News
Hajime no Ippo Manga Gets Digital Releases on July 1
posted on by Alex Mateo
This year's 30th issue of Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine revealed on Wednesday that all 131 compiled book volumes of George Morikawa's Hajime no Ippo boxing manga will get digital releases on July 1. All future chapters of the long-running series will also launch digitally in addition to physically going forward.
This will be the first time that all of the current and future chapters of the 33-year-old manga will be available digitally. The first 60 volumes were briefly available in digital form in January as a way for readers to experience the manga during the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation.
Morikawa launched Hajime no Ippo in 1989, and the series is his only manga. Kodansha published the 131st compiled book volume on June 17.
The manga inspired a television anime adaptation in 2000, followed by the Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger sequel in 2009 and the Hajime no Ippo Rising sequel in 2013. The series also inspired the Hajime no Ippo - Champion Road special and the Hajime no Ippo - Mashiba vs. Kimura original video anime in 2003. Geneon Entertainment released the first television anime season on DVD in North America before the company ceased operations in 2007.
Discotek licensed the first anime and is releasing the series on Blu-ray Disc. Crunchyroll is streaming the original anime adaptation and Hajime no Ippo Rising.
The manga inspired its first stage play adaptation in 2020.
Source: Weekly Shōnen Magazine issue 30
