Shout Out / Hajime no Ippo

This is a list of shout-out references for Hajime no Ippo.

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The more you read Hajime no Ippo, the more you realize it's George Morikawa's love letter to boxing.

Real-Life Boxing Models

The boxers of Hajime no Ippo have many real-life equivalents, particularly the world-famous boxing champions of history as well as local Japanese boxing heroes.

Kamogawa Gym

Ippo Makunouchi

• First off, Makunouchi Ippo is definitely based on Mike Tyson, Floyd Patterson, Ray Mancini, and Jack Dempsey. He's also loosely based on the former WBC World Junior Welterweight Champion and southpaw boxer Tsuyoshi Hamada.
  • Ippo is particularly Tyson-like when it comes to his Peek-a-Boo stance, his bobbing and weaving movement to evade counters, his in-fighting and swarming specialty, his shortness and limited reach, and his Megaton Punch.
  • As for the "Gazelle Punch", it's the same signature move of fellow Peek-a-Boo stance user Floyd Patterson^note (the 2-time world heavyweight champion from 1956 to 1960 and another heavyweight champion boxer trained by Mike Tyson's mentor Cus D'amato, who had also taught Mike the Gazelle Punch as seen here). In Chapter 155, "Gazelle Punch", Kamogawa teaches Ippo the old-school technique.
    • In Chapter 154, while Ippo is undergoing training for the Gazelle Punch by doing squats at the local swimming pool, Tatsuya Kimura mentions that Tsuyoshi Hamada does the same training as well.
  • Ippo's "Liver Blow" is also one of Mike Tyson's favorite techniques in light of his shortness as a heavyweight. When dealing with taller opponents, he'd either go to the body with hooks or attack upwards with uppercuts.
    • In Chapter 181, Coach Kamogawa also taught Ippo another Hamada specialty, which is how to punch with only 10 centimeters or approximately 3-4 inches of space^note the same amount of space that Hamada claimed boxers could use to in-fight with powerful close-quarter blows.
  • Makunouchi instinctively developed his own brand of Dempsey Roll based off of the Signature Move of "The Manassa Mauler" Jack Dempsey, a legendary boxer from the 1910s to 1930s. Incidentally, Tyson idolized and emulated Dempsey's aggressive fighting style as well.
    • In Chapter 420, Genji Kamogawa noted that, aside from Jack Dempsey, the Dempsey Roll was also used by Takeshi Fuji. Dempsey and Fuji conquered the world with the massively powerful technique, but Kamogawa noted that it isn't generally used nowadays.
  • This may be some coincidence, but Makunouchi and Hamada tended to have their dominant hands broken^note (Right for Makunouchi, Left for Hamada), and have their lead hands bring devastating power.^note In Makunouchi's case, it's from him punching a vending machine then taking out his anger on a heavy bag after seeing Mashiba cheat to win against Miyata. In Hamada's case, the sheer force of his punches broke his left hand four times since 1981, with him needing bone grafting surgery twice.
  • According to Word of God, Ippo is a mixture of Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini (former WBA World Lightweight Champion) and Mike Tyson (former Unified World Heavyweight Champion).

Mamoru Takamura

• Mamoru Takamura is a mix between his direct model Shinji Takehara and "The Hands of Stone" Roberto Durán (who famously handed Sugar Ray Leonard his first loss).
  • Takehara is an inspiration for his height (185 cm/6'1") and his historical run as the first Japanese middleweight world champion. His career ended due to a detached retina (an injury that's repeatedly teased in many a Takamura bout).
  • Duran is an inspiration for his background as a street fighter brawler turned world champion boxer, their arrogant, boisterous and hot-headed attitudes, and their shared encounters with animals.^note Similar to Duran who knocked out a horse with his bare hands, Takamura knocked out a bear with his bare hands. Both animals got back up after being punched and both boxers got injured. Injuries being Duran's hand and Takamura's chest.
    • While it could be a humorous coincidence, Takamura having his pompadour busted wide open during important matches^note (like the Bryan Hawk match, the David Eagle match, the Richard Bison match, and the Keith Dragon match) is quite similar to how Duran's hairstyle was usually slicked back into a much smaller, cleaner pompadour but swiftly devolved into a hairy mess once he starts boxing.
  • In Chapter 233, Page 23 of the manga, Takamura is stated by Mari Iimura to resemble "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler in terms of his balance of strength, speed, and skill.
  • Considering his flamboyant style, freak athleticism, high K.O. percentage, and dream to go all the way from (junior) middleweight to heavyweight, Roy Jones Jr. may be another inspiration.
  • In Chapter 178, it's mentioned that if Takamura wins by K.O. during his belt defense against Atsushi Tamaki, he'd destroy Hidekazu "The Rocky of Naniwa" Akai's Japanese record of most consecutive knockouts since their debut match.^note The match eventually became Takamura's 13^th straight match with a K.O. win. As of Chapter 1,290, Takamura has won 26 straight matches with a K.O. win.
  • Takamura declaring he's going to conquer six weight divisions is significant because around this time, Oscar De La Hoya^note (who has been mentioned in the manga) hasn't become a Sextuple Boxing Champion yet^note much less Manny Pacquiao becoming an Octuple Champion. If Takamura becomes a Sextuple Champion before De La Hoya does, he'd turn into a historic boxer in the Hajime no Ippo universe!

Other Gym Members

• Masaru Aoki has a punch called "The Frog Punch", which made its debut in Chapter 148 of the manga. This is too ridiculous to be considered an actual boxing technique, right? Squatting down deep before throwing an uppercut is surely something you'd see in professional wrestling instead of a boxing ring! Believe it or not, it's actually real. It's the real signature move of one Koichi Wajima (although it was more of a showboating punch than a finishing move).
  • Aoki's general ring performance seems to be heavily inspired by Emanuel Augustus, also known for his rather strange fighting style that tends to heavily frustrate opponents.
  • According to Wikipedia, Aoki's signature "Look Away" technique is based on a skill that former World Middleweight Champion Jake LaMotta had used in his career.
• Tatsuya Kimura's character seems to be at least partially based on former world champion "Fearless" Freddie Pendleton, who had been a journeyman fighter his entire career, yet was still able to fight on even terms with some of the best in the world with his high level of skill.
  • According to a fan of two-time heavyweight champion "Terrible" Tim Witherspoon that the actual person caught wind of, Tatsuya Kimura copied his signature "Dragonfish Blow" from Witherspoon's signature overhand right.
• According to Word of God, Manabu Itagaki is based on Manabu Fukushima, a former Japanese super bantamweight champion.
  • Itagaki also mentions idolizing the fighting style of "The Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya, another flashy boxer who's good-looking, popular with girls, and has a decorated amateur career^note De La Hoya is a Golden Gloves champion.
  • Like Ichiro Miyata, he too is based on Muhammad Ali and "Sugar" Ray Leonard combined, but in slightly different ways. This time, he has Ali's lack of knockout power^note Miyata is more of a K.O. specialist for an outboxer like Leonard. He also shares Miyata's glass chin^note like the comparatively chinny Leonard when compared to the durable Ali, whose number of career knockdowns you can count with one hand.
  • Furthermore, Itagaki is capable of doing the famous Ali Shuffle from Muhammad Ali. He even modified it into his own signature Itagaki Shuffle (a Full Body Feint that confuses opponents on how or where he'd attack).

Ippo's Main Rivals

Ichiro Miyata

• Ichiro/Ichirou Miyata is modeled after Naoto Takahashi and has the boxing style of Sugar Ray Leonard.
  • The direct inspiration of Miyata is the Japanese boxer Naoto Takahashi who's known for his comebacks in the boxing ring (though that's really more of an Ippo trademark) as well as his counter-style outboxer prowess.
  • His boxing style is further modeled after Sugar Ray Leonard (Miyata's favorite boxer), who himself is known as "Little Ali" or the Muhammad Ali of the welterweight division.^note This is due to Sugar Ray's defensive abilities, blinding speed, amazing knockout power for an outboxer, and win percentage against his rivals. Ray also took on the nickname of an idol of his, the legendary outboxer and probably pound-for-pound the greatest boxer of all time Sugar Ray Robinson (born Walker Smith Jr.) Both Miyata and Leonard were considered boxing prodigies as well.
  • Therefore, the rivalry between Miyata and Ippo can be compared to the dream match discussions of Ali vs. Tyson. Or the actual rivalry between Ali and "Smokin'" Joe Frazier.
  • Aside from being an Ashita no Joe shout-out, Miyata's "Cross Counter" is a notable technique used all the way back from the days of Young Corbet III, a boxer from the 1920s, and Willie Pep, a boxer from the 1950s.
  • In Chapter 129, during the Miyata vs. Sisphar match, Payao talks to Chana about "The Jolt" technique and how Miyata plans to turn it into the "Jolt Counter"^note by putting his full weight on the front foot and falling towards his opponent with his full-body counter punch, using the opponent's face as his crutch. It's a technique that was also invented by Jack Dempsey.
  • Miyata's "Red Lightning" technique is a combination of his signature "Jolt Counter", Joe Yabuki's "Cross Counter", and Date's "Corkscrew Blow". Because of how difficult it is to pull off, you rarely see it. It's Charles "Kid" McCoy's Corkscrew Punch applied as a counter.

Takeshi Sendo

• The "Naniwa Tiger" Takeshi Sendo/Sendou/Sendoh, on the other hand, is a mix between his direct Japanese boxer model Hidekazu Akai and Canadian heavyweight contender Donovan "Razor" Ruddock.
  • He has a curious anime-like, Shoryuken-looking Finishing Move known as "The Smash".^note It's a mix between a hook and an uppercut designed to split through guards with its awkward trajectory. Was this an improbable technique made exclusively for the manga and anime? Nope, it actually exists. It's a huge shout-out to long-time Tyson rival "Razor" Ruddock.^note Like Ruddock to Tyson, Sendo also lost twice to his rival Ippo.
    • In Chapter 88, after Sendo mentioned that he can use "The Smash", Aoki remarked that it was a "Sleek Water Uppercut" used by James J. Braddock (of Cinderella Man fame).^note It's also a punch that Mike Tyson tried hard to learn. So Ruddock and Braddock shared the same technique that ended up becoming Sendo's Sunday Punch.
  • The Japanese model for Takeshi Sendo is Hidekazu Akai, a famous junior welterweight boxer from Osaka. Sendo's other nickname of "Naniwa Rocky" or "Rocky of Naniwa" comes from him.
    • Sendo mentioned to Ippo that he's a huge fan of Rocky, with him being called "Rocky of Naniwa". Not that Rocky though.^note He meant undefeated heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano (whom he shares a savage "punch until one of us falls down" and rather simplistic caveman boxing style), not perennial underdog Rocky Balboa. Arguably a case of a double shout-out (triple shout-out if you include Akai). Sendo specifies that in West Japan, if you're a tiny bit good, they'll call you Rocky as in the movie one played by Stallone. However, he wants to be known as a different Rocky, the undefeated Rocky Marciano, instead of a fictional hometown hero.
      Sendo: Rocky is Rocky but not the Movie Rocky. "Rocky" from Rocky Marciano.
  • Although it might be a humorous coincidence, Ricardo Martinez's biggest threat currently in the manga is Takeshi Sendo. In turn, the biggest threat in the entire career of Martinez's real-life counterpart, Ricardo Lopez, was his rival Rosendo Alvarez.^note Lopez had a close draw and a close split-decision win against him.

Ryo Mashiba

• Then there's "Shinigami" (The Grim Reaper) Ryo Mashiba. He employs the Detroit Style or the Philly Shell. His signature moves are his Flicker Jabs, Chopping Right, and Elbow Block. He's overall a huge shout-out to legendary boxer Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns.
  • Tommy Hearns also possessed the same techniques, scary knockout power, boxing skills, ridiculously lengthy reach, and lanky body type as Mashiba. However, Mashiba mentions that he has no idea who Thomas Hearns is when Sendo mentioned Hearns' name back in Chapter 1,093.
  • Ryo swings his left arm like a scythe in the anime, which is the same movement Hearns does to confuse his opponents before he does his elbow-first "lazy" jab^note that he could whip out and turn into a body blow, an uppercut, or a looping left hook to the chin depending on how his opponent reacts. His option-select jab also helps set up his finishing blow, the Chopping Right.
  • Ichiro Miyata (the Sugar Ray Leonard analog) losing controversially to Ryo Mashiba (the Thomas Hearns analog) in a close contest ironically mirrors how in two matches, Hearns almost but never won against his rival Leonard.^note In their first match, Leonard got a referee stoppage despite Hearns leading on all judges' scorecards by Round 14. The second match was a split-draw (one judge for Hearns, another for Leonard, and a third judge a draw) even though Hearns scored two knockdowns on Leonard.

Volg Zangiev

• Alexander "Volg/Vorg" Zangiev/Zangief (Александр "Волг" Зангиев) from Russia is likely based off real-life boxer and gold medalist Yuri Arbachakov (Юрий Арбачаков)^note who fought nearly all his matches in Korakuen Hall and fictional boxer Ivan Drago (Иван Драго) from the movie Rocky IV.
  • He's like Arbachakov because of his clean technical boxing he was able to show off against silver medalist and IBF Junior Lightweight Champion Mike Elliot, and also because Yuri's very well-known in Japan.
  • Zangief's Finishing Move, the White Fang, may have been based off of a certain combo by "Sugar" Ray Leonard.
  • Wikipedia claims that Volg is partly based upon Russian-Australian boxer and former Undisputed Light Welterweight Champion Kostya Tszyu (Костя» Цзю)^note who excelled as an amateur in the Soviet boxing program before going on to achieve even greater success as a professional.
  • When crowned champion in Chapter 1,007, Volg is shown wearing the WBA belt, but in Chapter 1,008 this is corrected and he's shown wearing the IBF belt.^note The volume releases reflect this change all throughout. It was the weekly releases that shows the error.

Ippo's Previous Rivals

Eiji Date

• Eiji Date's comeback story after a long hiatus is reminiscent of George Foreman's own return to the ring after 10 years of retirement. Foreman was also mentioned by Kamogawa in Chapter 189^note (during Ippo vs. Date, in reference to Date's veteran instincts in spite of his age).
  • Meanwhile, his direct model is Fujio Ozaki, who's also known as "The Japanese Roberto Duran".^note Both Ozaki and Date share similar features and facial hair as Duran in his prime. All three share the same Hot-Blooded personality as well.
  • Furthermore, his Heartbreak Shot (a Corkscrew Punch to the chest) makes use of the signature move of Kid McCoy^note who in turn (might have) inspired the idiomatic term "The Real McCoy".
  • Like the Hagler vs. Hearns fight (short but action-packed) or the Hagler vs. Duran fight (went the distance), Date makes a good account of himself to Ricardo Martinez in their rematch^note by landing multiple hard shots on the champion despite the foregone conclusion of their match. People remember it as a Curb-Stomp Battle but Ricardo himself remembers it differently.
    • Meanwhile, Date's two-round TKO first match with Martinez is reminiscent of the blow-out match of Duran vs. Hearns, which was also a two-round routing of Duran by the hands of the Hitman.
    • The first Date vs. Martinez match could also refer to the two-round destruction of Taiwan's Rocky Lin when he fought the real-life version of Ricardo Martinez, Ricardo Lopez, back in 1992 in Japan.
  • In Chapter 188, Kamogawa explains that Date's Neck Spin was a technique developed in the Philippines to limit the damage of punches. It involves spinning your head upon contact with a punch to neutralize part of its power.

Dr. Kazuki Sanada

• According to Word of God, the Irish boxer Dr. Terry Christle A.K.A. "Fighting Physician", is the direct model for Dr. Kazuki Sanada, the doctor-turned-boxer whom Ippo fought in his first title defense.
  • According to the Ippo Wiki, Dr. Sanada is instead based on Salvador Sanchez. Before being killed in a traffic accident, Sanchez wanted to become a doctor.
  • Harold Reitman is another former professional boxer turned orthopedic surgeon whom Dr. Sanada could be based on.
  • Dr. Sanada has a specific Finishing Move called the "Tsubame Gaeshi", thrown with a right-handed body blow (usually targeting the guard of his opponent) followed up by a right uppercut going through the guard. Mike Tyson used a similar move throughout his career, with it being his more famous combo.

Other Rivals

• Ryuhei Sawamura's "Bullet" jab is different from the flailing Flicker Jab of the Hitman Style. It's actually another application of Kid McCoy's Corkscrew Punch as a jab, with the user turning his body then rotating his arm and wrist repeatedly to produce pinpoint supersonic jabs at his opponent.
• Keichi Take is a tricky southpaw boxer from Eiji Date's generation that Date avoided and gave Ippo fits when they fought.^note In fact, he exposed Ippo in ways that someone like Kenta Kobashi or Malcolm Gedo would. Take is another technically sound, strategic boxer that can make the straightforwardly aggressive Makunouchi look downright amateurish with his technical savvy. He's also a shout-out to a similarly technical and tricky boxer^note (though not naturally a southpaw but can switch into a southpaw stance) in Bernard Hopkins.^note Like Take, Hopkins is a highly strategic and defensive boxer known for carrying good speed and power along with counterpunching skills. Hopkins has also beaten the likes of Roy Jones Jr., Oscar De La Hoya, and Felix Trinidad. Hopkins even competed until he was 51 years old. He is the oldest man in the history of the sport to win a major world title, beating George Foreman's record.
• Antonio Guevara is rather reminiscent of the early years of legendary Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao. Both are southpaw fighters who rely on fast-paced volume punching^note (though Guevara uses his volume punching primarily to out-box and jab out his opponents with his right hand, Pacquiao uses it instead to in-fight and throw both left and right hands for his lightning-fast combos) and have grown up dirt poor in the slums of the Philippines.

Mexican Rivals

Ricardo Martinez

• Who could forget the closest thing this series has to a Big Bad, Ricardo "Quetzelcóatl" Martinez?
  • His combination of a wild brawling style tempered with the Sweet Science is quite reminiscent of real-life undefeated Mexican boxing legend Ricardo "El Finito" Lopez.^note In particular, they share the same refinement of boxing basics, starting with Finito's surgically accurate "Ghost Jabs" or "Motionless Jabs" with no telegraphed tell. They're also both counterpunching boxer-punchers who memorize the tempo of their opponents in order to better counter them with left jabs, feints, and perfectly setup combos for the right straight finishing blow.
  • Another parallel between Lopez and Martinez is the fact that Ricardo Lopez and Juan Manuel Marquez (the Alfredo Gonzales analog) share the same trainer, Nacho Beristain. This means that they share the same counter-based boxing style as well.^note The undefeated Martinez (based on Lopez) has the cleaner, more perfect boxing techniques and record compared to the wilder and more undisciplined Gonzales (based on Marquez, who's known to get knocked down in fights and leave himself more open to punches in order to land his counters).
  • As for his long win streak, this is reminiscent of both Lopez's 51-win record and the 87-match win streak of another (arguably more famous) Mexican boxing legend, Julio César Chávez^note who had a win streak of 87 straight wins until it was broken care of a draw with fellow boxing legend Pernell Whitaker and a clean 89-0-1 record until his first loss against Frankie Randall, who knocked him down for the first time in his career.
  • Ricardo is also reminiscent of Salvador Sánchez attitude-wise^note (he treats every round with stoic calmness), technique-wise^note (they share the same methodical strategy and hard Mexican-style liver blow to break opponents down slowly yet absolutely), and background-wise^note (he too grew up in high elevations, thus he has unlimited stamina to spare when in the boxing ring).
  • Ricardo, like in the case of fellow undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather, said inwardly in Chapter 1,407 that he has begun to notice that the audience lately wants to see him in trouble so he'd struggle and display some Heroic Resolve. When everything proceeds exactly how it's expected to proceed, the arena cools off.
  • The lone knockdown Martinez suffered against Sendo during sparring is reminiscent of the lone knockdown El Finito got from his strongest rival, Rosendo "El Bufalo" Alvarez, who also got him a draw.

Alfredo Gonzales

• As for Ricardo's rival Alfredo "Metztli" Gonzales/Gonzalez, he might be the Ippo universe's version of "Dinamita" Juan Manuel Márquez.
  • Alfredo Gonzales' spine-tingling knockout of Ippo is highly reminiscent of the equally spine-tingling knockout Juan Manuel Marquez delivered to octuple weight class champion Manny Pacquiao in their fourth fight.^note In light of the timing between the fourth match and this chapter (2012 vs. 2014 respectively), this time the shout-out might be deliberate, as the way Ippo slumped down face-first into the canvas is particularly Pacquiao-like.
  • Marquez's K.O. punch to Pacquiao also looked like the Jolt Counter from Miyata as well as Alf's counter.^note However, Alf's version of the counter was actually a complicated series of feints leading to a knockdown counter punch. He then won the dual exchange against Ippo in the final stanza of their fight, leading to a knockout.
  • Gonzales is also reminiscent of Marquez in the way he insistently demanded a rematch against his own rival Martinez (he'd lost twice before) after winning against Ippo.^note Marquez had actually never "officially" won against Pacquiao until that fourth encounter knockout. Before that, he'd gotten a draw, a razor-thin close loss, and a controversial loss, which led to him to repeatedly chase for rematches.
  • Another parallel between Gonzales and Marquez is how Gonzales ended up losing against Ippo's perennial rival, Sendo (whom Ippo beat twice).^note In real life, even though Marquez ended up beating Pacquiao in their fourth match, he also ended up losing against fellow perennial Pacquiao opponent Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley. Meanwhile, Pacquiao himself beat Bradley twice after the Marquez K.O. (arguably three times, but the first match ended up as a controversial win for Bradley).
  • He gets his name from former WBC Featherweight Champion Jhonny González, who had several of his fights occur in Japan.

Takamura's World-Class Opponents

Bryan Hawk

• Takamura's most famous rival, Bryan Hawk, has an unpredictable style reminiscent of a brash and cocky Prince Naseem Hamed. Hawk is essentially a middleweight version of Hamed, with him throwing odd punches at awkward angles and swaying backwards to dodge.
  • His arrogant, thuggish attitude, laziness when it comes to training, misogyny, viewing bloodlust and sexual lust as interchangeable, racism, controversial statements during press conferences, violence in and out of the ring, and knockout punching power is quite like Nicaraguan ex-champion Ricardo Mayorga.

David Eagle

• David "Golden" Eagle, as a gold-medal-winning "pretty boy" and All-American hero, is reminiscent of Sextuple Weight Class Champion Oscar De La Hoya.
  • They're both gold medalists and have the word "Golden" as part of their boxing aliases (David's "Golden Eagle" vs. Oscar's "Golden Boy").
  • By how well each did against Takamura and discarding "styles make fights" for now, Eagle seems far and away superior to Hawk with his back-to-basics boxing. It can be considered a reference to how De La Hoya dismantled Mayorga in their match.
  • On a meta level, Takamura gunning to become a six-weight champion means he wasn't only after Oscar De La Hoya Expy David Eagle; he's also after De La Hoya's real-world record as boxing's first Sextuple Champion.^note He might rewrite history in the Ippo Universe by becoming Sextuple Champion before the De La Hoya of their universe could!

Other Opponents

• Morris West is probably based on real-life WBA Champion Morris East, a half-Filipino and half-black middleweight boxer.
• Larry Bernard likely got his name from the first names of two championship-caliber boxers—Larry Holmes and Bernard Hopkins.
• Richard Bison has a lanky body, a long ranged, jab-based style, and a nickname^note "Motor City Bison" that were all obviously copied from Thomas Hearns^note who's also known as "Motor City Cobra" on top of being "The Hitman". Hearns and Bison are both African American as well. In fact, Bison is arguably an even closer Expy to Hitman Hearns than Mashiba is, who never even heard of Hearns despite using the same "Hitman" boxing style as him.
• Peter Rabbitson might be a shout-out to Meldrick Taylor, a boxer who gave Julio Cesar Chavez fits when they faced each other in 1990.^note Like Rabbitson, Taylor almost won a 12-round decision against Chavez had Chavez, like Takamura, not scored a late stoppage via 12^th-round knockout.
  • Rabbitson's unusual name might also be a reference to Sugar Ray Robinson, but this time the "Robin" part of his name is substituted for "Rabbit".
• Keith Dragon takes some elements of Oscar De La Hoya, namely being a "Wrong Way Around" fighter (De La Hoya and Dragon were naturally lefties who benefitted from using the orthodox stance for better counter attacks, jabs, and other left hand power punches), and by being fun-loving Cavalier Competitors.

Miscellaneous Boxing Models and References

YouTube Boxing Videos

• After hearing endless references to jet engines and the Anti-Anti-Anti-Dempsey-Roll in the comments of his video breakdown of Jack Dempsey's signature techniques, "The Modern Martial Artist" channel looked into Hajime no Ippo and then made a YouTube video discussing all the shout-outs and real boxing techniques involved in the series.
• Here's another video covering the real-life boxing moments found in Hajime no Ippo by the "Official Hancho Boxing" YouTube channel. It covers many of the real-life boxing models of Ippo characters along with their coincidental present-day equivalents in Japanese boxing later on.

Places Referencing Boxing

• Kōrakuen Hall is a shout-out to a real sports arena in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It has hosted many notable boxing, professional wrestling, kickboxing, MMA, and Lethwei (Burmese boxing) matches.
• The Hachinohe Gym where Jason Ozma/Ozuma/Osma/Osuma/Otsuma trains at is a real-life boxing gym nearby Misawa Air Force Base in the Aomori area. It also produced a real African American champion named Rick Yoshimura.
• Pension Yoshio in Chapter 225 got its name from Japan's first world champion boxer, Yoshio Shirai.
• The Mayweather Bar is a semi-recurring place in Hajime no Ippo. It is a bar located in Tokyo, Japan, where some characters go to drink after a match, or to unwind. It's also a huge shout-out to undefeated defensive wizard and controversial boxing figure Floyd Mayweather Jr.
  • It most prominently appeared from Chapters 943 to 944, after the Peter Rabbitson match that Takamura almost lost on points. It's the bar where an angry Mamoru Takamura took on a dream match of Japan's Boxing Elite—Eiji Date, Takuma Saeki, Keigo Okita, Takeshi Sendo, and Ryo Mashiba—plus Kumi Mashiba serving as witness to the one-sided massacre.
• Many places in Hajime no Ippo are named after famous boxers. You have the Tyson Steak House (named after Mike Tyson), Marquez (the convenience store where Miyata worked, named after Juan Manuel Marquez), Sugar Ray Bar (likely named after Sugar Ray Leonard and/or Sugar Ray Robinson), Donaire Restaurant (named after Nonito Donaire), and De La Hoya Restaurant (named after Oscar De La Hoya).
• In Chapter 1,128, Sendo, his former homeroom teacher, and Ippo went and had coffee at Coffee Shop Hearns.

Early Days Arc

• Unlike in the first episode of the anime, the first chapter of the manga has Ippo borrow a VHS tape featuring Mike Tyson knockouts from Takamura. The anime changed it to generic world champion matches due to a lot of controversy surrounding Tyson at the time the episode was made in the 2000s. So the tape is a shout-out to a real-life boxer in the manga, but not in the anime.
  • Both the anime and the manga later on talk about how Mike Tyson got bullied as a kid but then one day lost his temper and beat his bullies up after they killed one of his pet pigeons. This then led him to discover his fighting talent that would eventually blossom into a successful boxing career. His story encourages Ippo to want to become strong himself so he won't get bullied so much.
• In Chapter 5, "1965 Uppercut", when Genji Kamogawa first teaches Ippo how to throw the uppercut, Ippo executes a perfect textbook uppercut identical to the uppers of Éder Jofre.^note Kamogawa remembers seeing Jofre throw the exact uppercut on May 18, 1965, when Jofre fought Masahiko "Fighting" Harada, the only boxer to actually defeat him, and twice at that.

Rookie King Arc

• The manga directly mentions Kenta Kobashi's most probable boxing model, the technical wizard Maxie Rosenbloom.^note The American boxer won 209 matches but only 19 of them were by way of knockout. In fact, Rosenbloom had such weak punches he was nicknamed "Slapsie Maxie".
  • The cross guard is introduced to the series for the first time by Kobashi. It's described by Coach Kamogawa as the signature blocking technique of American boxing legend Archie Moore.^note Moore won over 200 fights till his late forties with his tank-like blocking technique that could survive punches from the likes of the undefeated heavyweight puncher Rocky Marciano.
• According to the Hajime no Ippo official guidebook, Ryuichi Hayami is based on Héctor "Macho" Camacho, the boxer who handed Sugar Ray Leonard's final loss before permanent retirement in 1997.^note Like Hayami, Camacho is a decorated amateur boxer, winning multiple Golden Gloves championships. Unlike Hayami, Camacho never really had a losing streak (his 6 losses were mostly to top-shelf competition like Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, and Julio Cesar Chavez).
  • Hayami's Shotgun is reminiscent of the Machine Gun Blow in boxing.
  • Meanwhile, Hayami fancies himself as a would-be inspiring famous boxing figure not unlike Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali. Sports journalist Minoru Fujii outright compares Hayami's bad-mouthing of opponents to Muhammad Ali.^note However, he notes that Ali backed up his braggadocio, which was what set "The Louisville Lip" apart and made him popular enough to become "The Greatest".

Class-A Contender Arc

• Keigo Okita is a carbon copy of Date, so most references to Date's fighting style like Kid McCoy's Corkscrew Blow apply to him as well.^note So it's Eiji Date that's "The Real McCoy" and Okita who's the Sidekick of Date. He also looks like the early prototype for Alfredo Gonzales's look design-wise, who also serves as the shadow to Ricardo Martinez.
  • During Okita vs. Ippo, Kid McCoy is acknowledged by Kimura in Chapter 121 as the inventor of the Corkscrew Blow back in the 1890s or 100 years ago.
• According to the Hajime no Ippo official guidebook, Takuma "Speed Star" Saeki's fighting style was modeled after Pernell Whitaker.^note He's more of a technically savvy, defense-minded, and speed-based outboxer who wins on points as opposed to the Miyata or Hayami type of aggressive outboxer who relies more on landing counters to get comeback K.O.s.
  • They both have the textbook outboxer boxing style of hitting while not getting hit, amazing dodging abilities, and circling clockwise against an orthodox opponent (counterclockwise against a southpaw) while peppering them with jabs.
• In Chapter 151, Ippo asks Takamura for videos of the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez, since he considers his fighting style the manual or bible for in-fighters like him. He wishes to review footage of Chavez to become more like him.
• In Chapter 152, Kimura's opponent in the Class-A Tournament for his weight class, Takeshi Ryuzaki, looks like Hall of Fame Japanese boxer Yoko Gushiken, prompting Kimura to think incredulously, 'He thinks he's Gushiken...!'^note Gushiken held the WBA Light Flyweight title from 1976 to 1981, making a total of 13 successful defenses.
• In Chapter 154, while Ippo is training with squats at a pool to master a new punch, Kimura brings up how former welterweight champion Tsuyoshi Hamada frequented pools as part of his boxing training.

Challenge for the Throne Arc

• In Chapter 181, Minoru Fujii monologues to himself at length about the mechanics of doing the Liver Blow, and how its wide left hook telegraphs to its victim that it's coming (thus it serves as an opening for Eiji Date's "Heartbreak Shot").
  • Also in Chapter 181, the manga references what Tsuyoshi Hamada said, "Only 10 centimeters (3-4 inches). From that distance, you have enough time to put all of your energy from your legs to your arms into your fist."
• On the opening cover of Chapter 183, George Morikawa congratulates Joichiro "Naniwa's Joe" Tatsuyoshi for winning the interim WBC bantamweight title against Victor Rabanales of Mexico in a rematch from their encounter last year in 1992.^note Joe won via split-decision victory on July 22, 1993 and he was depicted as battered and bruised while carrying his son.
• In Chapter 189, former heavyweight champion George Foreman was cited by Coach Kamogawa as saying, "There's no shame in aging."^note Even at Age 40, Foreman continued to fight and read his young opponents' emotions on his way to K.O. victories. This was what Date did to Ippo to enable him to predict his movements and do techniques like his Neck Spin.

Road Back Arc

• In Chapter 209, Makunouchi Ippo watches more of Tyson's videos, marveling at his speed, and mentions having also observed Roberto Duran and Julio Cesar Chavez. Nevertheless, Mike Tyson proves the best model for Ippo for his comeback fight.^note It's because, according to him, Tyson is small for his weight class and regularly fought bigger men like he did. From there, Ippo starts emulating Tyson's head-bobbing movements.
• Chapter 213, "Classic Blow", or Episode 62 of the first season anime marks the first appearance of the Dempsey Roll, which Ippo used against its first victim, Ponchai Chuwatana (พรชัย ชูวัฒนา) from Thailand.^note It was born out of Ippo's need to defend himself while attacking at the same time, allowing him to evade counters while on the offensive.
  • It was actually Minoru Fujii who first realized Ippo's movements were like Jack Dempsey's.
  • Kamogawa also realized that Ippo's guard-crushing blows originated from The Roaring '20s and American Boxing. Ippo accidentally rediscovered The Dempsey Roll while the coach recuperated in the hospital from overwork.
• Chapter 214 was titled "Mike Performance" to show that Ippo had a Tyson-like performance in the ring after knocking out Ponchai in Round 2 with the Dempsey Roll.^note It becomes a different kind of performance, a "Mic Performance", later with the appearance of Sendo armed with a live microphone so he could challenge Ippo for a rematch.
  • Fujii explains he'd only seen the Dempsey Roll on black-and-white archival footage, which probably means he watched the Jack Dempsey vs. Jess Willard match.
  • Meanwhile, Genji Kamogawa outright remembers the Dempsey Roll, since he belongs to the generation who still remembers the move and the man behind it.^note Genji was roughly born around the time when the legendary Jack Dempsey was still an active boxer from the 1910s to 1940, the year he retired.
  • Fujii also mentions Takeshi Fuji, a Hawaiian-born Japanese boxer and former Lineal WBA and WBC Super Lightweight Champion who also used the Dempsey Roll when he was an active boxer in the 1960s.

Mountain Training Arc

• In Vol. 26, the volume insert cover features a running Hachi beside Ippo, who's wearing a "Joe is Back" t-shirt. The shirt refers to the comeback match of Joechiro Tatsuyoshi in Hawaii in 1994, where he defeated his opponent, Josefino Suarez, in just three rounds after being almost forced to retire because of a detached left retina received in his previous match with Victor Rabanales.
• In Chapter 224, Kamogawa comments on Sendo's insane match schedule, where he has a match every two months. He says it reminds him of the match pace of Julio Cesar Chavez, who was mentioned to have an 87-win streak and 75 knockouts^note (so that means the chapter was supposed to be set before or after his draw with Pernell Whitaker in 1993). He had his legendary record because of the high volume of title and non-title matches he had.^note The Ippo Wiki lists the date of Eiji Date's match with Jeff Brooks on the same chapter as August 1992, which results in a Continuity Snarl because on that same date, Chavez should've instead had an 81-win streak, with Frankie Mitchell being his 81^st conquest on August 1992.
• In Chapter 225, when Ginpachi Nekota saw Kimura and Aoki, he mistakes them◊ for Junior Flyweight "Charlie Dognos" and Strawweight "Rocky Lynne".
  • Charlie Dognos/Charlito Degnos might refer to Filipino boxer Charlito/Titing "Boy Birador" Dignos. In 1992, he fought a memorable bout in Japan against fellow Filipino^note and Ricardo Lopez victim Andy "Otsuka" Tabanas.^note Back in 1984, he also lost against future world champion Luisito Espinosa early on in their careers. He even has a boxer relative also named Charlito Dignos as well. He is currently a boxing coach with his own YouTube channel.
  • Rocky Lynne is probably a reference to Rocky Lin, who was a popular Taiwanese boxer that regularly fought in Japan.^note One of his most notable matches was against the undefeated Ricardo Lopez in Japan at Kōrakuen Hall on October 11, 1992, where he lost in the 2^nd round. The Lopez match was 1 of only 2 losses Rocky Lin suffered throughout his 10-year career, leaving him with a record of 26 wins and 2 losses.
  • Also in Chapter 225, Kamogawa and Ippo discuss how Jack Dempsey had to force opponents to back away in order for him to use the Dempsey Roll and how difficult it is to make a boxer like Sendo retreat.
• In Chapter 226, Nekota namedrops George Foreman, Floyd Patterson, and Henry Armstrong as boxers who do old-school training like chopping wood. Muhammad Ali also chopped wood after losing in an upset to Leon Spinks.^note For a heavyweight, Ali lacked Foreman-like power, so he needed training that would give him the strength to push through the young guns. Cutting wood is what raised Ali's punching power.
  • Nekota also discusses his Punch Drunk syndrome or CTE in this chapter. This syndrome involves impairment of motor skills, loss of coordination, memory loss, and slurred speech. It's a common condition among boxers who've taken too many punches to the head.
• In Chapter 228, Kamogawa and Nekota discuss feints and how the most effective feints look like a real punch because they use Killing Intent. It also references how legendary old-timey Japanese boxers like Tsuneo "Piston" Horiguchi fought at least 4 times a day.^note Piston Honda/Hondo from Punch-Out!! might be based on Horiguchi.

Miyata's OPBF Enemies

• Miyata's "Jolt Counter" against Jimmy Sisphar and Arnie Gregory, Sisphar's "Jolt Blow" and "Tornado Jolt" that were based on it, and everything else described with the word "Jolt" comes from a technique developed by aggression master Jack Dempsey himself called "The Jolt".^note Also known as the "Falling Step" punching technique, it's a powerful full-body punch that involves making yourself lean forward off-balance and catching yourself short from falling face-first through using your fist to your opponent's face or body as a supportive crutch so that your punch is powered by the entirety of your body weight.
  • In Chapter 128 (released back in 1992), there's a mention of Tyson fighting third-rate boxers in relation to the 30-to-1 odds for Miyata fighting Jimmy Sisphar.^note The Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas upset happened just two years ago in 1990.
• Mr. Sakaguchi, the (half-)Filipino manager of the OPBF (Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation), is most likely based on controversial promoter Don King, right down to the crazy hair. King was best known for promoting "The Thrilla in Manila"^note The grueling rubber match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in the hot capital of the Philippines that almost took the souls of both men before Ali won the War of Attrition and "The Rumble in the Jungle"^note Ali versus George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire where Ali showed the "Rope-a-Dope" technique for the first time before scoring the K.O. victory.
• Arnie Gregory is an Aussie boxer who Miyata claims resembles Tatsuya Kimura style-wise but also has Ippo's power and aggression for good measure. He also resembles three-weight champion and fellow Australian Jeff "Marickville Mauler" Fenech.
• Thai boxer Medgoen Dachboy (เม็ดเงิน ดัชบอย) is based on real-life Thai boxer Medgoen Singsurat (เม็ดเงิน 3เคแบตเตอรี่), who famously knocked Manny Pacquiao out early in his career. Meanwhile, his last name is taken from the Dutch Boy Paint brand, a popular paint brand in Southeast Asia.
  • He could also be named after Samson Dutch Boy Gym (แซมซั่น ดัทช์บอยยิม), which is one of the ring names of former Muay Thai practitioner turned super flyweight boxing champion Somboon Phantasi (สมบุญ พานตะสี).
• The ambidextrous switch-hitter^note meaning he can fight in both orthodox and southpaw stances Randy Boy Jr. is most likely based on fellow Filipino switch-hitter Nonito Donaire Jr.
  • You can also consider famous switch-hitting southpaw tank Marvin Hagler as another inspiration for good measure.^note Hagler defeated nearly all of his fellow Four Kings of Boxing (Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran) save for one (Sugar Ray Leonard). It was just like how RBJ also fell against the Leonard analog of Hajime no Ippo, Ichiro Miyata.
  • Randy Boy Jr.'s name is also reminiscent of the name of athletic freak and multi-weight boxing champion Roy Jones Jr., who also sometimes switched to southpaw to find other avenues of attack and confuse his opponents too.
• There's also Filipino boxer Luisito Ico, who is likely based on Luisito Espinosa^note Full Name: Luisito Pio Espinosa; Ring Name: Lindol (Earthquake), a two-weight-class champion who was active in the 1990s.

Survival Match of Asian Champions Saga

• Thailand champion Jimmy Sisphar/Sisfa/Srifaa (จิมมี่ ศรีฟ้า) or Scratch J is based on real-life Thai boxer Khaosai Galaxy (เขาทราย แกแล็คซี่). Like Khaosai, Sisphar shifted from Muay Thai to boxing.
  • Sisphar also looks a lot like a young Khaosai when he first faced off against Miyata, before he changed his boxing style, got multiple face scars, and grew his hair long.
• Philippine champion Malcolm Gedo likely got his first name from Malcolm Tuñacao, a former Filipino WBC World Flyweight Champion.
  • Gedo also represents many of the traits and worst criticisms of defensive counterpunching genius Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. He is bald, is obsessed with money, had a rough upbringing, is mostly defensive, knows all the tricks of the trade, and his punches lack power^note (in Floyd's case, it's because he has injured his hands in the past and he's fighting at weight classes way above his own; in Malcolm's case, it's because he uses his loose glove to slap the face of his opponent).
• Like Bryan Hawk, the infamous Woli/Wally/Warlee from Indonesia is likely based on Prince Naseem Hamed as well, particularly when it comes to his weight class, otherworldly agility, strange apparel like the grass skirt over boxing trunks, and tendency to do front or back flips.
  • How Ricardo Martinez neutralizes the wildness and random antics of Wally with pure boxing, in turn, is reminiscent of the first and only loss Naseem Hamed suffered against Mexican boxer Marco Antonio Barrera.
  • Ricardo vs. Wally also mirrored the events of Pacquiao vs. Marquez IV.^note The similarly athletically gifted Southeast Asian Manny Pacquiao was also keeping up with his Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez for 6 rounds in their fourth bout before losing via brutal counterpunch K.O.

Speed Zone Arc

• Peter Rabbitson's 12-round dominance of Takamura in Chapter 942, only to be stopped by a late K.O. in the 12^th round, is reminiscent of Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Meldrick Taylor, a match billed as "Thunder Meets Lightning".^note Meldrick's hand speed and defense allowed him to secure a lead on the scorecards, but then Chavez eventually knocked Taylor out in the final round.
• In Chapter 964, "Shuffle Time", during Takuma Saeki vs. Manabu Itagaki, Itagaki does the Ali Shuffle. It's described by Kamogawa as a showboating move that's a combined threat, distraction, and provocation.^note As the match continues, Manabu creates his own Itagaki Shuffle variant wherein his random actions act like a Full Body Feint by reflex.
• In Chapter 981, during discussions of Ippo's upcoming fight against Alfredo Gonzales, Tatsuya Kimura namedrops multiple Mexican champions: Zarate, Pintor, Saldivar, Zamora, Chavez, Castillo, Sanchez, and Olivares.

Unsorted Characters and References

• The "Ippo Generation" of Japanese blue-chip prospects^note composed of Ippo, Mashiba, Miyata, and Sendo seems like a send-up to the Four Kings of Boxing back in the 1980s^note composed of Leonard, Duran, Hearns, and Hagler. These rookie kings ended up becoming world championship contenders in their own right. To wit:
  • Ippo Makunouchi is Roberto "Hands of Stone" Duran for his knockout power and in-fighting prowess.
  • Ichiro Miyata is "Sugar" Ray Leonard for his dancer-like outboxing abilities and comeback kayos.
  • Takeshi Sendo is "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler for his granite chin and tank-like abilities while having howitzers for hands (particularly the lead one).
  • Ryo Mashiba is Thomas "Hitman" Hearns for his long reach and ability to cut down his opponent with a thousand jabs.
  • Volg Zangiev is Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor for almost becoming part of the Ippo Generation were he a Japanese prospect himself and having a tactical match against Mike Elliot^note that resembles Pryor's iconic match against fellow boxing legend Alexis "The Explosive Thin Man" Arguello, which Ring Magazine named as "Fight of the Decade".
• One of the OPBF featherweight boxers Eiji Date fought in the 1980s is known as Thomson Peñalosa, whose homeland is never mentioned. However, it can easily be deduced that the fellow is Filipino and is based on former WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Peñalosa from the Philippines, who was active in the 1990s when Morikawa was first writing about Date's exploits.
• Only in the Philippines' Tagalog dub of Hajime no Ippo (known over there as Knockout), when Aoki boasts that he's going to easily manhandle his weak Filipino opponent (Paddy Magramo in Season 2), Ippo chimes in that not all Filipinos are weak, bringing up Manny Pacquiao as a counter-example.^note This is an anachronistic plot hole, seeing that the fight was set in 1994, while Pacquiao only turned pro in 1995.
  • Paddy Magramo might be named after journeyman Filipino boxer and former Peñalosa opponent Ric Magramo.
• Kimura's opponent, Filipino national champion Eleki Battery, might be a reference to former Pacquiao foe Medgoen "3K Battery" Singsurat from Thailand.^note Medgoen is promoted by Thai Storage Battery Public Company Limited, and hence bears the 3K Battery name, as the company contracts Thai boxers to sponsor their products.
• Ricardo Martinez's trainer and manager, Bill Martin Stewart, might be named after world-class trainer Emmanuel Steward, the Godfather of Detroit Boxing and owner of the Kronk Gym. He trained the who's who in boxing, including Julio Cesar Chavez, Wladimir Klitschko, James Toney, Tyson Fury, and Lennox Lewis.
• The trainer of Bryan Hawk and Wally, Miguel Zale, gets his last name from Tony "Man of Steel" Zale, who was one of Rocky "The Rock" Graciano's rivals. His whole look with his wild bushy eyebrows is reminiscent of an aged Cus D'Amato.
• In Chapter 672, although Yuta Ishii fought and lost against an unnamed world bantamweight champion on March 1995 (according to the Ippo Wiki), the champion is likely based on long-time WBC Bantamweight Champion Veeraphol Sahaprom (วีระพล สหพรหม), who reigned from 1998 to 2005.^note This is based on the release date of Chapter 672 at the time (between December 2004 and March 2005, the release dates for Volumes 71 and 72, with Volume 72 being the volume that Chapter 672 belonged to).
• Volg's opponent, the IBF champion Mike Elliot, might have possibly gotten his last name from Jimmy Elliot, an Irish-American boxer who was Heavyweight Champion of the World from 1865 to 1868.
• Ricardo's opponent, the American boxer and Philly Shell user Billy McCallum, is probably based on Mike McCallum, a boxer who was active in the 1980s and 1990s.
• Shinobu Iga, one of Mashiba's opponents who also severely beat up Aoki, is heavily reminiscent of Mike Tyson^note (particularly both the Tyson from his early days and the Tyson from his days with Don King):
  • He's an emotionally suppressed, highly skilled boxer who has freakish power, and who's under control of a Composite Character of both Cus D'Amato (Mike's previous trainer) and Don King (Mike's promoter), Baron Kurita.
  • Baron Kurita himself takes elements of D'Amato's Training from Hell regimen to keep Iga in tip-top shape, while also having shades of Don King's slimy, sleazy behavior and bombastic personality.
• In Chapter 1,270 and 1,271, Ippo adopts the same numbering system that Cus D'Amato used to train Mike Tyson. It's easier to call out numbers instead of whole phrases when doing drills, after all.
• The Ring Magazine cover art of Naoya "Monster" Inoue was designed by George Morikawa (the author of Hajime no Ippo) himself.

Tomorrow's Joe References

Hajime no Ippo has several shout-outs to Ashita no Joe.

Ippo Makunouchi

• The ending of the first match between Ippo and Sendo is basically one big Ashita no Joe reference and spoiler.^note After beating the living daylights out of Ippo in the third round, Sendo pulled a (non-fatal version of) Joe Yabuki. He remained seated and unconscious afterwards, unable to continue to fight in the fourth round but still glaring menacingly at Ippo all the while. He was actually kayoed in the middle of the third round, but his fighting spirit didn't let him go down.
• There was a "What If?" simulated fight between Ippo and Joe. Ippo won in the fifth round by knockout with a Liver Blow. The simulation was screened before the authors of each manga and a small crowd. It was logged at the end of Hajime no Ippo's Chapter 818 as trivia.
• Ippo's concussion doctor, Dr. Kiniski ( Dr.キニスキー ), is also a doctor that appeared in Ashita No Joe. He is a Doctor of Medicine at the University of Hawaii, which is regarded as a global authority in boxer healthcare research.

Ichiro Miyata

• Ichiro Miyata shares the same pristine outboxer and counter-heavy boxing style as Joe Yabuki. Joe normally boxes intelligently and uses daring (with his "No Guard" stance) yet strategic daredevil counters like Miyata would.
  • The layout for the fight between Mashiba and Miyata is quite similar to how the Mendoza and Yabuki fight was laid out, with panels mirroring each other beat per beat.
  • Miyata developed the Jolt Counter against Jimmy Sisphar to defeat him. The punch is eerily reminiscent of the one Juan Manuel Marquez used to put Manny Pacquiao to sleep, but it's more likely a shout-out to Joe Yabuki's Cross Counter in light of when that chapter was written.^note The Jolt Counter was introduced in the early 1990s while Pacquiao's K.O. occurred in 2012, so it's likelier a reference to the older 1970s boxing manga series.
  • Miyata's cross-counter contest against Arnie Gregory and his Bloody Cross is highly reminiscent of Joe's cross-counter contests against Wolf Kanagushi^note where he extensively dealt with the Double Cross Counter and learned the Triple Cross Counter as a result and Toru Rikishi^note with both resulting in a Triple Counter type of exchange (countering the counter to the counter).
• Toru Rikishi/Rikiishi himself can be considered a model for Miyata in terms of being a boxing prodigy and needing to whittle himself down in weight in order to compete against his rival in the same weight class.

Takeshi Sendo

• Come to think of it, even though Joe Yabuki's outboxer style is more reminiscent of Ichiro Miyata, Ippo's Hot-Blooded rival Takeshi Sendo functions as Hajime no Ippo's version of Joe attitude-wise.
  • Firstly, Sendo's hairstyle is heavily similar to Yabuki's, with spiky, outward jutting hair.
  • Sendo's never-say-die attitude, granite chin, kamikaze attacks, relentless aggression, and supreme punching power harkens back to when a desperate Joe fought the superior Mendoza in a literal no-holds-barred death match with zero technique^note much to Mendoza's chagrin, because he was looking forward to a tactical boxing match against Joe with his normal style.
  • Sendo also has a kid gang, is a Bully Hunter, had a Cross Counter dual exchange with Alfredo, and has done a send-up to Joe's death scene with Ippo.
  • Even Reddit is postulating that Sendo will die soon in part because of his multiple homages to Joe Yabuki.
• During Shigeta vs. Sendo, Sendo does a variation of Kim Yongbi's "Chom-Chom"^note Yongbi's special technique where he pushes the victim on the ropes and hits them until they start to fall, then viciously uppercuts them back up and continues the No-Holds-Barred Beatdown until the referee realizes that he's witnessing attempted murder and stops the fight. Sendo's variation involves using the Smash to reset and continue the beatdown instead of an uppercut.

Ricardo Martinez

• In fictional terms, Ricardo Martinez is reminiscent of the Big Bad of Ashita no Joe, the Undisputed World Bantamweight Boxing Champion Jose Mendoza^note who in turn is based on the career and nationality of Ruben "Puas" Olivares and the looks of Nicaraguan boxer Alexis Argüello. They're both Mexican and undefeated boxing legends.
• As for Mendoza's Corkscrew Punch or Blow, this instead became the Sunday punch of Ricardo's Japanese rival, Eiji Date. However, Ricardo himself is capable of doing this punch as well.
• Having Takeshi Sendo (Joe Expy) be the first man to knock down Ricardo Martinez (Mendoza Expy) in a spar instead of series protagonist Ippo Makunouchi serves as further confirmation of Sendo's status as being Hajime no Ippo's own Joe Yabuki.
• Chapter 1,407 of Wally vs. Ricardo has the two doing yet another Cross Counter homage to Joe vs. Jose.

Mamoru Takamura

• Mamoru Takamura's tumultuous weight control experience is similar to Nishi Kanichi's weight control experience. Both are particularly large, naturally heavyweight men forced to cut down to middleweight, and as a result, they suffer greatly due to starving themselves to half-death in order to compete.
• Takamura's fight against Morris West is quite reminiscent of Joe's fight against Kim: Both Mamoru and Joe struggle at first, getting beaten around the ring, before launching a comeback assault^note In Mamoru's case, believing that he's being smirked down upon from Bryan Hawk and Morris himself, and in Joe's case, bleeding so badly that it causes Kim to do nothing but hysterically screech at the sight of blood before savagely punching their opponent right out of the ring.
• A panel from the Rikiishi vs. Joe match looks similar◊ to a panel from the Hawk vs. Takamura match.

Others

• Design-wise, Kenta Kobashi sports the same hairdo and face as Joe Yabuki from Ashita no Joe, but he looks like a wimpier version of him. Like a comedic parody of Joe's design or a random person imitating Joe.
• Hajime no Ippo is indeed the Spiritual Successor to Ashita no Joe in that it found new applications for Mendoza's Corkscrew Blow.
  • Eiji Date's "Heartbreak Shot" is a heart-stopping Corkscrew Punch to the chest that jars people's systems for a second.
  • Ryuhei Sawamura's "Bullet" is the Corkscrew Blow used as pinpoint drilling jabs with the spearing power of straight punches that he can throw at will.
  • Ichiro Miyata's "Red Lightning" is a Cross Counter version of the Corkscrew Punch that requires multiple conditions to land.
• Volg's name is technically an Ashita no Joe shout-out to Wolf Kanagushi because "Volg" (Волг) sounds like "Volk" (Волк), which in Russian means "Wolf".^note Both "Wolf" and "Volk/Volg" are also relatively "foreign" words used to name characters in a Japanese work that refer back to the Japanese word for wolf, "Ookami" (狼).
• One of the funniest instances of the Cross Counter happens in Chapter 228, when Kamogawa and Nekota reflexively do right crosses at each other after they heard Takamura ring the gong/bell from inside the pension.
• Sawamura's motor accident might be inspired by Leon Smiley's auto accident. Sawamura himself might be partly inspired by Kim Yongbi. They particularly share an analytical fighting style.
  • Shinobu Iga, meanwhile, emulates Kim Yongbi's emotionless and robotic attitude, thus making him more like the "Human Computer" attitude-wise^note (though he also partakes in Power Copying like Joe Yabuki). They approach fights with careful analysis and stone-cold precision. They're also both Not So Stoic.
• The unorthodox Indonesian champion and gifted boxing genius Wally is also highly reminiscent of the Ashita no Joe resident Wild Man known as Harimao/Harimau from Malaysia^note who also inspired the creation of Blanka from Street Fighter.

Miscellaneous References

Advertising

• After Takamura's match with Rabbitson, Itagaki makes a joke with a "Silly Rabbit" mention, which is the world-famous slogan for Trix Cereal.

Anime & Manga

• Chapter 92's title, "Super Doctor", is a reference to another manga series, Super Doctor K (スーパードクターK), by Kazuo Mafune that was also published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from Issue 17, 1988 to Issue 42, 1996.
• In Chapter 216, the premise behind the Origins Episode of Kimura and Aoki^note (they were originally two Japanese Delinquents and Vitriolic Best Buds running amok and getting into fights with other delinquent gangs) seems to be a shout-out to Shonan Jun'ai Gumi and its prequel Bad Company. This is hilarious for two reasons:
  • Chapter 32 of the Shonan Jun'ai Gumi manga references Hajime no Ippo by having Eikichi Onizuka wear a bath towel with Ippo's face emblazoned on it.
  • Wataru Takagi ends up voicing both Eikichi Onizuka in the Great Teacher Onizuka anime and Masaru Aoki in the Hajime no Ippo anime.
• In Chapter 226, Takamura complains about the oversized cow bells that the rest of the Kamogawa gym boxers wear to ward off bears while running in the mountains because to him it sounds like he's running with an army of Doraemons.
• In Episode 72 (at around 16:10), Kogoro Mouri from the Detective Conan series makes a brief appearance as part of the cheering crowd. The second voice actor for Mouri, incidentally, is the same one for Takamura.
• Manabu Itagaki's last name might be based on Keisuke Itagaki, the author of Baki the Grappler and artist of Garouden.
• In Chapter 921, the manga Umezawa discusses with Ippo and Itagaki (the one he's working as an assistant for) sounds a lot like A Town Where You Live (which was instead called The Town You're In on the page for legal reasons).
• In Chapter 1,165 of Hajime no Ippo, Umezawa makes a reference to One Piece when he mentions becoming the "King of Manga", because in One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy wants to be the "King of the Pirates".

Literature

• Peter Rabbitson's name may be a reference to British children's book character Peter Rabbit from The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

Movies & Television

• When Ippo's match against Jason Ozuma was being discussed, Aoki joked about how since his rival's name was Jason, Ippo’s "boxer name" could have been Freddy. Freddy vs. Jason anyone?
  • In the manga version of the scene (found on Chapter 27), Ippo and friends also reference how "Jason" sounds like something from a horror film before having an Imagine Spot of a boxer version of Jason Voorhees.^note Literally a boxer in full boxing gear but wearing Jason's signature hockey mask. They also imagine a version of Ippo as Freddy Krueger.^note It's Ippo with Freddy's hat and gloves with claws.
• Rocky:
  • Volg takes notes from fictional boxer Ivan Drago from the movie Rocky IV because they're both at times cold, quiet, and stoic^note (but in a good way with Volg, because he's a soft-spoken introvert) with a Berserk Button.^note Like Drago and even Sendo, Volg has a tendency to lose himself and go wild in his fights, resulting in him doing bloodthirsty things like punching after the bell or ignoring a referee stoppage to dole out more damage.
    • Volg vs. Ippo is kind of like Drago vs. Rocky too, what with it being a war of attrition and stamina.
    • Volg vs. Sendo is a much more humiliating variant of the above^note (It's even worse because Sendo is a much closer Rocky expy than Ippo), as after Sendo gets ahead in points, he decides to completely turtle up and not let Volg get any hits in.
  • Although Sendo denies being nicknamed after Rocky Balboa, several frames of the anime show him having the same expression as Rocky, Rambo, or Sylvester Stallone, specifically during the rematch between him and Ippo (Episode 72, "Lallapallooza").
  • In Chapter 942, because the crowd was so pissed off at Takamura's performance during the Mamoru Takamura vs. Peter Rabbitson match, they started cheering for Rabbitson instead, which is seemingly a parody of what happened during the Drago vs. Balboa match in Rocky IV.^note Ironically enough, because Rabbitson started going on the offensive against Takamura after hearing those cheers instead of outboxing him to get the decision win, that's when Takamura was able to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.
• In Episode 30 of the first season and Chapter 92 of the manga, when Ippo asked Dr. Yamaguchi about her judo credentials, she revealed that she used to be nicknamed "Lady Sanshiro", which is a shout-out to Akira Kurosawa's debut film, Sanshiro Sugata from 1943. The jujitsu and judo master Sanshiro, in turn, is based on Shiro Saigo.
• The Ten-Centimeter Punch taught to Ippo back in Chapter 181 is arguably a shout-out to Bruce Lee and his One-Inch Punch.
• Also in the anime, when Takamura fights the Mama Bear, the moment he gets his Heroic Second Wind and resolves to punch the bear into submission, a familiar theme can be heard: The Ultraseven theme! Seven! Seven! Seven!
  • The funny thing about that is that in Chapter 15 of the manga, Takamura's entrance theme in the first pro match of his that Ippo watched in person actually was the Ultraseven theme! So the TV anime shout-out might have originated from the manga.
• Arnie Gregory seems like a shout-out to Mick Dundee of "Crocodile" Dundee fame, what with his cowboy hat and Aussie machismo.
• Design-wise, Bryan Hawk resembles actor Martin Kove of Karate Kid, Rambo, and Cobra Kai fame, right down to his muscular frame, tanned skin, chiseled chin, and bushy eyebrows.
• Aoki's opponent just before Takamura vs. Ronald Duck's match is named Padawan Yoda. Seriously.
• Keith Dragon's main gimmick is being a boxer with the Devil's Luck, so he's a "Lucky Dragon" to himself and The Jinx to his opponents. This is in reference to the 1959 film Lucky Dragon No. 5^note which in turn is a reference to the Lucky Dragon No. 5 Incident (where an unfortunate Japanese fishing boat gets accidentally exposed to deadly radiation from the Bikini Atoll atomic bombing tests) that happened a mere 9 years after the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Music

• The BGM track "Stand Proud" from the first season of the series sounds suspiciously like Rocky's "Gonna Fly Now".
• From Chapter 964 to 965, while Itagaki is doing his version of the Ali Shuffle, there are panels where he's also doing the Michael Jackson Moonwalk.

Mythology & Folklore

• Alexander Volg Zangief first appears on Chapter 132 or Season 1, Episode 45 of the anime. His middle name "Volg" (Волг written in Russian) sounds like "Volk" (Волк), which is Russian for "Wolf". Thusly, he figuratively transforms into a beast in the ring like a werewolf.
• Ippo Makunouchi was given the boxing nickname "Fuujin" (Wind God) while Ichiro Miyata, his foil, is instead known as "Raijin" (Thunder God). Both Raijin and Fuujin are important figures in Shintoism and Japanese Mythology.
  • Meanwhile, Manabu Itagaki is instead nicknamed "Chronos" (Titan of Time) from Greek Mythology.
• Ricardo "Quetzelcóatl" Martinez gets his ring name from Aztec Mythology. Quetzalcoatl was an Aztec and Mayan creator god who was also the patron of rain, science, agriculture, and much more. His name means Feathered Serpent in Nahuatl, the Aztec language.
  • As for Ricardo's rival Alfredo "Metztli" Gonzalez, he gets his ring name from Metztli, the Aztec god or goddess of the moon, the night, and farmers.
• Randy Boy Junior's switch-hitter style has given him the ring name "Asura" because of his ability to "go" and "see" anywhere in the ring. The Asura or Sura are a class of beings in Indian religions. They are described as power-seeking demons related to the more benevolent Devas.^note They've been made popular in Japan by media like Asura's Wrath.
• Keith Lycaon is a reference to an Arcadian king who served Zeus human meat, which enraged the god enough to turn him into a wolf. A werewolf, if you would, hence the term "Lycanthropy".
  • The Theme Naming of Rickey Mouse (Rat), Ronald Duck (Rooster/Poultry), Richard Bison (Ox/Bovine), Keith Dragon (Dragon), Peter Rabbitson (Rabbit), Michael Goat (Goat/Sheep), and Richard Fox/Keith Lycaon (Dog/Canine) serve as shout-outs to the Chinese Zodiac.

Pro-Wrestling

• In Episode 1 of the first season of the anime and Chapter 1 of the manga, Ippo's classmates were fooling around and doing wrestling moves like the "Dragon Screw", which is a move innovated by Tatsumi Fujinami^note (a nine-time World Champion, winning world titles in NJPW, NWA, UWA, and WCWA).
• Ippo's cheating second opponent, Yoshio Fujiwara, has the nickname of "Tiger Jeet Singh of the Boxing World", with Singh being an Indo-Canadian professional wrestling heel. Meanwhile, his direct model is Japanese pro-wrestler Yoshiaki Fujiwara.
• Volg's last name might have come from professional wrestler Victor Zangiev (Виктор Зангиев)^note who also inspired the creation of Zangief from the Street Fighter series.
• In Chapter 208, Takamura does the "Dragon Sleeper"^note (It is basically just a reverse guillotine that you can set up from back mount or the north south position. It is more of a neck crank than anything else.) on Coach Kamogawa to hold him down. It's another special move invented by Tatsumi Fujinami.
• In Chapter 214, the audience chides Takeshi Sendo with a live mic, saying he sounds like Rusher Kimura^note (Rusher was a sumo wrestler turned pro-wrestler who then became a five-time IWA World Heavyweight Champion) doing a "Mic Performance"^note (which in this case means "Wrestling Promo") when all he said was, "Good evening, everyone."
• In Chapter 1,273, The Scamaras Brothers (Milo Scamaras and Marascas) might be references to real-life famous Mexican masked luchadors Mil Máscaras and his brother Dos Caras^note with both wrestlers in real-life and Milo having travelled to Japan for wrestling matches. Mil and Milo also have similar appearances unmasked.

Real-Life Inspirations

• In Chapter 89, to explain to Ippo the reason behind why he loves seeking strong people to fight in the boxing ring, Sendo paraphrases famous British mountaineer George Mallory.^note Mallory was supposedly was the first person in history to reach Mount Everest's summit but he never returned from the trip. His body was found 75 years later. When asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest in the first place, Mallory answered, "Because it exists."
• Keigo Okita might've gotten his last name from another famous Okita—Souji Okita, the Captain of the First Squad of The Shinsengumi.
• In Chapter 209, Kimura ignores Takamura's attempt at pranking him by listening to a Sony Walkman with headphones on.
• Dr. Kazuki Sanada's "Tsubame Gaeshi" (Swallow Return)^note (Sanada's fist and arm could go from hook to the body to uppercut to the chin in a split-second like Sasaki's sword slashing move) and "Hien" (Swallow in Flight)^note (a technique where arm, elbow, and wrist rotation are applied so the jab can change trajectory at will) are the names of sword techniques invented by famed historical swordsman Kojiro Sasaki, who is most prominently cited as the chief rival of legendary swordsman Musashi Miyamoto.
• In Chapter 1,273, Takeshi Sendo and Hiroyuki Hoshi could've realistically visited Teotihuacan^note which is 25 miles (40 km) from Mexico City. However, they also unrealistically visited El Castillo at Chichen Itza in Yucatán State, Mexico^note which is 891 miles (1,433.7 km) away from Mexico City, where it would take more than a few days to travel by walking 800 miles to there and 800 miles back to Mexico City.
• In Chapter 1,439, Itagaki uses his smartphone camera to photograph the sparring match between Ippo and Mashiba. Afterwards, he accidentally posts the media on a Pekitter "pekeet" or a send-up of Twitter "tweets" on Chapter 1,441.

Sports

• In Chapter 117 of the manga, in response to Keigo Okita chiding him for going too rough on Ippo^note by using him as his guinea pig for the Heartbreak Shot during their spar, Eiji Date vaguely referenced the disastrous pro debut baseball match of Yomiuri Giants batter Shigeo Nagashima against Kokutetsu Swallows pitcher Masaichi Kaneda.^note Nagashima made his professional debut on April 1958 and struck out in all four of his at-bats against Kaneda. Regardless, Nagashima became the team's clean-up hitter by mid-season, and the Giants won the league championship.
  • The implication here is that even though Ippo looked terrible in the spar, the same spar convinced Date that Ippo would eventually become the Japanese national boxing champion down the line.^note In fact, unbeknownst to the Nakadai Gym members and even Ippo himself, Ippo did much better than expected in the spar. Despite Ippo getting knocked down six times, it was Date who ended up unable to lift his black-and-blue forearms up in the shower because they were battered so hard from blocking Ippo's megaton punches.
• As for Malcolm Gedo's boxing nickname, "The Magician", it's reminiscent of the alias of Philippine billiards legend Efren "Bata" Reyes.
• In Chapter 968, the corner discusses how Itagaki has the same "Hypersense" ability as soccer or basketball players as well as boxers to see the field, court, or ringside in an aerial point of view, giving them full "court vision"^note not unlike Shun Izuki's Eagle Eye and Kazunari Takao's Hawk Eye from Kuroko no Basket.
  • Itagaki also has the ability to see time in slow motion, like batters in baseball seeing the ball slow down before they swing for the fences.^note Or Bullet Time as depicted in The Matrix.

Video Games

• Whether by coincidence or not, several characters from Hajime no Ippo have names seemingly taken from Street Fighter. We have Ken (Furukawa), (Volg) Zangief, (Richard) Bison, (Bryan) Hawk, and (David) Eagle, just to name a few.
  • Takeshi Sendo's version of the "Smash" and Masaru Aoki's version of the "Frog Punch" look more like variants of the "Shoryuken" (Rising Dragon Fist).
  • The blue afterimages that appear whenever Ippo summons the Dempsey Roll in the anime is highly reminiscent of the blue afterimages of the Super Combos of Super Street Fighter II Turbo and beyond.
  • Bryan Hawk resembles Dee Jay whenever he flashes his gigantic smile.
  • Malcolm Gedo's gimmick of misdirection, moving into blind spots, and distracting the opponent with decoys is reminiscent of Tetsuya Kuroko, but based on the release date of his chapters^note (Malcolm's first appearance and match with Ippo in 2007 predated the debut of the Kuroko's Basketball manga in 2008 by about a year), it's likelier that Gedo is more of a "demystified" version of Dhalsim from Street Fighter^note (with his "stretching arm" and "teleportation" abilities).
  • Wally is an Expy to Street Fighter's Blanka for all the same reasons that Blanka is an Expy to Ashita no Joe's Harimao.^note They all posess a Rolling Attack or Spin Attack of some form and have some sort of Tarzan-like wildness to them.
• The video game system Sanada was playing on with Kinoshita's daughter in the Champion Road TV special bears a striking resemblance to the original Xbox, though the controller is a cross between the Xbox's and PlayStation's.^note The two game cases sitting next to the console read Megamix 200X and Buyo. The fighting game they were playing feature two male characters with similar appearances to that of characters from the Saint Seiya anime.
  • The video game system that Sanada was playing on with Kinoshita's daughter in Chapter 298 of the manga is a Sega Saturn. The actual game he is playing appears to be Virtua Fighter 2.
• Actor Allusion in the anime: Arnie wears a similar suit to one of the characters that his voice actor, Takaya Kuroda, also wears—Kazuma Kiryu, to be more specific.
• In Chapter 1,248, Kumi Mashiba mentions that the bald Ippo looks like one of those Pokamon (Poka Poka Monsters), particularly "Baldichu".^note So there's a version of Pokemon in the Hajime no Ippo universe that was released when the Mashiba siblings were still children.

Western Animation

• Several other Takamura opponents... Rickey Mouse and Ronald Duck... have names that sound like shout-outs to the House of Mouse.

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