Line #119 Manga/HajimeNoIppo


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7	[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hajime_no_ippo4.jpg]]
8	[[caption-width-right:320:''"I want to be reborn ... Takamura-san, how does it feel to be strong?"'']]
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10	Ippo Makunouchi is a shy high school boy. Having lost his father at an early age, he spends all his free time helping his mother run their fishing boat business. His introverted nature and his lack of any real friends attracts a group of bullies, who regularly beat him up.
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12	During one of these beating-up sessions, Ippo meets Mamoru Takamura, a professional boxer, who rescues him and discovers his powerful punch. Ippo joins the Kamogawa Boxing Gym and begins his journey towards the Japanese featherweight title and the real meaning of strength.
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14	The manga '''''Hajime no Ippo''''' ("はじめの一歩", English title: "The First Step/Fighting Spirit" and Filipino title: "Knockout"), written by Jyoji Morikawa, has been running since 1989, spans more than 130 volumes and is currently one of the longest manga series ever. The series has reached its ''1,300th'' chapter as of 2021, an extremely impressive feat in the manga industry. From October 2000 to March 2002, a 76-episode anime adaptation, titled ''Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting Spirit'' ran on the Nippon TV Network. One TV movie, ''Champion Road'', and an OVA, ''Kimura v. Mashiba'', were aired soon after.
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16	On January 6 2009, the second season, titled ''Hajime no Ippo: The New Challenger'', started airing on the Nippon TV Network and ran for 26 episodes. A [[http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=9982 third season]], titled ''Hajime no Ippo: Rising'' premiered in Fall 2013, and contained 25 episodes.
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18	Ippo, Takamura and friends appear in the MassiveMultiplayerCrossover game, VideoGame/SundayVSMagazineShuuketsuChoujouDaikessen.
19	----
20	!!Tropes featured in ''Hajime no Ippo'' include:
21	* AccidentalAthlete: Ippo is this at the start thanks to a lifetime of working at his mother's fishing business giving him an excellent physical body. This is due to all the years of carrying heavy fishing coolers to and from boats by himself as well as having a strong lower body and balance thanks to his time working on constantly moving fishing boats. Nonetheless, Ippo still trains very hard instead of relying on natural ability.
22	* TheAce:
23	** Eiji Date is a more Down to Earth version, being confident, strong, and talented enough to give Ippo his first professional loss.
24	** Gold medalist David "Golden" Eagle almost beat the inimitable Takamura with his boxing clinic until he pulled an HonorBeforeReason and avoided hitting Takamura's bleeding eye to beat him "fair and square".
25	** Calling [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk Takamura]] an ace is... well, you get the idea.[[note]]For those who don't know, Takamura is a multi-weight world champion who has natural fighting instincts, strict boxing training from Kamogawa, and the ability to come up with techniques on the fly. It's hard to imagine anyone beating him throughout the manga's run, especially with how he demolished opponents like Bryan Hawk, David Eagle, and Richard Bison.[[/note]]
26	** Ricardo Martinez is a legendary tier boxer in the ''Hajime no Ippo'' universe that practiced boxing fundamentals of hitting and not getting hit to the point of perfection. He's arguably pound-for-pound the best boxer in the series or at least second only to Takamura.
27	* AcheyScars: The one Date has on his nose bridge, [[spoiler:which comes from his disastrous fight against Ricardo Martínez]].
28	* AchievementsInIgnorance: At the very beginning, Takamura sets Ippo the task of catching leaves falling from a tree. He expected Ippo to use both hands, where he had only used his left, but did not mention this to Ippo. Ippo ends up working to achieve the feat the same way Takamura did.
29	* AchillesHeel: Not surprising for a boxing-oriented manga, many characters have weaknesses that need to be exploited.
30	** As the protagonist, Ippo's weaknesses are targeted throughout his title defenses. Opponent strategies centred on his signature Dempsey Roll. Initially, the Dempsey Roll only worked if the opponent was forced back, with both Sendou and Sanada stepping in to stop it. Strategies then focused on countering its predictable rhythm, notably Ricardo Martinez surgically jabbing Ippo out of it and Sawamura (and other boxers) stepping back to remove blind spots. Ippo continually evolves the technique to cover its weaknesses.
31	** Several characters are known for their [[GlassCannon glass jaws]], including Hama Dankichi, Miyata and his father.
32	** Lampshaded in Aoki and Kimura's fights against Papaya and Eleka Battery. Both inadvertently reveal their weaknesses: Eleki has terrible lower-body strength and Papaya has poor stamina, but Aoki and Kimura are unable to exploit them. In their rematches, Eleka strengthened his lower body to be much more durable, while Papaya increased the strength of his power punch so heavily that his poor endurance didn't come into play.
33	* AffablyEvil: This actually applies to most of the antagonists in the Ippo world, having a [[FreudianExcuse Freudian Excuse]] for their transgressions. While yes, Malcolm Gedo from the manga does have a habit of throwing matches for money, after the fight, his scenes are more light-hearted than how he was shown before it.
34	* AllAmericanFace: David Eagle is not only an American professional boxer and the former WBC middleweight champion as well as an Olympic gold medallist. He also acts quite congenial with the people of Japan during his visit and avoids doing dishonorable things like target Takamura's blind spot. He's quite the blond boy scout.
35	* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: At the beginning, Ippo is [[BullyMagnet regularly bullied at school]].
36	* AnimalMotifs:
37	** Many characters have animal-themed attacks such as Ippo's Gazelle Punch, Aoki's Frog Punch and Kimura's Dragon Fish Punch. Takamura even notices this and attempts to find one for himself.
38	** Some characters even get full AnimalMotifs for themselves, Volg Zangief(his name is Russian for wolf), Sendou the Naniwa Tiger (who has a very predatory and [[BoisterousBruiser playful personality]], often grins with very prominent canines, has fairly feline eyes and a [[CutenessProximity love of cats]]), and recently Woli the Indonesian champion who spends his days playing with monkeys, is able to outdo them in acrobatics and imitate their body language enough to lead the troupe.
39	** Every American boxer that Takamura has fought has an animal motif to them.
40	* ArtEvolution: Drawing a series for 10 year will naturally make the art change. The largest difference is body types.
41	** Before, Ippo, Kimura, Aoki, Miyata, and even Mashiba all had the exact same musculature, body, and facial structure, almost giving the series a case of OnlySixFaces, the only noticeable differences being hair and eyes.
42	** Now, Ippo's bigger than all of the others in sheer muscle size (second only to Takamura), Miyata has a much lighter looking frame, and Mashiba's long arms have the muscles spread out more on them than anyone else, making him look all the more elongated.
43	** The faces are also different. Ippo has a rounded face and Mashiba has a very narrow, sunken face. Before, he just looked like he had a more prominent forehead and slightly sunken eyes. Takamura is more ovular, his hairstyle making him look more so.
44	** Of note is the fact that, if you've seen the anime first and started on the manga afterwards, get ready for a shock. Many characters look ''nothing'' like their final designs, particularly Mashiba's first appearance and later appearances.
45	* ArtifactTitle:
46	** As the manga's gone on, it's become less about Ippo (though he still has the most focus, it's become more of an ensemble piece). The translation of the title ("First Step") has also lost some meaning now that Ippo has been champion for a fair amount of time and defended his title repeatedly.
47	** Alternately, the title can be seen as gaining significance as the series goes on. There is a strong theme of always moving forward and taking small steps towards large goals, so that Ippo and his friends' journey is actually a collection of many "first steps".
48	** At the current time in the manga [[spoiler:Ippo is recovering mentally and physically from a significant loss and has to start all over from the beginning again. The focus is on rediscovering his motivation to continue boxing and remaking the Dempsey Roll so that he can move on and take a new first step.]]
49	* ArtificialRiverbank: One is a common background when the Kamogawa boxers do their roadwork.
50	* ArtisticLicenseSports: While most of boxing's rules and foundations are respected, there are some moments that would realistically lead to either disqualification (one boxer beating the hell out of the other long after the match is stopped by referee) or technical knockout (boxers barely standing on their feet and being incapable to defend themselves).
51	* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign:
52	** The names of the American boxers were somewhat believable at first (Jason Ozma, Brian Hawk, David Eagle), but later in the manga we have names such as Ricky Mouse, Ronald Duck and Peter Rabbitson and then you start to wonder if Morikawa's been going to [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks DisneyLand]] a little too much. This bad naming habit has been broken with Mike Elliot, the current IBF World Jr. Lightweight Champion, whom Volg Zangief fought in Vegas.
53	** Aoki had a bout with a forgettable character with an unforgettable name: [[http://ippo.wikia.com/wiki/Padawan_Yoda Padawan Yoda.]]
54	* AuthorAppeal: Morikawa is a big fan of fishing and TabletopGame/{{Mahjong}}, and has incorporated both into arcs. Humorously enough, the main cast's in-universe expert on both is [[spoiler:Yagi, the gym's MrExposition]].
55	* AuthorTract:
56	** Umezawa's first published manga, about a kid who becomes a competitive fisherman, is specifically described as a warm-up of sorts before he tries to tackle his MagnumOpus about boxing. It's framed as advice Morikawa wishes he had followed before tackling ''Ippo''.
57	** The introduction of Woli as someone trying to raise awareness about the environment quickly turns into a GreenAesop, but the characters openly lampshade their lecturing.
58	** The author's criticism of Japanese boxing coaches relying too much on ''[[JapaneseSpirit Yamato Damashii]]'' or guts and willpower instead of optimizing boxing techniques can be seen with what happened to Ippo [[spoiler:that led to his retirement]].
59	* BadassBoast:
60	** "If you want to know about my power you can ask him after the match." Said by ''Ippo'' of all people after Hisato pushed a BerserkButton that he shouldn't have. Ironically, [[spoiler:after said match, Hisato was hit so hard that he doesn't remember any of it.]]
61	** Sendo's response to Shigeta immediately after their match. Sendo [[https://youtu.be/duM3apskeHA?t=884 said]] to him, "I will never see you in the ring again."
62	* BattleAura: In the anime, fighters show a green glow in their eyes when extremely determined to win. This is often enough to revive them from otherwise guaranteed defeat.
63	* BeachEpisode:
64	** One episode featured not only humor, but also some degree of plot as the Kamogawa boxers went there ''not'' just to relax and have a good view of girl booty ([[FanService which they still do]]), but to ''train''. In fact, Ippo realizes one of his early flaws (lack of leg strength) there.
65	** The beach episode in New Challenger involved Ippo confessing his love for Kumi(who was passed out) and Takamura groping Aoki's girlfriend Tomiko while they were making out on the beach. Takamura apologizes by telling Aoki how nice Tomiko's breasts are.
66	* BearsAreBadNews: The bear [[spoiler:(or better said, ''MamaBear'')]] from the mountains that terrifies ''everyone'' in the Nekota episodes.
67	* BerserkButton:
68	** Never, ever, EVER, try to harm Mashiba's [[spoiler:younger sister Kumi. Sawamura nicked Kumi with his fist before his match with Ippo. Mashiba, later on, gets to have a match with him himself, saying to him that being put in the hospital by Ippo wasn't enough, [[{{IllKillYou}} he'll put him in the grave.]]]]
69	** Never insult Coach Kamogawa in front of Ippo. Better yet, never insult the boxers he's won against.
70	* BewareTheNiceOnes:
71	** Oh yes, beware them! Particularly Ippo, who was once a bullied kid who discovered boxing and became a boxing champ himself. He didn't beat up his bullies like [[TheBoxingEpisode the cliche went]], but his opponents know better than to underestimate the timid boxer who becomes a monster in the ring.
72	** Ippo also embodies this trope at least twice. Once, with him losing it against Hisato Kojima and kayoing him in round one with a powerful counter. The other time happens in Chapter 1,243, when an enraged Ippo slaps Taihei for using the boxing he taught him for petty gang fighting.
73	** Takeshi Sendo has a violent reputation, but when you meet him he's one of the goofiest yet nicest guys around. Until you piss him off or you're competing with him in the ring. Or both, as in the case of Akira Shigeta mouthing off against him in their match, resulting in a traumatizing NoHoldsBarredBeatdown from Sendo that ultimately retired him from boxing competition.
74	* BigBrotherMentor: Takamura, to Ippo. In a very, uhm, [[JerkAss special]] [[TricksterMentor way]]. Date is one of these towards Keigo Okita.
75	* BloodKnight:
76	** Ryuuhei Sawamura has aspects of being a Blood Knight, being a reject of society that applies his surgical boxing techniques to dissect his opponents like a psychotic serial killer. He even likens beating up Ippo to preparing meat until it's tender enough to eat.
77	** Despite his [[KnightTemplarBigBrother ostensible motives]], you could make a pretty good case for Ryo Mashiba. Especially in his earlier appearances, [[spoiler:and later, when he undergoes a Vegeta-like development of being softer than before and rediscovers his old bloodlust.]]
78	** Takeshi Sendo is the good guy version of BloodKnight. He can be a downright psycho in the ring, but his motivations mostly root from him looking for strong opponents to fight since it gives meaning to his predisposition for violence. He also uses his BloodKnight tendencies for positive or constructive things, like serving as a regular BullyHunter in Osaka.
79	* BodyguardCrush: [[spoiler:In coach Kamogawa's backstory, his and Nekota's friend and protegée Yuki-san was hinted to be in love with him.]]
80	* BoxingLesson: This is the entire basis of the early story. At first, Ippo becomes too busy with boxing to take notice of his bullies. His training also made it easier for him to run away from them. The bullies even become his devoted fans later on, because they believe boxers are strong men.
81	* BrickJoke: The cockroach in the sandwich.
82	** One of the anime's intermission cards shows Ippo desperately trying to catch up to Takamura, Aoki, and Kimura during the running workout. After the aforementioned BeachEpisode (the one that shows [[spoiler: Ippo being finally able to outrun Aoki]]), it's ''Aoki'' who's trying to catch up to everybody.
83	* BullyHunter: The manga covered how the violent Takeshi Sendo is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold who regularly hunts down bullies to let off some steam. He even has a kid gang tagging along with him for good measure.
84	* ButtMonkey: Poor Masaru Aoki gets no respect. Takamura manipulates him and plays all kinds of pranks on him - grabbing his dick in the shower, [[spoiler:shaving off his eyebrows, giving him a ''totally ridiculous'' haircut, making him eat a decades-old squid, making him sell overpriced Takamura statues, groping his girlfriend's breasts(and then telling him how nice they are in an attempt to apologize), and even shoving his privates into his face]]. To add insult to injury, his boxing style - labelled The Frog - is the least refined in the series. People actually pay to ''see him lose''. His only consolation? His antics are [[TheChewToy considered comedic gold]], he is the only main character with a girlfriend.
85	* CannotKeepASecret: When any member of the Kamogawa gym knows one of Ippo's secrets, it doesn't stay a secret for long. Itagaki shows no qualms in giving details about Ippo and Kumi's dates to Mashiba either.
86	* CantSpitItOut: How many YEARS have Kumi and Ippo danced around admitting how they feel now? They're still acting like teenagers in their mid 20's.
87	* CasualtyInTheRing: It is revealed that [[spoiler:Randy Boy Junior's father]] passed away a few days after his world title match because he fought while keeping brain damage from his previous match [[spoiler:against Miyata's father]]. He did not die ''in the ring'' per se, but the fights caused his death nonetheless.
88	* CharacterDevelopment: What makes this series so enjoyable, aside from the boxing action, is how almost everyone grows as characters over the course of the series.
89	* ChekhovsGunman: The referee in Volg Zangiev vs. Mike Elliot. [[spoiler:The ref acted almost as biased as the Japanese ref in Volg's match against Sendo who ruled a slip from him as a knockdown. This spurred Volg to become extra aggressive in the middle parts of the otherwise tactical match, with him combining his White Fang with the Tsubame Gaeshi to bypass Elliot's defense, leading to a TKO victory in the fifth round.]]
90	* CherryTapping: Takamura during his last match before taking on the world, beating the #2 ranked Japanese middleweight with only his left hand. Someone in the crowd said "Only his left... good god." that pretty much summed it up.
91	* ChickMagnet:
92	** Hayami has the InstantFanclub to prove it! He also has a rep for [[TheCasanova capitalizing on his popularity]], becoming a rather successful IdolSinger [[spoiler: after he has to retire due to a GameBreakingInjury]].
93	** Miyata [[CelibateHero couldn't care less]] who's [[{{Squee}} squeeing]] over him. (Especially when it's Ippo.)
94	** Dr. Kazuki Sanada is a good-looking doctor in a hospital full of admiring nurses.
95	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: At the start the story, Kamogawa's gym was rather packed full of men training to be boxers. However, as the story progresses, the gym quietly begins to empty out until it reaches the point that apparently the gym only has 4 (later 5) boxers who are the main characters.
96	* CluelessChickMagnet: Makunouchi doesn't seem to realize whenever a woman shows an interest in him.
97	* CombatCommentator: Aside from the ringside commentators during the fights, the Kamogawa Gym boxers usually keep a running conversation about the fight. Sometimes, former opponents provide commentary.
98	* CoolBigSis: Dr. Yamaguchi and Mari Iimura fulfill this role. Dr. Yamaguchi serves as the doctor for the Kamogawa Gym members and takes care of Ippo like a big sister with their consultations. Mari, being a sports reporter herself, regularly interacts with the Kamogawa Gym members, especially Itagaki and his brief arc of wishing to overcome the shadow of his senpai Ippo.
99	* CoolOldGuy: Date kinda fulfills the role, despite being only in his late 20's/early 30's. Then again, he ''is'' [[YoungerThanTheyLook younger than he looks]].
100	* CraftedFromAnimals: Having the fame of fighting a wild bear and not just surviving but also killing the animal with his fists, Mamoru Takamura usually appears with the skin and head of that bear as a cape previous of his fights, also showing the scar of the bear clawing in his chest.
101	* CrossCounter: Well, of course. The primary users of this technique mostly involve outboxers like Ichiro Miyata and Ricardo Martinez but it's also present from the in-fighters who are willing to do dual exchanges in order to land their punches until one of them falls down from the macho brawl and test of strength.
102	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Ippo is super-polite, socially awkward, self-effacing, and easily intimidated by foes who seem stronger than he is. Do not let that facade fool you. Inside the ring, he morphs into an [[{{Determinator}} intense and unstoppable]] fighter with a [[MegatonPunch Dynamite Punch]] that can shatter bones, and an [[MightyGlacier invincible stamina]] that allows him to keep coming back no matter how many times he's knocked down. This has worked to his advantage several times, as some opponents who meet him outside the ring underestimate the level of brutality he can unleash inside of it. When Ippo defends his title against Ryuhei Sawamura, a fighter with no compunction about cheating and deliberately hurting his opponents, he shows a rare righteously mad side.
103	-->'''Aoki:''' Actually, I thought he was kind of a big wuss.\
104	'''Kimura:''' But I better not mess with him for a while . . .
105	* CurbStompBattle:
106	** ''A lot'' of matches, most of which involves Takamura knocking out his opponents in the first round[[note]](even world rankers such as Larry Bernard, Richard Fox, Rickey Mouse, and Keith Lycaon)[[/note]].
107	** There's also the 1-round kayos of Ippo Makunouchi[[note]](including the likes of Yoshio Fujiwara, Ryuichi Hayami, Keigo Okita, Yi Yonsu, and Hisato Kojima)[[/note]]. The one involving Kojima was notable because his body did a flip after receiving Ippo's MegatonPunch.
108	*** Special mention goes to Ponchai Chuwatana. Even though Ippo initially had trouble taking Ponchai down in Round 1, by Round 2 Ponchai became the first victim of Ippo's first in-ring attempt at the Dempsey Roll.
109	** Even Ichiro Miyata, an outboxer, has his share of curb-stomp battles [[note]](such as his first round stoppages of Teruhiko Takada, Akihiko Kaji, Donnie Sultan, and Luisito Ico)[[/note]].
110	* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: [[spoiler: Ippo is not allowed to use the Stop-and-Go Dempsey Roll because of its effects on his knees and legs. Kamogawa's bone-shattering Tekken Punch is also like this.]]
111	* DefeatMeansFriendship: Due to Ippo's gentle and forgiving nature, he ends up being, at the very least, cordial with most of his opponents. He becomes good friends with Volg and Sendo, although he would rather not face them again in the ring. He is polite to both Mashiba and Sawamura, arguably his most [[BigBad ermm ... misanthropic opponents]], and both have a grudging respect for Ippo. Mashiba arguably gets better as time goes on, for the sake of Kumi, whom hangs around Ippo quite a bit.
112	* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: WBA Featherweight Champion Ricardo Martinez is most definitely this.
113	* {{Delinquents}}: Takamura, Kimura, Aoki, Sendo and Sawamura used to be school gangsters. Also, Umezawa and his flunkies.
114	* {{Determinator}}: Almost ''every'' important character, including of course Ippo. Some of them so much that it's questionable if they aren't even ''more'' determined than Ippo. This determination is even visually shown by a green flame in their eyes.
115	** Special mention goes to Sendo in both matches, who [[spoiler:kept pummeling Ippo, despite him being ''unconscious'', solely being moved by the cheers of his fans.]] And in the second fight, he still manages to stand up and [[spoiler:look Ippo straight in the eyes]] despite enduring [[spoiler:a combination of Liver Blow, Gazelle Punch and Dempsey Roll, even though he could not lift his arms anymore.]]
116	** While normally a required trait for Ippo's combat style, [[spoiler:it is starting to cost him dearly in a deconstruction of this trope after his second loss. The severe accumulated damage he has taken to his body over all his matches including his second loss are causing issues with his eye-sight and possibly other health issues that might hinder or even end his career/life.]]
117	** The award for Determinator definitely has to go to Date. [[spoiler:While Ippo fought with a broken fist, and Sendo fought with broken ribs, Date fought with his right fist shattered, his ribs all but gone, and his jaw nearly destroyed, not only that, but even with all of that he still endured ''nine rounds'' against the man known as 'The only living Super Legend'!]]
118	* DiabolusExMachina: Some bits of [[spoiler: Date]]'s backstory felt like this. [[spoiler: Not only does he lose horribly against Ricardo Martínez, but his ill wife has a ConvenientMiscarriage ''at the same time''?]] Wow, Morikawa, you're ''cruel'' when you want to be.
119	* DissonantSerenity: ''Ippo'' pulls this off before his match against Hisato Kojima, after Kojima badmouthed his coach and opponents. It's a bit...unsettling. At least when he was enraged by Mashiba cheating to win against Miyata, his rage was plain on his face. Now he went from red to black in pure silent rage.
120	* {{Deuteragonist}}: Mamoru Takamura or Ichirou Miyata have whole arcs and matches dedicated to them in the manga, even though the lion share of the focus is on Ippo Makunouchi's growth.
121	* DrivesLikeCrazy: Inverted/subverted: after he gets his driving license, Ippo drives ''awfully slowly'', causing traffic jam behind him.
122	* EasilyDistractedReferee: Seriously, how ''blatant'' must a foul be not to be overlooked, ignored or counted as an accident in this series? [[BloodKnight Sawamura]] is about the only one to be ever called out for his fouls, and that's only because he has the unfortunate habit of nearly killing his opponents. Then, [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in the [[spoiler:Sawamura vs Mashiba]] fight, where the referee does notice the fouls, but there are so many on both sides that the puny warnings and penalties he gives here and there don't lead anywhere. [[spoiler: Again it takes a near murder for Mashiba to be disqualified.]]
123	* EasilyForgiven: Ippo and [[HeelFaceTurn former bully turned devoted fan]], Umezawa Masahiko. To be fair, Umezawa is one of the best examples of CharacterDevelopment in the series as a whole, and comes to genuinely care for Ippo and admire him.
124	** Later in the manga it's shown that Umezawa is [[spoiler: still tormented by his horrible treatment of Ippo earlier on. He tries to apologize to both Ippo and his mother, with tearjerking results.]]
125	* EpunymousTitle: "Hajime no Ippo" literally means "The First Step" (which is also the title of the first chapter), but "Ippo" is also the central character's name.
126	* PreciousPuppies: Wanpo seems to have no other purpose in the manga than to give Ippo a cute and fluffy companion during his training. And a few extra ChickMagnet points maybe. And yet, in one character popularity poll Wanpo manages to be in the ''top 10''!
127	* EvilerThanThou: Mashiba vs. Sawamura. Mashiba was introduced as a CombatPragmatist BloodKnight willing to cut corners on the rules to get a win that supports him and his little sister. Sawamura, on the other hand, is a borderline psychotic who's been [[FreudianExcuse rejected by society]]
128	* EvilVersusEvil: Mashiba vs. Sawamura. Both of them at the time were vicious boxers who wouldn't stay above illegal moves. To further complicate things, it was very personal for Mashiba, as Sawamura had attempted to punch his sister Kumi in the face. [[spoiler:Their match would end up having no victor, as Mashiba brutally battered and knocked out Sawamura with illegal moves that led to him being disqualified]].
129	* ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy: ''Hajime no Ippo'' is one of the few manga to avert this trope. The person using a technique never explains it to their opponent. The readers learn how a technique works in a logical manner by the observers--the seconds, usually--who then devise a counter to said technique.
130	* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Umezawa stopped slicking his hair back after he graduated from high school.
131	* FaceDoodling: Done in {{Jerkass}} (and hilarious) fashion by Takamura, Aoki and Kimura when they [[spoiler: doodled on Ippo's penis while he was in a coma after a fight.]]
132	* {{Foil}}: Both Sendo and Miyata for Ippo, in different ways. Miyata's calm, collected, and cold nature contrasts with Ippo's mellow, somewhat dorky, and usually nervous personality; Sendo, on the other hand, contrasts with Ippo in the sense that he's brash, energetic, and much more outgoing. Miyata's style of boxing is completely opposite of Ippo's while Sendo's style is essentially Ippo's but more aggressive and with less emphasis on defense.
133	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The four main boxers count, with Ippo being Supine, Takamura being both Choleric and Sanguine, Aoki being Melancholic and Kimura being Phlegmatic.
134	* GagPenis:
135	** Ippo is [[RunningGag constantly ridiculed]] by Takamura, Aoki and Kimura (out of their own insecurity) at the ''enormous'' size and girth of his member. They grab it more than once and even [[spoiler: ''scribbled on it'']] while Ippo was recuperating! The fact that Takamura is [[TeenyWeenie a lightweight]] in his pants compared to him doesn't help much either.
136	** Takamura also grabs Sendo's member in the shower, after mistaking him for Aoki. He realizes his mistake because Sendo was equally formidable in size.
137	** Don't Forget the "Big Rocket" during the first beach training.
138	** Also Takamura's idea for Ippo's title early on.
139	* GameBreakingInjury:
140	** In Ippo's match against Takuma Saeki, [[spoiler:Saeki's jabs cause Ippo's eye to swell, making him unable to see out of it. Saeki used this new blind spot as a way to deliver surprise attacks.]]
141	** In a rare case where the hero cripples the rival, [[spoiler:Ippo breaks opponent Ryo Mashiba's arm during a match. Mashiba used his elbow to block Ippo's powerful liver blow and to crush Ippo's fist. However, because of Ippo's destructive power, Mashiba ends up injuring his elbow instead. Ippo also breaks his fist but wins the match.]]
142	** Also, [[spoiler: Hayami]] gets one of these thanks to [[spoiler: Kobashi]], which it's stated to be the reason why he has to retire early.
143	** Tragically, [[spoiler: Date suffers one to his right hand against Martinez]]. If it wasn't for that, things would have ended differently.
144	** [[spoiler: The severe accumulated damage Ippo has taken to his body over all his matches including his second loss are causing issues with his eye-sight and possibly other health issues that might hinder or even end his career/life.]]
145	* GenkiGirl:
146	** Nurse Tomiko, who has a cheerful and supportive personality even though [[{{Gonk}} her looks]] are often played for laughs in the manga.
147	** Nanako Itagaki, a [[Joshikousei high school student]] and the younger sibling of Manabu, is like a female version of Manabu with her youth and sparkling personality[[note]]that's borderline ManicPixieDreamGirl level has she not shown her petty side during the scene where she, Kumi Mashiba, and Mari Iimura check up on a sleeping Ippo after his match against Shimabukuro[[/note]].
148	* GentleGiant: Jason Ozma looks like a huge ScaryBlackMan, but surprises Ippo with his politeness and cheerfulness.
149	* GeniusBruiser: Kazuki Sanada is a very strong boxer as well as an excellent strategist and a very brainy doctor. Inspired by a RealLife GeniusBruiser, according to Morikawa himself--Irish boxer [[https://vault.si.com/vault/1986/09/29/dublin-surgeon-terry-christle-can-also-operate-inside-the-ring-ropes Dr. Terry Christle]] A.K.A. the "Fighting Physician".
150	* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: [[spoiler: Aiko gives one of these to Date when she notices he's frustrated and lonely as a salaryman, urging him to come back to the boxing ring.]]
151	* GlassCannon: Hayami qualifies. He had one of the fastest and strongest techniques and won matches impressively but a 1st round KO loss against Ippo and [[spoiler: suffering a CareerEndingInjury in a loss against ''[[WeakButSkilled Kenta Kobashi]]'']] of all people can only point to this trope.
152	* GoodScarsEvilScars: [[spoiler: Sawamura gets heavy scars on his face after an accident.]]
153	* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:Takeshi Sendo in his second loss to Ippo Makunouchi, Arnie Gregory in his loss to Ichiro Miyata, and David Eagle in his loss to Takamura all gracefully conceded with no ill will or bad blood.]]
154	* GratuitousEnglish:
155	** "I want to dive lost mind / I want to dive lost mind / I want feeling / I want feeling".
156	** The ending theme for the anime's second season, titled ''8am'', is in English, but some of the lyrics don't make sense. Most of the [[http://gendou.com/amusic/lyrics.php?id=9304&show=2 lyrics]] actually make a good deal of sense (long as you can read them), save for some bad grammar in the first verse. Thanks to two [[ButNotTooForeign Half-Americans]] in Coldrain (the band that does the ED song).
157	** Most of the ending or opening themes for the anime have had some form of this trope, really. The ratio of making sense is maybe about 50/50.
158	* GuileHero: Takamura is a JerkAss, yeah. But few people can pull off as many awesome moments as he can in the ring.
159	* HardWorkHardlyWorks: For the most part defied in the story, but a very painful issue with Woli, Brian Hawk, and to a lesser degree Itagaki as well, where their innate talent has allowed them to absolutely dominate much more experienced boxers.
160	* HairTriggerTemper: It doesn't really take much to make Coach Kamogawa angry and when he does, he can beat even Takamura senseless with his cane.
161	* HealthcareMotivation: Volg came to Japan to help his ailing mother with the fight money. [[spoiler: [[MissingMom He fails.]]]]
162	* HeroicSecondWind: You'll see this happen multiple times in most fights. It can occasionally be pretty ridiculous too, especially for Ippo. Such things as, being beaten to the point of barely being able to move by the second round, but managing to hold on for another 5 rounds anyway, then managing to, of all things, beat his opponent in an attrition battle. It's used as a tool for StrongAsTheyNeedToBe.
163	* HesBack: [[spoiler: Pretty much the whole Date sub-plot is about his return to the ring, after years of retirement.]]
164	* HonorBeforeReason: In a way, the entire point of the series. There are countless points in the series where the characters' actions are fueled by nothing more than pride or honor, even when all logical consideration argues against it. The Kamogawa flashback arc, Kamogawa and Nekota lament that the concept "Japanese pride" was what lost World War II, and that the Western world's way of using logic and reason above spirit now rules the world.
165	* HotBlooded: Everyone in the ring, but special mention goes to Sendo for being HotBlooded also ''outside'' of it.
166	* HumbleHero: Ippo is portrayed as one of these, fearing Mashiba despite knocking him out, avoiding the subject of a rematch with Sendo despite beating him twice, and viewing boxers like Ricardo Martinez and Date as unbeatable. Later chapters [[DeconstructedTrope thoroughly deconstruct this]] with Ippo's lack of confidence in his own skills leading [[spoiler:to two defeats and his retirement. A conversation with Kamogawa indicating he now believes he can beat Ricardo Martinez is shown as a good thing and Ippo very slowly moving away from this trope]].
167	* HurricaneOfPuns: Don't like puns? Avoid having dinner with the whole Itagaki family at all costs. And don't even think about challenging [[PungeonMaster Manabu Itagaki's dad]]!
168	* HuskyRusskie: Subverted by Russian boxer Volg, who ''is'' a force to be reckoned with inside the ring but humble and polite to the point of [[ShrinkingViolet shyness]] outside. He's not even ''that'' tall, either, compared with other boxers of the same category.
169	* HypocriticalHumor: In chapter 812, Sendo says his manager is a whipped dog for wanting to hang out with someone who beat him, only to hang out with Ippo (who beat him) the second after. It's [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] too.
170	* IdenticalPanelGag: The first pages of the two fights between Aoki and Papaya both have a rigorously identical panel layout and an identical pose for Aoki. So are the pages where Aoki takes the "Coconut Punch". The two fights are ''dozens of chapters apart''.
171	* TheIdiotFromOsaka: The brash and talkative Naniwa Tiger - Sendo. He loves boxing solely [[BoisterousBruiser for the chance to face strong men in the ring]]. He used to be a gang leader, fighting to defend the weak. His own grandmother even uses "idiot" as an endearment. In the anime, Creator/MasayaOnosaka voices him with a strong Osaka accent.
172	* IJustWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Itagaki Manabu, in regards to Kumi. He knows how deep she and Ippo are for one-another, so he holds no delusions of ever having a shot.
173	* InterchangeableAsianCultures: Inverted. Takamura thinks Crocodile is American simply because he's blonde.
174	* InternationalShowdownByProxy: The match of Takamura against Bryan Hawk for the world title. It takes place in a Japanese boxing hall, so basically the entire audience is rooting for Takamura. It helps that Bryan Hawk is blatantly racist against the "weak" Japanese.
175	* {{Irony}}: Before the [[spoiler: Mashiba vs. Sawamura]] fight, when Kimura gloats over it hoping that they will rip each other apart and leave the champion seat free for the other "non-monster" Jr. Lightweights like him, it's PlayedForLaughs. After said fight, [[spoiler:Mashiba is disqualified and suspended and Sawamura is forced into retirement by a motorbike accident, granting Kimura's initial wish.]] This time, [[DudeNotFunny he doesn't laugh]]. Well, [[JerkAss not right away.]]
176	* InsufferableGenius: Almost all characters who are explicitly said to be geniuses are this. It's easier to count the aversions, which is only Itagaki and Woli.
177	* ItsPersonal:
178	** Miyata, towards Randy Boy Jr. Explained by the fact that [[GenerationXerox their fathers also were rivals]]. [[spoiler: Randy's father caused the retirement of Miyata's by seriously injuring his jaw... and for more irony, Randy Sr. sustained brain injuries from ''the same fight'', [[TimeDelayedDeath which caused his death some time later]].]]
179	** Averted with Randy Boy, who doesn't really care about the rivalry, [[spoiler: even the death part. The death part only made him wonder why his father was so determined to get in the ring despite knowing his body was wrecked. He sought the answers of his father's stubbornness, not revenge against Miyata]].
180	* InvincibleHero:
181	** Ricardo Martinez, the boxer who trounced Date in the past and present. (Though, he admitted, had Date been at his best, he would have lost. He even admitted he respected Date more than any other opponent he had faced.) Ippo tried to spar against Ricardo and couldn't even land a blow on him. Ricardo merely pounded away at Ippo with his left, breaking his guard every time. Even when Ippo did tank all those shots to get close enough, Ricardo punched him out of a Dempsey Roll with just his left.
182	** Also applies to Takamura, who always seems to come out on top no matter what the situation, including [[spoiler:winning an arm-wrestling match with [[MightyGlacier Ippo]] and ''punching out a bear'']].
183	* JapaneseDelinquents: Umezawa and his friends start out as this when they bully Ippo but grow out of it after befriending him. A flashback shows that Aoki and Kimura used to be this in their high school days, constantly getting into fights with gangs from other schools. They actually met Takamura this way and initially joined a boxing gym just so they could beat him up.
184	* JapaneseSpirit: This series is the ''greatest'' example of this trope in modern fiction. Go ahead: Google "Yamato-Damashii Ippo" and count how many results there are. Many people who have otherwise never even ''heard'' of the term have become familiar with it thanks to this show.
185	* {{Jerkass}}:
186	** Takamura, who else? He often teases and abuses his underlings Aoki and Kimura, to the point of combining their names as "Aokimura". Even Ippo, whom he has a soft spot for, gets abused from time to time, particularly with him acting as gopher for him.
187	** Brian Hawk! The lazy boxer who hates training is also a PoliticallyIncorrectVillain with some of the outrageous things he says, like claiming he'll impregnate the women of Japan so they can have a generation of champions. He's also a pervert who believes that SexIsViolence; he has to have sex with women to sate his bloodlust or else he might end up killing someone.
188	** Don't forget Mr. Sakaguchi, the Japanese Don King from the Philippines who is notorious for his shady dealings and for forsaking his boxer clients who don't perform well. He has harbored a personal grudge against Ichirō Miyata ever since Miyata became the OPBF champion by defeating Arnie Gregory, Sakaguchi's client at the time.
189	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
190	** [[spoiler:''Kojima''. In reality he's a really nice guy who idolizes Ippo and he's only taunting Ippo so Ippo can fight him at his very best.]]
191	** It's sometimes implied that Takamura only acts like a {{Jerkass}} to maintain his "bad-boy" badass persona. Especially considering how ''disappointed'' his fans act when he ''doesn't'' behave like that.
192	* KaraokeBox: One of the Kamogawa Gym's favorite pastimes.
193	* {{Keet}}: Woli is an adorable young boxing prodigy and wild child with boyish good looks and an innocent attitude to match.
194	* KickTheDog: A literal example. On one occasion Takamura angers Ippo and Wanpo with a {{Hurricane of Puns}} regarding dicks. Takamura uppercuts Ippo and kicks Wanpo in retaliation for their backtalk... or the equivalent.
195	* KindHeartedCatLover: Believe it or not, Sendou, the Naniwa tiger, absolutely loves cats.
196	* KnightTemplarBigBrother: Ryo Mashiba toward his sister Kumi. He lives by two rules; this is one of 'em.
197	* ALadyOnEachArm: '''BRYAN HAWK'''. He's introduced as a pervert with "arm candy" ladies on each arm while he was scoping out one of Takamura's matches.
198	* LargeHamAnnouncer: '''[[LargeHam HIDARIIIII! MIGIIII!]]''' You won't see someone more excited about lefts and rights than him except probably a drill sergeant telling his soldiers the proper way to march.
199	* LastNameBasis: Most characters in this series are referred by their last name. It's easier to list those who ''aren't'' called by their last names constantly.
200	* LightningBruiser: Takamura is ridiculously strong (able to punch someone out of the boxing ring while being completely dehydrated), has monstrous stamina that surpasses even Ippo's and on top of that, he is also ''very'' fast. The reason why he's seemingly unbeatable is because his abilities are superb in every aspect. And if that wouldn't be enough, [[IndyPloy he's very intelligent too]]. (Inside the ring, at least.)
201	* LikesOlderWomen: First inverted with Nanako, who is in love with the five-year older Ippo. And surprisingly, played straight with her brother Manabu later. He is in love with Kumi who is three years older than he is. When he realizes he will never have a chance with her, he dates Mari, who is five years older. The latter is not very enthusiastic about it: considering Manabu's rather childish behaviour, his blunt and repeated reminding that they are both {{Hopeless Suitor}}s, and the fact that he is insistent on considering they are on a date [[NotADate while she just wants to interview him]], that's not too surprising.
202	* LivingLegend: Ricardo Martinez is the Mexican long-time featherweight world champion who never lost. He's actually called "The only living super-legend" and it's said that there's a higher chance that Mexican citizens know him than their own president.
203	* LongRunner: The manga's been going for nearly thirty years now.
204	* LoveTriangle: Kumi, Nanako and Ippo. Though the list gradually [[LoveDodecahedron lengthens]].
205	* MadnessMantra: That is NOT what you want to see looking at you between your arms, especially when he's usually the pretty boy.
206	* MaleFrontalNudity: If uncensored man meat offends your squeamish little heart, don't bother reading the manga.
207	* MagicCountdown: Time is very relative in the matches, particularly in the counts in the knockdowns (which are supposed to be ten seconds, but often take a full minute). This is obviously less noticeable in the manga, but in the anime the artistic license becomes very clear.
208	* MarriedToTheJob: In chapter 573, after Ippo has spent his fight money to buy ''wooden logs'', Manabu comments that Ippo has a "boxing glove in his head instead of brains". Poor Kumi will not disagree with that one...
209	* MegaManning:
210	** Itagaki. Picked up Miyata's Jolt counter after watching him defeat Randy Boy Jr with it, picked up the rope-grabbing trick from Woli, and has used Kimura's Dragonfish Blow.
211	** Shinobu Iga. He used various techniques from Mashiba's defeated opponents in an attempt to exploit Mashiba's [[spoiler:former]] weakness: His tendency to commit fouls when he loses his cool
212	* MirrorCharacter: Takamura and Bryan Hawk's fight basically has this as it's conclusion. They're both {{Jerkass}}es; Takamura just has a bit more of a veneer of humanity than [[PsychoForHire Hawk]]. [[spoiler:Takamura's the one who leaves his opponent [[VillainousBreakdown broken with fear however]]]].
213	* MommasBoy: Ippo and Volg adore their mothers. In a subversion, both moms don't exactly fit the MyBelovedSmother trope that usually goes with this one: they're both [[OpenMindedParent caring and loving women who do not dominate their boys]].
214	* MoralityPet: Kumi, for her brother Ryo Mashiba. Ryo's violent tendencies and by-any-means-necessary need to win in the boxing ring all roots from him acting as Kumi's parental surrogate ever since their parents died. Rejected by society, boxing seems like Ryo's best bet in providing for his beloved sister.
215	* MoreThanMindControl: [[spoiler: Kumi, of all people, shows this trope. Granted, this is only a recent development concerning Ippo's physical and mental health, but it is soon seen that she does not want him to get back into boxing after he suffers his third loss and retires over fears that he may be punch drunk. As time goes on, however, shades of her jealousy start to show, with her lashing out at one of the gym coaches when they ask Ippo to return to the gym as a trainer and second (not to box); additionally, she is the only person who ''consistently'' claims that Ippo is punch drunk (when even the physicians who tested him said he hadn't reached that stage yet); even worse, she tells some of his most recent friends to inform her if he ever starts sparring for any reason. She admits, if only to herself, that Ippo loves boxing, and that she fears he will eventually return to it if she isn't vigilant- hence the subtle discussions she has with him to keep him in check.]]
216	* MusclesAreMeaningful: Oddly enough, both played straight ''and'' subverted at the same time due to the art direction. Every single boxer you see, regardless of weight class, is depicted with huge muscles like Mike Tyson. But while most of them live up to their appearance, some of them are still much weaker than others. It reaches ridiculous levels by the time we see Kobashi vs Ippo; Kobashi's muscles are the same size as Ippo's, but he's significantly weaker than him ''and'' compares his body unfavorably to Ippo's.
217	* MyGreatestSecondChance: Date's backstory. [[spoiler: Back when he was a young and promising boxer and the Japanese champion, he fought against the undefeatable world champion Ricardo Martinez, [[CurbStompBattle but lost in the second round]]. After that, he quit boxing, until his wife Aiko pulled a WhatTheHellHero on him because she could see he was bored and depressed with his life as a salaryman and urges him to step back into the boxing ring. He does, and becomes Japanese champion again. After actually ''winning'' against Ippo, he once again challenges Ricardo Martinez and it's shown that he surpassed his old self, however, he does fail to win against Martinez yet again and retires forever, becoming a trainer instead. I guess that last part was a subversion.]]
218	* NatureHero: Woli's main reason for boxing is to get rich and famous, and use his fame and wealth to protect the environment.
219	* TheNineties: The period most of the story still takes place in (aside from the first arc- Ippo's initial training- which was in 1989) due to being heavily affected by WebcomicTime. It's inching ever so slowly and steadily towards the year 2000, however.
220	* NoodlePeople: The ArtEvolution has somehow led to a variation of this for some characters who seem to have unplausibly thin legs and arms during the fights (but still have a muscular torso).
221	* NoSenseOfDirection: Volg, when he meets Ippo. JustifiedTrope since he's Russian and had a ''very'' rusty Japanese back then, so he couldn't read the kanji on the subway signs adequately.
222	* ObliviousMockery: A flashback shows us how Genji Kamogawa hardened his fists by ''[[CharlesAtlasSuperpower punching large wooden logs into a hill]]''. Later in the manga, Ippo hits logs into a hill with a hammer to train his leg and body muscles. Itagaki tells Kamogawa about this training.
223	-->'''Kamogawa:''' He's hitting logs into the earth?! He can't be doing it with his fists?!\
224	'''Itagaki:''' '(laughing)'' If he did that he'd break his fists! There's no one reckless and stupid enough to do that! He uses a hammer.\
225	'''Kamogawa''': Ye… yeah… fists would be reckless and stupid…
226	* ObliviousToLove:
227	** While Ippo and Kumi seem to be well aware of the chemistry between them, and Ippo mostly tries to brush off Nanako's infatuation, he appears to be completely unaware of Mari's crush on him. It's not like Mari is particularly demonstrative about it though.
228	** Itagaki begins showing signs of a crush on Kumi also, but tends to back off because of his friendship with Ippo.
229	* OddFriendship:
230	** Itagaki and Mashiba surprisingly get along well, after Itagaki tricks him into helping him prepare for his match. They've even gone out shopping together.
231	** To a lesser extent, you might be surprised to find out that Sendo and Sawamura are friends, let alone VitriolicBestBuds.
232	** Ippo and Sendo also display this eventually, despite having very contrasting personalities and being rivals. It's even joked about when Sendo tries to claim Ippo is his "enemy" only to say he's going to watch TV together with him immediately after.
233	* OneSteveLimit:
234	** Actually {{Averted}}. Takamura had fought two different Richards, namely Richard Fox and Richard Bison, along with two different Keiths, Lycaon and Dragon.
235	** Takeshi Sendo also has a namesake in Takeshi Ryuzaki, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoko_Gushiken Yoko Gushiken]] look-alike who fought Kimura several times.
236	* OpposingSportsTeam: Subverted, since the rivals are usually given well-detailed backstories that make them more human.
237	* OutOfGenreExperience:
238	** Around chapter 700, the Kamogawa team is engaged in a baseball match for a few chapters. They win thanks to [[TeamPet Wanpo]]. It's quite refreshing, but also borders on MoodWhiplash considering it comes just after the [[EvilVersusEvil Mashiba vs. Sawamura]] fight, which was nothing short of a bloodbath.
239	** For a slightly less out of genre experience, the series temporarily becomes a delinquent manga in volume 25 when revealing Aoki and Kimura's backstory.
240	* PantsPullingPrank: Takamura gets jealous of [[ChickMagnet Ippo drawing all the Hostesses attentions]] when they're celebrating at a hostess bar, and pulls down Ippo's pants in front of the girls, assuming his GagPenis will freak them out. Poor Ippo has a NakedFreakOut, but at least one of the hostess [[BiggerIsBetterInBed is appreciative]].
241	* ParentalAbandonment: A lot of boxers have missing parents. Ippo's [[DisappearedDad fisherman dad]] Kazuo drowned at sea while rescuing others, and nothing is said about Volg's and Yamada's fathers. Miyata's [[MissingMom mother]] abandoned him when he was a child. Sendo's parents are both dead (his mother ''may'' have [[DeathByChildbirth died when he was born]] or very soon afterwards), and he lives with his paternal grandmother. Takamura is from a wealthy family, but his parents disowned him when he was in high school, due to his violent nature. The loss of ''both'' of his parents when he was in high school was [[spoiler: Ryo Mashiba's]] FreudianExcuse, too. Sawamura is distanced from his mother after [[spoiler: he attempted to ''[[AxCrazy kill]]'' her abusive boyfriend with a knife.]]
242	* PerpetualFrowner: Mashiba is always in a foul mood unless he's showcasing a SlasherSmile instead. Manabu's rival Kyousuke Imai is so serious it borders on him being TheComicallySerious. He's like if Ippo was mixed with Ryu from ''Franchise/StreetFighter''.
243	* ProgressivelyPrettier: A mild example: at the beginning Tomiko is made [[{{Gonk}} deliberately ugly]] to underline Aoki's odd taste in women. But as the series goes on, she actually cleans up a bit. Her face is still not exactly attractive, but tends to be drawn with softer, cuter expressions now, and it is revealed that she has a great body.
244	* PromotionToParent: [[spoiler: Mashiba. He became the surrogate father for the young Kumi when their parents died and they were orphaned.]]
245	* PunchCatch: Done by Bryan Hawk to Takamura of all people when Hawk disrespects the Japanese after watching Takamura's fight. Hawk considers it their "handshake" before their fight.
246	* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: [[spoiler: Well, more like punched across the ring, but Ippo sends Hisato flying across the mat, flipping in the air until he finally rolls to a stop and is declared K.O.'d. It was Ippo's first and last punch in that match to boot, after taking a counter that was considered to be the equivalent of Two Tons of weight behind it.]]
247	* RagingStiffie: Not that surprisingly, this happens several times to [[GagPenis Ippo]], forcing him to do a GroinAttack ''on himself'' when Dr. Yamaguchi massages him. It can also happen in the shower, for no reason at all. And of course, it just has to happen when he sees Kumi in a swimsuit for the first time at the swimming pool.
248	-->'''Kumi:''' Be careful Nanako, his muscles are very stiff.\
249	'''Nanako:''' ''(smiling)'' [[EatingTheEyeCandy They are indeed]].\
250	'''Ippo:''' ''(thinking)'' Not that one!
251	* RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun: Takamura beating up a bear.
252	* ScaryBlackMan: Subverted with the scary-looking but sweet Jason Ozma.
253	* SceneryPorn: Chapter 1272 has Sendou travel to Mexico City, starting with an exquisitely rendered drawing of the view outside of the Benito Juárez International Airport -- the one single difference being that IRL there is no "México" sign on the road's median (there is instead a "CDMX" sign on the Eastern end of terminal 1), and that sign has been in turn faithfully recreated from the Secretariat of Tourism's official propaganda.
254	* SeriousBusiness: True to life, no professional boxer worth his salt is willing to risk personal injury or career scandal with a fight ''outside'' the ring. Many characters, like Takamura, Aoki, Kimura and Sendo, have backgrounds as street fighters, but as adult athletes know better than to brawl. On the rare cases this is averted, it's either to demonstrate the violence of a character, like Hawk or Sawamura, or to show a character has been pushed to the brink, like Mashiba and Ippo defending Kumi or Takamura drunkenly losing his temper after am ugly match.
255	* ShootTheShaggyDog: Ippo vs. Gonzales. After a string of less-than-stellar matches (being Woli's punching bag and then just punching a guy one time) this was Ippo's chance to show that he could fight on the world circuit. He loses horribly. Made worse by the fact that Vorg's just won the World Jr. Featherweight belt and Sendo beat him in a sparring match, meaning Ippo's ''fallen behind people he's already beat''.
256	* ShortRangeGuyLongRangeGuy: Ippo is exclusively an in-fighter, as opposed to his chief rival Miyata Ichirou, who is primarily an out-fighter.
257	* ShowerShy: Ippo wears a ModestyTowel around his waist when he first showers with the guys, causing Takamura to assume he has a TeenyWeenie and [[ShamefulStrip removes it for giggles]]- which is how he discovered Ippo's actually [[GagPenis very much the opposite]].
258	* ShoutOut: It has its own [[ShoutOut/HajimeNoIppo page]].
259	* ShownTheirWork: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBEtHjlvz0g A real-life Martial Arts enthusiast]] cites this series as being an accurate, if outlandish, display of real boxing techniques and trivia.
260	* ShrinkingViolet: Ippo himself in the beginning, later Naomichi Yamada. Both are total {{Butt Monkey}}s. Kumi Mashiba is a mild example.
261	* SiblingYinYang: The Mashiba siblings. The sweet-natured Kumi wins Ippo's attention, but brother Ryo just generally comes across as a borderline psychopath. About the only person who's ''not'' scared of him is Kumi herself, who has been known to slap him to the floor when he gets out of hand.
262	* SkilledButNaive: With monkey-like agility and genius-level skill, Woli is this, being touted as the "Takamura" of featherweights after winning the Indonesian Championship not only in just three fights, but also at the age of ''17''. His inexperience is the only thing Ippo had as an advantage in their fight. To a lesser degree, this is also Itagaki's AchillesHeel, and most of his CharacterDevelopment is him trying to grow out of this phase.
263	* SlasherSmile: Several characters display this while in the ring. Mashiba, Sawamura, Brian Hawk, hell, even ''Sendo'' has one. Even Itagaki got his own!
264	* SouthpawAdvantage:
265	** The ability to box left-handed is a rare and (sometimes) major advantage in the series. The ability to switch between southpaw and a conventional stance at will is even better.
266	** Akira Shigeta, the first southpaw opponent that Ippo faces (although it's only in a sparring match) is actually an intentional example. From this training he succeeded in arming himself with a strategical advantage over most boxers and a strong right jab. Also, being a southpaw, his right arm's positioning allowed him to throw powerful counters, even without the rapid reaction speed of other counter-punchers.
267	* SpamAttack:
268	** Mashiba's Flicker has been shown to be spammable. In the games, you can throw out Flickers repeatedly.
269	** [[spoiler:Ippo's version of the Dempsey Roll is a bobbing and weaving boxer throwing hooks at a retreating target.]]
270	** Hayami's Shotgun showcases RapidFireFisticuffs from both hands with blinding speed.
271	** Itagaki's Hedgehog, as its name suggests, feels like being stabbed by the needle-sharp quills of a hedgehog, but in punch form.
272	* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Translators don't all agree over Volg/Vorg Zangief/Zangiev's name looking at his shorts on the ring, it seems to be Volg though.
273	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
274	** Many, many boxers develop grudges and grievances against each other, but the overwhelming majority refuse any notion of fighting anyone outside of the ring, no matter the reason. When Sawamura, one of the few boxers who ignores the street fighting taboo, strikes Kumi, even Ippo and Mashiba decline (each with great reluctance) to fight him on the spot. Making a public and violent spectacle, especially in a country as orderly as Japan, is a death sentence for any promising athlete's career, not to mention a needless risk of injury or even death for all involved. Despite being a series all about hot blooded spirit, no pro boxer worth his salt will stoop to a street fight. Those who do, like Sawamura or Hawk, are pariahs to the other pros and usually presented as evil or in need of redemption.
275	** Into almost {{Deconstruction}} territory, even if it takes over a thousand chapters to manifest. Ippo is a fierce fighter, and the story goes to great lengths to highlight his potential and being perhaps one of the strongest raw hitters in the franchise.. [[spoiler:But years of over-relying on the [[SignatureMove Dempsey Roll]] and regularly tanking his way through hits he could've blocked or even outright avoided have left him seemingly, neurologically damaged in his head. Combine this with his first few severe losses being absolutely ''brutal'', and his head ends up losing concentration combined with his eyesight failing him in fights. While he's not quite punch drunk as far as medical examinations can figure out pre-mortem, and Kumi pushes him on the subject to her personal bias for his safety, Ippo still considers it enough of a GameBreakingInjury to retire ''very'' early from boxing as a result.]]
276	* TakeThat: To Seo Kouji's writing, in a ShoutOut to the Tokyo Arc to ''Manga/ATownWhereYouLive''.
277	* TalkingIsAFreeAction: The announcers manage to have enough time to narrate every punch thrown before even the boxers are able to react.
278	* TeamDad: Coach Kamogawa, so much. He's tough on all of his boxers, but always has what's best for them in mind.
279	* TeamMom: A male one: Tomohiko "Yagi-chan" Yagi, Kamogawa's right hand and the manager of the Gym.
280	* TeamPet: [[PunnyName Wanpo]] is Ippo's dog but since he accompanies him during training he is basically the TeamPet of the Kamogawa gym. Hell, Takamura even brings him along in one training camp!
281	* ThemeMusicPowerUp:
282	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI4OwLYF1pM Inner Light]] often plays during Ippo's final drive to victory in a given match. It is used for other boxers as well, during a critical segment of a fight.
283	** [[TheDayTheMusicLied Subverted]] during [[spoiler:Ippo's match against Date]].
284	* ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld: Sendo believes in this. He believes that there are the strong and the weak as though he's a [[TheSocialDarwinist Social Darwinist]] like Makoto Shishio from ''Manga/RurouniKenshin''.
285	* ThoseTwoGuys: The [[FatAndSkinny two]] [[{{Gonk}} Gonks]] who admire and obey Aoki, called "the Aoki-gumi". They have no talent for boxing whatsoever, nor do they want to train or work − [[TooDumbToLive because they believe Aoki got that far without any work himself]]. Everyone at Kamogawa gym wonders why they come to the gym in the first place. For a few hundred chapters they don't even have a name. They are just the Aoki-gumi. Even when they ''seem'' to have [[TookALevelInBadass Taken A Level In Badass]], it doesn't last long and is rather PlayedForLaughs. In a lesser extent, Aoki and Kimura also are this: when Fujii details the talents of Kamogawa gym, he names Ippo, Takamura, Itagaki and two other guys. They are even named "Aokimura" by Itagaki, much to their annoyance!
286	* ThrowingTheFight: Malcolm Gedo will throw his fights for the right price. Hell, this guy would do anything for money full stop.
287	* TigerVersusDragon: Sendo and Sawamura. This is also how their nicknames play out: the Naniwa Tiger and the Owari Dragon.
288	* TimeSkip: In Chapter 1269, Ippo's hair finally grows back to the usual hairstyle we know and love. The amount of time that passed when his hair grew back is currently unknown, though.
289	* TookALevelInBadass: Ippo's BoxingLesson eventually leads to this.
290	** In a slightly straighter example, Naomichi Yamada, a slightly chubby and somewhat inept boxer who trains at Kamogawa Gym (and is nicknamed 'Geromichi' due to his unfortunate tendency to barf after training) until his family is forced to move is replaced by the intimidating, brutal-looking Hammer Nao. To quote Kimura and Aoki upon finding out, "''THAT'S'' GEROMICHI?"
291	** Then there's Kenta Kobashi. During the lead-up to Ippo's fight against Hayami, Kenta confessed that even after observing every one of Hayami's fights, he couldn't find any way to beat him or the Shotgun technique. When they finally do fight several years later, [[spoiler:Kenta had grown enough to give Hayami injuries severe enough that they ended his career]].
292	* TournamentArc: Aside from title defenses and challenges, several tournaments take place every year in the series and are an essential part of the story.
293	** In particular, the "Rookie Kings" tournament is used to establish many of the recurring characters, and later Itagaki goes through the same tournament.
294	** The Class A tournament is used to set up the challenger for the title match. More often used for Aoki, Kimura and Itagaki, who are not title-holders.
295	** The yearly Champion Carnival goes through series of title matches.
296	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: The Indonesian champion, Woli, is almost always seen eating a Banana.
297	* TrainingFromHell:
298	** Many training sequences, most featuring a shouting Coach Kamogawa, are like this. However, the must difficult training that characters seem to go through is their weight training, which can leave them as shells of their former selves.
299	** Some characters don't suffer much from the weight training (Ippo is naturally featherweight and seems to meet the weight with little trouble at all most times). On the flipside, Takamura probably has the worst of all, when he forcibly keeps himself '''five''' classes underweight for a title match since there's a general lack of credibility in the Pacific Heavyweight scene. This adds up to forcing himself '''50 lbs.''' underweight. The results of such weight management are suitably ''hellish''.
300	* TrainingMontage: Happens many times in the anime, usually to this [[http://www.imeem.com/groups/kU_VPeuR/music/MoVtCo-s/tsuneo_imahori_irradiation/ theme]].
301	* TranslationConvention: Averted. It's usually made clear that the foreign boxers are speaking their native language or that they have some understanding of Japanese. The characters often require a translator when encountering foreigners.
302	* TranquilFury: Normally, Ippo is nearly impossible to anger. Trash talk and JerkAss behavior fail to even phase him, because of his humble personality. However, in Chapter 919... someone makes the mistake of calling all of the former opponents that Ippo has beaten (and deeply respects) "trash". Ippo does NOT take it well. Later, in Chapter 928, the same opponent then insults the training Ippo's received from Coach Kamogawa. Keep in mind, Ippo never worries about his performance in a bout because he has '''complete faith''' in his coach's ability. The guy just pushed the absolute ''wrong'' button.
303	* TrueCompanions: It doesn't matter how much Aoki, Kimura and Takamura tease and often downright bully Ippo: when he truly needs their support and advice, they're always by his side.
304	* TwiceShy: Good Lord, Ippo and Kumi. It got the point that ''Umezawa'', of all people, tells him that he better make a move already, or someone else will.
305	* UglyGuyHotWife:
306	** Hilariously subverted with Aoki and his girlfriend, Nurse Tomiko. He has a fetish for ''ugly'' women ([[spoiler:which came from his beautiful ex-girlfriend Miyuki cheating on him]]) and she's a mix of GenkiGirl and female {{Gonk}}.
307	** Subverted again by Aoki's opponent in his first title challenge, Lightweight Champ Imae Katsukata and his girlfriend Sachiko. They share the same preference for ugly women.
308	** Played straight with the Itagaki family. The mother's a [[GenericCuteness generically cute]] mother, the dad is the show's biggest {{Gonk}}.
309	* UnconsciousObjector: Frequently a fighter--most notably Ippo and Sendo--will continue to box through muscle memory even after he's been knocked unconscious.
310	* UnskilledButStrong: Brian Hawk. He relies on pure talent, with no training whatsoever.
311	* VitriolicBestBuds: Imai and Itagaki are definitely this after their fight, and arguably even before. Sendou and Sawamura can also qualify. Even Aoki and Kimura often fall into this trope actually.
312	* VolleyingInsults: Lots of people, but specially Takamura and Date. Then, they team-up once as {{Combat Commentator}}s ...
313	* VomitDiscretionShot: Largely averted. When someone pukes in this manga, it is often seen leaving their mouth. Yamada Naomichi always pukes after training, and it's almost always on camera. He's even nicknamed "Geromichi," a portmanteau of his last name, Naomichi and the Japanese word for "vomit," for this. Later on, his old gym mates are peaking in on one of his sparring sessions and he made several opponents barf, again with all of them on camera. We've seen Aoki and Kimura barf as well.
314	* WeakButSkilled:
315	** Kenta Kobashi. Considered a mediocre boxer for his lack of power and knockout wins, Kobashi nevertheless gave Ippo a run for his money by playing mind-games, making frequent use of clinches, and using a stance that allowed him to easily reach with point-getting jabs. By playing with the rules, Kobashi managed to win most of his matches. [[spoiler:He would've beaten Ippo too, if he hadn't accidentally scored a solid blow on Ippo during a dodge, and gotten entranced with the 'feel' of the knockout punch.]]
316	** Keichii Take looks like your everyday dad, this guys looks really harmless, isn't it? Here's hint: [[TheAce Date]] ''fears'' him. [[spoiler:[[CombatPragmatist For a very good reason.]]]]
317	* WeHelpTheHelpless: Sendo became a {{delinquent}} not to abuse others, but to ''protect'' them.
318	* WebcomicTime:
319	** A standout example. The events of the manga began in what was once PresentDay in 1989, a period of 28 years as of 2017 in real life; It's only been about 9 years in the story so far.
320	** When Coach Kamogawa was scolding Ippo for going off plan with his match against Kojima, Ippo confirms it's only been 6 years since he started going to the Kamogawa Gym. This means canonically it's only supposed to be 1995 at the time. In contrast, Chapter 944 was released around 2011 or roughly 16 years later than the supposed current date!
321	** As of late in 2023-2024, ''Hajime no Ippo'' has started using a Floating Time Line similar to ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. It's either they're set in roughly the early 2000s (200x) but they're using modern [[AnachronismStew anachronistic]] devices[[note]](like the early 2000s flip phone during the 1990s and the late 2010s smartphone during the early 2000s)[[/note]] or they're set in publication time.
322	** This comes to a head when Itagaki posts sparring pictures on [[BlandNameProduct Pekitter]] when Website/{{Twitter}} only came to existence in July 2006 and only became mainstream around 2009 even though it's supposed to only be set in the early 2000s.
323	* WhamEpisode:
324	** [[spoiler:Ippo losing his match against Date. It looked like he was going to win.]]
325	** The outcome of Date vs. Martinez II.
326	** [[spoiler:Chapter 1069: Gonzales counters Ippo's big right cross and knocks him out.]]
327	** [[spoiler:Chapter 1202: Ippo not only loses his big comeback match, but he outright confirms what astute readers probably suspected: something is broken within him. Even the chapter title, Disaster, is a wham.]]
328	** [[spoiler:Chapter 1208: After talking to a doctor, Ippo makes the decision to retire from boxing.]]
329	** [[spoiler:Chapter 1274: Sendo manages to score a down in a sparring match against '''Ricardo Martinez'''.]]
330	* WhamLine: In episode 25, Ippo received a big shock from the girl he’s been crushing on. When he was expressing his disappointment over Miyata losing his match against Mashiba due to Mashiba injuring Miyata’s foot, she says this: [[spoiler:”Please stop badmouthing my brother.”]]
331	* WhatTheHellHero:
332	** Takamura rants at Ippo [[spoiler: when he almost loses against Kobashi]]. In the first episodes, he also got pissed off when [[spoiler: he thought Ippo wasn't serious enough about boxing.]]
333	** Takamura himself is repeteadly called out by TeamDad Kamogawa for his JerkAss behavior. The old man has beaten the shit out of his more powerful boxer with his cane more than once, and it's more than often PlayedForLaughs.
334	* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: At first, Ippo only had his strength to rely on, and later the Dempsey Roll. He subverts this later by reeling his boxing style back to the very basics.
335	* WildChild: Woli the Indonesian champion lives in a very isolated island village and spends most of his time jumping around between trees, playing with monkeys. However he is social and fairly eloquent and intelligent sounding, if very young and naive, and he just has [[AnimalMotifs animalistic mannerisms]] and ''extreme'' hyperactivity.
336	* TheWorfEffect: [[BloodKnight Sawamura Ryuuhei]] beating [[MadeOfIron Shimabukuro]] to a pulp without even trying and Ippo doing horrible in just about every spar. Plus, from a storytelling point of view (though it makes sense in-universe), technically Ricardo Martinez beating Date Eiji is a form of TheWorfEffect. Ippo vs [[WildChild Woli]] probably counts, too. [[spoiler: Even though Ippo won... [[ArcFatigue eventually]].]]
337	* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Takamura and his German Suplex.
338	* YamatoNadeshiko: Kumi Mashiba, Ippo's mother Hiroko, Date's wife Aiko [[spoiler:who actually was TheOjou and had to face her family's worry and opposition when she married Date]].
339	* YoungerThanTheyLook: Date. And [[JerkAss Takamura]] isn't above hanging lampshades all over it, much to Date's annoyance.
340	* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: Makunouchi sets the crowd alight [[spoiler: with his one-punch KO against Hisato]]. However, he is disheartened that he gave in to anger and felt it wasn't true boxing.

Context Manga / HajimeNoIppo