Trivia / "Ippon" Again!

• Creator's Favorite Episode: Yuu Muraoka has said that his favorite match is Himeko's match against Mai Orihara where she gets her first ippon because he feels like it best showed off what he's good at as a creator.
• Defictionalization: For a limited time during the anime's run, an official version of Niko Ureshino's NicoCh t-shirt that's often seen in the manga was available for purchase.
• Executive Meddling: A positive example. According to the author, the series came about after a pitch starring male characters failed to get anywhere but he was told by a higher up to try making it about girls instead since he draws attractive female characters. He's also credited the series' editor for being a large influence on its overall tone and style. Subsequently, Ippon! Again has lasted longer than all of his previous series combined and even managed to get an anime adaptation.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Muraoka has said he was initially unsure about whether or not he would actually have Nagumo join the judo club and wrote the series in a way that it would still work if she never actually did. He only decided to have her transfer when the character herself seemed to naturally move in that direction as he wrote her.
  • Natsume was originally intended to be a male teacher until an editor insisted that only female characters should be involved with the judo club. Her Bifauxnen design is possibly a remnant of that.