Originally Posted by Wikipedia

Ippo Makunouchi is a very shy high school student who never had the time to make friends because he was always busy helping his mother with the family charter boat fishing business. Because he kept to himself, a group of bullies lead by Umezawa got into the habit of picking on him. On one particular day these bullies decided to give him a rather serious beating, but a middle-weight professional boxer who was passing by stopped the bullies and took the injured Ippo to the Kamogawa Gym, owned by retired boxer Genji Kamogawa, to treat his wounds. After Ippo awoke to the sounds of boxers training, the boxer who saved him, Mamoru Takamura, tried to cheer Ippo up by letting him vent his frustrations on a sandbag. It was then that they had their first glimpse into Ippo's talent for boxing. After that incident, Ippo started his regular training and began his path in Japan's professional boxing.

The story focuses heavily on character development, even during the matches something is learned about the fighters. Ippo and his friendly rivalry with Miyata is the main draw in the early part of the series. That later changes to Ippo's path towards the Japanese Featherweight Championship and eventually the world championship. Along the way we are given glimpses into the other side character's pasts, motivations, relationships to others and current boxing trials.

Originally Posted by Hantei16

I like Hajime no Ippo, seen it four times already.

Some of the "better" sports anime out there provides the viewers a touch of realism and factual information regarding the sport, hajime no ippo is so good at this. Like what i've always said on this forum, the "exaggerated facts" make hajime no ippo believable and artificially entertaining. The life of the boxers in this show outside the ring is very realistic, it shows the hardwork and discipline necessary for boxers...it shows the characters' struggles in making ends meet along with the emotional and physical toll that they undergo.

The strength of the show lies in its entertaining power, you don't even have to be a boxing fan to enjoy this one. The downside of this show is its predictability, on a low note, that is.

Slick visuals, good character development, good character backgrounding, interesting story, informative, HIGHLY entertaining. I also advise people to check this show out...

Takamura is also my favorite character, the strongest character in the show. Yes, stronger than a mountain bear.

Originally Posted by Hantei16

I'm not quite sure if a real life boxer can KO a bear, but hey that's one of the factors that makes Hajime no Ippo so entertaining.