Fighting Spirit: New Challenger
- TV series
- Winter 2009
- 26 episodes
- 23 min
- Madhouse
- Manga
- PG-13
- Sports
- Combat Sports
- Shounen
Contents
Hajime No Ippo New Challenger Opening 1 | ||
| Japanese | はじめの一歩 新シリーズ | |
|---|---|---|
| Romanized | Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger | |
| Also known as | Hajime no Ippo New Series Hajime no Ippo 2 | |
| Genre | Sports, Combat Sports, Shounen | |
| Type | TV series | |
| Based on | Manga — George Morikawa | |
| Directed by | Jun Shishido | |
| Written by | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu | |
| Character design | Kouji Sugiura | |
| Music by | Yoshihisa Hirano | |
| Studio | Madhouse | |
| Original run | January 7, 2009 – July 1, 2009 | |
| Episodes | 26 | |
| Episode length | 23 min | |
| Broadcast | Wednesdays | |
| Total running time | 9 hr 58 min | |
| Status | Finished airing | |
| Season | Winter 2009 | |
| Age rating | PG-13 – Teens 13 and older | |
| Score | ★ 8.67 (#68) | |
| On users' lists | 42,779 Kitsu, Shikimori | |
| Manga · Hajime no Ippo: Fighting Spirit! | ||
| Written by | George Morikawa | |
| Published in | Shounen Magazine (Weekly) | |
| Demographic | Shounen | |
| Original run | September 27, 1989 – ongoing | |
Fighting Spirit: New Challenger (Japanese: はじめの一歩 新シリーズ, Hepburn: Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger) is a 2009 Japanese anime television series based on the manga series by George Morikawa. It is animated by Madhouse and directed by Jun Shishido. It aired from January 7, 2009 to July 1, 2009, with 26 episodes.
Characters
Main characters
Supporting characters
Ichirou Miyata · Father Miyata · Haruhiko Yagi · Commentator · Hiroko Makunouchi · Ginpachi Nekota · Takeshi Sendo · Eiji Date · Tomiko · Masahiko Umezawa · Aiko Date · Yuuji Date · Hachinoe Coach · Bryan Hawk · Father Itagaki · Nanako Itagaki · Kida · Ricardo Martinez · Nakadai Coach · Otowa Coach · Mr. Sakaguchi · Miguel Zale · Arman Alegria · Haseo Baraki · Arnie Gregory · Kyousuke Imai · Mother Itagaki · Badei Maguramo · Fumito Makino · Makino's Coach · Morris's Second · Bill Stewart · Kyouka Takamura · Suguru Takamura
Production
Key staff
George MorikawaOriginal Creator
Jun ShishidoDirectorKazuyuki FudeyasuSeries CompositionKouji SugiuraCharacter Design
Yoshihisa HiranoMusic
Toshihiko NakajimaSound DirectorHidetoshi KanekoArt Director
MadhouseStudioStaff
| Studio | Madhouse |
|---|---|
| Original Creator | George Morikawa |
| Director | Jun Shishido |
| Series Composition | Kazuyuki Fudeyasu |
| Script | Kotono Watanabe, Fumie Muroi, Jun Nakagawa, Fuuta Takei |
| Character Design | Kouji Sugiura |
| Music | Yoshihisa Hirano |
| Sound Director | Toshihiko Nakajima |
| Art Director | Hidetoshi Kaneko |
| Chief Animation Director | Kouji Sugiura, Ichirou Uno |
| Director of Photography | Yuuya Kumazawa |
| Theme Song Performance | LAST ALLIANCE, coldrain |
| Producer | Yuuta Hattori, Manabu Tamura, Satoshi Yoshimoto |
Music
| Composer | Yoshihisa Hirano |
|---|
Opening themes
- OP 1“Hekireki” — LAST ALLIANCEAnimeThemes
Ending themes
- ED 1“8 AM” — coldrainAnimeThemes
Songs, performers and episodes from AnimeThemes.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “The New Step” | January 7, 2009 | Aired |
| 2 | “Bloody Cross” | January 14, 2009 | Aired |
| 3 | “To a Promise” | January 21, 2009 | Aired |
| 4 | “Towards The World” | January 28, 2009 | Aired |
| 5 | “The Strength of the World” | February 3, 2009 | Aired |
| 6 | “A Figure to Chase After” | February 11, 2009 | Aired |
| 7 | “The Advent of the Devil” | February 17, 2009 | Aired |
| 8 | “Spirit For One Last Attack” | February 25, 2009 | Aired |
| 9 | “Inheritance Qualifications” | March 4, 2009 | Aired |
| 10 | “Biting Dog” | March 11, 2009 | Aired |
| 11 | “Ippo vs. Hammer Nao” | March 18, 2009 | Aired |
| 12 | “Requirements For A Pro” | March 25, 2009 | Aired |
| 13 | “Ippo At The Beach 2” | April 1, 2009 | Aired |
| 14 | “Two Spars” | April 8, 2009 | Aired |
| 15 | “Itagaki`s Debut Fight!” | April 15, 2009 | Aired |
| 16 | “The Two Hawks” | April 22, 2009 | Aired |
| 17 | “Wild Kid” | April 29, 2009 | Aired |
| 18 | “Extreme Weight Control” | May 6, 2009 | Aired |
| 19 | “Critical Situation” | May 13, 2009 | Aired |
| 20 | “Junior Middleweight World Title Match” | May 20, 2009 | Aired |
| 21 | “Battle of Hawk” | May 27, 2009 | Aired |
| 22 | “Brawl” | June 3, 2009 | Aired |
| 23 | “Supporting Hand” | June 10, 2009 | Aired |
| 24 | “The King” | June 17, 2009 | Aired |
| 25 | “Please Accept This Bronze Statue” | June 24, 2009 | Aired |
| 26 | “New Challenger” | July 1, 2009 | Aired |
Videos and pictures
Trailers and music
Gallery
Ratings and statistics
Score distribution
On users' lists
- Plan to watch3,820
- Watching438
- Completed15,425
- On hold288
- Dropped505
Ratings and list counts come from Shikimori, whose scores mirror MyAnimeList. Rankings compare the titles listed in Acino.
Audience
How many people follow this anime on the largest anime databases. The numbers are refreshed every few days; one person may use several sites.
| Site | Members | Watching | Completed | Plan to watch | Dropped | Favorites |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitsu | 22,303 | — | — | — | — | 167 |
| Shikimori | 20,476 | 438 | 15,425 | 3,820 | 505 | — |
Watch order
The Fighting Spirit: New Challenger story in order of release, as listed in Acino.
| # | Title | Format | Episodes | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fighting Spirit | TV series | 75 | October 4, 2000 |
| 2 | Fighting Spirit Special | Special | 1 | March 21, 2003 |
| 3 | Fighting Spirit: Champion Road | TV special | 1 | April 18, 2003 |
| 4 | Fighting Spirit: Mashiba vs. Kimura (Prequel) | OVA | 1 | September 5, 2003 |
| 5 | Fighting Spirit: New Challenger | TV series | 26 | January 7, 2009 |
| 6 | Fighting Spirit: Rising (Sequel) | TV series | 25 | October 6, 2013 |
Related works
Prequel8.26Fighting Spirit: Mashiba vs. KimuraOVA · 2003
Sequel8.61Fighting Spirit: RisingTV series · 2013| Original work | Hajime no Ippo (Manga) |
|---|
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8.05Yowamushi Pedal: Grande RoadTV series · 2014References
- “Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger”. Shikimori. Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- “Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger”. MyAnimeList. Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- “Fighting Spirit: New Challenger”. Kitsu. Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- “Fighting Spirit: New Challenger”. AnimeThemes. Retrieved November 11, 2026.
- “Q115019889”. Wikidata. Retrieved November 11, 2026.
The facts on this page come from the databases listed above. The article text is written by Acino with AI assistance, using only those facts.