Sports anime always thrills us differently. Often, such anime plays a role of high-level motivation and pushes us to achieve our goals in life. A few of us watch them for entertainment, while a few try to connect with the story and learn something from it.
Let it be as it is.
Today, I will navigate some of the most thrilling boxing anime full of epic fights and extremely interesting plots. I am sure many of these will motivate you to achieve your goals in life as well.
Some of these are emotional, while some are aggressive. It’s going to be fantastic to cherish this list.
1. Eiji
Eiji, the second son of Kijoro Atagi, is very determined. His dad was a legendary boxer who was very famous, and many used to admire him. Eiji hated boxing and had no respect for this sport.
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He felt this was a ruthless sport, a total waste of time. However, one day, things suddenly change when he meets the local boxing champion’s sister. Soon after, he takes motivation from his dad and brother and follows their footsteps towards the ring.
He will prove to be a professional performer in the future. However, his way was not that easy. Watch to know more.
2. Ashita no Joe (Tomorrow’s Joe)
If we talk about boxing animes, we cannot exclude the name of Ashita Nojoy. You can call it a genre-defining anime series. If you are a fan of Rocky films, then you get an idea of what role this boxing series played in establishing boxing movies in Hollywood. This anime played the same role in the anime world.
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The story is not that complex, and the focus is primarily on a young, talented guy named Joe Yabuki, who always dreams of calling himself a pro boxer.
However, this guy doesn’t just face punches in the ring, but in real life also. This self-taught fellow has tremendous fighting skills. Manners and discipline are missing from his character.
He also falls into gang fights, where he meets Danpei Tange, who used to be a very successful boxing coach in his early days. This guy sees Ashita’s talent and decides to train him further. He helped him become the national champion in boxing.
3. Nozomi Witches
Nazomi Witches is another enticing boxing anime where Ryotaro Shiba moves to a new neighborhood where he finds himself very lucky as a beautiful girl lives beside him.
Soon, they develop a friendship, and she shares her dream with Ryotaro of becoming the high school boxing club champion.
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This guy started motivating her and helping her through her training. This very intense boxing anime feels like one’s real-life story. I tried to find out whether it was made on someone’s biography or something, but I failed.
Hinomoto dreams of wearing the crown of the boxing world champion. She faces a lot of hardships, but she never gives up on her goal, and that’s available teaching we absorb from this anime.
There’s no shortage of unique characters, and the music is remarkable and energetic. The training parts are also very attractive to watch. I love the strategies she follows in defeating her opponents.
4. B.B.
Bill Brando, the protagonist of this amazing boxing series, is a remarkable character and a very confident personality. His ultimate goal is to become the best fighter on the planet. The dynamic action scenes truly won my heart, and I want to tell you how attractive they become after the blend of energetic soundtrack.
The voice actors of this anime also deserve a lot of appreciation, as do the visual artists. The story is not as unique, but let me tell you, the fight scenes are very unpredictable. The plot line is thrilling; it deserves a minimum of 9 out of 10.
It’s a lot to watch if you are a binge-watcher. The writing is very clever because you cannot predict things somewhere down the line, and a few boxing moments just test your mind. B.B. is a true entertainer.
5. Rokudenashi Blues
The protagonist of Rokudenashi Blues, Maeda, can be compared to a cheetah. Yes, a lone warrior. He’s hot-tempered and doesn’t tolerate wrong things around him. He doesn’t have a good image when admitted to Taken High School, especially because of his stuttering speech.
He is always nervous and has little control over his anger, no matter the situation. We can find it in a scene where he hits a teacher during the school’s entrance ceremony.
Now, his behavior entices a few gangs, and they approach him to join so that they can dominate their rival gangs. No matter if you are 13 years old or 30 years old, Rokudenashi Blues always has something to entice you.
This dude wants to be Tokyo’s best boxer, and he learns many valuable life lessons along his journey. Throughout the story, you can see his character getting stronger and stronger. And I am very sure that this sort of character will have a deep impact on your memory.
It’s one of the top boxing anime ever published.
6. One-pound Gospel
The one-pound gospel is my personal choice for a great reason. It resonates with my real-life scenario. I am also struggling to maintain my weight. This dude is a featherweight boxer, a 19-year-old ambitious guy.
But he fails to control his appetite. That’s why he keeps himself away from food before the fight, which weakens him. This is why he loses many fights, which attacks his confidence.
Another weird thing about Kosaku is that he is deeply in love with a nun named Sister Angela. He goes to her for confession purposes or, let’s directly say, just to see her. She rejects him when he declares his love for her as expected, but doesn’t get angry.
Instead, she encourages him more. This guy faces a lot of issues in recovering professionally. But in several scenes, you see Sister Angela coming to support him and Kosaku winning fights from very negative situations.
He also has a very angry character but not as angry as his coach. His coach is furious.
7. Katsu!
Katsu can be a decent choice if you are a fan of hand-to-hand combat. Katsu Katase, the passionate guy, strives to transform into a perfectly disciplined professional boxer. His dream is full of obstacles, and it is very interesting to see how he develops his character and overcomes them.
There is no shortage of confidence. Even in very tough fights, we see him full of confidence, and you can call him a man with a plan. The animation is also mesmerizing, and the details are astounding than most boxing anime I have watched.
This is a perfect sports anime for boxing lovers and a wide range of anime viewers.
8. Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple
Well, we come across many fighting animes, whether boxing, karate, or whatever, designed around serious plots, situations, motivational storylines, etc. However, the story is more comedic when I look at Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple.
The young dude named Kenichi, the protagonist of this superb story, is a total weirdo guy who does everything to entertain you. He’s always looking forward to improving himself by reading self-help books.
He has got a few weaknesses. One of them is an uncontrollable attraction towards a badass girl named Miu in his class. Don’t go for the name; the name is cute, but the character isn’t. Miu wants to help him in learning boxing.
Her grandfather, Dojo, is an industry expert who helps Kenichi learn self-dependencies, and Kenichi also gets more and more determined with time. It passes through the training very well, but a few things during the training will test your senses of how long you can hold the laughter.
This anime makes me remember the early Jackie Chan movies.
9. Kengan Ashura
In Kengan Ashura, you see a very dark world of bad-character businessmen, and the darkness of corporate jobs is exposed very well. In this world, businessmen have a different way of settling deals rather than phone calls or meetings.
They hire gladiators and get them to battle against each other. Ouma Tokita, the protagonist, is on the journey to become the most ruthless fighter in the world, and he once gets hired by the Nogi group.
He wants to grab this opportunity with both his hands. The fight scenes are truly amazing because the hero is not shown winning matches easily. The fights are super interesting, and some are very tough to predict.
10. Slow Step
Have you ever found yourself in a position where you are told or forced to give up on your dreams? What feelings did you go through? If you want to see someone else facing the same and are curious about their decisions, then Slow Step is a tremendous boxing anime for you.
The protagonist, Rina Ogata, has a great love for boxing. However, she is forced to stay away from boxing. She looks upon Kazuma, a former boxing champion, as her inspiration and seeks training from him. You watch a lot of thrilling fights; however, in the beginning, you don’t see much of them.
As she catches excellence in the boxing field, her competition gets tougher and tougher with time. This action-packed anime has less story and more action. The soundtrack again will keep you glued to your screen.
I loved the passionate exchanges during the fights between the characters. You feel soothed in a few scenes when you hear the calm music and autumn scenes. This is a perfect sports anime for those who don’t believe in cherishing the story deeply and want to see high-end action in every second or third episode.
11. Vivid Strike
The story of Vivid Strike revolves around two close friends, Rini and Fuka, who have spent their childhood in an orphanage. Fuka feels overwhelmed by Rini’s boxing skills, leading to a quarrel that breaks their friendship.
Leaving the orphanage proves to be very hard for her. However, one day, she meets Einhald Startos, who finds this girl very talented.
This story doesn’t have a lot of ups and downs, but yes, it keeps a tight grip on the watcher.
I am not pushing this boxing anime towards the top because a few scenes are sluggish. Honestly, I feel bored a few times, but overall, this anime also deserves appreciation.
The plot is not perfect, but good enough. The fighting scenes are undoubtedly amazing. The training sessions could have been more intense, but I’d give Vivid Strike a thumbs up overall.
12. Ring ni Kakero 1
Ring ni Kakero 1 is a very emotional story. It follows two brothers, Takane Kiyoji and Takane Kiku, who want to work hard to a limit to fulfill their dad’s wishes. Claiming the champion title in boxing is their utmost goal.
Their stepfather is very abusive, and this makes these guys run away from home. Their sister plays a very big role in training them professionally, and how they push confidence in each other is worth enjoying.
This is a very motivational story.
13. Ganbare Genki
That’s a story full of love, courage, determination, and sheer discipline. That’s how I will describe the story of Ganbare Genki. Genki’s father, Hideki, is a former ex-professional boxer with a very good name in the world of lightweight boxers.
However, with the birth of little Genki, he decided to retire and give up on his dreams.
They don’t live a happy or rich life, but their love for each other helps them fight life’s emotional and tough parts.
Hideki stays away from the boxing scene for a long time, but then he bounces back and fights among featherweight champions. He drops two weight categories. Due to his starvation, his body gets weak, but he doesn’t leave his strict diet.
He wants to improve his little kid’s life because his current living conditions are not good. He also easily wins the first two matches, but it is worth watching after that.
14. Levius
Levius is a different boxing anime than all others shared on this list. In the post-war 19th-century world, metal boxing is considered the most interesting sport. It includes cybernetically altered fighters who use machine parts to win these fights.
The protagonist, Livius, is a bright, upcoming boxer with a strong mechanical arm. A mysterious newcomer defeats his idol, pushing anger into Levius’ brain. Now, his only goal is to indirectly restore his idols’ former glory and greatness by defeating this newcomer.
The battle was very good, and I loved the sheer determination of the protagonist.
15. Baki the Grappler
Some folks get inspiration for stepping into martial arts, while a few are born fighters. Baki Hanma falls in the second category. He gets his martial arts training in very hard circumstances under the guidance of his beloved mum.
He wants to do everything possible to surpass his dad. It is not just about the ring; his mum teaches him lessons to be a good fighter. He has never met his father but dreams of matching his expectations.
How he puts himself on the path of discipline and learns the value of self-worth is highly appreciable. The scenes where he meets new fighters are also enticing enough. This character teaches us to cherish our inner strength; most of us don’t do that.
Okay, getting back to the story, this guy’s dad is an Ogre, the strongest person alive in the world. Baki leaves home in search of training for stronger and higher-level techniques and trains his body so that he manages to defeat his dad in a future fight.
16. Fighting Spirit
Ippo Makunouchi, the teenage protagonist of the fighting spirit anime, is a real-life warrior. He wants to help his mother, whenever possible, to face and mitigate the hardships of running a fishing boat rental business.
He has very little sleep and is not strong, so he becomes an easy target for various bullies. They beat him daily and enjoy doing that, and Ippo cannot do anything about it.
One day, he gets rescued by an up-and-coming boxer, Mamoru Takamura, who inspires him and takes him to his boxing gym to help him recover from his wounds.
His fellow boxers, Tatsuya Kimuru and Masaru Aoki, were stunned by Ippo’s powerful punches, and why not? After all, a lot of anger filled his mind. The scenes in which it is shown how he develops his muscles with heart training are very uplifting.
