Hajime no Ippo’s Creator Knows How The Series Will End

We here at Comicbook.com definitely have a soft spot for Hajime no Ippo, the boxing anime series that has been a part of the anime universe since debuting as a manga in 1989. Spawning a number of television series and movies over its history, with the last being Hajime no Ippo: Rising back in 2013, the series has continued from creator George Morikawa for decades to this day. Recently, the mangaka did reveal that he has an ending in mind for the series, which would bring Ippo’s long boxing journey to a close.

While Morikawa does have an ending in mind for the series, he’s not sure at present when that ending will take place. George himself was close friends with Berserk creator Kentaro Miura, with the two beginning their careers with their long-running manga franchises that started in the 1980s and rose to prominence within the anime world. Following Miura’s tragic passing, writer Kouji Mori and artists at Studio Gaga made the difficult decision to continue the series, noting that it was what Kentaro would have wanted, using discussions and notes for the future of the series to weave new chapters. 

Hajime no Ending

George Morikawa took to his Official Twitter Account to state that he had come to a conclusion as to how the long story of Ippo would finally end, stating the following on the upcoming conclusion that would bring the story that’s run for over thirty years to its grand finale:

“I made my debut at the age of 17, so I turned 40 as a manga artist on my birthday in January. 34 of those years are just the beginning. I think it’s quite long, but there’s not much to be proud of. Because I never finished the series myself. The final episode of Ippo has already been decided, so I hope I can welcome it with the readers.”

17歳でデビューしたので1月の誕生日をもって漫画家40年になりました。
そのうちの34年ははじめの一歩です。
わりと長いと思いますが誇れるものはほとんどありません。
自分で連載を終わらせたことがないからです。
一歩の最終回は決めてあるので読者の皆さんと一緒に迎えられたらいいなあと思います。

— 森川ジョージ (@WANPOWANWAN) January 27, 2023

At present, there’s been no word on a potential new anime series that would bring television viewers back to the world of Ippo, though there is more than enough manga material to adapt should the boxing anime decide to make another comeback in the future. 

How do you want to see Hajime no Ippo come to a close? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of sports anime.