Ippo Makunouchi

Ippo is a shy, put-upon high schooler who spends his days hauling nets for his family's struggling fishing boat and getting bullied for it, with no friends and no confidence to speak of. A chance beating and rescue by a boxer named Takamura cracks open a door he never imagined for himself, and he steps through it, awkward but sincerely willing to work.

The show trusts its central joke: someone this meek becomes devastating with his fists, and Kiyasu plays both halves with total sincerity, never winking at the contrast. His stammering diffidence outside the ring makes every training montage feel earned rather than cheesy, so his slow-built punches land as character development, not just spectacle.