If you’re a fan of the squared circle, these boxing anime series could be contenders in your streaming lineup.
Some of these are up and coming fighters, while others are older classics. Also, since anime is from Japan, you will find some martial arts mixed in with your boxing storylines.
But they should all appeal to boxing anime fans.
List of the Best Boxing Anime
- Hajime No Ippo
- Megalo Box
- Ashita no Joe (Tomorrow’s Joe)
- Levius
- Baki The Grappler
- KenIchi: The Mightiest Disciple
- Kengan Ashura
- Ayane’s High Kick
1. Hajime No Ippo
This boxing series appears at the top of a lot of online boxing anime lists, and with good reason. It features an underdog protagonist, and people like to root for an underdog. In Hajime No Ippo, a shy bullying victim trains to become a boxer, and overcome his insecurity.
Naturally, he aims for the Featherweight championship, and there’s a lot of character development along the way as well.
- Crunchyroll has the 2000-2002 series, Hajime No Ippo: The Fighting!; and the 2013 sequel series, Hajime No Ippo: The Fighting – Rising.
- In some areas, including Singapore, Netflix also has Hajime No Ippo: The Fighting! If the series is not available in your area, you will need a VPN, such as Nord VPN, to watch.
How to Watch Hajime No Ippo on Netflix Anywhere in the World
This method works on both desktop PCs and mobile phones or tablets.
- Purchase (or start a free trial) of a VPN. I can confirm that NordVPN works for this purpose.
- In the settings, choose Singapore as your location.
- Fire up the VPN and wait for it to do its magic
- Once you’re connected, navigate to Netflix (browser or app)
- Search “Hajime No Ippo” in the Netflix search bar and you should see the anime pop up.
Enjoy! Please note that if your Netflix library doesn’t update to reflect the country you selected in your VPN, you may have to clear the Netflix cache first and try again.
To do this on mobile, go to settings -> apps -> Netflix -> clear cache. To do this on PC, you have to clear the cache in your web browser.
I’ve had no trouble using this method and I still use NordVPN to watch anime from various Netflix country libraries daily.
2. Megalo Box
Megalo Box puts a science-fiction spin on the boxing tournament storyline. In the future, boxing has evolved. Boxers now use exoskeleton technology in the ring.
Interestingly, Megalo Box is a remake of Ashita no Joe, another title on our list. It came out in 2018, for the 50th anniversary of the older series.
- Crunchyroll has Megalo Box.
- You can also watch the series for free (but with ads) at Tubi.
- Other options include Hulu.
3. Ashita no Joe (Tomorrow’s Joe)
The Ashita no Joe manga was first published in 1968, and the first season of the anime came out in 1970.
Still, Ashita no Joe (a.k.a. Tomorrow’s Joe) is a classic of the sports genre, which influenced a lot of series. (It inspired a lot of parodies as well.) It features Joe Yabuki, as he slowly advances from prison to professional boxing.
Because it is an older series, it can be tricky to find.
- Amazon Prime Video has the 1980 sequel series for Ashita no Joe.
4. Levius
This 2019 anime is a dark and dystopian series featuring a war survivor named Levius Cromwell. Levius rises up to the top of the brutal and dangerous sport of metalboxing, a cyborg form of boxing.
The anime is less bloody than the manga, but it’s still rated TV-14.
- The series is a Netflix Original.
- However, you can also find it at Amazon Prime Video, at Google Play, and elsewhere.
5. Baki the Grappler
There are several different Baki anime series. But the main three all tell the continuing story of a young man who trains to be a better fighter/ warrior than his father.
The original Baki the Grappler series came out in 2001. The sequel series, Baki, arrived in 2018. The newest sequel, Baki Hanma, is currently streaming (as of August 2023).
The franchise features a lot of no-holds-barred fighting, which more closely resembles mixed martial arts than boxing. But a lot of boxing story elements (training to become the best fighter, for example) are there.
6. KenIchi: The Mightiest Disciple
If you’re looking for more comedy in your boxing/ martial arts fighting anime series, you might prefer KenIchi.
KenIchi takes a lot of common fighting/ training storylines and plays with them. Of course, the title character goes from bullied wimp to dojo-trained fighting expert. But it’s all very satirical and comical. KenIchi must face increasingly powerful enemies, as well as endure training with his overpowered masters.
There’s also quite a bit of fanservice.
- Crunchyroll has the series.
- KenIchi is also available at Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and many others.
7. Kengan Ashura
In this series, a street fighter, Tokita “Ashura” Ohma, is recruited into the mysterious, underground world of gladiatorial combat.
The matches are sponsored by corporations and wealthy business owners, who use the fights to settle disputes. Gambling also happens on the side. The bloody, violent series is rated TV-MA.
- Netflix has the 2019 Kengan Ashura series.
8. Ayane’s High Kick
I almost didn’t include this 1998 anime. I couldn’t find a legal streaming site online. But it is available to purchase at Amazon.
In this OVA, Ayane originally aimed to become a wrestler. However, after an accident, she ends up training to fight as a kickboxer instead.
Unfortunately, the series got cut short, so the ending lacks a definite conclusion.
Also-rans
These didn’t make my list, because I couldn’t find legal streaming sites, or a reliable place to purchase them. But they are worth considering, if you can find them:
- One-Pound Gospel — This romantic comedy features an overweight boxer, and a nun. Rumiko Takahashi (InuYasha, Urusei Yatsura, Ranma ½, etc.) created the manga.
- Slow Step — This romantic sports comedy is based on a manga by Mitsuru Adachi, creator of the classic baseball comedy Touch.
Any of the boxing anime series on this list would be worth watching.
