The hugely influential classic manga Ashita no Joe is here for the first time in English! Volume one is almost 600 pages and will be bound in hardcover and takes us through a bit of the titular Joe's life as he cheats and swindles his way into the arms of the local slum kids and then out into prison, all haphazardly guided (sort of) by an ex-boxer who wants nothing more than to see him flourish... well, mostly in boxing that is!

This definitely feels like a comic from the 60s/70s in a positive way, from the way the translation has worded the English to the more cartoony style faces/body movements especially with the kids... it's nostalgic even if it's from before my time and it's always neat to see the origin of something that's influenced comics/media SO heavily.

The story itself isn't anything super special, but the named characters stand out to vary despite the huge number of characters there are due to the settings, and while this isn't a quick read just due to the length the story itself goes by pretty quickly with nothing really unnecessary.

Thank you to Kodansha and to NetGalley for the opportunity to check this out pre-publishing!

Summary:

Joe Yabuki is no stranger to fighting - he’s lived in some rough places over the years and knows how to take care of himself. Yet one fight in the slums of Tokyo may just change everything for him.

This latest fight caught the attention of Danpei Tange, a former boxer and coach. He immediately sees the potential in this young man and knows exactly what to do with him. If only he could get him to listen.

Review:

Over the years, I’ve learned that I’m terrible at reading/watching a lot of the classics. You know, the stories that affect pop culture for years to come? I’m trying to remedy that. So here I am reading Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow 1. I should probably plan on checking out the anime, too, right?

I can see why this series was such a hit. We have a stubborn yet down-on-his-luck kid with a lot of potential. It quickly turns into a boxing tale with touches of social commentary, coming-of-age, and other essential tropes.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I wish we had more of a chance to get to know the characters or the world before it all began. I felt like I was thrown into the middle of the ring and had to fight to catch up. Then again, maybe that was the intent?

Highlights:
Manga with an anime
Action & Adventure
Boxing

Will I continue the series? Maybe

This is a classic for a reason! I mostly knew of Joe through cultural reputation and the futuristic Megalobox, (which I enjoyed,) so it's nice to finally see OG Joe's story in English! I think "Fighting for Tomorrow" is a great translation choice, because I was surprised at how much the class struggle plays into the narrative. This is really good! I can see why it's been referenced, parodied, and called back to, for so many years.

I gotta say this one didn't age all that well for me.

The idea of Joe becoming a fighter is inspiring but sometimes the OG is outclassed and Hajime no Ippo would have been the better series to have brought over to the US so we can enjoy it in paperback form. Ashita No Joe lacks the fun fights, the amazing characters, and the overall flow to the story. A lot of the humor lands flat, and while I appreciate it's much loved from the community I couldn't get into this at all.

Wonderful to finally see this classic in English! Would recommend to any manga fan, young or old. Good for anyone who likes sports, rooting for the underdog, and slice of life. The presentation looks very good, and I can't wait to get my hands on my own physical copy when it comes out in December.

Ashita no Joe is one of the most important, enduring series ever. It’s referenced constantly in other series, and its final page is so iconic that it’s been displayed in the British Museum. Now, thanks to Kodansha manga, we can read it starting from the beginning. And it starts very simply: with the orphaned Joe Yabuki being a bit good at hitting things. After trying to swindle the locals, he’s sent off to juvie. But washed-up boxer Danpei Tange sees promise in him. And nothing—not prison, and not even Joe’s disinterest in boxing—will stop him from training Joe up into a champion.

Volume 1 is a weighty book, taking us all the way up to Joe’s first big fight. The translation is pitch-perfect, nailing the late-60s vibe with its speech patterns and slang. Revisiting older works is difficult, even if you’re only working on something from the 90s, so this tone-matching is especially impressive. The pages themselves look amazing, too. This is a beautifully put-together volume from people who clearly care about the material.

An absolute manga classic finally officially comes to the US - manga readers and collectors will be pleased to finally own it in print, just as I was overjoyed to read it again digitally.

While the art was really basic the story was really good. It was engaging. It kept me turning the pages. I became more and more invested as the story went on. It is extremely violent though so not great for young children. I didn't like how it ended but will definitely pick up the next one.

Joe is unquestionably an underdog of underdogs. One you can’t help but root for, despite how stubbornly he is determined to mess things up. Orphaned, on-the-run, duplicitous, conniving, sly and sarcastic, he’s a far cry from your bog-standard “inspiring” sports manga protagonists.
At the start of the series, he doesn’t even want to try boxing!

Yet, he too dreams of a future, one far different from the life he leads now. Joe represents the forgotten underclass, those abandoned by society but still dreaming of making our world a better one.

The story takes its time introducing its central characters, their quirks, dreams, failures, and what they hope for tomorrow to look like. I liked this gradual reveal, but it did lead to slower plot progression because of its focus on the characters. I appreciate the fact the volumes are bundled together, because they give a better idea of where the story is going when pieced together like this.

Boxing is a very fast, in-the-moment sport, and part of the beauty of seeing it captured in manga is a slow-mo, up-close perspective on all of the lightning fast power of it. While some aspects of the art style might feel cartoonish, the way it captures movement is always striking.

Ashita no Joe needs no introduction... except, I would have liked if the volume did have one, considering how long it took for the series to come out in English. Having recently read some releases of Moto Hagio from Fantagraphics that had some added, I really appreciated getting added historical context to the story as I read.

Overall, this is such an interesting series and I’m glad to see it coming over in English. This is a manga with broad appeal, even if you are not normally interested in sports or retro manga. The translation by Vertical was also very well done, with great lettering and attention to detail.
Thank you to Kodansha Comics for my ARC provided through Netgalley.

Book Review: "Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow Vol. 1" by Asao Takamori

Few works in the manga canon have managed to achieve the legendary status of Ashita no Joe (Tomorrow's Joe). First serialized in 1968, Asao Takamori’s story of a brash young drifter, Joe Yabuki, and his journey through boxing and self-discovery continues to reverberate through Japanese popular culture decades later. The release of Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow Vol. 1 in English marks a historic moment, finally allowing English-speaking readers to fully appreciate the raw emotion, grit, and thematic depth of one of Japan's most influential mangas. This first volume introduces us to the central themes of survival, redemption, and perseverance, and sets the stage for a larger-than-life tale that blends a classic underdog narrative with the socio-political context of postwar Japan.

Plot Overview
The story begins by immersing us in the impoverished underbelly of Tokyo, where the protagonist, Joe Yabuki, drifts from place to place. Joe’s character, at this point, is more of a rough-edged antihero. He's brash, rebellious, and prone to picking fights for the thrill of it. The opening scenes showcase Joe’s natural combat instincts when he fends off a group of local toughs with nothing but his fists, displaying a level of raw, untrained talent.

Joe's fighting prowess doesn’t go unnoticed. Enter Danpei Tange, a washed-up former boxing coach who is initially depicted as a pitiful, drunken man. However, his sharp eye for talent has not dulled with age or failure. Danpei quickly sees in Joe a diamond in the rough, a fighter who could potentially rise to greatness with proper training. He becomes obsessed with the idea of turning Joe into a professional boxer, offering him guidance, but Joe, in his typically defiant manner, refuses the old man's help.

It's only after Joe is arrested and sent to a juvenile detention facility that his mindset begins to shift. The grim, violent atmosphere of the detention center forces Joe to recognize that his natural fighting abilities alone won’t be enough to survive, let alone thrive. Thus begins his reluctant partnership with Danpei, setting the stage for a dramatic transformation—both in terms of Joe's boxing skills and his character.

Character Development
Joe Yabuki, as the protagonist, is anything but a conventional hero. He is cocky, disrespectful, and often outright cruel, particularly in his early interactions with Danpei and the world around him. Yet, it's this complexity that makes Joe such a compelling character. His flaws are not softened or glossed over, which makes his eventual development all the more rewarding. Joe embodies the anger and frustration of a generation growing up in postwar Japan, a society grappling with the scars of war, poverty, and disillusionment.

Danpei, in contrast, is a tragic figure who represents lost potential. His life as a former boxer and coach has left him broken—both physically and mentally. His obsessive desire to see Joe succeed isn’t just about the boy’s potential; it’s also about redeeming his own past failures. Danpei's passion for boxing, despite being at rock bottom, becomes one of the driving forces in the story, as his mentorship of Joe evolves from one of desperation to genuine care.

Other important figures, such as the juvenile delinquents and inmates Joe encounters in the detention facility, also begin to shape his outlook on life and fighting. Though they serve as obstacles in some cases, they also reveal glimpses of Joe's inner humanity, a humanity he himself often seems unaware of or actively rejects.

Themes and Social Commentary
At its core, Ashita no Joe is not just a sports manga about boxing; it’s a searing exploration of class struggle, societal alienation, and the search for personal redemption. Joe’s journey is as much about rising above the socio-economic conditions of the slums as it is about becoming a boxer. His path from street-fighting delinquent to potential boxing champion is symbolic of the larger fight against the oppressive circumstances of his environment.

This first volume, in particular, emphasizes the harsh realities of life in postwar Tokyo. The slums are depicted as bleak, violent, and unforgiving—an environment where people must fight, literally and figuratively, just to survive. Joe’s disdain for authority and the law isn’t just a personal quirk but a reflection of a broader disillusionment with the systems that have failed people like him. Danpei’s alcoholism and washed-up state, too, symbolize the struggles of a generation that was unable to fully realize its dreams in the wake of Japan’s wartime defeat.

The theme of boxing itself is beautifully woven into the narrative as a metaphor for life. In boxing, just as in life, one must endure pain, push beyond limits, and fight until the very end. Joe’s decision to finally embrace Danpei’s coaching signals the start of his deeper engagement with this philosophy, although his journey is only just beginning in this first volume.

Art and Visual Style
Illustrator Tetsuya Chiba’s artwork is striking in its simplicity and expressiveness. The black-and-white panels convey a sense of grittiness and realism that perfectly suits the tone of the story. The action sequences are dynamic and fluid, capturing the intensity and raw power of Joe’s fights. Chiba's character designs, particularly Joe’s rugged, lean figure and Danpei’s haggard, world-weary appearance, convey volumes about their personalities without needing excessive detail.

Moreover, Chiba uses the environment itself—whether the narrow, dirty alleyways of the slums or the claustrophobic spaces of the juvenile detention facility—to reinforce the themes of confinement and struggle. The stark contrast between light and shadow often reflects the internal battles Joe faces, as well as the larger moral and ethical questions the series explores.

Cultural Impact
It’s impossible to discuss Ashita no Joe without acknowledging its monumental impact on Japanese pop culture. Upon its original release, Joe's story resonated deeply with a generation of young people who were coming of age in a rapidly modernizing Japan, a nation still grappling with the wounds of war and the challenges of societal transformation. Joe became a symbol of rebellion, resilience, and the will to fight against the odds.

The success of the manga eventually spawned an equally beloved anime adaptation, which helped to cement Ashita no Joe as a cultural touchstone. The fact that it took this long for the manga to be translated into English is somewhat surprising, but it’s a welcome event for fans of the medium.

Conclusion
Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow Vol. 1 is more than just the opening of a classic sports story; it’s the beginning of a powerful, emotional journey into the heart of a troubled young man and the world that shaped him. The characters are deeply flawed but compelling, the action is intense, and the themes resonate on both a personal and societal level. This volume sets the stage for what promises to be an epic exploration of boxing, identity, and survival against the odds.

For readers new to the series, this English translation offers a perfect entry point into a pivotal work of manga history. Whether you're a fan of sports stories or deeply character-driven narratives, Ashita no Joe has something profound to offer. It’s a timeless story about fighting—not just in the ring, but for one’s place in the world.