While the story of Hajime no Ippo is a straightforward sports anime plot about becoming the best, watching it play out is anything but. The series’ anime adaptation has multiple series, movies, and specials with different names, and said names don’t offer much clarity on where they belong in the timeline. That’s why we’re here to break down how to watch Hajime no Ippo in order and make sure you don’t see a moment out of place.
All Hajime no Ippo Seasons & Episodes in Order
Ippo’s Rise to Japanese Champion Group
- Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! (Ep. 1-75)
- Special Episode 1: Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! – Boxer’s Fist (Ep. 76)
- Movie 1: Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! – Champion Road
- OVA 1: Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! – Mashiba vs. Kimura
Title Defenses and Title Matches Group
- Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! – New Challenger (Ep. 77-102)
- Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! – Rising (Ep. 103-127)
It’s best to think of the Hajime no Ippo anime as being split into two specific groups of arcs.
The first is focused on protagonist Makunouchi Ippo’s rise toward becoming the Japanese Featherweight Champion, and is comprised of the bulk of the show’s episodes via its first season. All of these episodes are shown in order with no filler episodes, so you won’t have to do anything special while watching them.
After that, there’s one special episode, one movie, and one OVA, all of which are canon and cover relevant material. The best order to watch these in is the special episode first, followed by the movie and then the OVA.
After that, you’ll enter the second group of episodes. These primarily focus on Ippo defending his title while other characters compete to earn their own title belts. For this group, all you need to do is watch the New Challenger season first and then the Rising season second. This will provide every episode in order with minimal confusion.
Where to Stream and Watch All of Hajime no Ippo
It is worth noting, though, that you won’t be able to watch every piece of Hajime no Ippo anime content in one place.
While Crunchyroll has acquired the license for almost every part of the series – and said parts can all be viewed on their streaming platform – Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! – New Challenger is still unacquired. As a result, it can only be streamed via unofficial sources.
Fortunately, a safe and easy method of viewing this season is to watch it on YouTube. It’s regularly uploaded with every episode available, and the quality is typically high considering the circumstances. If and when a more official means of watching this season becomes available, we’ll update this guide accordingly.
Hopefully, this helps you figure out how to watch Hajime no Ippo in Order. For more on the series and some of its best moments, check out our list of the best anime fights of all time and our list of the best anime villains of all time. You can also find some recommendations for other great sports anime via our best sports anime list.
