Fighting Spirit: Champion Road

2003 1h 30m JA

👍

6.9

SOLID

⭐

8.2

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 74★8.2IMDB · 2,032

AnimationActionComedyTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Makunouchi Ippo is the new Featherweight champion of Japan and is now ready for his first title defense. His opponent, the former Jr. Featherweight champion and a medical student, Sanada Kazuki. In addition to this feud, Sanada is being coached by Kamogawa's former rival, Hama Dankichi. What makes things worse is that Sanada works at the same hospital where Kumi is a nurse at and everybody at the hospital wants Sanada to win. Not only does Ippo have to defend his title, he has to reclaim his love.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Kohei Kiyasu
Ippo Makunouchi (voice)
Rikiya Koyama
Mamoru Takamura (voice)
Kenji Utsumi
Genji Kamogawa (voice)
Masaya Onosaka
Takeshi Sendo (voice)
Tomokazu Seki
Ichirou Miyata (voice)
Wataru Takagi
Masaru Aoki (voice)
Masahiro Tanaka
Ryo Mashiba (voice)
Keiji Fujiwara
Tatsuya Kimura (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Satoshi Nishimura
Writers: Kazuyuki Fudeyasu
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Hajime no Ippo Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Satoshi Nishimura, shot by Takahiro Miyata. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Tsuneo Imahori. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kohei Kiyasu and Rikiya Koyama and Kenji Utsumi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0805540 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Satoshi Nishimura directs. Takahiro Miyata behind the camera. Tsuneo Imahori scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 23 years ago.
3Part of the "Hajime no Ippo Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Satoshi Nishimura, shot by Takahiro Miyata. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Tsuneo Imahori. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Kohei Kiyasu and Rikiya Koyama and Kenji Utsumi carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0805540 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 74 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.