Character Profile: Ippo Makunouchi

Ippo, the titular and main character of the anime is a talented feather weight boxer.

Ippo is a very shy and timid high school student who usually helps out his mother with the family fishing boat business. Because of this, he was often bullied.

One day, whilst being bullied, a professional middle weight boxer named Mamoru Takamura saved Ippo and took him to the Kamogawa Gym owned by a retired boxer called Genji Kamogawa. In an attempt to cheer Ippo up, Takamura suggested he vent his frustration on a sandbag. It was then that Ippo's talent for boxing was revealed.

Takamura showed Ippo a tape of some boxing highlights and it was then that Ippo decided he wanted to become a professional boxer. Takamura was angry at Ippo's decision and told him that becoming a pro boxer wasn't something to be taken lightly. Ippo insisted that he was very serious about his decision. The two came to an agreement; if Ippo could catch 10 falling leaves from a tree in a week's time than he'd help him become a pro boxer. After a week of training Ippo managed to complete the task and Takamura introduced him to Genji Kamogawa.

Throughout the course of the series, Ippo develops into a highly talented boxer, renowned for his explosive power and his fighting spirit, gaining the respect and admiration of everyone, even his former bullies. He also gains fierce rivals such as Ichiro Miyata and Takeshi Sendo. Eventually, he becomes the Japanese Feather Champion.