerging in this city, namely metal boxing. This boxing involves boxing and robotic elements.
Levius Cromwell is a young boy who has lost his father in war. He wants to be a celebrated boxer. His uncle Zack trains him so that he can achieve his dream. He trains himself until he masters the skill that he needs to win the games. He aspires to reach the highest rank for the boxers that is a promotion to Grade 1. To achieve the rank Levius needs to defeat Hugo Straus but Hugo was unexpectedly defeated by another boxer A.J. Langdon.
Levius is now responsible for the dignity and pride of the whole human race and the future of the city is now dependent on the ongoing battle between Levius and the other opponents. The story goes on about Levius’s achieving his aspired rank and how his natural talent helps him to fulfill his aim.
War shows the naked world of torture, pain, sorrow and death to a person. This is the reason the basic instincts of a human shows itself in everything after the war. Therefore there is more of a survival instinct that surfaces through the metal boxing event, than the joy of being involved in sports.
12. Slow Step
Aired on: April 12, 1991
Episodes: 5 episodes
In high school stories often there are entries of triangle love scenes, but when sports accompany it, the story becomes more interesting. Therefore, this anime was a favorite of many viewers for a long time.
This story revolves around a triangle relationship. At one end of this triangle, there is MinatsuNakazato, a young softball player. On other ends, there are ShuAkiba, a schoolmate of hers and Naoto Kadomatsu, who is an up-coming boxer.
The story begins as Minatsu, the high school student witnesses a hit and run case and after that, she is continuously threatened by the criminals. To ensure her own safety she disguises herself as Maria. Though her boyfriend Shu was trying to grab her attention he was drastically failing. Minatsu has already set her heart to someone else.
The boy who Minatsu loves is her neighbor Kadomatsu. He is also in love, not with Minatsu, but with her alter identity Maria.
The rivalry between Shu and Kadomatsu adds a bit of spice to this plot. Since Kodamatsu is a wannabe boxer, Shu also joins the boxing club. The crisis looks serious as Shu fails to make Minatsu like him, even after trying hard.
However, the story takes a different turn as in the end, Minatsu is married to a teacher who is a coach of both softball and boxing. Interestingly she ends up with none of the rivals.
There are so many scenes of love, heart-breaks, grace, and happiness to make the audience fall for it. In this anime, the moments of high school days bloom with all its color, vibrancy and joyful moments of youth.
13. One Pound Gospel
Aired on: January 12, 2008
Episodes: 9 episodes
This anime reigned the heart of the viewers for years because of its extremely pretty representation. The genre is also somehow a favorite one of many: a sweet blend of romantic comedy and sports. The talented boxer KosakuHatanaka and his love for sister Angela is the main theme of this anime. But, in every episode, you can see Kosaku fighting with different opponents, like a retiring boxer, a middle-aged boxer, a boxer who cannot punch. There is also the inherent idea of a sportsman and his self-discipline to earn a name for himself.
Kosaku turns into a pro-boxer at the age of 19, as he wins in his debut match with a first-round KO. Though he has the skill, one of his shortcomings is his lack of guts. Another of his major drawbacks is he cannot control his appetite. For sportsmen, especially boxers and wrestlers, losing control of appetite may cause a greater problem. He fails to place himself in the right weight class, he gets knocked out easily, he runs out of energy on matches, he fails to concentrate on matches once he sees food around.
Meanwhile, he meets Sister Angela, a novice nun in a convent near Kosaku’s boxing gym. His unruly life seems to change after their meeting. She becomes his only reason to win in matches. The plot involves how he gets away with his old habits like skipping training, fearing intense workout. This time he wants to impress Angela. This story shows how a weak boxer becomes the boxing champion of Japan.
14. Ganbare Genki
Aired on: July 16, 1980
Episodes: 35 episodes
This is considered to be one of the best sports anime. It is an adaptation of a sports manga by Yu Koyama about HoriguchiGenki. This anime series shows how the determination and love for a dream drive the boy forward to fulfill it.
HoriguchiGenki is a five-year-old boy who lost his mother when he was born and his father raised him. Though his father dreamt of being a professional boxer he failed to do so.
His father’s unfulfilled dream becomes the dream of Genki now. He believes in his father’s skill, strength, and potential to be a champion. This leads him toward dreaming of being a boxing champion. After his father’s death, he is reared by his grandparents who are strictly against his being a boxer. He continues to train himself secretly as he is too determined to let go of his dream.
There was another reason he decided to be a boxer. He considers Syklon Seki as his ultimate rival. His father died of heart failure as Seki earned the title of the boxing champion. For him, a way to avenge his father’s death was to beat him inside the ring and earn the title of boxing champion for himself.
He meets various people throughout the series who inspires him to pursue his dream. Teacher Ashikiwa, who is a look-alike of his mother, Mishima, a high school boxing champion are only two of them. This anime captivates the heart of viewers for years as it motivates them with the story of a little boy who trains himself to be a boxing champion.
15. Ayane’s High Kick
Aired on: January 21, 1997
Episodes: 2 episodes
It is often said that if you want to have a diamond, then there are two stages, first is to identify it and then shape it to a perfect one. The same thing goes with Ayane. She is a typical high school tomboy, who has a dream of being a pro wrestler. Though she participates in a number of auditions for several times, she gets rejected. But she was too determined to give up.
She does not have much skill in wrestling, but her pure determination, potential to be a kickboxer and love for wrestling grabbed the attention of a kickboxing coach Kinimitsu. Ayaneis so engrossed in his aim of being a pro-wrestler that she fails to see that the coach is leading her towards a new journey. She has verbally expressed her disliking about kickboxing. When she goes through a lot of leg exercises for her training, it surprises her.
She is even threatened to be expelled when some of her teachers get to know about her training. Another 21-year-old kickboxer named SakurakoMiyagawa notices the girl and challenges her to be her enemy on the ring. But in the end, nothing can stop her from training well.
Though this anime is only two Episodes, many viewers think that it has the potential to be a full-length series with more than 10 Episodes. There are so many difficulties for Ayane to overcome before she establishes herself is inspiring for many.
16. Rokudenashi Blues
Aired on: July 6, 2011
Episodes: 12 episodes
Once you dream big, the dream should never be left behind, because determination is what achieves a dream. The lead character of this anime proves these words throughout the series. Taison Maeda is a high school student of Teiken High School. His dream is to become the strongest boxer and he wishes to be a world boxing champion one day. The story revolves around how he struggles to fulfill his dream.
The character of Maeda is somewhat portrayed as a much different one considering the most other central characters of sports anime. He is nervous and clumsy. He comes to the spotlight as he hits a teacher on the very day of the entrance ceremony. Though many clubs try to sign him for his power and potential, he chooses to be a loner. The only dream that keeps him going is to be a world boxing champion. Though he is notorious for getting into fights all the time, it only proves that he has a good and fearless heart that accompanies his tough exterior. When his classmate Koheji Nakata gets involved in a fight with students from a rival school, it is Maeda who helps him.
His name is taken from a famous wrestler Akira Maeda and the world’s one of the best heavyweight champions Mike Tyson. The viewers kind of like the human touch in the character. The anime shows a silly and friendly character who values his friends greatly. This is what makes it one of the most popular boxing anime ever-made.
17. Eiji
Aired on: August 25, 1990
Episodes: 1 episodes
In this anime, the two most popular genres blend to give the viewers a wonderful series to enjoy. It has action and comedy and the theme it deals with is boxing. This anime series is adapted from one of the most popular manga of the same name. The story tells the story of a boy named Eiji, a rock guitarist.
One of the world’s legendary boxers KeijiroAkagi has two sons. Eiji is the younger one, who is a high school dropout and most probably the world’s worst rock band guitarist. Though his father and elder brother were boxers, he liked the sport. His interest in boxing started growing after he met the local champion’s little sister.
The character of Eiji is quite funny: he is a troublemaker in his school. He prefers to goof around and follow girls rather than spending his time thinking about anything serious. But somehow his mother was convinced about his potential to be a boxer. Eiji’s journey is the main theme of this anime, and this makes it one of the Shounen anime series on boxing.
Eiji’s skill in boxing and strength often surfaces in different incidents. Though he personally is not interested in Boxing, he is one of those people who gets into fights almost regularly. He is short-tempered and for him, his fists speak first.
Though he thinks that being a boxer is all about hard work, strict diet, poor pay but how in the end he turns into a boxing champion interests the viewers the most.
18. Joe Vs Joe
Aired on: May 25, 2003
Episodes: 6 episodes
This anime is one of the most popular boxing anime series, it’s a sequel of the Ashita no Joe. It is the story of two young boys from different backgrounds, lifestyle finding their solace in boxing. They have totally opposite lifestyles, but both of them get rid of their troubles and torments by fighting each other in a boxing ring.
The characters of Joe Akamine and Joe Yuuki are very different from each other, but both are a favorite of viewers. Though Yuuki is placed as a rival and antagonist of Joe Akamine, his back story makes the viewers sympathize with him.
Joe Akamine is from a middle-income background. He lives an ordinary life and works as a deliveryman. He smiles often and his bright nature attracts people more towards him. That’s how he ends up making a lot of friends. His passion for boxing can be seen as he hits the gym so that he can keep himself in shape for boxing.
On the other hand, Joe Yuuki’s character is from rich family background and his lifestyle is extravagant. He is Shibuya’s best DJ. His character is exactly the opposite of Joe Akamine. He is a lone wolf. His biggest insecurity rises from the incident when both his parents abandon him. He fears kindness as he thinks those people who are kind to him will leave him eventually. That’s what gives him the reason to be the best in everything. He decides to be a boxer after meeting Joe Akamine. This anime shows some interesting boxing matches when these two characters are placed against each other and the audience cannot choose whom to support.
19. Ring ni Kakero 1: Sekai Taikai-Hen
Aired on: October 6, 2004
Episodes: 12 Episodes
This anime is solely based on sports and the theme of this series is boxing. It features Team Golden Japan Junior and the plot is basically about how they win over different teams from around the world in the World Junior Boxing Championship. The team defeats Black Shaft’s makeshift Team USA and proves their worth to the Shadow Clan. This leads them to enter the World Junior Boxing Championship.
To fulfill their aim to be the world champion they need to beat teams from other countries like Mexico, Italy, France, Germany, Greece, etc. The rest of the plot deals with their fight to win over these teams.
This anime is based upon one of the best-selling manga of Japanese Sports magazine. This series also attracted a huge number of viewers. These series run for three seasons. The first season introduces the viewers to the main characters. The story begins as Ryuuji and Jun Kenzaki fight for the National Boxing title and earns stardom. Afterward, the series poses Ryuuji as the successor of Kenzaki, as he was terribly injured.
He fights some strong opponents like IshimatsuKatori, Takeshi Kawai, KazukiSinatora. All the opponent’s characters are different from each other and it adds a great variety to this anime series. IshimatsuKatori is often considered to be comic relief but he is one of the strongest opponents Ryuuji ever fights against. Similarly, Takeshi is the master of the Jab technique and Kazuki is brilliant in the rolling thunder technique.
Later they form a team with Ryuuji, Jun, Katori, Kazuki, Takeshi. These teams fight with other teams from different countries. This anime has captured the hearts of the sports lovers for years with its well-knit plot and wonderful characterization.
20. Burning Blood
Aired On: April 25, 1990
Episodes: 3 episodes
This is a popular Shounen anime that has been adapted from an award-winning popular manga by Osamu Ishiwata. This anime series gained high popularity because of its incorporation of boxing elements. The action of this anime series is mind-blowing. The main protagonist of the story is Ryo Takagi. He is a trumpet player, playing for a band. But, his natural fighter persona surfaces when he sees some adverse situation and he fights with full passion. This gives a hint about his upcoming transition as an excellent boxer.
The plot approaches a turning when one day Ryou is jumped by a motorcycle gang after he leaves the club where he plays trumpet. The situation goes worse as it causes a traffic accident. For this Ryou is arrested and is compelled to do time in jail. After a certain time when he is released, he has become a skilled boxer. He names himself B.B. as in Burning Blood.
When he suffers a great defeat at the hands of a young fighter named Jin Moriyoma, he decides to get back to him. He trades his trumpet for boxing gloves. He desired a rematch between him and Jin Moriyoma, in the same way, Moriyoma wants it: a proper boxing match inside a boxing ring.
The portrayal of Ryou’s character goes with the trend of angry young men that is quite common in the anime of the 90s. Besides the angry young man personality, the unique strength, power and determination level that this character shows makes him one of the best shounen anime characters. Though it is one of the very short action anime, it still successfully gained a lot of popularity within its short running time.
21. Blazing Transfer student
Aired On: May 21, 1991
Episodes: 2 episodes
Though this anime is often categorized in the genre of humor or parody, it is also a boxing anime. In this short duration of two Episodes, there are at least two OVA boxing matches and they are interesting enough to make the viewers yell in support of their favorite candidate. This anime is an adaptation of a popular manga written and illustrated by Kazuhiko Shimamoto.
The story is about a transfer student named Takizawa Noboru. He gets transferred to a school where most disputes are settled by fighting. Soon after he gets into a fight with the school bully IbukiSaburo. He was having a boxing match with “God’s Hall Monitor” JounouchiKouchi. It was decided that the winner of the boxing match will get to date beautiful Yukari.
Takizawa Noboru is enchanted by the beauty of lovely Yukari and decides to intervene in the match that Ibuki has almost won by using his foul techniques. The first match between Ibuki and Takizawa ends with Ibuki as a winner, who concluded the match with a deadly match. But from beginning to end the viewers supported Takizawa. He decides to fight back. The second match has Takizawa as the winner. He concludes the match with a master punch and wins a date with Yukari.
This anime is extremely popular with young viewers since it has two most popular themes, love and sports intermingled. The viewers enjoy the exciting boxing matches between the competitors and the presence of Yukari character fills the Episodes with her grace.
22. Crocotires traction AAA
Aired on: 1999
Episodes: 1 episode
This anime is different from most other anime of this genre. Most sports anime use human beings as their character and deal with their determination, emotion and the viewers fall for the struggle that the main characters undergo. The sympathy for the protagonist makes the viewer stay connected and the strength of these characters motivates them as well. Crocotires traction AAA is far different from them. All the main protagonists of this anime are Tires.
Though it is a short running anime, it is powerful enough to make its way to the list of best boxing anime. The tires of this anime live in a different world, where they are powerful, strong and show emotions also. There is a huge garbage dump, where these old tires are piled up.
Once it is the late-night the silent garbage dump fires up with the fighting spirit of the habitats and the old useless tires turn into strong opponents of each other to fight in the boxing ring. Their appearances change to accommodate the powerful image of them.
The personification that turns old useless tires lying in the garbage into strong fighters with fighter spirit is excellently incorporated while planning this anime.
This somehow indicates how a calm person can even stir up into a strong fighter. Though this anime received the most response from the children, it was voted as an excellent anime by many adults. The personification of unusual objects is common in anime, but the theme of boxing makes it more interesting and enjoyable. The Anime has been widely applauded with many reviewers describing it as “very compelling” and a “demented fighting manga”.
