Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow

A young drifter named Joe Yabuki wanders through the slums of Tokyo, but when the local ruffians try to give him a hard time he teaches them a rough lesson with his fists. The spectacle sparks a gleam in the eye of an old drunk who happens to be watching-Danpei Tange, a failed boxer and former coach who sees something special in the boy. He pleads with Joe to train with him off, but the cocky young fighter brushes him. Later, though, when Joe is arrested and put in a juvenile detention facility, he realizes that he's going to need to hone his raw fighting skills if he wants to survive. Thus is born a partnership that might just take Joe all the way to the top...

After a stunning clash between Rikiishi's finely honed skill and Joe's raw, unbridled gift, both are released from Toko Reformatory-but Joe has a lot of catching up to do. His rival is already making waves on the pro circuit, and while Rikiishi has expensive, state-of-the-art training facilities, Joe has nothing but a makeshift gym down by the river. Danpei inspires him to dream of walking back across the so-called bridge of tears and into the limelight, but when the old pug's reputation catches up with him, it looks like Joe might be shut out of the pros forever...

Joe's cunning and intuition have forced open the door to the pro career he feared might be locked away forever, his showdown with Rikiishi now tantalizing within reach...but he'll have to fight his way through rookie-of-the-year Wolf Kanagushi first! Reckoning with the fact that instinct alone-even the instincts of a natural-born boxer-may not be enough to carry the day, Joe gets serious about his training. But Rikiishi is serious too-deadly serious. How far will these two go to settle the score...?

After their decisive bout, the end of Joe's great rivalry with Rikiishi sends him spiraling into the depths of despair-where does a rowdy underdog go when he has nothing left to fight for? But when an unexpected new rival provides Joe with a fresh challenge, will he be able to claw his way out of the gutter once again...?