is a critically acclaimed boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

 manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 written by Ikki Kajiwara

Ikki Kajiwara

was a Japanese author, manga writer, and film producer, also known under the pseudonym . His real name is . The pseudonym was used since he was writing for a rival magazine at the time. Having multiple names would not allow overlaps by the two magazines...

 and illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba

Tetsuya Chiba

is a Japanese manga artist famous for his sports stories.He was born in Tokyo, Japan, but lived most of his early childhood in Manchuria when it was still a Japanese colony during the Second Sino-Japanese War. His father was working in a paper factory during that time they lived in China. One of...

 in 1968 that was later adapted into an anime series and movie. It is most commonly referred to as Ashita no Joe. Outside Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 it is also referred to as Rocky Joe or Joe. It was adapted into a live-action film starring popular actor/singer Tomohisa Yamashita

Tomohisa Yamashita

, also widely known as Yamapi, is a Japanese idol, actor, and singer.Yamashita joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of 11 and made his official CD debut with NEWS in 2004. He debuted as a solo artist in 2006 with the hit single "Daite Senorita". His first solo...

 as Yabuki Joe and Yūsuke Iseya

Yusuke Iseya

is a Japanese actor.He was born in Tokyo, Japan. With his modeling career , Yūsuke is known for Loreal , Men's Nonno magazine, Prada , and Asahi Aqua Blue....

 as Rikishi. The movie premiered in Japan on February 11, 2011.

Story

Joe Yabuki is a troubled young man who runs away from an orphanage

Orphanage

An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...

. Wandering through the Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 slums, he meets former boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

 trainer Danpei. Joe is later arrested and goes to a temporary jail where he fights Nishi, his future best friend and leader of a group of hooligans. He and Nishi then go to a juvenile prison miles away from Tokyo. There Joe meets Rikiishi, a former boxing prodigy, and a rivalry develops between them. They face each other in a match in which Rikiishi dominates Joe until the latter hits him with a cross-counter

Cross-counter

A cross-counter is a counter-attack begun immediately after an opponent throws a jab, exploiting the opening in the opponent's position....

, resulting in both being knocked out. This inspires the other prison inmates to take up boxing. Joe and Rikiishi vow to fight again.

Danpei instructs Joe in the ways of boxing, but then Joe defeats a young underdog named Aoyama, whom most of the prison made fun of for being so small. Danpei temporarily takes Aoyama under his wing and "abandons" Joe. This causes Joe to feel mentally broken and becomes scared of Aoyama because Danpei is teaching him. Joe takes part in the Prison Boxing Tournament. In the semi-finals he faces Aoyama. Joe, being the aggressive fighter that he is, is unable to hit Aoyama who specializes in speed. Joe then learns to effectively defend himself and defeats Aoyama. In the finals, when Rikiishi is scheduled to leave the prison, Joe challenges him to a fight right there and then. Joe cheats by having rocks in his gloves due to exhaustion from his previous match.

Upon his release from prison, Joe manages to go up to Bantamweight

Bantamweight

Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...

, but it isn't easy and Danpei has a very tough time getting him a boxing license due to his past record. Joe then fights a rookie champion boxer named Wolf Kanagushi. Wolf is also a cross-counter specialist and they are thus both considered wolves. Joe challenges Wolf in a locker room brawl in which they both knock each other out. This causes Wolf to have a grudge against Joe and, in retaliation, he harms the neighborhood kids, giving Joe even more motivation to defeat Wolf. Both boxers go under special disclosed training and in the subsequent fight Joe manages to perform a triple-cross counter on Wolf. Joe then earns the right to fight Rikiishi in the professional ring.

Because Rikiishi is three weight classes above Joe, he has to cut down on lots of weight and go under a super-strenuous weight loss program. The result is that he becomes as skinny as bones. To compensate for the power that he has lost, Rikiishi relentlessly trains in uppercut boxing, throwing uppercuts till they hit the opponents. Eventually the two great rivals fight each other. Rikiishi defeats Joe but dies as he is about to shake Joe's hand due to an extremely hard blow to the temple. This marks the end of the first story arc.

(In real-life, a full funeral in honor of Rikiishi was held in the offices of the Kodansha publishing company.)

The story resumes with flashbacks of the match between Joe and Rikiishi as a distant memory. Joe is still shaken up from that match, both mentally and physically. Eventually he returns to his old club and starts training again. Soon after, during matches, his trainer Danpei realises that Joe is having a serious problem with boxing: he is not giving shots to the face. Obviously Rikiishi's death was more of a shock than was first realised. It takes Joe quite some time to get over it and costs him three straight losses. But then he finally conquers his fears when he faces the globally #6 ranked Carlos Rivera. The fight ends with a draw, yet it gives Joe tremendous fame and respect around the world, especially since Rivera was going to face the World Champion Jose Mendoza in his next match.

Joe starts to climb up the boxing ladder, but considering he grew a few inches taller, he had to cut weight which proved to be extremely difficult. He finally defeats the Asian–Pacific Champion, Ryuhi Kin, a Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

n boxer who accidentally killed his father thinking he was a hungry soldier who was returning to his son to get him food during the Korean War. As a result of this, he developed a phobia of blood. Joe has quite a bit of trouble in this match, because he feels an inferiority complex considering Kin is able to handle weight without a problem and Joe feeling weak as a result of the lost weight. After winning the title match, Joe has several successful title defense matches and wins them all, ultimately defending it against the Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

n fighter Harimau. His unorthodox fighting style is unpredictable but Joe manages to successfully defend his title. He is now given the chance to face the World Champion Jose Mendoza, who defeated Carlos Rivera with a KO punch in the first round, ending his boxing career.

Joe faces Mendoza. He fights relentlessly without giving up, no matter how many punches Jose hits him with. The match goes back and forth with Joe able to knock down the Champion more than once. In some instances, becoming the newly crowned World Champion is nearly within reach. Meanwhile, Mendoza sees in Joe's eyes the ghosts of other boxers whom he destroyed throughout his career.

The match goes all of its fifteen rounds. It ends with Joe slumped on a stool in his corner of the ring, tired and bruised but with a smile on his face after his greatest title match against the World Champion. He requests that his gloves be removed and gives them to Youko Shiraki, who confessed her true feelings for him before the match.

There is much tension in the air as they await the judges' verdict : It goes in favour of Jose Mendoza. He looks fragile and old — his hair has turned white. Joe's coach turns to console him only to find that he has died of his injuries, with a smile on his face.

Concept

The series debuted as a manga in Weekly Shōnen Magazine

Weekly Shonen Magazine

, also known as Shōnen Magazine, is a shōnen manga magazine published by Kodansha, first published on 17 March 1959. Despite some unusual censorship policies , it's mainly read by an older audience, with a large portion of its readership falling under the male high school or college...

at a time when considerable economic and social upheaval was transforming Japanese culture in the late 1960s. Joe was essentially the tragic hero representing the struggle of the lower class. His trial and sacrifice to the sport was a semi-reflection of the will of the people he was representing. By the 1970s, manga readers and college students across Japan would turn the character into an icon.

Staff

Author: Asao Takamori

Illustrator: Tetsuya Chiba

Tetsuya Chiba

is a Japanese manga artist famous for his sports stories.He was born in Tokyo, Japan, but lived most of his early childhood in Manchuria when it was still a Japanese colony during the Second Sino-Japanese War. His father was working in a paper factory during that time they lived in China. One of...

Screenwriter: Osamu Dezaki

Osamu Dezaki

, also known as , , or , was a Japanese director of anime born on November 18, 1943, in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. His older brother, Satoshi Dezaki, is also an anime director....

 (Ashita no Jōe 1), Shun'ichi Yukimuro

Shun'ichi Yukimuro

Shun'ichi Yukimuro is a veteran screenwriter for television anime series. During a career spanning some four decades, Yukimuro has written over 3,000 TV anime scenarios, including episodes of many classic series produced by the Toei Animation studio...

 (Gekijōban), Tadaaki Yamazaki (Ashita no Jōe 2)

Director: Osamu Dezaki

Osamu Dezaki

, also known as , , or , was a Japanese director of anime born on November 18, 1943, in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. His older brother, Satoshi Dezaki, is also an anime director....

 (Ashita no Jōe 1), Mizubo Nishikubo (Gekijōban), Toshio Takeuchi (Ashita no Jōe 2)

Episode Director: Yoshiyuki Tomino

Yoshiyuki Tomino

is a Japanese mecha anime creator, director, screenwriter and novelist. He was born in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, and studied at Nihon University's College of Art...

Producer: Atsushi Tomioka, Koji Bessho

Design: Akio Sugino

Art: Tetsuya Chiba

Tetsuya Chiba

is a Japanese manga artist famous for his sports stories.He was born in Tokyo, Japan, but lived most of his early childhood in Manchuria when it was still a Japanese colony during the Second Sino-Japanese War. His father was working in a paper factory during that time they lived in China. One of...

, Teiichi Akashi

Animation Director: Akihiro Kanayama, Akio Sugino, Shingo Araki

Shingo Araki

was a Japanese animation artist and character designer. He developed an interest for drawing at age five. He graduated in Aichi Prefecture. In 1955, at age eighteen, he debuted as a cartoonist in the "Machi" magazine. He then joined Mushi Production as animator in 1965 and later founded Studio...

Music: Masao Yagi

Tange Gym

, nickname is

Voiced by: Teruhiko Aoi, Kei Tomiyama

Kei Tomiyama

, better known by his stage name , was a Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator from Anshan, Manchukuo. During his life, Tomiyama was affiliated with Aoni Production and Production Baobab....

 (Pilot Film), Yoshito Yasuhara

Yoshito Yasuhara

is an actor and seiyū born on November 17, 1949 in Aioi, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. He is a member of Theatre Echo, a theatre troupe and talent management firm known for its comedy sketches...

 (Radio Drama)

Live-Action Film: Shōji Ishibashi (1970), Tomohisa Yamashita

Tomohisa Yamashita

, also widely known as Yamapi, is a Japanese idol, actor, and singer.Yamashita joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of 11 and made his official CD debut with NEWS in 2004. He debuted as a solo artist in 2006 with the hit single "Daite Senorita". His first solo...

 (2011)

Italian Name: Rocky Joe

The protagonist of the story. An OPBF Champion and 4th in the World Ranking. He is known for his long bangs and for always wearing a worn out beige coat and a red flat cap

Flat cap

A flat cap is a rounded men or women's cap with a small stiff brim in front. Cloths used to make the cap include original wool, tweed , and cotton. Less common materials may include leather. Cord flat caps are also worn in various colours. The inside of the cap is usually lined with silk for...

. Not long after birth he found himself in many orphanages and facilities. However, he quickly grew tired of the boring life and frequently escaped, eventually finding his way to the Doya Town the story takes place in.

Joe is rude and quick to fight, but he can also be very frivolous at times. Because of his rough upbringing he is a delinquent who likes his solitude, but he later grows to appreciate his new friends and rivals. He is not very good at understanding women, and essentially only treats them nice out of giri

Giri

is a Japanese value roughly corresponding to "duty", "obligation", or even "burden of obligation" in English. It is defined as "to serve one's superiors with a self-sacrificing devotion" by Namiko Abe. Indeed, the conflict between giri and ninjō, or human feeling, is said to have been the primary...

. As a result of Riki'ishi's death, he temporarily suffers from yips and cannot hit people in the temple, but he later overcomes this. This allows him to move past the loss of Riki'ishi.

He is a bantamweight

Bantamweight

Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...

 and his specialties include the cross counter and the No Guard stance. He has extraordinary punching strength, fortitude, and fighting spirit, often standing up after taking killer blows and has been known to counter

Counterattack

A counterattack is a tactic used in response against an attack. The term originates in military strategy. The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy in attack and the specific objectives are usually to regain lost ground or to destroy attacking enemy units.It is...

 cross-counters (a double-cross), possessing a raw, natural talent for the sport. He has even countered double crosses with a triple-cross, implying he has high-level technical abilities. Following his fight with Riki'ishi, he begins to better develop his guarding. During his fight with Jose, he even unconsciously uses Jose's own corkscrew punch against him.

Voiced by: Jūkei Fujioka, Takeshi Aono

Takeshi Aono

is a Japanese voice actor and actor from Asahikawa, Hokkaidō affiliated with Aoni Production. He graduated from Hokkaidō Asahikawa Higashi High School....

 (Boxing Mania Video Game), Akira Nagoya (Pilot Film), Haruhiko Saitō (Radio Drama)

Live-Action Film: Ryūtarō Tatsumi (1970), Teruyuki Kagawa (2011)

Voiced by: Toku Nishio

Toku Nishio

was a Japanese actor and voice actor from Gifu Prefecture, Japan. He was represented by Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society.He was most known for the roles of Mammoth Nishi , Musashi , and Mister Popo ....

, Jiro Daruma (Ashita no Joe 2), Shiro Kishibe

Shiro Kishibe

, born 7 June 1949, is an actor from Kyoto, Japan.He played the role of Sandy in Monkey. Before becoming an actor, Kishibe was a member of a Japanese band called The Tigers. On some songs he sang vocals. He has an elder brother, Ittoku Kishibe, who is also an actor, and a leader and bassist in The...

 (Film), Daisuke Gōri

Daisuke Gori

was a Japanese voice actor, narrator and actor from Kōtō, Tokyo. Throughout his life, he was attached to TV Talent Center Tokyo, Yoshizawa Theatre School and then Mausu Promotion; he was attached to Aoni Production at the time of his death. His real name, as well as his former stage name, was...

 (Boxing Mania Video Game)

Live-Action Film: Masaaki Yamamoto (1970), Katsuya (2011)

Real name

Shiraki Gym

Voiced by: Kazuko Nishizawa, Masako Ebisu (ep. 34~44), Emi Tanaka (Ashita no Joe 2), Fumi Dan

Fumi Dan

is a Japanese actress. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 17th Japan Academy Prize for her role in Bloom in the Moonlight...

 (Film)

Live-Action Film: Yōko Takagi (1970), Karina (2011)

Voiced by: Shūsei Nakamura

Shusei Nakamura

is a former Japanese voice actor. Throughout his career he was represented by 81 Produce and later Production Baobab. He has referred to both Tokyo and Nagano Prefecture as his hometown....

, Toshiyuki Hosokawa

Toshiyuki Hosokawa

was a Japanese actor and disc jockey, whose credits included roles in television, film, stage and musical theater. He reached prominence in Japan for his starring role in the 1970 film Eros Plus Massacre, which was directed by Yoshishige Yoshida.Hosokawa was a raised in Fukuoka Prefecture...

 (Film), Hideyuki Hori

Hideyuki Hori

is a Japanese voice actor and younger brother of fellow voice actor Yukitoshi Hori and works at Aoni Production. He is most known for his roles in Saint Seiya , Sakigake!! Otokojuku , Kinnikuman , Mobile Fighter G Gundam , and the Dead or Alive series and Ninja Gaiden .-Career:Along...

 (Boxing Mania Video Game), Kōji Shimizu

Koji Shimizu

is a retired male long-distance runner from Japan. He set his personal best in the men's marathon event on March 2, 2003 at the Lake Biwa Marathon.-Achievements:*All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise...

 (Radio Drama)

Live-Action Film: Seiichirō Kameishi (1970), Yūsuke Iseya

Yusuke Iseya

is a Japanese actor.He was born in Tokyo, Japan. With his modeling career , Yūsuke is known for Loreal , Men's Nonno magazine, Prada , and Asahi Aqua Blue....

 (2011)

Italian Name: Toro Riki

Voiced by: Tamio Ōki

Tamio Oki

is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Tokyo. He is currently attached to Mausu Promotion.-Television animation:*Appleseed *Astro Boy *Cat's Eye *El-Hazard is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Tokyo. He is currently attached to Mausu Promotion.-Television animation:*Appleseed...

Live-Action Film: Bontarō Miake (1970), Masahiko Tsugawa

Masahiko Tsugawa

, born Masahiko Kato on January 2, 1940 in Kyoto, Japan is a Japanese actor and director.He made his debut at the age of 16 in the Kō Nakahira film Crazed Fruit in 1956. Tsugawa's family was heavily involved in the film industry since before his birth...

 (2011)

Rivals

Voiced by: Osamu Katō, Gorō Naya

Goro Naya

is a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and theatre director from Hakodate, Hokkaidō. He is a drop-out of the legal education division of Ritsumeikan University. He is connected to Theatre Echo. He is the older brother of actor and seiyū Rokurō Naya. He is the husband of actress and seiyū...

 (Ashita no Joe 2)

Live-Action Film: Speedy Hayase (1970), Mitsuki Koga

Mitsuki Koga

Mitsuki Koga born January 16, 1975, is a Japanese actor who is known to be featured in films that involve much martial arts...

 (2011)

Voiced by: Keiko Yokozawa

Keiko Yokozawa

, born September 2, 1952 in Niigata, Japan, is a Japanese seiyū.She is most known for the roles of Dorami , Mami Sakura , Benio Hanamura , and Sheeta -External links:...

 (Ashita no Joe 2)

Wolf's fiancée.

Voiced by: Yoku Shioya

Yoku Shioya

is a Japanese voice actor debuting in Umi no Triton . Recently he has done some voice directing in such anime as Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls. His real name is Tsubasa Shioya...

 (Ashita no Joe 2)

Jun's little brother.

Voiced by: Taichirō Hirokawa

Taichiro Hirokawa

was a Japanese seiyū and narrator. He was born in Tokyo on February 15, 1940. He died on March 3, 2008 in Shibuya from cancer. He was 68. His death was announced at the beginning of the 2nd Seiyu Awards.-Anime:*Ashita no Joe...

, Ryūsei Nakao

Ryusei Nakao

, known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor, singer, and voice actor from Tōkyō Metropolis, Japan. He is attached to 81 Produce. He has also worked under the name of ....

 (Ashita no Joe 2), Joe Yamanaka

Joe Yamanaka

, better known as Joe Yamanaka, was a half Japanese and half African American singer, known for both his work with Flower Travellin' Band and as a solo musician. He was also an actor and appeared in many movies, such as Takashi Miike's Deadly Outlaw: Rekka and the 1989 version of Zatoichi...

 (Film)

Voiced by: Takeshi Kuwabara, Michihiro Ikemizu

Michihiro Ikemizu

is a Japanese voice actor from Kanagawa Prefecture and a graduate of Waseda University who works for Aoni Production.Among his other roles, he has performed the characters Onsen-Mark , Isao Ohta and Kinnikuman Super Phoenix .-TV anime:*Ashita no Joe 2 *Attacker You!...

 (Ashita no Joe 2)

Carlos Rivera's manager.

Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto

Norio Wakamoto

is a veteran male seiyū and budō expert affiliated with Sigma Seven. He was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and was raised in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University...

 (Ashita no Joe 2)

Voiced by: Takashi Taguchi

Takashi Taguchi

is a Japanese voice actor.-Anime:*Aoki Ryusei SPT Layzner*Cat's Eye as Variety*City Hunter: Goodbye my Sweetheart as Gen*Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion as General Cao; Rear vassal *Eternal Family as Drunkard A*Ganso Tensai Bakabon...

 (Ashita no Joe 2)

Italian Name: Hamario

Voiced by: Yoshito Miyamura (Ashita no Joe 2), Masami Okada (film)

Voiced by: Chikao Ōtsuka, Takeshi Watabe

Takeshi Watabe

was a Japanese voice actor. He was born in Kōchi Prefecture. He usually played villains and performed the voices for many anime characters and tokusatsu villains. He is most famous for voicing Kaminari in Doraemon...

 (Ashita no Joe 2)

Voiced by: Shōzō Iizuka

Shozo Iizuka

is a male Japanese voice actor from Fukushima Prefecture who is affiliated with Sigma Seven. He graduated from the fine arts department of Nihon University....

, Hiroya Ishimaru

Hiroya Ishimaru

is a Japanese voice actor most famous for performing the role of Kouji Kabuto in the 1972 series Mazinger Z and its sequels. He also gave voice to Tutty from Bosco Adventure and recently voiced Ultraman Taro in Ultraman Story, Ultraman Mebius, and Ultraman Mebius and Ultra Brothers He is also the...

 (Ashita no Joe 2)

Chibi-tachi

Voiced by: Fuyumi Shiraishi

Fuyumi Shiraishi

is a Japanese voice actor.-Voice Roles:*Ashita no Joe *Osomatsu-kun 1966 *Obake no Q-Taro 1985 *Kaibutsu-kun 1968 *Mobile Suit Gundam 1979-1980 *Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam 1985...

Live-Action Film: Rina Hatakeyama (2011)

Voiced by: Keiko Ushizaki, Junko Hori

Junko Hori

is a Japanese actress and voice actor represented by Production Baobab.She is known as the voice of the protagonists in 3 Fujiko Fujio works, Obake no Q-tarō, Ninja Hattori-kun, and Chinpui...

 (Ashita no Joe 2)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Masuoka, Kiyonobu Suzuki

Kiyonobu Suzuki

is a Japanese voice actor. His most famous role is perhaps Hayato Kobayashi in Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, and the MSG Movie Trilogy.-Anime roles:*AD Police Files as Hyde Kashew...

 (Ashita no Joe 2)

Voiced by: Kaneta Kimotsuki

Kaneta Kimotsuki

is a Japanese voice actor who was born in Kagoshima.He is most known for the roles of Suneo Honekawa , Dracula , Pāyan , Iyami , Tom , Benzou Karino , Horrorman , Conductor and Jiminy Cricket is a Japanese voice actor who was born in Kagoshima.He is most known for the roles of Suneo Honekawa...

Voiced by: Noriko Tsukase

Noriko Tsukase

was a Japanese voice actress and chanson singer active during the 1970s and 1980s.Tsukase was born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. Her most popular roles included Spank in Ohayō! Spank, Miss Alphonne in the original Cutie Honey TV series, and Non in Majokko Megu-chan...

Voiced by: Jōji Yanami

Joji Yanami

is a Japanese voice actor currently represented by Aoni Production.- Television :* Ookami Shōnen Ken , Boss* Hustle Punch , Professor Garigari/Garigari Hagase* Osomatsu-kun , Tou-san...

, Hiroko Maruyama (Ashita no Joe 2)

Voiced by: Mitsuko Asō

Hayashi Family

Voiced by: Kaoru Ozawa, Kei Moriwaki (Ashita no Joe 2)

Voiced by: Setsuo Wakui, Minoru Yada

Minoru Yada

is a Japanese voice actor.-Anime:*Professor Shikishima in Tetsujin 28-go *Silas in Adventures of Tom Sawyer *Grandpa in Kashi no Ki Mokku...

 (Ashita no Joe 2)

Voiced by: Teruko Abe, Shō Saitō (Ashita no Joe 2)

DVD

On March 2, 2005 the complete original 1970 anime series was released by Nippon Columbia on 2 DVD box sets covering 33 hour 55 minutes of footage across 79 episodes spanning 16 disks. It also includes an all-color explanation book in 3 volumes totaling 120 pages.

Previous release formats include mini-box sets on September 21, 2001 and individual disks on September 21, 2002.

Influence

When the fans of the series saw the death of Rikiishi, there was a special funeral for him. In March 1970, about 700 people packed the streets dressed in black, wearing black armbands and ribbons with flowers and incense, participated in the funeral. The event was called for by poet Shūji Terayama

Shuji Terayama

was an avant-garde Japanese poet, dramatist, writer, film director, and photographer. According to many critics and supporters, he was one of the most productive and provocative creative artists to come out of Japan. He was born December 10, 1935, the only son of Hachiro and Hatsu Terayama in...

. The service was conducted in a full scale boxing ring watched over by a Buddhist priest.

Joe Yabuki is still a cult favorite in Japanese pop culture to the present day. On October 13, 2006, it was voted "Japanese Favorite TV Anime" placing 4 out of 100 among celebrities votes.

Sequels

The Ashita no Joe movie was introduced in 1980 reusing footages from the TV series to form an identical story but much reduced in length. It was to bridge the gap for audiences who were about to see the 2nd half of the series named Ashita no Joe 2. The 2nd series featured new directors, as it synced up with the final half of the manga. It was in this series in 1973 that Joe's career climaxed in the anime with the memorable finale. He collapsed into the ring corner after 15 rounds. His fate was left open for discussion as the readers don't know whether he lived or died. However, in the last volume of Ashita no Joe the death of Joe is actually confirmed by the author at the very end of the book.

Video games

Title	Alternate Titles	Publisher	Developer	Platform	Release Date
Ashita no Joe		Taito Taito Taito may mean:*Taito Corporation, a Japanese developer of video game software and arcade hardware*Taito, Tokyo, a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan*Taito, also known as matai, paramount chiefs according to Fa'a Samoa...	Wave Corp	Arcade Arcade game An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...	1990
Ashita no Joe Densetsu Legend of Success Joe is a boxing video game created by Wave Corp. and released for the Neo-Geo arcade and home system. The game is based on Tomorrow's Joe , a manga created by Tetsuya Chiba and Asao Takamori in the early 1970s, that was also adapted into several anime series...	Legend of Success Joe	SNK SNK SNK is a former name of SNK Playmore, a Japanese video game company . This may also refer to:* SNK European Democrats* SNK Union of Independents* Southeast Airlines ICAO code...	Wave Corp	Neo Geo Neo Geo (console) The is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released on July 1, 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s...	1991
Ashita no Joe		K Amusement Leasing	Wave Corp	SNES Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...	November 27, 1992
Boxing Mania: Ashita no Joe	Boxing Mania	Konami Konami is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...		Arcade Arcade game An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...	2001
Ashita no Joe Touchi: Typing Namida Hashi	Ashita no Joe Keyboard Pack	Sunsoft	Sunsoft	PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...	March 29, 2001
Ashita no Joe 2: The Anime Super Remix		Capcom Capcom is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...	Capcom Capcom is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...	PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...	June 20, 2002
Ashita no Joe Masshiro ni Moe Tsukiro!		Konami Konami is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...		PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...	December 4, 2003
Ashita no Joe Makkani Moeagare!			Konami Konami is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...	Game Boy Advance Game Boy Advance The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...	December 4, 2003
Ashita no Joe Masshiro ni Moe Tsukiro! Konami the Best	Ashita no Joe Masshiro ni Moe Tsukiro! Greatest Hits	Konami Konami is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...		PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...	July 8, 2004

In popular culture

• The final shot of Joe on the chair in the manga is also the cover of the Ashita no Joe Masshiro ni Moe Tsukiro! PlayStation 2
  PlayStation 2
  The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
  
   video game.
• Masami Kurumada
  Masami Kurumada
  is a Japanese manga artist and writer, known for specializing in fighting manga featuring bishōnen and/or mahō shōnen. He is famous as the creator/author of popular manga, such as Ring ni Kakero, Fūma no Kojirō, Saint Seiya and B't X. His male protagonists are a reflection of the classical and...
  
   (famous for Saint Seiya
  Saint Seiya
  , also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
  
  ) did a tribute to Ashita No Joe by creating Ring ni Kakero
  Ring ni Kakero
  , or Put It All in the Ring, is a manga created by Masami Kurumada. A total of 25 volumes were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1977 and 1981.- Plot :...
  
  .
• Parental groups blamed Ashita No Joe for teaching young children to be rebellious and anti-social towards Japanese family values during its early release.
• In episode 63 of Urusei Yatsura
  Urusei Yatsura
  is a comedic manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi that premiered in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in 1978 and ran until its conclusion in 1987. Its 374 individual chapters were collected and published in 34 tankōbon volumes. The series tells the story of Ataru Moroboshi, and the alien...
  
  , Ryuunosuke Fujinami cross punches her father, just like Joe did against Wolf Kanagushi. Ataru Moroboshi
  Ataru Moroboshi
  is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Rumiko Takahashi's manga and anime series Urusei Yatsura. He is sometimes considered a teenage version of the character Nobita Nobi from Fujiko Fujio's popular manga Doraemon by many anime fans.-History:...
  
   mentions the name of that attack, which Rikiishi thought to himself as Joe had countered Wolf in that locker room scene. as Joe did in the finale.
• The character Dudley from Street Fighter III
  Street Fighter III
  is a fighting game in Capcom's Street Fighter series, originally released as coin-operated arcade game in . Street Fighter III was produced for the CD-ROM-based CP System III hardware, which allowed for more elaborate 2D graphics than the CPS II-based Street Fighter Alpha games , while revamping...
  
  has a special move called the "Cross Counter" which is a tribute to Tomorrow's Joe.
• The character Takeshi Sendo from Fighting Spirit is an homage to Joe- his hairstyle, fighting style, and brash image are all particularly reminiscent of Joe.
• In the OVA series Ayane's High Kick
  Ayane's High Kick
  is a two-episode anime series produced by Nikkatsu Corporation and Rikuentai. It was originally released as an original video animation in Japan in 1997 and was licensed for release in North America by U.S. Manga Corps in 1998...
  
  , Ayane's trainer is named Kunimitsu Tange, obviously a reference to Danpei Tange. Early in the first episode, When Ayane asks him what gym he's from, he responds by saying, "It's called Tange Gym", to which Ayane responds, "Tange Gym? It sounds kinda familiar...or maybe not".
• In episode 65 of the anime Sonic X
  Sonic X
  is an anime series based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. It was produced in Japan by TMS Entertainment with the partnership of Sega and was created by Sonic Team and Sonic Project. In the United States, 4Kids currently owns and manages copyright and branding of the series.- Series 1 ...
  
  , there is a scene in the original Japanese version that heavily references to Tomorrow's Joe. It features Tails
  Miles "Tails" Prower
  , better known by his nickname , is a character, as well as the main deuteragonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games, comics, animated series and film released by Sega....
  
   and Cosmo, a pairing throughout the series' third season, in a scene that directly parodied the Tomorrow's Joe series, in character design and appearance. 4Kids' version, however, removed references to the anime from American audiences.
• Chapter 3 of Bakuman
  Bakuman
  Bakuman, stylized as , is a shōnen manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, the same creative team responsible for Death Note...
  
  , by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, Akito and Mashiro discuss their favorite manga, and Mashiro says his is "Ashita No Joe." Akito responds saying it made him want to be a boxer, this is agreed with by Mashiro.
• Throughout the critically acclaimed manga 20th Century Boys
  20th Century Boys
  is a science fiction-mystery manga created by Naoki Urasawa. It won the 2001 Kodansha Manga Award in the General category, an Excellence Prize at the 2002 Japan Media Arts Festival, and the 2003 Shogakukan Manga Award in the General category. The last two volumes of the story were serialized under...
  
  several scenes are shown with characters reading copies of Ashita no Joe in Friend's library. The protagonist Kenji also takes the name Yabuki Joe when addressing a crossing guard.
• Togashi from Sakigake!! Otokojuku
  Sakigake!! Otokojuku
  by Akira Miyashita is a comedy martial arts manga that was originally serialized at the Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1985 to 1991. It is staged in a private boy's school that teaches ōendan to troubled teenagers. The students are trained to "revive the Spirit of Japan" and mainly engage in fighting or...
  
  is reading Ashita no Joe manga before fight with Mick Kong in episode 13. He wants to learn about box, because he never done boxing in his life.

External links

• Chiba Tetsuya Official Site
• Character Profile
• Official Konami website of Ashita no Joe Makkani Moeagare!
• Official Konami website of Ashita no Joe Masshiro ni Moe Tsukiro!