I cannot say enough about this masterpiece. I love every single thing about this manga, so much that I have a hard time finding the words to begin this review.

Suffice to say, that ever since reading this manga several years ago, I always return to think about Joe and his burning spirit. When I reread it I will update this review.

... Last updated on October 30th, 2022, 10:04am

Petty. Violent. Hysterical. Insecure. Rude. Arrogant. Loudmouth. Dumb. Stubborn. Yabuki Joe is everything every other 'bad boy' 'troublemaker' 'delinquent' shounen character tries to be... and they all come up short, he makes Yusuke Urameshi look like Yugi. He would be expelled from all the 'delinquent' schools featured in shounen manga, and wouldn't even be acepted into Otokojuku. Coming from a rough background, he had nobody, and when people tried to help him, he would bite back like an rabid dog. Despite all this... he is so lovable, so REAL and at the same time, he feels larger than life... he isn't the only great character in this series, others are worth mentioning too, like Rikiishi or Tange, but Joe is what makes this a great manga, which CAN'T be described properly with words alone, one has to experience it first hand. If you've read Hokuto no Ken, and Dragon Ball, you would notice that some of their characters have inspired countless others, Goku and Ken being the most influential. Read this, and you will start to see Joe reflected everywhere in shounen... but they are only facets when compared to this rough, dirty but eyecatching and alluring 'unpolished' diamond.

There's a reason why even today your favorite manga or anime still makes reference to Joe, and it deserves any recognition it can get. The only two negative I can really think of is how long the beginning of the manga takes to get into the actual sport of boxing, but without it you wouldn't be as attached to the characters as you do once the story progresses. I say two negatives though, with the second being that the manga is quite old and has a few bad stereotypes given to some characters, so do keep that in mind. Some do point out that the art hasn't aged well either and is a bit too cartoony, but I can't agree with that with just how amazing Chiba is at expressing his characters. Shit hits hard.

Some will say it's a bore, others will say it's a masterpiece. My opinion on this manga is a lot closer to the latter. However, I did have a hard time getting in to it. I'm not very experienced with older manga, and the shoddy translation for the first few volumes did NOT help. Yes, it is quite dated, and can feel quite like a boring documentary at first. But things start picking up a lot better at volumes 5-6. You get reeled in fast, and you realize why this manga is considered a masterpiece. I know I did.

Mediocre manga for this day and age.

I know its importance in manga history but I'm not going to rate it at the standards of 50 years ago just for that. Best I can do is a 6 because I have a soft heart.

You're going to enjoy this if:
a) you haven't yet read much manga, maybe you're coming from Naruto and you'll find well-developed characters and realistic interactions in this (as some other reviewer said)
b) you're easily impressed by old things, like movies from the 30's, and rate them all 10 because they were stepping stones for what we produce today.

IMO these are the main problems with this manga:

Art is expired and childish, doesn't even come close to being "realistic". I'm close to 1000 mangas read and this is one style that doesn't convey anything but high and lows, the artist needs to exaggerate to make his point because it doesn't stand for subtleties.

Due to the expired art, fights are something like taken from Tom&Jerry, and for a 4600 pages sports manga you learn nothing about the sport. It's a character driven manga but 80% of it is unintelligible fighting in a form that makes me think of filler. And the rest 20% develops like a documentary, very plain.

This is a manga you can speed read because even skipping text and pages you don't feel like you've missed anything. A very boring experience for 2016.

In my entire life, I can count in the fingers of my hands alone how many times I could say something is a "masterpiece" in the purest meaning of the word. Well, I realize that when I talk about Ashita no Joe is one of these rare and special moments.

Everything in this manga is absurdly well-crafted and it's impressive how this manga is almost 50 years old and it's still a relevant read and still holds up really well. Narrative, plot and character development, flow, everything here is so powerful that it can amaze almost every type of reader. (the only flaw I can think of is . And it's such a minor flaw compared to all the good things there are here)

Congratulations, Kajiwara and Chiba, you guys crafted a true masterpiece in manga form.

PS: Some of you who may already have heard about what happens at the end of the story, but don't fear, having the end spoiled before reading doesn't get even near of ruining the experience of reading it, on the contrary, it may actually make you pay a closer attention on the plot development made in the story until it reaches its climax. It's wonderful, read it.

... Last updated on May 26th, 2015, 8:53pm

Ashita no Joe is not like today's shounen where hero is infallible and always comes out on top. He wins, he loses, he has a bad temper, he says things he shouldn't say, he is a human being with troubled past and his own mind. Side characters are also well-developed. Everyone's interactions are realistic. Joe did many things that made me not like him. But, he stays true to himself and he tries to be the best he can be. So, it is hard not to root for him. A powerful and emotional story.

Beautifully crafted from beginning to end, this is a sports manga that delves very deep into the lives of the characters. The artstyle may seem somewhat cartoony by today's standards, but the emotions are raw, the drama is intense and the story is unforgettable.

Ashita no Joe is amazing...it is a wonder that no one has commented before already....i've only read up to vol 5 due to the scans stopping...so i'm watching the anime and i just can't get enough...i wish someone would try to scanlate it...if not soon i'll try on my own, with what little bit of Japanese i've picked up so far...Joe is a cheeky dude with so much potential...lets see where his journey will lead...