Joji Morikawa, who is also known as George Morikawa, is the mangaka (manga writer) of the classic boxing anime series Hajime no Ippo. The series now has 141 volumes, which were first published on October 11, 1989.
Hajime no Ippo is the story of a shy teen boy who used to get bullied. He then picked up boxing and started taking an interest in it. The story has many fights where he and his boxing teammate fight in their respective weight categories to become the best boxer.
Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers for some. Readers are advised to continue at their own discretion.
Source: Hajime no Ippo
Who is Joji Morikawa (George Morikawa)?
George Morikawa is a renowned manga writer from Tokyo, Japan. He is currently 58 years old and was inspired to become a manga artist by reading Tetsuya Chiba’s Harris no Kaze during elementary school.
When Morikawa was just 17, he released his first manga, Silhouette Night, during his high school days. He graduated from Matsubushi High School, which is located in Saitama Prefecture.
Right from high school, Morikawa wished to join the Weekly Shonen Magazine because his idol Tetsuya published his manga in that same magazine. In 1986, he published his first manga series, Kazuya Now, and after that, Signal Blue, which is based on Formula One racing. ‘I will be seeing you!’ is one of the latest manga he wrote, but it is just one volume.
Morikawa's personal information is limited as he never spoke too much about his personal life. However, while working as the editor for other manga artists in the project, including Initial D, Baribari Densetsu, Super Doctor K, and Kotaro Makaritoru, it became hard for him to keep up with his personal life. It is known that he had a wife and a child, but other information about them is unavailable.
How did Morikawa start with Hajime no Ippo manga?
While Morikawa was having a hard time starting a new manga chapter, he decided that it was going to be his last manga series. He wanted to write a manga on boxing, which most of the people around him rejected. He decided he wanted to write a storyline about an amateur boxer, and the theme of the manga would be “A High School Boxing Club.”
There are some similarities between Morikawa's life and Hajime no Ippo. He owns a boxing gym JB Sports Gym and was also working as the 2nd coach of some boxers, which is one of the reasons why he was able to come up with this amazing storyline and character development.
Morikawa also likes fishing, which he added in the Hajime no Ippo series, where the main protagonist, Ippo Makunouchi, works as a fisherman alongside his mother who owns the business.
Awards Morikawa Won For Hajime no Ippo
George Morikawa won the 15th and 43rd Kodansha Manga Awards, which is one of the major manga awards given to the best manga series in the Shonen, Shojo, or general genre. It began in 1977. Both of the awards he won for Hajime no Ippo really tell that the series is still going strong as 141 volumes have been published, and officially, there is no news that it's ended.
FAQs on Mangaka of Hajime no Ippo
A. Hiroko Makunouchi, the mother of Ippo, runs a fishing business.
A. Kohei Kiyasu is the Japanese voice actor of Ippo Makunouchi in Hajime no Ippo.
A. Weekly Shonen Magazine has been publishing the Hajime no Ippo.
