Episode 36 (Season 1)

The Champ and I
Episode Information
Previous	The Continuing Journey
Episode	Season 1 #36 (Watch Online)
Next	A Thing to Strive For
Japanese Title	王者との出会い
Romanized Title	Ōja to no Deai
Arc	Two Rookie Kings Arc
Manga	Round 112 (p.2-19) Round 113 (p.2-19) Round 114 (p.1-19) Round 115 (p.2-19) Round 116 (p.1-19)
Air dates
Japanese	June 12, 2001
English	October 25, 2005
Music
Opening	Inner Light
Ending	360°

The Champ And I is Round 36 of the Hajime no Ippo anime, which is the adaptation of Jōji Morikawa's Hajime no Ippo series.

Details

• Characters Introduced: Bonchai Chuwatana, Shinji Kanzaki, Arman Garcia, Nakadai, Keigo Okita
• Techniques Introduced: Corkscrew Blow, Heart Break Shot
• Locations Introduced: Nakadai Boxing Gym

Summary

As Date introduces himself to Ippo, Takamura walks by and starts talking to Date. He tells Ippo how they met, and Date lets them know that he will be commentating on the fights. As Date walks away, Takamura informs him of Ippo's abilities and tells him to be careful. The champion replies by inviting Ippo to "play" at his gym. Ippo and Yamada watch the fight and cheer for their gym mates. They watch Kimura and Aoki barely win their fights, while Takamura completely destroys his opponent. Later that night, as the Kamogawa crew discuss the fights, Aoki and Kimura are ranked higher, meaning with a few more fights they could get a title shot. They encourage Ippo to do the same, but he replies there are "still" nine people before the champion. Kamogawa, hearing this, tells him that in actuality there are "only" nine. At night in his room and after being encouraged by everyone to go for the Japanese title, Ippo reflects on his past fights and remembers the speed and strength of previous opponents. This makes him wonder just how strong Date can be. The next day at the Kamogawa gym, Ippo helps Yamada, who is being laughed at for failing at jump rope just like Ippo did at the beginning. It is also noted by Kimura, that it has been three months since Ippo's last fight, so his fist should be healed. After being told by Yamaguchi that his hand is ready to be used full power, Ippo goes back to the gym and hits the sandbag with a powerful straight, while he has the champion on his mind. Kamogawa, who is happy after watching Ippo's healed fist in action, is told by Yagi that he received a call from the Nakadai gym, where Date is requesting a spar with Ippo. Three days later, Takamura and Yamada accompany Ippo to the sparring match, but Takamura, claiming to have a date, leaves them and goes back. Once at the gym, they are greeted by the owner, Nakadai, and Ippo is told to warm up and get ready, as Date will be arriving soon. When Date arrives, Ippo notices from his shadowboxing, that he can use the Corkscrew Blow. Both fighters go to the ring and get ready to start. Once in the ring, Date refuses to wear any headgear, which worries Ippo. Date tells him that it is alright, and to not hold back. As Ippo feels uneasy for not having a second with him, the bell rings. As soon as the fight starts, Ippo is overwhelmed by Date's presence alone, and receives a powerful hit that does not knock him out because of the headgear. He focuses and attempts to block a punch, but is outclassed by the champion. As the match progresses, Ippo begins to improve his performance as he dodges and lands a few attacks. When a straight knocks Date off balance, Ippo goes for a finisher, but the bell ends the round. In his corner, Date talks with Nakadai about Ippo's potential, and that he is ready to try the technique. Meanwhile in his corner, Ippo is explaining to Yamada, what the Corkscrew Blow is. When the fight resumes, Ippo begins swaying in order to avoid the Corkscrew Blow. Date realises this and throws a few punches that miss, but still gets to corner him. Ippo now against the ropes, tries to get out, but Date pushes him back and initiates the motion for the Corkscrew Blow. Ippo guards but is still hit, he notices Date going for a left and attempts to block, but his body does not respond, and he takes a clean hit to the face. As he falls, he wonders why he couldn't move.

Anime-Manga Differences

See also: Anime-Manga Differences

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
Coach Kamogawa	Kenji Utsumi	内海 賢二	Utsumi Kenji	Richard George
Masaru Aoki	Wataru Takagi	高木 渉	Takagi Wataru	Jim Taggert
Tatsuya Kimura	Keiji Fujiwara	藤原 啓治	Fujiwara Keiji	Grant George
Reporter Fujii	Ken'ichi Ono	小野 健一	Ono Ken'ichi	Hamilton Fox
Yamaguchi Sensei	Yūko Kobayashi	小林 優子	Kobayashi Yūko	Mona Marshal
Naomichi Yamada	Daisuke Sakaguchi	阪口 大助	Sakaguchi Daisuke	Rafael Antonio
Eiji Date	Masaki Aizawa	相沢 正輝	Aizawa Masaki	Rafael Antonio
Nakadai Gym Coach	Mitsuru Ogata	小形 満	Ogata Mitsuru	Micheal Sorich
Keigo Okita	Hiroaki Hirata	平田 広明	Hirata Hiroaki	Marvin Lee
Referee	Shōji Izumi	泉 尚摯	Izumi Shōji	Edward Zilla

Episode Credits

Role	English Name	Japanese	Rōmaji
Screenplay	Daisuke Aranishi	荒西 大介	Aranishi Daisuke
Storyboard	Keiji Hayakawa	早川 啓二	Hayakawa Keiji
Director	Keiji Hayakawa	早川 啓二	Hayakawa Keiji
Animation Director	Jōji Yanase	柳瀬 譲二	Yanase Jōji