Classic Boxing Anime Tomorrow’s Joe Finally Hits the US

Crunchyroll started streaming the first part of the classic series Tomorrow’s Joe, also known as Ashita no Joe, yesterday. This “oldschool” boxing story had a huge impact on the whole manga and anime industry. It was written by Asao Takamori and illustrated by Tetsuya Chiba, running on Kodansha’s Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1960 to 1973, compiled into 20 volumes.

The plot revolves about Joe Yabuki, an orphan teenager drifting around Japan who one day meets former boxing trainer Danpei Tange, who currently spends his days drinking after a “flopped” career. Danpei offers to train Joe, but the boy ends up in juvenile detention, where he meets former boxing prodigy Tōru Rikiishi. Millionaire Mikonosuke Shiraki and Danpei organize a boxing tournament in the detention center, and Joe loses the final match to Rikiishi. At this point, they promise each other to fight again in a professional tournament. That’s when Joe’s journey truly starts.

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These anime come with their different take on boxing while infusing them with interesting themes ranging from rivalry to friendship.

This is the first time the first Tomorrow’s Joe anime is officially available in the US (actually, TMS started streaming the first three episodes on November 1, for a limited time). Only 35 episodes are available, and the remaining 44 debuts on December 3, 2024. In Japan, it originally aired from 1970 to 1971. The sequel, Tomorrow’s Joe 2 (1980-1981), is available on Amazon Prime Video.

Tomorrow’s Joe Impact in Japan

The manga serialization was an unprecedented hit with working-class people and college students in Japan. Famous author and far-right nationalist Yukio Mishima was a huge fan. The Japanese Red Army also referenced the series after hijacking an airplane in Japan and taking it to North Korea: the group’s leader stated, “Don’t be fooled. We are Tomorrow’s Joe,” when assuming authorship for the act. These are two extreme examples of how the story resonated with people in times of intense political struggle in postwar Japan. Joe was seen as a working-class icon.

Not only was the manga powerful on people (and influential on other manga), but the anime, directed by Osamu Dezaki, is referenced to this day. Naruto’s 133th episode (featuring Sasuke vs Naruto) director Atsushi Wakabayashi stated the boxing series was a reference to him. Tomorrow’s Joe anime also created several resources still used to this day, especially in battle anime. The cross counter scene is a good example:

Anniversary Anime Megalobox

In 2018, Megalobox aired in Japan and internationally. This TMS and 3xCube production was part of the 50th anniversary of Tomorrow’s Joe. It is set in the late 21st century, when boxing competitions require athletes to battle using powered exoskeletons. Underground fighter Junk Dog joins a competition aiming to defeat the current champion. It spawned the sequel Megalo Box 2: Nomad, broadcast in 2021,

Source: ANN