Hajime no Ippo (2000/02) Original animation cel and drawing of Ippo Makunouchi Original hand drawn by the animators for the production of one episode of this famous serie. See images, very good. Hajime no Ippo (はじめの一歩; lit. 'The First Step') is a Japanese boxing-themed manga series written and illustrated by George Morikawa. It has been serialized in Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine since October 1989, with its chapters collected in 143 tankōbon volumes as of April 2025. It follows the story of high school student Ippo Makunouchi, as he begins his career in boxing and over time obtains many titles and defeats various opponents. A 76-episode anime adaptation produced by Madhouse aired on Nippon TV from October 2000 to March 2002. A television film and an original video animation (OVA) were released in 2003. A second series titled Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger aired from January to June 2009. A third series Hajime no Ippo: Rising aired from October 2013 to March 2014.