As one of the most thrilling sports out there, boxing anime makes for some of the best action in the genre. After American sailors introduced boxing to Japan in the nineteenth century, the sport quickly took off. Now, it remains a popular combat sport in Japan, alongside wrestling and other martial arts.
Boxing anime combines the inspirational tone of most sports media with the exciting combat scenes of an action anime. Underdog heroes come rocketing up from nowhere to challenge the champions and make a name for themselves. It’s a dangerous sport that they give their lives to, but their time in the ring is all worth it.
10 Megalobox
The 2018 successor (if not quite remake) of the 1980 classic Ashita no Joe has proven just as entertaining as its predecessor. The future of boxing is Gear, mechanisms worn by boxers to increase their power. Tired of throwing fights for money, Junk Dog jumps on the opportunity to reach the big time, turning from a nameless fighter to the famous Gearless Joe in an anime that gets boxing right.
Other boxers (such as champion Yuri, a representative of a Gear company) use matches to show off their machine’s capabilities more than anything else. In this age, Joe’s traditional style and reliance on his own strength and talent are so rare that the crowds marvel at his daring gimmick. Under the spotlight, Joe must decide what boxing means to him and what he truly wants out of life.
9 Baki The Grappler
Many sports anime protagonists have an older veteran of their chosen sport, often a mentor, that they idolize and whose heights they dream of reaching. Baki Hanma follows this path on a pure technicality: he’s gunning for his famous father, Yujiro, who’s made Baki’s life a living hell to punish him for perceived weakness. Baki punches his way through the strongest boxers in the world, all for the sake of pummeling Dad into the dirt.
Much like Kuroko’s Basketball is to basketball anime like Slam Dunk, Baki’s matches take classic boxing anime and ramp them up to outrageous levels. Baki is tough, but the boxers he fights are equipped with vicious superpowers and physical enhancements. He wins not just through overpowering strength, but by his steadfast belief in his creed as a fighter.
8 Levius
Another science fiction take on the evolution of boxing, Levius takes the concept further then Megalobox does. In a society powered by magically enhanced engineering, the new sport of MMA (Mechanical Martial Arts) is invented. Boxers equipped with cybernetics can achieve fame and glory if they master the new techniques, but losing can be fatal.
One of the best anime streaming on Netflix, Levius skillfully mixes the sports and steampunk genres. It depicts a world ravaged by a brutal war, which has given rise to popular blood sport among the survivors. Levius himself could have an advantage over his competitors if he chose, with his innately stronger control over Agartha Water, but insists on keeping his remaining flesh limbs as a reminder of what his body survived.
7 Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
Six youths are thrown in juvenile detention for various crimes. In the throes of the immediate post-World War II years, none of them believe they have anything to live for, until they meet former boxer Rokurota Sakuragi. Sakuragi becomes their mentor, helping the six younger boys survive the center’s cruelty.
Often, athletics teach self-discipline and good values and provide an outlet for anger and stress. While not all of the boys were sentenced for violent crimes, Sakuragi’s guidance helps all of them develop not just the strength but the emotional stability and direction to make lives for themselves outside the center. Boxing isn’t a path to glory here, but it is one to happiness.
6 Slow Step
Not all boxing anime focus on boxing exclusively. Slow Step is centered around the relationships of a softball player and the two boxers vying for her affection. If Minatsu Nakazato had her way, she would focus only on her game-winning pitch. But unfortunately, she has to duck the advances of her many unwelcome suitors. Fans who enjoy both sports and must-watch shoujo anime may be interested in Slow Step. While its characters can be shallow, its romantic comedy tone is pleasant. From mistaken identity to complicated evasion maneuvers, it keeps the lighthearted gags coming through all five episodes.
5 Rokudenashi Blues
As the title suggests, Rokudenashi Blues anime follows the journeys of three students that nobody expects much of. Maeda Taison is a delinquent street fighter who dreams of going straight to the top of the professional boxing world. Alongside his friends, he endeavors to use his powerful fists for good. Maeda, Katsuji, and Yoneji don’t exactly spend time in the big leagues like other sports anime heroes, but they have their hands full at school. They must handle not only rivals on their own turf, but defuse gang wars between the strongest delinquents of other schools. The original manga spawned not only two anime films, but two live-action films and a TV drama.
4 Ayane’s High Kick
Female protagonists in boxing anime are very rare. In this two-episode OVA, Ayane Mitsui forgoes her ambitions of being a professional wrestler and channels her talents into kickboxing instead. The harder she trains, the clearer it becomes that this is the sport in which Ayane has true potential to become a star. Though Ayane doesn’t have her head on straight much of the time, she’s ionate about achieving her dream of becoming a champion. She fights through both her trainer Kunimitsu’s increasingly convoluted training montages and her first kickboxing matches against powerful opponents. The world she’s entering is also an interesting reflection on the state of Japanese pro wrestling and mixed martial arts in the nineties.
3 Kengan Ashura
One of the best survival game anime has a lot more than a boxer’s career riding on a match. In this world, corporate deals are decided by public fights, with each CEO selecting one fighter to represent them in the ring. Former street fighter Tokita Ohma — known to his opponents as Ashura — is selected as one of these modern-day gladiators and charged with winning the Kengan Annihilation Tournament for his handler.
Kengan Ashura focuses on what happens behind the scenes of a fight just as much as what happens in the arena. Each corporation and fighter has a lot riding on the results of the tournament, and Ohma is ruthlessly chasing the chance to move on from his past. The show doesn’t skimp on how brutal and bloody a series of no-holds-barred bare-knuckle boxing matches could be.
2 Ashita No Joe
The boxing anime that started it all, Ashita no Joe may be the one of the most influential sports anime of all time. Joe Yabuki gives it his all to rise from jailhouse brawls to championship fights. In his quest to win the All-Japan Rookie King Tournament (a goal of many real-life Japanese boxers) and beyond, Joe must figure out exactly what he wants his future to look like.
Its much-parodied final shot of Joe might be the thing most non-fans know about the show, but its thrilling fight sequences are not to be missed. The root of sports anime is the love of whatever game is being played, and for all his rough edges, Joe adores boxing. Every decision he makes comes down to his ability to stay in the ring, one cross-counter at a time.
1 Hajime No Ippo
Ippo Makunouchi is hardly the towering champion that boxing fans picture. But a lifetime working on the docks has toughened his muscles and strengthened his will to fight. When he is taken under the wing of a former pro boxer, he discovers that his strength and determination make him a real contender for greatness. A Creed, this long-running series based on the even longer-running manga is itself heavily inspired by its predecessor Ashita no Joe. Ippo is just as easy to root for as he goes pro. He starts out shy and self-doubting, but as he becomes a stronger fighter, he achieves his wish of being “reborn” into a more confident person.
Some of the most beloved anime in the world are boxing anime. They successfully capture the spirit and thrill of the sport, while not shying away from the toll it takes on athletes. Whether they end in victory or in tragedy, every determined hero believes that the pain they go through in training and the ring is well worth the fight. Exciting and fun, the best boxing anime are worth checking out, for fans of sports anime and beyond.
