I enjoy creating and spreading knowledgeable content for everyone around the world and try my best not to leave even the smallest of mistakes go unnoticed.
Ashita no Joe(Japanese: あしたのジョー, Hepburn: Ashita no Jō, "Tomorrow's Joe") is a boxingmanga written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba in 1968 that was later adapted into an anime series and movie. Outside Japan it is also referred to as Champion Joe, Rocky Joe or Joe.
Joe Yabuki is a troubled young man who runs away from an orphanage. Wandering through the Tokyo slums, he meets former boxing trainer Danpei. Joe is later arrested and goes to a temporary jail where he fights Nishi, leader of a group of hooligans. He and Nishi then go to a juvenile prison miles away from Tokyo. There Joe meets Rikiishi, a former boxing prodigy, and a rivalry develops between them. They face each other in a match in which Rikiishi dominates Joe until the latter hits him with a cross-counter, resulting in both being knocked out. Joe and Rikiishi vow to fight again. As Rikiishi learns he is meant to leave the prison, he challenges Joe to a fight right the two promise to meet each other again, this time as professional boxers.
Upon his release from prison, Joe manages to go up to Bantamweight, after provoking a champion boxer named Wolf Kanagushi. Joe quickly raises up and gains popularity for his brawling style, and trademark cross-counter KO wins. Joe manages to perform a triple-cross counter on Wolf. Joe then earns the right to fight Rikiishi in the professional ring. Although Rikiishi is assured a promising career, he is intent in settling his score with Joe, whom he feels stands in his path. Because Rikiishi is three weight classes above Joe, he has to cut down on lots of weight and go under a super-strenuous weight loss program. Rikiishi defeats Joe in the 8th round with but collapses as he is about to shake Joe's hand due to an extremely hard blow to the temple two rounds before and him landing his head on the ropes. Rikiishi dies from the combined effects of the extreme weight loss on his body and brain hemorrage suffered during the fight. Joe is still shaken up from that match, both mentally and physically. Soon after, during matches, his trainer Danpei realises that Joe is having a serious problem with boxing: he is not giving shots to the face. It takes Joe quite some time to get over it and costs him three straight losses. But then he finally conquers his fears when he faces the globally #6 ranked Carlos Rivera. The fight ends with a draw, yet it gives Joe tremendous fame and respect around the world, especially since Rivera was going to face the World Champion Jose Mendoza in his next match.
Joe starts to climb up the boxing ladder, but considering he grew a few inches taller, he had to cut weight which proved to be verily difficult. He defeats the Asian–Pacific Champion, Yongpi Kim, a Korean boxer. After winning the title match, Joe defends his title. He wins all defenses, ultimately defending it against the Malaysian fighter Harimau. His unorthodox fighting style is unpredictable but Joe manages to successfully defend his title. He is now given the chance to face the World Champion Jose Mendoza, who defeated Carlos Rivera with a KO punch in the first round, ending his boxing career. It is later revealed that Carlos had developed permanent brain damage from his fight.
Joe faces Mendoza, even though he is at a disadvantage since it was revealed he was punch-drunk. The match goes back and forth with Joe able to knock down the Champion more than once. In some instances, becoming the newly crowned World Champion is nearly within reach. Meanwhile, Mendoza sees in Joe's eyes the ghosts of other boxers whom he destroyed throughout his career. The match goes all of its fifteen rounds. The judges' verdict goes in favour of Jose Mendoza. Joe's coach turns to console him only to find him unresponsive, but with a smile on his face; it is implied at this point that Joe has died. However, it has been debated among fans whether Joe really died or not and Chiba even said that he drew the ending scene last minute.
Concept
The series debuted as a manga in Weekly Shōnen Magazine at a time when considerable economic and social upheaval was transforming Japanese culture in the late 1960s. Joe was essentially the tragic hero representing the struggle of the lower class. His trial and sacrifice to the sport was a semi-reflection of the will of the people he was representing. By the 1970s, manga readers and college students across Japan would turn the character into an icon.
Tange Gym
Jō Yabuki (矢吹 丈,Yabuki Jō), nicknamed Joe (ジョー,Jō)
Voiced by: Teruhiko Aoi, Kei Tomiyama (Pilot Film), Yoshito Yasuhara (Radio Drama)Live-Action Film: Shōji Ishibashi (1970), Tomohisa Yamashita (2011)The protagonist of the story. An OPBF Champion and 4th in the World Ranking. He is known for his long bangs and for always wearing a worn-out beige coat and a red flat cap. Not long after birth he found himself in many orphanages and facilities. However, he quickly grew tired of the boring life and frequently escaped, eventually finding his way to the Doya Town the story takes place in.Joe is rude and quick to fight, but he can also be very frivolous at times. Because of his rough upbringing he is a delinquent who likes his solitude, but he later grows to appreciate his new friends and rivals. He is not very good at understanding women, and essentially only treats them nice out of giri. As a result of Rikiishi's death, he temporarily suffers from yips and cannot hit people in the temple, but he later overcomes this. This allows him to move past the loss of Rikiishi.He is a bantamweight and his specialties include the cross counter and the No Guard stance. He has extraordinary punching strength, fortitude, and fighting spirit, often standing up after taking killer blows and has been known to counter cross-counters (a double-cross), possessing a raw, natural talent for the sport. He has even countered double crosses with a triple-cross, implying he has high-level technical abilities. Following his fight with Rikiishi, he begins to better develop his guarding. During his fight with Jose, he even unconsciously uses Jose's own corkscrew punch against him. Near the end of the manga, more and more hints build up implying that he is becoming punch-drunk, a condition that is confirmed right before his fight with Jose. On several occasions it is hinted that he is aiming for the world championship not for his own sake, but for Rikiishi's, since he died fighting Joe and was considered a future world contender.
Danpei Tange (丹下 段平,Tange Danpei)
Voiced by: Jūkei Fujioka, Takeshi Aono (Boxing Mania Video Game), Akira Nagoya (Pilot Film), Haruhiko Saitō (Radio Drama)Live-Action Film: Ryūtarō Tatsumi (1970), Teruyuki Kagawa (2011)Joe's boxing coach. He was formerly a boxer as well, but retired after losing his left eye. Afterwards he becomes a coach, but as shown in a flashback in episode 2, he was very harsh and his student refused to work with him. He then becomes an unemployed drunkard who only changes his ways after meeting Joe. After seeing Joe's potential, he decides to bet everything on him, believing that Joe can become an extraordinary boxer. He teaches him in the form of individual tips called "For the Sake of Tomorrow" (明日のために ashita no tame ni). After Joe and Nishi are released from the juvenile detention center he takes them on as his only two trainees, he also allows them to live with him in his small shack under a bridge, which he converts into the Tange Boxing Club (丹下拳闘クラブ,Tange Kentō Kurabu).
Voiced by: Toku Nishio, Jiro Daruma (Ashita no Joe 2), Shiro Kishibe (Film), Daisuke Gōri (Boxing Mania Video Game)Live-Action Film: Masaaki Yamamoto (1970), Katsuya (2011)Referred to as "Mammoth Nishi," Joe initially meets him in the retention center where he is first introduced as the ruthless leader of his cell and commands the other inmates to pin down Joe, stuff a wet rag in his mouth and take turns jumping on him from the top of the bunkbeds. He and Joe meet again on the boat ride to the juvenile detention center, but this time Nishi is scared of what will happen to the two of them, and is shown to be terrified of the other inmates at first unlike Joe, who is not intimidated by them even as they are both attacked on their first night. Nishi's softer side is shown in the juvenile detention center as he and Joe become friends and he takes up boxing during the juvenile detention centre tournament, after he and Joe are released they both become training partners coached by Danpei and they live in his shack under a bridge, which is converted into a humble boxing club, they also both work together at the Hayashi family grocery store. Despite initially being portrayed as a thug, he is revealed to have a soft personality and is known for often crying at things, but overall he is friendly and polite to everyone.
Shiraki Gym
Yōko Shiraki (白木 葉子,Shiraki Yōko)
Voiced by: Kazuko Nishizawa, Masako Ebisu (ep. 34~44), Emi Tanaka (Ashita no Joe 2), Fumi Dan (Film), Hiroko Ushida (Aoi Honō)Live-Action Film: Yōko Takagi (1970), Karina (2011)A wealthy girl who lives outside of the slums. Joe tricks her into giving large amounts of money to him by saying that it will be used to help the orphans of the slums. Because of this, Joe regards her as a fool.
Tōru Rikiishi (力石 徹,Rikīshi Tōru)
Voiced by: Shūsei Nakamura, Toshiyuki Hosokawa (Film), Hideyuki Hori (Boxing Mania Video Game), Kōji Shimizu (Radio Drama)Live-Action Film: Seiichirō Kameishi (1970), Yūsuke Iseya (2011)Joe meets Rikiishi in the juvenile detention center. He was a boxer but was sentenced to the juvenile detention center because he punches an audience member half to death after the audience member says that the match was rigged in Rikiishi's favor, enraging him. Joe challenges Rikiishi without knowing he was once a professional boxer and manages to punch him in the face once before Rikiishi knocks him out in one punch. He is quintessential in motivating Joe to start taking boxing seriously, even if his only reason is to beat Rikiishi in a rematch.
Voiced by: Osamu Katō, Rokurō Naya (Ashita no Joe 2)Live-Action Film: Speedy Hayase (1970), Mitsuki Koga (2011)In order to get recognition quickly, Joe targeted the bantamweight rookie champion, Wolf Kanagushi. Wolf was a confident and brash fighter who was easily provoked by Joe into a fist fight, ending in a double knockout. This news eventually led to the public demanding a match between them, which Wolf lost. He eventually became a thug who got defeated due to his weak jaw, and later borrowed money from Joe after rekindling their friendship. By the end of the series he finally pays it back and supports Joe for his last match, actively cheering.
Jun Shioya (塩谷 ジュン,Shioya Jun)
Voiced by: Keiko Yokozawa (Ashita no Joe 2)Wolf's fiancée.
Jiro Shioya (塩谷 ジロー,Shioya Jirō)
Voiced by: Yoku Shioya (Ashita no Joe 2)Jun's little brother.
Carlos Rivera (カーロス・リベラ)
Voiced by: Taichirō Hirokawa, Ryūsei Nakao (Ashita no Joe 2), Joe Yamanaka (Film)Former 6th Rank WBC Bantamweight fighter. Fought Joe Yabuki to a draw before his fight for the WBC Title. Was K.O. in the first round by Jose Mendoza. Note he was still weak from his fight with Joe and was revealed after his defeat, his career had been over and his skull damage to the point where he has permanent brain damage.
Harry Robert (ハリー・ロバート)
Voiced by: Takeshi Kuwabara, Michihiro Ikemizu (Ashita no Joe 2)Carlos Rivera's manager.
Kim Yongpi (金 竜飛,Kin Ryūhi)
Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto (Ashita no Joe 2)Former OPBF champion. He loses the title to Joe Yabuki
Harimau (ハリマオ,Harimao)
Voiced by: Takashi Taguchi (Ashita no Joe 2)A wild, illiterate Malaysian tribesman who was only interested in exciting fights and chocolate, and challenged Joe for his OPBF belt. The match was orchestrated by Youko to rekindle Joe's wild spirit.
Jose Mendoza (ホセ・メンドーサ)
Voiced by: Yoshito Miyamura (Ashita no Joe 2), Masami Okada (film)The perfect champion who had never lost, fought beautifully and was admired by all. He takes great care of his health and family, and is constantly calm and confident, giving an aura of being truly unbeatable. A recurring theme is his immense physical strength, to the point of leaving big bruises on Joe's body by gripping him, easily forcing him into a handshake, and even bending coins with his fingers. He only breaks down from this during the later stages of his fight with Joe, where he loses his cool and fears for his life against Joe's unrelenting spirit. Mendoza was knocked down for the first time in his career during the fight, and even fouled Joe violently in a moment of terror. He would win the decision, though it drained him of his youth.
Goromaki Gondō (ゴロマキ 権藤)
Voiced by: Chikao Ōtsuka, Takeshi Watabe (Ashita no Joe 2)
Tiger Ozaki (タイガー尾崎 Taigā Ōzaki)
Voiced by: Shōzō Iizuka, Hiroya Ishimaru (Ashita no Joe 2)Called a 'lizardlike' man by Joe, he was the bantamweight champion. Though he rarely spoke, he was very cunning in diagnosing Joe's weakpoint after the fight against Rikishii. Tiger made sure to fight Joe early in the latter's career after his traumatizing fight with Rikishii so that he could take him on when he had the highest chance to win. Though he did using these tactics, he was eventually knocked out in seconds by Carlos.
Voiced by: Keiko Ushizaki, Junko Hori (Ashita no Joe 2)
Tarō (太郎)
Voiced by: Hiroshi Masuoka, Kiyonobu Suzuki (Ashita no Joe 2)
Hyoromatsu (ヒョロ松)
Voiced by: Kaneta Kimotsuki
Chūkichi (チュー吉)
Voiced by: Noriko Tsukase
Tonkichi (トン吉)
Voiced by: Jōji Yanami, Hiroko Maruyama (Ashita no Joe 2)
Chibi (チビ,Squirt)
Voiced by: Mitsuko Asō
Hayashi Family
Noriko Hayashi (林 紀子,Hayashi Noriko)
Voiced by: Kaoru Ozawa, Kei Moriwaki (Ashita no Joe 2)The daughter of the owners of the local grocery store. She appears to be close in age to Joe and might have romantic feelings for him.
Keishichi Hayashi (林 敬七,Hayashi Keishichi)
Voiced by: Setsuo Wakui, Minoru Yada (Ashita no Joe 2)The co-owner of the local grocery store that Joe and Nishi work at. He is significantly more even-tempered than his wife.
Tamako Hayashi (林 玉子,Hayashi Tamako)
Voiced by: Teruko Abe, Shō Saitō (Ashita no Joe 2)The co-owner of the grocery store, she scolds Joe often.
Manga
Ashita no Joe was originally serialized in Japan in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1968 to 1973, it was collected into 20 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha and sold over 20 million copies. It has never received an official English release but has been published in French by Glénat Editions.
On March 2, 2005 the complete original 1970 anime series was released by Nippon Columbia on 2 DVD box sets covering 33 hours 55 minutes of footage across 79 episodes spanning 16 disks. It also includes an all-color explanation book in 3 volumes totaling 120 pages.
Previous release formats include mini-box sets on September 21, 2001 and individual disks on September 21, 2002.
Tai Seng released the first film on U.S. DVD in 2008, retitled to 'Champion Joe'. Crunchyroll is streaming the second TV series, retitled to 'Champion Joe 2', starting March 24, 2014.
The Ashita no Joe movie was introduced in 1980 reusing footages from the TV series to form an identical story but much reduced in length. It was to bridge the gap for audiences who were about to see the 2nd half of the series named Ashita no Joe 2. The 2nd series featured new directors, as it synced up with the final half of the manga.
Discotek Media will release the first film on Blu-Ray with the Tai Seng dub intact.
Live-action film
A live-action film based on the manga was released in 1970 in Japan, featuring Shōji Ishibashi as Joe, Ryūtarō Tatsumi as Danpei and Seiichirō Kameishi as Rikiishi. A second live-action film adaptation premiered in Japan on February 11th 2011, starring popular actor/singer Tomohisa Yamashita as Joe, Teruyuki Kagawa as Danpei and Yūsuke Iseya as Rikiishi.
Reception and cultural impact
The series is a cult favorite in Japanese pop culture to the present day. When the fans of the series saw the death of Rikiishi, there was a special funeral for him. In March 1970, about 700 people packed the streets dressed in black, wearing black armbands and ribbons with flowers and incense, participated in the funeral. The event was called for by poet Shūji Terayama and was conducted in a full scale boxing ring watched over by a Buddhist priest. On October 13, 2006, it was voted "Japanese Favorite TV Anime" placing 4 out of 100 among celebrities votes. Joe Yabuki was ranked seventh in Mania Entertainment's "10 Most Iconic Anime Heroes", written by Thomas Zoth, who commented that, "Tomorrow's Joe captured the zeitgeist of 1960s Japan. The story of Joe's rise from nothing touched a chord with Japanese audiences, who were seeing their country prosper after a long period of postwar devastation." According to a character designer from the video game company SNK, Ashita no Joe was an influence in designing Kyo Kusanagi. Anime News Network's reviewer Justin Sevakis analyzed the series, praising its storyline but criticized some aspects about the first movie adaptation. He praised Joe's character development and his relationship with other boxers. According to The Japan Times's Mark Schilling, the series "became the template for not only Fumihiko Sori's 2011 live-action film of the same title, but many Japanese sports movie and TV franchises."
The live-action film also received positive response from Hollywood Reporter's Maggie Lee who gave praised the casting' work to do boxing. On the other hand, she criticized the characterization of Danpei and Yoko. Russell Edwards from Variety enjoyed the director's work and, like Lee, enjoyed the work of the leading actors.
One of the most popular character of the Ultra Series franchise, Ultraman Zero in fact had his outlook and traits being based around the manga's main character Joe Yabuki.
