Manga Adaptation by Madhouse
Simulcast on Crunchyroll

Premise: The long running manga series makes its long-awaited return to the screens, picking up after the events of New Challenger and Champion Road. Having defended his title as national champion multiple times, Ippo continues to strive for his goal of discovering true strength. However, some tough challengers aren’t going to make it easy.

Gee’s Verdict: Back in full fighting form

As the resident/only Ippo fan, the combination of it and Kill la Kill made this season a highly anticipated one for me. Now that I’ve seen both, I’m glad to say that my anticipations have been validated. Hajime no Ippo is back in full form, reminding us why it’s the top dog of sports manga. Spending no time getting back into the swing of things, we’re treated to a little of Ippo’s backstory following the death of his father. Before he became Ippo the National Featherweight Champion of Japan, he was Ippo the fisherman, lest we ever forget the man’s humble origins. And it’s fitting that the story focuses on this, as Ippo prepares to face his next opponent, Iwao Shimabukuro, an Okinawan fiserhman who is literally a pillar of muscle.

Shimabukuro’s fight is hands down one of my favorites in the series so to see it getting its proper dues is great to see. I was initially worried that for the sake of pacing and to give more time for the bigger fights in the manga, they’d cut down his fight into a one-episode footnote. To see it being treated as a proper Ippo bout is a pleasant surprise. That said, for the sake of time, a lot of content is still missing. I’m sure the fight will be fine, but a lot of Shimabukuro’s character development has been cut out as well as some of the funniest moments from his arc. I understand the reasoning, Shimabukuro’s arc alone could take up an entire season, but it’s a shame regardless. To anybody who is watching only the anime, I encourage you to read the manga in tandem to get the full picture.

Overall, with this being the 3rd season of the anime, you know whether you want to watch this or not. At over 1000 chapters and more than 100 episodes, this is not something you jump into mid-season. If you love sports manga, or more generally, hot blooded stories about men overcoming adversity through the force of their will and fire in their hearts, Ippo is for you. If you’re already an Ippo fan you probably don’t need much convincing, but regardless have no fear. It looks like we’re already off to a grand start.