Fighting Spirit, also known as Hajime no Ippo (はじめの一歩) in Japan is an anime based on the manga series written and illustrated by George Morikawa. It was produced by Madhouse, Nippon Television and VAP, directed by Satoshi Nishimura and ran on the Nippon Television Network from October 2000 to March 2002. At the end of 2003, the first season of anime was licensed in North America by Geneon.
English Voice Cast
Main Cast
- Eddie Frierson - Takamura
- Steve Cannon - Ippo
Secondary Cast
- George Z. Cole - Mr. Yagi
- Grant George - Kimura
- Jason Palmer - Ichiro Miyata
- Jim Taggert - Aoki
- Richard Epcar - Kamogawa
- Ron Allen - TV Announcer, Umezawa
Minor Cast
- Alfred Thor - Suzuki's Cornerman (ep45)
- Barbara Goodson - Volg (Childhood)
- Bob Papenbrook - Mikami
- Brandon Jones - Takuma Saeki
- D.C. Douglas - Aiko's Brother (ep53)
- Dave Mallow - Yanaoka
- David Lelyveld - Suzuki (ep45), Volg
- David Lodge - Shinoda
- Doug Erholtz - Takeshi Sendo
- Doug Stone - Referee
- Edward Zilla - Kenta Kobashi, Payao, Referee, Takemura
- George Z. Cole - Miyata's Father
- Hall Hollis - Ozma
- Hamilton Fox - Fujii, Yusuke Oda (Also Credited as Bobby Hasting and Joey Capps)
- Helen Storm - Kimura's Mother (ep63), Tomiko
- Jennifer Sekiguchi - Kumi Mashiba, Kumiko Morita (ep41), Megumi (ep51)
- Jim Taggert - Mr. Otowa (ep22)
- Joan Carol O'Connell - Hachinohe's Wife (ep13), Hiroko Makunouchi
- Marvin Lee - Okita
- Michael Sorich - Nakadai, Ramuda, Volg's Coach (ep45)
- Michelle Ruff - Mari Iimura, Reiko Mikami
- Midge Mayes - Aiko Date (ep53), Reiko (ep51)
- Mona Marshall - Chana, Dr. Yamaguchi, Manabu, Miyuki (ep63), Sendo's Grandmother, Volg's Mother (ep47)
- Nathan Smythe - Ryuichi Hayami
- Rafael Antonio - Eiji Date, Naomichi Yamada
- Richard George - Chairman Toho
- Robert Axelrod - Hachinohe
- Ron Allen - Chairman Kawahara (ep24)
- Steve Areno - Jimmy, Referee
- Steve Kramer - Mr. Yasuda, Suzuki (ep52)
- Terry Roberts - Matsuda, Ryo Mashiba
- Tony Tang - Ginpachi Nekota
Additional Voices (Uncredited)
- Beau Billingslea - Yoshio Fujiwara (ep12)
- Sam Riegel - Akira Shigeta