Episode 1 (Season 1)

The First Step
Episode Information
Previous	None
Episode	Season 1 #1 (Watch Online)
Next	Fruits of Labor
Japanese Title	THE FIRST STEP (ザ ファースト ステップ)
Romanized Title	The First Step (Za Fāsuto Suteppu)
Arc	Early Days Arc
Manga	Round 1 (p. 1, 5-41)
Air dates
Japanese	October 3, 2000
English	July 6, 2004
Music
Opening	Under Star
Ending	Yūzora no Kami Hikōki

The First Step is Round 1 of the Hajime no Ippo anime, which is the adaptation of Jōji Morikawa's Hajime no Ippo series.

Details

• Characters Introduced: Ippo Makunouchi, Hiroko Makunouchi, Masahiko Umezawa, Takemura, Matsuda, Mamoru Takamura, Aikawa. Ippo's Teacher
• Techniques Introduced: Jab, Straight
• Locations Introduced: Zōjirushi Private High School, Kamogawa Boxing Gym, Makunouchi Fishing Boat

Summary

Ippo Makunouchi, helping his mother, Hiroko Makunouchi, with the Makunouchi Fishing Boat, carries several boxes onto the boat and sees everyone off. The next day at school, he is invited to see a movie with some classmates. He is happy to be invited, but declines because he has to help with the store. He then overhears his classmates making fun of him on their way out and heads home saddened. He only gets as far as a nearby bridge when he runs into Masahiko Umezawa and his goons. They begin to beat on Ippo for "making the school stink of worms" and take him under the bridge. Umezawa implies that Ippo's mother must stink too, causing Ippo to glare at him. But when Umezawa glares back, Ippo backs down, infuriating Umezawa more for never showing any backbone. As they continue, Mamoru Takamura suddenly passes by during his roadwork and saves Ippo. Umezawa and his group try to attack him, but he easily dodges their blows and steals their uniform buttons, scaring them away. Ippo passes out from the pain after only being able to say "Incredible". When he awakens, Ippo finds himself in the Kamogawa Boxing Gym. Takamura informs him that he brought him here to treat his wounds and then promptly tells him to get lost, saying that as much as he dislikes bullies, he finds people who don't stand up for themselves downright pathetic. As Ippo begins to leave sniffling, Takamura reluctantly decides to let him take his anger out on the punching bag. At first Ippo's punch seems average, but after a pointer from Takamura he proves to have a devastating punch. Takamura takes Ippo to the back room to treat his now scrapped knuckles and realises that he is more muscular than he seems, which Ippo attributes to years of working for the family trade. He tries to convince Ippo to try fighting back if Umezawa ever bothers him again, but Ippo is afraid that that won't solve anything. Takamura then asks Ippo if he'd prefer it if things stayed the same. He gives him some boxing tapes before heading off to continue his road work, telling Ippo to return them whenever. Ippo returns home and helps his mother load the boat, carrying several iceboxes at once. Before she leaves, his mother tells him to leave the work to her and be a high school student. He laments not standing up for his mother earlier and then goes inside to watch the tapes. Impressed, Ippo begins to ask himself what it means to be strong. As the days go on, Ippo begins to watch boxing and starts reading boxing magazines. In one magazine, he finds an article about Takamura's Rookie King victory. After a few days, Ippo waits at the bridge for Takamura to give him the tapes back, mentioning the magazine article he found. As Takamura brags, Ippo asks if he should give boxing a try. Takamura is initially amused, believing that Ippo wants to just try the exercises and diets. But when Ippo clarifies that he wants to become a pro-boxer, Takamura gets angry at the idea of a weakling like him impulsively deciding to become a boxer. Ippo then says that he has thought seriously about this and wants to become a boxer no matter what. He then asks Takamura "What does it mean to be strong?". Takamura then walks up to a nearby tree and kicks it, causing leaves to fall from the branches. He then catches several of them with his hands before they hit the ground and promises to teach Ippo boxing if he can catch 10 in one week.

Anime-Manga Differences

See also: Anime-Manga Differences

• The anime changes the following:
  • At school, in the anime, Ippo Makunouchi's classroom is 2-B. In the manga, Ippo's classroom is 2-A.
  • In the anime, when Ippo comments about Mamoru Takamura's drawing of Masahiko Umezawa, Ippo gets kneed in the stomach. In the manga, Takamura hits Ippo's head.
  • When Ippo first punches the punching bag, in the anime, Takamura kicks him in the groin. In the manga, Takamura kicks him repeatedly in the side.
  • In the manga, after Ippo states he can't beat up others, Takamura mentions to Ippo that Mike Tyson was picked on too. In the anime, Takamura states that Ippo can't do anything unless he tries.
  • In the anime, Takamura gives Ippo tapes of "World Championship KOs". In the manga the tapes are "Mike Tyson KO Collection". Ippo then watches and his comments are different between the anime and manga.
  • While meeting up with Takamura after watching the videos, Ippo holds up a magazine with a different picture that shows Genji Kamogawa and Haruhiko Yagi on it in the anime.
  • In the manga, Takamura dislikes all the compliments that Ippo gives him and starts jogging away until Ippo wonders if he can do boxing too. In the anime, Takamura likes the compliment, then states he can give Ippo an autograph.
• The anime removes the following:
  • In the manga, after Takamura saves Ippo from Umezawa, Ippo passes out and Takamura tries to shake Ippo to get him up, then tosses him on the ground saying he doesn't need to know him, but later takes him to the Kamogawa gym. The anime shows Ippo passing out and waking up in the gym.
  • The anime makes no mention of Mike Tyson.
  • In the manga, after Takamura gives Ippo tapes and leaves the Kamogawa gym, Ippo tries to run after him to hear more, but couldn't catch up. The anime doesn't show this.
• The anime adds the following:
  • The first scene of Ippo helping out at the fishing boat.
  • After school, while Ippo walks home in the anime, there's added dialog of him thinking to himself. In the manga, he says nothing.
  • The introduction of the Kamogawa gym with everyone training is extended.
  • The anime adds a scene where Ippo buys a boxing magazine and reads it at school.
  • The anime adds a scene where Ippo watches another boxing video in his house.
  • The anime adds a scene while Ippo reads another boxing magazine in school, classmates comment how boxing is a "stupid sport" and Ippo defends it.

Credits

Voice Actor Credits

Characters are named as they appear in the credits.

Role	English Name	Japanese	Rōmaji	English Voice Actor
Ippo Makunouchi	Kōhei Kiyasu	喜安 浩平	Kiyasu Kōhei	Steve Cannon
Mamoru Takamura	Rikiya Koyama	小山 力也	Koyama Rikiya	Eddie Frierson
Ippo's Mother	Yorie Terauchi	寺内 よりえ	Terauchi Yorie	Joan Carol O'Connell
Masahiko Umezawa	Mitsuaki Madono	真殿 光昭	Madono Mitsuaki	Ron Allen
Takemura	Kōichi Hasebe	長谷部 浩一	Hasebe Kōichi	Edward Zilla
Matsuda	Shin'ichi Namiki	並木 伸一	Namiki Shin'ichi	Terry Roberts
Teacher	Masashi Hirose	広瀬 正志	Hirose Masashi
Aikawa	Yukari Tamura	田村 ゆかり	Tamura Yukari
Male Students	Masayoshi Hasegawa Nozomi Maruyama Akio Suyama Takeshi Sasaki	長谷川 將睦 丸山 望 陶山 章央 佐々木 健	Hasegawa Masayoshi Maruyama Nozomi Suyama Akio Sasaki Takeshi
Female Students	Ruri Asano Hiroko Ōnaka Sanae Kobayashi	浅野 るり 大中 寛子 小林 沙苗	Asano Ruri Ōnaka Hiroko Kobayashi Sanae

Episode Credits

Role	English Name	Japanese	Rōmaji
Screenplay	Tatsuhiko Urahata	浦畑 達彦	Urahata Tatsuhiko
Storyboard	Satoshi Nishimura	西村 聡	Nishimura Satoshi
Director	Ken'ichi Kawamura	川村 賢一	Kawamura Ken'ichi
Animation Director	Satoshi Tasaki Toshiyuki Kan'no Masaki Hosoyama Atsushi Hasebe	田崎 聡 菅野 利之 細山 正樹 長谷部 敦志	Tasaki Satoshi Kan'no Toshiyuki Hosoyama Masaki Hasebe Atsushi