Hajime No Ippo’s Hero Proves He’s A Champion Without His Signature Move

In the Hajime No Ippo manga that picks up where the anime left off, professional featherweight boxer Makunouchi Ippo undergoes extensive training so he can fight without having to depend on his brutal Dempsey Roll finisher. Ippo proves he can win without his signature move during his sixth featherweight champion title defense match in chapters 582 to 592. This same bout also reveals that Ippo completely changes as a fighter, even beyond him dropping the Dempsey Roll, a transformation that forces creator Jyoji Morikawa to portray him differently.

Near the end of the anime, it became abundantly clear that it was nearing the end of an era when Ippo’s opponents began devising effective counters against his Dempsey Roll. Of course, Ippo tried to hold off fate for as long as possible by creating an evolved form of the finisher, but there was a major downside to it, as using this new technique more than twice in a match could result in Ippo sustaining permanent damage. The inevitable finally happened during his fifth title defense match (and final match overall in the anime) when two of his Dempsey Rolls were countered successfully, forcing Ippo to unleash the new Dempsey Roll twice, at the detriment of his body.

When Ippo receives his sixth title challenge from Karasawa Takuzo in chapter 572 of the manga, he attempts something new by undergoing insanely rigorous training. This involves swinging a sledgehammer from his left side to drive massive logs into the side of a mountain. And the match soon proves that this intense regimen is not meant to create a new finishing move, but to develop his normal punches. In other words, Ippo is endeavoring to change who he is as a fighter by going straight to the basics and starting from scratch.

This shift ends up being one part of Ippo’s much larger effort to diverge from his usual “all or nothing” strategy. When Ippo gets in the ring for his sixth defense match, he doesn’t unleash his Dempsey Roll to finish Takuzo off. He just relies on straight-up punches to take him down. This throws Takuzo off guard because he has specifically trained excessively to counter the Dempsey Roll and would have most likely won if Ippo had used it. What’s even more remarkable is that Ippo’s finishing blow actually results in a more over-the-top wipe out than the Dempsey Roll could have ever achieved, as Takuzo is literally flown across the ring and flips over twice.

Ippo shows his transformation in other ways. Previously, Ippo had always rushed in to attack. But, now he waits for his opponent to strike first, even going so far as standing still for two out of the three minutes in the first round. And when Ippo does move, it appears slow and sluggish. But Ippo’s uncharacteristic strategy involves cutting off Takuzo’s “orbit ” by essentially walking, belatedly driving him into the corner without his knowledge until it’s too late. Aside from Ippo transforming as a fighter, creator Jyoji (George) Morikawa portrays him in a more menacing way by having the first round take place completely from Takuzo’s perspective. And Takuzo is obviously shaken up by Ippo’s aura. For the first time, Ippo is not perceived as the underdog and instead looks like such a terrifying antagonist that the reader can’t help but feel sorry for Takuzo.

Even more astounding is that Ippo doesn’t rely on his “reverse KO,” a move that requires Ippo to summon an incredible amount of fighting spirit after being pummeled to a pulp. This newfound fighting spirit always brings Ippo back from the brink to do the unthinkable, returning the favor by knocking his opponent out cold. Ippo doesn’t need fighting spirit in this fight. Takuza does. And Ippo takes him down each time. Clearly, Hajime No Ippo‘s manga series tells the most stunning part of Makunouchi Ippo‘s career. It’s a rebirth.

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