Hajime No Ippo: The Fighting In-Depth Gameplay Guide By Jin Kim (goshuJINsama) v1.1 August 25, 2003 =============================================================================== Contact Information =============================================================================== Any comments/questions/contributions can be sent to my email address or AIM name. I'll respond whenever I have the spare time. E-mail: anjinmito@hotmail.com AIM screen-name: saiyajin20 Copyright 2003 Jin Kim (goshujinsama) =============================================================================== Disclaimer =============================================================================== You should all know the drill by now! This document is copyrighted Jin Kim 2003. This guide cannot be duplicated or used in any way unless you give credit to me. All trademarks and copyrights in this guide are the property of their respective trademark and copyright holders. You can always find the latest version of this guide at www.gamefaqs.com. Other than that, there isn't much else to say, so let's get this guide started! =============================================================================== Version Histories =============================================================================== v1.1 -- A few minor corrections, such as the effects of Shigeta's taunt (thanks to hopbounce for reminding me). Also included some background information about the Smash, the Corkscrew Blow, and the Jolt Counter. v1.0 -- The beginning of this guide! Basically wrote down everything I know about this great game. ======== Contents ======== 1. Introduction 2. Basic Gameplay 3. Game Modes 4. Tips and Strategies 5. Character Specifics 6. Frequently Asked Questions =============================================================================== 1. Introduction =============================================================================== Greetings all, and welcome to my in-depth guide to the Gameboy Advance game: Hajime no Ippo. The purpose of this guide is to familiarize you, the reader, with the intricacies of HnI's gameplay and characters. Each character is unique and, with maybe a few minor exceptions, warrant their own play styles. I will not explain the game's basics in detail, so you may want to check out Frogacuda's General FAQ on this game, which can be found at www.gamefaqs.com. I want to point out aspects of this game that casual observers may not have discovered on their own. This is also my first FAQ attempt, so please let me know of any suggestions you may have. =============================================================================== 2. Basic Gameplay =============================================================================== The gameplay and controls for HnI are quite simple. The view is first-person much like the famed Punch-Out! games of NES and SNES lore. The player will see only his own gloves, while the opponent will be the main object on the screen. Your health is shown at the top of the screen: Red damage never recovers (except between rounds) while yellow damage slowly recovers until it disappears. The small red marker is your 'Down Limit.' If your damage (red + yellow) passes that red marker, you will fall. If you use Down Avoid, you will be able to pass that red marker while that defense is in effect. After it wears off, you won't fall immediately, but any subsequent damage while your health is past the red marker will knock you down. Although the opponent will have the same kind of damage system, you will not be able to see his bar. The top right of the screen has your spirit bar and number. The number indicates how many full spirit bars you have accumulated, while the bar shows how close you are to filling it again. The left of the screen has the distance meter and number. Basically it shows how far away from the opponent and the corner you are. Controls are relatively simple: move with d-pad, punch with B, dodge with A, and use spirit moves with R in conjunction with other buttons. You can move toward and away from your opponent with up and down respectively, and also use d-pad buttons with B or A to punch or dodge in certain directions. R+B+d-pad uses spirit attacks, while R+A+d-pad uses defensive spirit moves. Combos are possible but vary from character to character. However, most combos start with either a jab (quicker but less powerful) or a hook (slower, more powerful, and sometimes needs to be up-close). That's the basic gameplay in a nutshell. If you need more help with the basics, I strongly advise you to check out Frogacuda's FAQ. As for this guide, it's time to move on to the different game modes. =============================================================================== 3. Game Modes =============================================================================== 1) STORY: This is the first mode you will start off with, and how you will unlock characters other than Ippo. You play as Ippo and fight opponents in the following order: a. Miyata (3 knockdown rule, you can only use Sp. Uppercut R+up+B) b. Hayami (2 knockdown rule) c. Mashiba (2 knockdown rule, you can now use Liver Blow R+down+B) d. Sendo (2 knockdown rule, you can now use Smash R+right+B) e. Okita (3 knockdown rule) f. Saeki (3 knockdown rule) g. Vorg (3 knockdown rule, you can now use Gazelle Punch R+left+B) h. Date (3 knockdown rule) If you beat Date, you finish the game! Ippo yells out "I did it!! I really did it, Coach!!!" i. If you lose, you fight Shigeta (3 knockdown rule, you can now use Dempsey Roll R+left->right+B) j. Sendo (3 knockdown rule) If you win, you see a picture of Ippo assuming a fighting pose with Hachi, and the coach says "You did well, kid." 2) TOURNAMENT: Ah, the meat of the game. In tournament mode, you can choose any of the ten playable characters. You can also set certain options, such as the difficulty, opponent order, stage order, and round amount. a. Everyone has a certain order of opponents normally, but sometimes setting this option to random can be fun to mix up the game (besides, it's always fun to fight a level 9 Hayami!) b. The difficulty does not change the stats of any character; rather, it changes their AI. For example, on easy mode the opponent will rarely (if ever) use defensive spirit modes. Also, they won't get up at 9 with a spirit recover (R+up+A) even if they have enough spirit. Normal and Hard modes are usually smarter and more aggressive. c. Regardless of what character you choose and options you set, you will face 9 opponents. Each opponent will possess a certain level of attack, defense and guard relative to the order you fight them in. For instance, your first opponent will have level 1 attack, defense and guard, while your final opponent will have level 9 attack, defense and guard. Since level 9 usually has a huge increase from level 8 in all aspects, the final opponent will usually be much more difficult than the previous 8 opponents. 3) VERSUS: Another great mode... remember, both you and your friend must have a copy of HnI to play against eachother. You can use your custom characters as well. Hm, not a whole lot to mention here. 4) CUSTOM: Here you customize your own character. First you choose one of the ten playable characters. This character will start off with NO spirit moves and level 1 attack, defense and guard. You can buy spirit moves for him and upgrade his stats by using points. Points are earned in STORY and TOURNAMENT mode. Each match you win earns 50 points, while successfully completing a mode earns 200 points. When you customize your character, make sure he has some offensive spirit moves, and maybe a few defensive ones if you use those. Then I suggest increasing attack before any other stat. The fastest way to earn points is by using a Miyata with level 9 attack. With this custom character you can breeze through tournament mode on easy and floor EVERYONE (even the final opponent!) with a jolt counter! Also remember that level 9 seems to be MUCH better than level 8 in all 3 stats, so the insane amount of points required (1800 for the final upgrade) is worth it. These are all the main modes that require any explanations or strategy. Other menu options include sparring (which is a training mode) and an options menu, but these are generally self-explanatory. Time for the meat of this FAQ: the strategies! =============================================================================== 4. Tips and Strategies =============================================================================== 1) Jabs are quick, have range, and inflict ONLY yellow damage (except Shigeta). This means that all damage caused by jabs will heal as time passes! Body blows are the opposite; they inflict solid red damage. Straights do good total damage and create distance. Uppercuts deal more damage than body blows, but inflict more yellow damage than red damage. Hooks do mostly yellow damage as well and deal less total damage than uppercuts, but are easily comboable. 2) As a rule, try to use attacks that inflict the most RED damage to the opponent! Red damage only heals between rounds, so you can gradually wear down an opponent with red damage moves. It is usually difficult to knock a tough opponent down three times in one round (if they have good defense), thus it's better to use red damage than yellow. The characters most suited to deal red damage are Ippo, Okita, and Date, since they have good red damage specials (Liver Blow and Corkscrew Blow). Other characters should start a round by doing some jab-jab-body blow combos to wear the opponent down and occasional longer combos to build spirit. Later, they should go all out and try to knock the opponent down three times in a round (which should be easier since you took the time to wear them down in previous rounds). 3) Learn how to control distance! Distance is extremely important to some characters, especially Saeki. Most jabs require one space of distance, while Saeki's requires two and Mashiba's requires three. Mashiba has a way to make inside fighters pay (by using his counter), but Saeki must rely on his quick walking speed to move in and out of the opponent's range. 4) When a computer-controlled opponent is walking toward you, he is about to attack. Use this knowledge to dodge his attacks (direction and A when he gets close) or beat him to the jab (if you're using a flicker jab character like Saeki or Mashiba). Also, this is the BEST instance to use a counter, since you know your opponent is going to attack! Try not to waste spirit by randomly throwing out a counter when you're right next to your opponent and unsure if he's about to attack or not. 5) Stuns! When your opponent is stunned, he is open for a free combo opportunity. Stuns do not only occur with Date's Heartbreak Shot. If you do several combos in quick succession (each ending with a special), then the opponent will be stunned. For example, two consecutive combos with Sendo, each ending with a Smash, will stun the opponent. Ippo can also stun the opponent with two competitive combos: one should end with a Liver Blow and the second should end with a Liver Blow -> Gazelle Punch. Consecutive means there is VERY little pause between combos. If you wait too long or get hit or your opponent blocks between combos, then the stun will not occur. 6) For combos, the best combos are usually ones that start with 2-3 jabs then 2 hooks and an uppercut. Some people have better combos that start with hooks (such as Date and Okita) but that's usually slower. Vorg is an exception: he has an extremely fast 5-hit hook combo with good range, so use that a lot. Ippo has a great 5-hit hook combo or 3-hit hook->body blow combo, but he has to be at point blank range to do this. If you're trying to wear the opponent down, just do jab, jab -> body blow over and over til your special builds. 7) Also remember to incorporate distancing with combos. For example, if you want to get closer to an opponent, you can do a jab-jab-body blow or jab-jab- hook-hook to get closer (this is especially useful with Ippo). If want to create distance, end your combos with straights. Also, characters like Saeki, you want to back your opponent as much as you can, so you may want to do jab- jab-straight-hook-uppercut, which will push the opponent back a couple spaces, especially if you end it with a Sp. Uppercut. Remember: the difference between a jab-hookx2-upper combo and a jab-straight-hook-upper combo is mostly in distancing. The former won't move your opponent (and with some characters you'll actually go closer to them) whereas the combo with the straight will usually push them back a bit. Keep this in mind when you try to push your opponent into his corner. 8) To dodge effectively, try to anticipate when the opponent will attack and press A just a little before they start. This is easier when 1) you create distance and 2) your guard is red, since usually they will attack relentlessly. I noticed that sometimes you can start a hook combo faster if you dodge left first instead of a normal jab. I also find that it is easier to hit with a jab after dodging up. 9) As for defensive specials... There are three total, although not everyone has all three (check the character specifics). G-Cross (R+left+A) is decent if your guard is red.. however sometimes it's better to leave your guard red. The computer will start attacking wildly, and you can easily dodge normally and counter with a combo. Down Avoid is worthless in my opinion since it only saves you a little time, and thus is a waste of spirit. Special Defense (where you automatically dodge all attacks) is good but not as fast as normal avoiding. Date's Special Defense is different than others, and is actually one of the best defensive specials (more on this later). If you are knocked down and can't get up, you can press R+up+A to get up as long as you have some special meter, regardless of how much damage you have. 10) The amount of spirit you receive as you attack depends mostly on the strength of your punches and the defense of your opponent. The more you damage the opponent, the more spirit you will receive! Also, Spirit Increase (chosen between rounds) will also give you more spirit per attack. Thus, with someone strong and with spirit increase, you can continually use spirit moves without having to conserve, since each combo should net you 2 or more spirit bars. 11) Speaking of Spirit Increase, there are three options you can choose between rounds. The amount of times you can use each depend on which match you are fighting in story/tournament modes (earlier rounds only offer a few, while later rounds offer more). Feel free to use all three between every round, since you cannot carry over the amount into the next match. 12) Remember that counters only work at 0 or 1 space of distance. That means you cannot counter flicker jabs (Saeki and Mashiba). Also, the power of the counter seems to increase depending on the power of the attack you just countered. =============================================================================== 5. Character Specifics =============================================================================== In this section I will dissect each character to show his unique fight style and any specific strategies. I will also provide some background (so you can understand how his moves and quotes relate to the manga/anime) and translate their quotes. The background contains many spoilers so don't read if you don't want. :P ======================================= 5.1 Makunouchi Ippo ======================================= BACKGROUND: As the main character of the manga and anime series, Ippo obviously has the most background. He first started as a very timid high schooler who helped his mom with her fishing boat business. He was constantly bullied by Umezawa's gang because of his 'fish smell' until, one day, a passing boxer saved him from the bullies. This boxer was Takamura, who became Ippo's idol and introduced Ippo to boxing at the Kamogawa Boxing Gym. Here, Ippo trained vigorously and sparred Miyata (who eventually becames Ippo's biggest rival) then turns pro. Once pro, he gradually works his way up the ranks of amateurs, hoping to face Miyata in the finals. After beating the likes of Ozuma, Kobashi, and Hayami, Ippo faces Mashiba in the finals instead of Miyata. Out to avenge his friend, Ippo gives his all to defeat Mashiba, breaking his hand in the process. At this point, he meets future friend and rival Takeshi Sendo, who is Ippo's final opponent before claiming the title of Rookie Champion. After a spar with current featherweight champion Date Eiji, Ippo is challenged by Okita. Ippo beats Okita, forcing Date to consider Ippo a valid contender. Ippo then fights through the class-A tournament in order to earn the right to fight Date, defeating Saeki and Vorg in the process. However, Ippo suffers his first professional loss at the hands of Date, mainly due to his lack of experience. Date then relinquishes the Japan Championship in order to pursue his dream of being World Champion. Vorg and Sendo fight for the Championship belt, with Sendo barely winning. After extensive training in the mountains, Ippo briefly spars Shigeta, then gets ready to challenge the new Japan Champion, Sendo. MOVES ANALYSIS: a) Sp. Uppercut (1 bar, R+up+B): Generic special uppercut that can get tacked on to the end of combos. Does not do much damage, but only costs 1 spirit bar. b) Liver Blow (2 bars, R+down+B): Ippo's BEST. MOVE. EVAR. Honestly, if you are having trouble with Ippo, just constantly use this move. Liver Blow does an insane amount of red damage (which can't be healed) and only costs 2 spirit bars! I believe it is the most damaging move in the game in terms of red damage. He utilizes this with devastation against Mashiba, Vorg, Date and Sendo. Basically it is a powerful punch to the opponent's liver, using his left foot as a pivot. c) Smash (2 bars, R+right+B): Ippo's smash is not really a smash per se. It is actually his 'motionless short upper' which he used against Miyata, but perfected against Sendo (first fight). It has more range than his other moves, plus is quicker than Sendo's Smash. Use this occasionally if you block a move with lag, since it is relatively quick and has good range. Otherwise, stick to the Liver Blow. d) Gazelle Punch (3 bars, R+left+B): Ippo trains his lower body in order to 'spring up like a Gazelle' against Vorg. This punch is a hook thrown from a crouching position upward into the opponent's chin or body, kicking up with the legs. In the game, it does a sweet amount of yellow damage (but not much red damage). Even better, you can combo it from a Liver Blow! I believe this is the only special that can be comboed from another special. The Gazelle Punch was used by Floyd Patterson. e) Dempsey Roll (4 bars, R+left->right,B): Ippo's trademark move! The Dempsey Roll is the perfect combination of offense and defense. Ippo ducks down before each hook, which he then unleashes with the full weight of his body, one after another. In the game, it starts off painfully slow. However, if you can last until Ippo starts moving, he will actually dodge any other attack (until he reaches the opponent), then slam 8 incredible punches into the opponent's head! The best time to use this is a) at the beginning of a round (if the opponent does not move and is not Saeki, they will get hit!) and b) after a stun. Against a level 9 opponent, use the two combo strategy (with Liver blow and Liver Blow->Gazelle Punch) to stun the opponent, then immediately use the Dempsey Roll. Unfortunately, the Roll doesn't do too much red damage, but it still does the most yellow damage for 4 spirit bars in the entire game. The Dempsey Roll was inspired by Jack Dempsey's aggressive fighting style. Dempsey was known as the 'Giant Killer' and tended to dodge and roll to avoid bigger fighters' slow long punches, then hit the opponent's face with several power punches in quick succession. En route to gaining his heavyweight championship, he knocked the champion down over 11 times, breaking several of the victim's bones in the process. f) Defensive Moves: Ippo has a G-Cross (2 bars) and Down Avoid (4 bars). I rarely use these, and you probably should save your spirit for Liver Blows. VOICE TRANSLATION: Select Ippo: What does it mean to be strong? (He asks this question while fighting Sendo) Liver Blow: It's not over yet! (against Sendo): Sendo-san!! (he uses this move several times to break Sendo's Ribs) Gazelle Punch: If I can just beat this person... (He also says this against Sendo) Dempsey Roll: GOOOO!!! Down Avoid: It doesn't hurt... it doesn't hurt! (or) I can't fall like this! Getting up: What the heck am I doing?! In between rounds: Coach: "Go for it, kid!" Win 1: I did it! (Ippo's typical cheer after winning a match) Win 2: I did it! I really did it, coach! (Ippo says this after becoming the Japan Featherweight Champion) Win 3: Coach: "You did well, kid." OVERVIEW: Ippo is the king of red damage. He has above average power and defense and is one of the few people to have a hookx5 combo. You want to mainly use jab-jab- bodyblow-Liver Blow at first, then when you get in close use hookx3-bodyblow- Liver Blow. Remember he needs to be RIGHT next to his opponent to use his hooks... if you dodge then try to use a hook from a space away the opponent can usually counter you. Overall, Ippo is a good beginning character. Easy combos, good offense and defense, nice specials. Just make sure to keep close to your opponent! ======================================= 5.2 Miyata Ichiro ======================================= BACKGROUND: Miyata has trained with his father ever since he was a little kid. Miyata's father was a great outboxer whose career stopped after someone broke his jaw with a lucky punch. Later in the manga, you find out that his jaw was broken when he was trying to use a Jolt Counter... since he couldn't pull it off right, the opponent got in the life-shattering punch to his jaw. Miyata swears to prove that his father's boxing style is superior by using it himself. He uses a textbook outboxing style, and has incredible reflexes. Also, he is able to read his opponent in order to use devastating counters. Miyata is 1-1 with Ippo in sparring matches. Ippo also considers Miyata a close friend and rival, although Miyata is rather worried of Ippo's intentions (he thinks that Ippo is a little too friendly actually, if you get my drift). He promises to meet Ippo in the amateur tournament finals, but he loses to Mashiba due to cheap tricks. He later transfers to other parts of Asia to join the Pacific Boxing Association, in order to become stronger than Ippo. He learns how to use the incredible Jolt Counter, which he uses to defeat Jimmy Sisfer in Thailand. He later becomes the PBA champion, and in the manga has yet to challenge Ippo in a professional match. MOVES ANALYSIS: a) Sp. Uppercut (1 bar, R+up+B): Generic special uppercut. However, it Miyata's only offensive special that he can tack on to the end of combos. It's better if you save your spirit for his counters however. b) Counter (2 bars, A+B): A great counter. This is Miyata's trademark move until he learns the Jolt Counter. It does great red and yellow damage, especially for just 2 spirit bars. Just make sure you get it to work! (check the strategies for help) c) Jolt Counter (4 bars, R+A+B): The absolute most damaging special in the game. A level 9 Miyata can floor the last opponent in Tournament mode with just ONE of these suckers! No other character can do this! Basically, a Jolt Counter is a counter where Miyata shifts his weight to the ball of his leading foot. He then uses the entire weight of his body to punch at the exact moment that the opponent punches. Save your spirit for this if possible, it will probably do enough damage to earn you a full 2-4 spirit bars back! Remember counters do more damaging depending on the strength of the attack you countered. Every good boxer knows the importance of counterpunches. However, after reading the description of the Jolt Counter (weight on balls of feet, lean forward and dodge the opponent's blow, then throw the right over their guard), I have the feeling the actual punch was modeled off of Michael Spinks' trademark move, the 'Spinks Jinx.' This was a long right straight punch that required Spinks moving in toward his opponent then hitting the face over the victim's guard. Although not always used as a counterpunch, the description closely matches the Jolt Counter. Also, if you see pictures of Spinks using the Spinks Jinx as a counter, they look extremely similar to the picture of Miyata using the Jolt Counter on Jimmy Sissfer. d) Defensive moves: Don't use G-Cross: it costs 4 spirit bars for Miyata and is useless. Special Defense allows him to automatically dodge moves and only costs 2 bars, but I find those 2 bars more useful for counters. However, 2 bars is actually not that much compared to everyone else's special defense, so if you're worried you're taking too much damage, use this. Down Avoid is 5 bars, so don't use that. VOICE TRANSLATION: Select him/Special Defense: Don't get cocky. Counter: Gotcha! Jolt Counter: How's this?! Down Avoid: Sh*t... Getting up: That guy is waiting for me... (referring to Ippo) (Against Ippo) I can't lose like this! Between rounds: You've really done it now... Win: Watch me prove myself. (or) I've proven myself. OVERVIEW: Miyata is definitely one of the best and most underrated characters in this game. His normal punches lack power and he has below average defense, but his counters more than make up for it. Use the first round to wear your opponent down if you think you need to, and build enough super for 3 jolt counters in a row. Take advantage of his quick jabs (I believe he can also chain 3 of them in a row) as well. Then unleash all 3 jolt counters; there's no way the opponent can survive that! Plus, don't ever use down avoid. If you're about to be knocked down, use special defense instead since that only costs 2 bars. I don't find sidestepping (right+right or left+left) useful except in versus mode (this really messes up human players' timing). ======================================= 5.3 Vorg Zangief ======================================= BACKGROUND: Vorg, a Russian native, is the Amateur World Champion. However, the amateur ring is much different than the professional ring: they use helmets, bigger gloves, and are judged by points and techniques. For this reason, Vorg has much better technique and comboability than most other boxers. He is aiming for the Japan World Championship in order to support his ailing mother in Russia. At first he does not enjoy boxing at all, and only uses it as a means to make money and become stronger. However, during his fight with Ippo, he realizes he does truly enjoy boxing and competing with strong opponents. Vorg possesses good speed, strength, defense, and comboability, and also has a very distinctive finishing move called the White Fang. This move is an ultra-quick combination starting with a short uppercut and ending with a chopping overhead. He eventually loses to both Ippo and Sendo, and thus returns to Russia (for the moment). Later he returns to Japan to help Ippo train for Ryuhei Sawamura. MOVES ANALYSIS: a) Sp. Uppercut (1 bar, R+up+B): Generic special uppercut. I almost never use this for Vorg, because I'd rather save his spirit for his White Fang and occasional defensive maneuvers. b) White Fang (4 bars, R+right+B): Now this is great! Technically it is actually 2 hits which uses 2 bars each, but since you can't separate them, it really is a 4 bar move. The extra hit helps break through the opponent's guard if needed, but I don't suggest you use a 4 bar move to break someone's guard. The White Fang does great yellow damage and decent red damage. Tack it on to the end of his 5 hit hook combos to inflict major yellow damage and knock the opponent down! c) Defensive moves: Vorg's G-cross and Special Defense both cost 3 bars, while Down Avoid costs 4. I usually don't use any of these because Vorg is an offensive fighter, but he has all three in case you need them. VOICE TRANSLATION: Select/Special Defense: I shall be the winner. White Fang: With this... you're finished! Down Avoid: This isn't the end! Getting up/Between rounds: At home.. my mother is waiting! Knocks you down: It'd be best if you stay down. Win: Mother... OVERVIEW: Take advantage of Vorg's incredible combos! He has the best combo in the game with his hookx3-bodyblow-hook combo. It's the only 5 hit combo with a body blow in the game! Plus, his hooks are quick and have a range of one space (as opposed to Ippo, who also has a 5-hook combo but needs to be right next to the opponent). His jabs are also fast, but his hooks are much better since they do more total and red damage. Also, use his hookx3-body blow-hook combo repeatedly to both wear down the opponent and build spirit extremely quickly. Then let loose with several White Fangs in a row (each at the end of a combo of course). Remember that Vorg relies more on yellow damage than most other characters, so try for three knockdowns. ======================================= 5.4 Hayami Ryuichi ======================================= BACKGROUND: When Hayami was an amateur, he was hailed as a boxing genius and "The Next Big Thing." He won the inter-high boxing tournament in Japan and was favored to win the amateur tournament as well. He has decent footwork and outboxing skills but, more importantly, can throw consecutive punches incredibly fast. These quick punches are called Shotgun. However, Ippo manages to counter Hayami's trademark Short Upper (which isn't used in this game), which then makes the genius become weak on his legs. Ippo then manages to weave through all of the Shotgun punches and lands a great uppercut which floors Hayami. Later Hayami moves down to Jr. Featherweight and fights Kobashi for the vacant Jr. Featherweight Championship Belt. Kobashi lands an uppercut on Hayami's chin, which was never the same after being hit by Ippo's dynamite punch. He then loses again... but despite losing, he is still extremely popular with the media and fans. MOVES ANALYSIS: a) Sp. Uppercut (1 bar, R+up+B): Generic Special Uppercut. Waste of a bar, really. b) Left Shotgun (1 bar, R+left+B): An extremely underrated move. When used in combos, this move only hits once for pathetic damage then pushes the opponent back several spaces. However, if the opponent is blocking, it hits up to 5 times and usually breaks his guard. Since it only costs 1 bar and hits 5 times, it's great to use after a combo to almost definitely break the opponent's guard. After that, you can combo at will since the opponent is defenseless! c) Right Shotgun (2 bars, R+right+B): A decent special move that hits 5 times for good red and yellow damage. However, it usually doesn't do too much damage due to Hayami's weak power. It is still the best use of Hayami's spirit. d) Defensive moves: Hayami can use all three defensive moves: G-cross and Sp. Defense cost 3 bars while Down Avoid uses 5 bars. I find these are too expensive to be useful. VOICE TRANSLATION: Select: You're an amateur. Left Shotgun: Don't mess with me. Right Shotgun: It's too early to get cocky! (literally "You shouldn't be taking it easy yet!") Down Avoid: The winner will be me! Special Defense: You bastard... Getting up: I can't lose like this! OVERVIEW: Hayami is probably one of the worst characters in the game along with Saeki. It is still quite possible to win with him, but you need to play extremely carefully. Hayami has low offense, defense, and speed. You'll want to break the opponent's guard then attack relentlessly. Since he has no spectacular combos, you may want to just do several jab-bodyblow combinations to wear the opponent down. After a few rounds of this, let loose with several shotguns to try to knock the opponent down three times and win by TKO. ======================================= 5.5 Okita Keigo ======================================= BACKGROUND: Okita was the Japan Rookie Featherweight Champion the year before Ippo won the tournament. He idolizes the current Featherweight Champion Date Eiji and joined the same gym. In the past year, he accumulated a good deal of experience, learned tactics and moves from Date, and rose to the #5 ranking in Japan. He challenges Ippo because he is jealous that Date chose Ippo over him as his sparring partner. Okita in the manga uses several feints to trick Ippo. He can also use Date's trademark move, the Corkscrew blow. This move uses the entire body to add additional spin to the punch, drastically increasing its power. However, because of this extra windup, it is also easier to see coming and can only be used effectively at midrange. He eventually loses to Ippo because, according to Date, there is a difference between someone trying to copy a person (Okita) and someone trying to surpass a person (Ippo). MOVES ANALYSIS: a) Sp. Uppercut (1 bar, R+up+B): Same as everyone else's generic 1 bar upper. b) Corkscrew Blow (2 bars, R+right+B): This is an incredible move, and one of the best 2 bar moves in the game. It does a great amount of red damage, but also does good yellow damage, so it's actually better than Ippo's Liver Blow. In the manga, Corkscrew Blows were easy to predict and block, but in the game, they can easily be added to the end of combos... so do it! The Corkscrew Blow is indeed a real move. It was used by Charles 'Kid' McCoy, who held the World Heavyweight Championship title in 1897. He was known as a hard puncher with a killer right, often using his 'Corkscrew Twist' at the end. c) Defensive Moves: Okita doesn't have a special defense. Instead, he only has G-cross (3 bars) and Down Avoid (4 bars). Again, nothing special. VOICE TRANSLATION: Select: Date-san... Down Avoid/Between Rounds: I won't fall down no matter what... Getting up: I won't lose!! Knocks you down: You're ten years too early... (common Japanese phrase meaning you need to train 10 more years to compete with him... he says it to Ippo in the anime) OVERVIEW: Honestly, I cannot see any reason to use Okita. He is not a bad character, and you can easily use him to beat the game thanks to his Corkscrew Blow and above average offense and defense. His punching and walking speed is average, and he has a nice hookx3-uppercut-straight combo which you can end with a Corkscrew. However, I can't find ANYTHING making him different/better than Date! He is basically a slower Date with less moves. Date has so many advantages over him (fast jabs, faster combinations, Heartbreak Shot, a VERY effective Special Defense) that I see no reason to use Okita. Everyone else in the game is unique in some way except this guy. Overall, he is still better than Saeki and Hayami, so if you don't like Date, I guess you can use this scrub :P ======================================= 5.6 Date Eiji ======================================= BACKGROUND: Japan Featherweight Champion! Date is the oldest and most experienced boxer in this division. When he was young, he quickly rose the ranks to become the Japanese Champion, but lost against the World Featherweight Champion. After this traumatic loss (along with some family problems) he quit boxing until several years later, when his wife helped him realize that he isn't himself unless he is boxing. Now he boxes to show the world and his son who he truly is. Date becomes Ippo's goal after a sparring match. In their eventual fight, Date becomes enraged as Ippo continues to pound on him, and shows Ippo what true determination is. Ippo keeps on fighting, but doesn't realize how much he hurt Date, since Date uses several methods to either dissipate the pain or hide the pain. Eventually, Date manages to connect with a Heartbreak Shot to stun Ippo. Just as Date is about to finish Ippo off, Ippo's coach throws in the towel, resulting in Ippo's first professional loss. After this grueling match, Date believes he is ready for the world stage, and leaves Japan in order to fight a rematch with the World Champion. MOVES ANALYSIS: a) Sp. Uppercut (1 bar, R+up+B): Generic 1 bar Uppercut. b) Corkscrew Blow (2 bars, R+right+B): Like I mentioned previously, the Corkscrew Blow is one of, if not THE, best 2 bar special move in the game! It inflicts both great red and yellow damage, which will both hurt and wear down the opponent. Tack it onto the end of every combo! The Corkscrew Blow is indeed a real move. It was used by Charles 'Kid' McCoy, who held the World Heavyweight Championship title in 1897. He was known as a hard puncher with a killer right, often using his 'Corkscrew Twist' at the end. c) Heartbreak Shot (4 bars, R+down+B): This punch is actually a Corkscrew Blow that hits a certain position above someone's heart. Supposedly it temporarily stops the victim's heart, resulting in a stun. In this game, it does about the same amount of damage as a Corkscrew but also stuns the opponent. I don't recommend using an extra 2 spirit bars just to stun the opponent, since it's not hard to land combos anyway. d) Defensive Moves: Date has the best defensive move in the game! His G-cross (3 bars) and Down Avoid (4 bars) are nothing special, but he has a VERY unique Special Defense that only costs 2 bars! In the anime, he is able to predict an opponent's punches, then twisting with the hits to dissipate the damage. He does the same in this game (he even looks different when getting hit), and any combo that hits him does ridiculously low damage. Since this only uses 2 bars, use this whenever you're in a jam or if your guard breaks. VOICE TRANSLATION: Select: Let's go, pops. (He says this to his coach whenever he becomes serious) Corkscre: Damn you.. Heartbreak: You piece of sh-t! Down Avoid: I'm not going to go down. Special Defense: Doesn't hurt at all. Win: This is the real me. (Referring to his true boxing self) OVERVIEW: Date is probably the best all-around character in the game. He has above average offense, defense, and walking speed. Plus, he some of the fastest jabs in the game (possibly tied with Shigeta). These fast jabs allow for easy combos since you will almost always beat the opponent to the jab. He also has a nice 5 hit combo with good range (hookx3-upper-straight) and can finish this combo with the awesome Corkscrew Blow. If that wasn't enough, he has the best defensive special in the game with his unique Special Defense that takes all the bite out of any hits he may take. It also lasts a good amount of time for only 2 spirit bars. Plus, if you have spirit to spare, you may want to use Heartbreak Shot to stun the enemy for another immediate combo. Basically, you can't go wrong with Date. ======================================= 5.7 Mashiba Ryo ======================================= BACKGROUND: Mashiba had to take care of his sister Kumi by himself when their parents died in a car accident. Since he truly does care for his sister, he took up boxing to provide a better life. He also enjoys boxing because "there are no favorites here." He is generally a very cold and almost sinister man who will try to win at all costs. He is compassionate toward his sister, but quite menacing to EVERYONE else. Mashiba uses a very unique style that is copied from Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns. Tommy Hearns used his incredibly long arms and reach to throw quick snakelike jabs which were dubbed "Cobra Jabs" or "Flicker Jabs." He went on to win or at least compete evenly with incredible opponents like Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Mashiba also uses the flicker jab, and is thus dubbed "The Hitman." In the rookie tournament, Miyata uses his quick reflexes to counter Mashiba's flicker jabs. Later, he eventually uses dirty tricks to beat Miyata. Because of this, Ippo trains vigorously to exact revenge for his good friend. Mashiba eventually loses to Ippo in the tournament and moves up to Jr. Lightweight division. He later becomes the champion in this division and makes several successful defenses, even against Ippo's friend and gymmate Kimura. Mashiba's relationship with Ippo in the manga is actually quite humorous. Both Ippo and Mashiba's sister Kumi like eachother, but they can never seem to hit it off due to Mashiba's constant interference. He becomes somewhat less "sinister" but still is always hard to talk to. MOVES ANALYSIS: a) Flicker Jabs (0 bars, B): These aren't spirit moves, but deserve special recognition anyway. These jabs cover THREE spaces of distance, and are thrown relatively quickly. They also combo into eachother VERY quickly and up to four times! Plus, since you are far away, your jabs and straights cannot be countered. The only downside is that each jab only does YELLOW damage, so they will not do any permanent damage. As noted in the above section, Mashiba's flicker jabs are modeled after Tommy Hearns' flicker/cobra jabs. Hearns also preferred to keep a low left guard in order to throw quick hard jabs. b) Sp. Uppercut (1 bar, R+up+B): Generic uppercut, absolutely NO use to Mashiba. c) Flicker Jab Flurry (2 bars, R+left+B): A very good special that throws a flurry of flicker jabs from a distance. This is the only offensive special that can be comboed after Mashiba's jabs or straights. All other special moves require Mashiba walking toward the opponent after the jabs or straights since he is so far away. Does a decent amount of damage, but nothing spectacular. d) Chopping Right (3 bars, R+right+B): Devastating overhead blow that does great red and yellow damage. The only downside is that you have to be close to pull this off, and thus it cannot be comboed from his jabs or straights. You can combo it from any other punches, but his best combo up close with this move would be hookx3-chopping right. Hearns had the most feared punch of his time in the Middleweight and Welter- weight divisions: his overhand right. It was thrown straight, long, and hard, and felled many victims, most noticeably Roberto Duran. This is often heralded as one of the cleanest knockouts in boxing history: after Hearns scored a few of his trademark rights on Duran's chin, Duran was suspended in the air momentarily before falling flat on his face, much like a tree being cut down. e) Elbow Block (2 bars, R+A+B): This does miniscule damage, especially for a counter. However, it is quite useful, since it is Mashiba's best way to keep the opponent away. In the manga, Mashiba uses his elbow to break Ippo's fists whenever he gets in close. This was supposed to negate Ippo's power and give Mashiba room to use his flickers. This does the same in the game: when elbow countered, the opponent is sent a few spaces away from Mashiba and stunned for a small amount of time. The stun is long enough to throw a flicker jabx4- straight combo, preferably ending with a Flicker Jab Flurry. f) Defensive Moves: Mashiba has crap for defensive moves, he doesn't even have G-cross! The only one he has is Down Avoid, which costs 4 bars. VOICE TRANSLATION: Select: I'll end this quickly... Down Avoid: Damn you... Getting up: There's no way I'll lose!!! Knocks you down: Just keep sleeping. Between rounds: If I lose, this will all be for nothing! Win: Kumi: "Congratulations, brother!" OVERVIEW: Mashiba is probably the most unique fighter in this game, and is also probably one of the better characters. Try to keep the opponent away with jabs and straights. Opponents usually have a tough time getting in close to a well-played Mashiba, and if they do, just use elbow block to push them back out, since his walking speed is rather slow. Mashiba is also the only fighter who can combo multiple straights (straightx3 combo), so use that often. Jabx4-straight is good for breaking guard, but remember that his jabs only do yellow damage. After you break their guard, constantly throw straightx3. These are difficult to avoid, plus they push the opponent back so they will be FOUR spaces away from you! The only special you should use is Flicker Jab Flurry. If the opponent does get in and you manage to dodge a punch, counter with hookx3-Chopping Right (if you use hookx3-straight-Chopping Right, they will be able to block or dodge the Chopping Right). Be fast, since even his hooks are rather slow. Overall, a good unique character. ======================================= 5.8 Saeki Takuma ======================================= BACKGROUND: With the nickname "Speed Star," Saeki is definitely the fastest character in the game and anime. His walking speed is incredibly fast and most of his punches come out rather quickly too. However, he uses flicker jabs, which causes his jabs to be a bit slow but also have good range. Saeki participates in the class-A tournament and was Ippo's first opponent. Ippo barely beats Saeki by taking advantage of Saeki's predictable rhythm. Later, Saeki challenges the new Featherweight Champion Sendo, but loses in the first round. MOVES ANALYSIS: a) Flicker Jab (0 bars, B): Saeki's flicker is somewhat different than Mashiba's. First, it covers two spaces of distance instead of Mashiba's three. Next, it's actually quite faster than Mashiba's. Third, he is able to combo any punch afterward! This means he can do jab-jab-bodyblow or jab-jab-hook- hook-uppercut, whereas Mashiba could only combo with other jabs or straights. b) Sp. Uppercut (1 bar, R+up+B): Generic special uppercut, and unfortunately, this is Saeki's only offensive spirit move. You'll probably use this only because he has no better moves to use spirit on. One good thing about this move is that it will push the opponent away several spaces, allowing you to control the distance again. c) Defensive Moves: Saeki can use all three defensive moves: G-cross (4 bars), Special Defense (the dodging kind, 2 bars), and Down Avoid (5 bars). If anything, the only one you should use is Special Defense since it is relatively cheap at 2 spirit bars. VOICE TRANSLATION: (Saeki uses the suffix 'ze' after his phrases, making most of his dialogue very much like slang) Select: Let's make this sweet.. Special Defense: I'll just increase my speed... Getting up: My legs are still good! Knocks you down/Win: That was a decent thrill. OVERVIEW: Saeki uses the most skill to use well. He is probably one of the worst characters in the game, but you can still win with him, especially against human opponents. The thing to remember is that he can walk forward and backward INCREDIBLY fast, so you need to learn how to control your distance. Plus, his jabs and many other punches can hit at TWO spaces of distance, giving him unequalled range except compared to Mashiba. He can also combo from his jabs (which Mashiba can't really do) for combos such as jab-jab-body blow to wear the opponent down. If you are getting cornered, you may want to do a combo ending with a Sp. Uppercut to push the opponent away. If playing against the computer, remember to punch right when they walk within range, because they will be trying to attack you and your jab has more range. Also, Miyata, Shigeta and Mashiba will not be able to counter any of your punches if you are more than one space away! Saeki has an incredibly difficult time against Mashiba however... ======================================= 5.9 Shigeta Akira ======================================= BACKGROUND: Shigeta is only in the manga/anime for a short period of time. He briefly spars Ippo for three rounds before challenging Sendo for the Featherweight C hampionship. He fights as a southpaw although he is right-handed. This causes his jabs to be much more powerful than normal jabs. Although he does not have the reflexes of Miyata, he is able to counter most orthodox fighters with a right hook, since a southpaw's right hook is faster than an orthodox fighter's right straight. Shigeta's biggest downfall was his arrogance. At several points in his title bout, he almost defeated Sendo, but instead taunted him. This caused Sendo to become furious and use his newly trained legs to catch up to the southpaw. Enraged, Sendo did not let up on his flurry of blows against Shigeta, and after the match Shigeta was not able to fight in the professional ring again. MOVES ANALYSIS: a) Sp. Upper (1 bar, R+up+B): Generic special uppercut that seems to do more damage than most other Sp. Uppers. May want to use it after combos since it is cheap and his only offensive special move. Also he sounds really cocky when you use it :P b) Cross Counter (2 bars, R+A+B): A very good counter, about the same as Miyata's regular counter. Good red and yellow damage. Shigeta counterpunches differently than Miyata. Miyata counters by dodging and punching at the same time. Shigeta uses his Southpaw style to counter, because his Right Cross will hit an opponent using a Right Straight, since his right hand is closer to the opponent's face. This type of counterpunch is regularly known as a 'Stop Counter' since it stops the opponent's punch by hitting them first, much like outjabbing an opponent. c) Taunt (2 bars, R+down+B): Shigeta raises his arms in the air much like during his fight against Sendo, and says 'Kon na mon desu ka?' ('Is that all you've got'?) He remains open to counterattack for several seconds, but if successful, the opponent's spirit drops by 5 bars. d) Defensive Moves: Shigeta has a G-cross (3 bars) and Down Avoid (5 bars). His defensive moves are rather expensive so try not to use them... use counters instead. VOICE TRANSLATION: Select: Come and get me! Uppercut: Get off me, you scrub! (He says this when Sendo keeps clinching) Counter: Eat this! Taunt: Is that all you got? (Memorable taunt against the worn out Sendo) Down Avoid/Between rounds: Not bad... (literally: Truly strong (sarcastically)) Getting up: I can't lose like this... Knocks you down: Get serious! OVERVIEW: Shigeta is a very fun character to use. You will want to focus your fight style on his jabs. His jabs are very quick and cause red damage, unlike anyone else's jabs. He can also chain three of them together! His jabx3-body blow does a great amount of red damage that cannot be matched by many other characters. Other than that, fight normally, occasionally using counters and Sp. Uppers if you have the spirit (which you should). Taunting is useless against the computer but quite funny against human opponents (especially at the beginning of the round when you're at opposite corners). Overall, an above average character with good offense, defense, and good jabs. The only problem is his lack of offensive spirit moves. ======================================= 5.10 Sendo Takeshi ======================================= BACKGROUND: Sendo is probably the most well-developed character in the Hajime no Ippo anime other than Ippo himself. He is known as 'Naniwa's Rocky' because his fans liken him to the famous Rocky of the Rocky movies. However, Sendo is striving to be like the real Rocky that the movies were based on: Rocky Marciano. Rocky Marciano's real-life boxing style was basically, "Who could deal the most damage?" Marciano rarely cared about defense, and instead took as many punches as he gave, but likewise gave just as good as he got. Marciano is credited as having the most intense training regimen of anyone in the boxing world and ended up retiring with an incredible record of 49-0. Sendo wishes to emulate Marciano by focusing on exchanging blows rather than defense or clinching. Because of this, he prides himself on his strong arms and punches. He started boxing to become strong and protect people who he cared about, much like his father who died saving people trapped in a fire. Because of all of this mixed upbringing, Sendo has a caring yet brash personality and wants nothing more than to fight and defeat strong fighters. Sendo considers Ippo the strongest man in Japan next to him after watching Ippo's fight with Mashiba. He pressures Ippo into fighting him for the Japan Rookie Championship. Sendo loses that match by falling unconscious, but neither he nor Ippo consider that finish to be convincing: and thus a rivalry was born. Sendo eventually gains the Japan Featherweight Championship by defeating Vorg, and immediately calls out for Ippo. Both fighters train vigorously out of mutual respect, and finally face off for the second time in Korakuen Hall. There can be only one winner! MOVES ANALYSIS: a) Sp. Uppercut (1 bar, R+up+B): Generic special uppercut, you won't be using this much, if at all. b) Smash (2 bars, R+left+B): The smash is based on a real punch, known as a 3/4 uppercut. Many boxers use this move because it is usually unexpected and thus difficult to dodge or block. However, the smash has a large windup and recovery time due to its 'all-or-nothing' nature, so if it is dodged, the fighter is wide open for a counter. In this game, there is no large windup or recovery to a smash as opposed to any other special moves, so you can just tack them onto the end of combos. All of Sendo's smashes do mostly yellow damage with minimal red damage, so you'll want to go for a technical knockout instead of wearing the opponent down. Also, none of his smashes are as quick as Ippo's smash at the release, so don't use this to counterattack after blocking a punch. Sendo's regular left smash is probably the best damage relative to the spirit used, so use this generously. However, since the amount of spirit gained back is proportional to the damage given to the opponent, Sendo should always have spirit to spare. If this is the case (especially after using a Spirit Up between rounds), feel free to use his other more powerful Smashes. The Smash was a famous move used quite often by Razor Ruddock in the early 1990's. It was known for its insane power and unorthodox methods and was also known as the 'Hookercut.' To this date, no one else uses Razor's half-hook, half-uppercut punch, because no one else can use it as effectively. The Smash was responsible for several knockouts, especially a dramatic knockout of Michael Dokes in 1990. Razor hit Dokes clean in the head with a Smash and nearly took his head off. Unfortunately, Razor never earned a Championship title because he could never beat Tyson or Lennox Lewis. c) Ultra-Low Smash (3 bars, R+down+B): Sendo only uses this smash in his first fight against Ippo. It is stronger than his left smash but requires much more windup. Still, you can use this at the end of combos. d) Deadly Right Smash (4 bars, R+right+B): An incredibly powerful spirit moves, Sendo uses a smash with his right dominant hand. A couple of these will probably down any opponent. e) Defensive Moves: Sendo has a G-cross (3 bars) and Down Avoid (4 bars). However, just like his idol Marciano, you shouldn't worry too much about defense, and instead just pound the opposition with Smashes. VOICE TRANSLATION: Select/Knocks you down: Alright! Smash: Fine with me! (literally means something like "I've had enough!") Low smash: Don't get cocky! Right smash: You freaking idiot! (against Ippo): Makunouchi!!! Down Avoid: There's more! Knocks you down (against Shigeta): This is what I've got. Between rounds: I'm going to become even stronger! Win: I've won!!! OVERVIEW: Sendo is a very solid character with above average offense, decent defense, and slow speed. All of his combos and spirit moves do mostly yellow damage instead of red damage, so you'll want to build spirit and then let loose with several smashes in a row. To aid to this strategy, two immediate combos ending with any smash will end up stunning the opponent! This allows for another combo ending with yet another smash.. I doubt that many opponent can stay standing after that. Since Sendo is slow both in walking and fist speed, you'll want to stay close when you can. Stick with basic combos like jab-jab-hook-hook-uppercut-smash and hookx3-straight/upper-smash. He doesn't have the comboability of Ippo or Vorg, but likewise his individual punches hurt more (in total damage, not in red damage). As far as I know, there isn't much difference between his smashes other than damage caused. However, I think each one sends the opponent back a different distance (Ultra-Low Smash sends the opponent back farther than Left Smash, and the Right Smash sends them back the farthest). Because of his outstanding power, Sendo is an easy character for a beginner to use. =============================================================================== 6. Frequently Asked Questions =============================================================================== No one has asked me any questions yet. I will update this as people ask or contribute. =============================================================================== Credits =============================================================================== Treasure/ESP - Thanks for this superb GBA boxing game! Morikawa Joji - The author of the great manga series 'Hajime no Ippo.' Thanks for a hilarious and captivating story! CjayC and www.gamefaqs.com - The absolute best gaming site OMG EVAR!! Honestly, thanks for your dedication and effort to make this site possible. Copyright 2003 Jin Kim