The final stretch of episodes for the Hajime no Ippo anime truly feels like we are building up to a climactic event. Throughout the series, Ippo fought other rookies or people in a similar age bracket. But now, we are starting strong with him going up against a seasoned veteran of the boxing world. This is a man who everybody else in Japan looks up to, and despite already having some experience sparring with him, facing him in the ring as he wears the champion belt is a completely different experience. This match served as a turning point in the lives of many boxers we have gotten to know. It makes sense, since Eiji's absence creates a sort of power vacuum that needs to be filled. This theme had been building in the background which now takes center stage as the older generation moves onto greater things and firmly accepts their place as support for the younger boxing generation.

While not every character we've been introduced to gets a proper sendoff in this ending, the characters that we do have end up working into the narrative. We have returning characters like Sendo and Volg making another stand, leaving the show with the former generating so much presence you'd think this was his show half the time. We also get some final training montages that help elevate Ippo into his own fighter as he develops his most iconic technique, which is still associated with his character to this very day. The animation for these sequences continues to be top-notch, with the final two fights in particular being some of the best early 2000s animation I have seen in my life. I was shocked that there were barely any repeated frames during these fights. The sheer impact of every single bone-crunching punch feels like it is impacting my soul.

We get the return of Tsuneo Imahori's music with the addictive guitar riffs and impactful drums. I've commented on the voice acting plenty of times, but these episodes probably contain some of the best performances for Ippo from Steve Staley. The anxiety building up in his voice right before some major matches—and one of his last major speeches at the end of the show—still hits hard to this day. Considering that many of these actors played these characters for dozens of episodes at this point, almost everyone has fully settled into their roles. I still don't think that Takamura's English performance matches the characters as well as it should, but there is a passion here — passion that resonates and burns brightly as a boxer's Fighting Spirit in the ring.

I know the franchise continues past this point. However, the way that this series ends is practically perfect. If there wasn't Hajime no Ippo after this anime concluded, I still think it could go down in history as a classic. There is so much that other sports anime have taken from this show. You could argue that it is simply a basic underdog story at its core, but I would counter by saying that it is probably the most quintessential underdog story I have ever seen. It is a testament to the story's enduring impact with its lovable characters, amazing animation for the time, an addictive soundtrack, and a reverence for the art of boxing. If you have not taken the chance to watch this series, then fix that.