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Joe Yabuki

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Joe Yabuki
Ashita no Joe character
Joe Yabuki by Tetsuya Chiba
First appearanceAshita no Joe chapter 1 (1968)
Created byAsao Takamori, Tetsuya Chiba
Portrayed byShōji Ishibashi (1970), Tomohisa Yamashita (2011)
Voiced byTeruhiko Aoi, Kei Tomiyama (Pilot Film), Yoshito Yasuhara (Radio Drama)
In-universe information
AliasJoe

Joe Yabuki (Japanese: 矢吹 丈, Hepburn: Yabuki Jō) nicknamed just Joe (ジョー, Jō) is the protagonist of the manga series Ashita no Joe by Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba. Joe Yabuki, is a wandering orphan wo who discovers a passion for boxing in a juvenile prison, and his rise through Japan's and the global boxing scene. He is coached by Danpei Tange to become skilled and face his prison cell partner Tōru Rikiishi. The character has also appeared in video games based on Ashita no Joe and has been portrayed in two live-action works by and Shōji Ishibashi and Tomohisa Yamashita.

The character was based on multiple boxers Asao Takamori researched. The main idea behind Joe's characterization was that he was passionate about his love of boxing and thus would live to his full extent until his death. Critical response to the character was positive due to his The characterization and rivalry with Tōru Rikiishi. Joe went on to become iconic in manga history, influencing real boxers and other fictional characters, most notably Kyo Kusanagi and Gearless Joe. The character's final fate has been ambiguous which was a major hit in manga history but Chiba often saying he did not give him a particular fate as he had no idea how to close the manga.

Creation

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Artist Tetsuya Chiba in 2023.

Joe Yabuki was initially based on Sawada Jiro, who became the Oriental Lightweight Champion in his youth. Other two big major influenes include Aoki Shori and Ebiwara Hiroyuki. There were several scrapped ideas for Joe's character as the mangaka was influenced by more fighters when producing the manga. Joe's desire to fight was based on the author's own desires of living to the fullest until his death. Joe and Rikishi's rivalry was something that the author found painful to write due to the latter's decay he undergoes to have his rematch with Joe as professional but dies in the aftermath. The manga influenced several fans who saw themselves in Joe and started boxing much to the author's joy. The mangaka want to portray those who don't succeed in these dramas, too. Joe, he loses in the end, but there are many characters in Ashita no Joe who give up to their dreams.[1] Chiba was more optimistic about how he handled Joe and Noriko's relationship when writing a chapter about the two going on a date.[2]

Ikki Kajiwara is knowledgeable about martial arts, and his manuscripts are very "masculine". So at first, the author didn't get the friendship that is cultivated through fighting, like that between Joe and his rival, Rikishi Toru. But as he drew, Chiba came to understand that "fighting to the point of depleting your life means that you both respect each other." It was Kajiwara who expressed this kind of manly world. It was also painful to draw the scene where Joe vomits in the ring after Rikishi's death due to the shock. The final scene, in which Joe, who overcame the death of Rikishi and challenged the world champion, says "I want to burn out...to pure white ash," sparked a debate over whether Joe should live or die. He was struggling with the ending. At that time, his editor reread my work and gave me a hint: a conversation with Noriko, who had a crush on Joe. The scene where Joe talks about his feelings for boxing and reveals his feelings to Noriko is memorable because it reminded me of the end of his own youth.. At the time he wrote it, he wasn't thinking about Joe's life or death. Chiba just wanted to draw a picture that would give a sense of satisfaction, of someone who has given it all, or their life force, and burned out. When he finished the serialization, the artist felt a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that "this was the only ending I could have." Everyone has had the experience of accomplishing something, giving it their all, somewhere at some point. The author would be happy if people could feel the value of devoting one's life to one thing from Joe's life.[3]

Both Joe and Rikishi are polar opposites to me, and I admire them. However, Joe may be a bit of a difficult person to understand, as he seems a bit cynical about the world.

It has long been debated whether Joe dies in the ending. Artist Tetsuya Chiba stated that he drew the ending at the last minute, and that Takamori's original ending was different. While it was praised for being a good example of a silent manga Chiba did not plan to elaborate on that.[2] Takamori stated in a 1979 biography that Joe died, while Chiba has refused to directly comment, hinting that Joe may have survived. Joe was supposed to live in Shiraki residence. The concept for such scene was Joe thought "I burnt out", and relaxed as he falls asleep.[4] In a 2001 interview, forensic pathologist Masahiko Ueno concluded that Joe had to be alive in the final panel to remain upright.[5]

Role in Ashita no Joe

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The series' final scene has been left ambiguous to readers about whether or not Joe Yabuki was written to live or die.

Joe Yabuki, a young drifter, has a chance encounter with alcoholic former boxing trainer Danpei Tange while wandering through the San'ya slums. Recognizing his talent, Danpei trains Joe as a boxer, but Joe is arrested for fraud. He is transferred to a juvenile detention center where meets Tōru Rikiishi, a former boxing prodigy, and they develop a rivalry after Rikiishi prevents him from escaping. The prison sets up a boxing tournament led by Danpei and funded by millionaire Mikinosuke Shiraki and his daughter Yoko. Rikiishi dominates Joe in the final until the latter hits a cross-counter, resulting in a double knockout. Feeling that the match did not resolve anything, Joe and Rikiishi vow to fight again as professional boxers.

Upon his release from prison, Joe joins Danpei's new tiny boxing gym together. Joe gains popularity as an amateur boxer for his brawling style and trademark cross-counter KO wins, but he is denied a professional license until provoking champion boxer Wolf Kanagushi. Joe earns the right to fight Rikiishi in the professional ring. Rikiishi knocks Joe out in the 8th round to win, but later dies from the combined effects of weight loss and a brain hemorrhage sustained during the fight.

Joe is traumatized by Rikiishi's death, making a downfall in his career. He returns to fight global sixth ranked fighter Carlos Rivera. The fight devolves into a brawl, but Joe earns tremendous fame and respect, and he and Carlos become friends. After his fight with Carlos, Joe becomes recognized as a world ranked boxer. He struggles with maintaining bantam weight due to a late growth spurt, forcing him to undergo strenuous weight loss. He defeats OPBF Champion Kim Yong-bi, and proceeds to win several title defenses. Fearing that Joe has lost his fighting instincts, she forces him to face Malaysian fighter Harimau before he can challenge Mendoza. Joe narrowly wins the fight. The fight against Mendoza is to be held in a packed Tokyo stadium. Before the fight, Yoko discovers that Joe is suffering from punch-drunk syndrome. She attempts to cancel the match, confessing her love for him, but he refuses. Mendoza dominates the early rounds. Initially composed, Mendoza begins losing his mind as Joe continues to hold on no matter how much damage he takes. Joe manages to knock down Mendoza several times. The match eventually goes all fifteen rounds. Mendoza is declared the winner by points. Danpei turns to console Joe only to find him sitting unresponsive in his chair, with a smile on his face.

Reception

[edit]
Oizumi Anime Gate featuring statues of several manga characters including Joe.

During the manga's serialization, it was particularly popular with working-class people and college students who were involved in the New Left, who saw themselves likewise struggling against the system like Joe Yabuki did and revered him as an icon.[6] An example of this New Left influence were the members of the Japanese Red Army who took part in the Yodogo hijacking in 1970 and compared themselves to Joe as they saw a revolutionary message in the manga. During the hijack, they shouted "We are tomorrow's Joe!".[7][8][9] Joe Yabuki was ranked seventh in Mania Entertainment's "10 Most Iconic Anime Heroes", written by Thomas Zoth, who commented that, "Tomorrow's Joe captured the zeitgeist of 1960s Japan. The story of Joe's rise from nothing touched a chord with Japanese audiences, who were seeing their country prosper after a long period of postwar devastation."[10] There is a pro boxer named Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, who became a superstar in Japan. His father took the name "Joichiro" from Joe Yabuki.[11] In Kebukuro's Oizumi Anime Gate a bronze statue of Joe was made alongside other anime icons.[12] The character is considered a symbol of Japanese popular culture, becoming, especially in the seventies, an influential icon on a myriad of Japanese people of all ages and one of the major icons of the manga world. Even today it is such a success that on October 13, 2006, Joe placed fourth in the ranking of the "best Japanese TV anime".[13]

Joe was also a major influence in Kyo Kusanagi, the main character of SNK's fighting game series, The King of Fighters.[14] Megalobox director Yo Moriyama stated Gearless Joe and Yuri were loosely based Jo Yabuki and Rikishi as a tribute to such manga, respectively, as he views that the rivalry of two boxers was the main event of Ashita no Joe which Megalobox adadpted.[15] Manga.Tokyo positively compared Gearless Joe with Jo Yabuki as, despite the series being a tribute to Ashita no Joe with multiple similarities, he comes across as more likable character than the arrogant Jo describing him as a "much more down to earth, easy-going loveable rogue, kind of like Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop". As a result, he views Gearless Joe as an improvement over the original Joe but felt his rivalry with Yuri lacked depth despite him being his final rival in the first season.[16] Anime News Network praised Joe's character arc in the series as well as his rivalry with Rikishi, with the latter coming across as homoerotic tension. Joe's trauma over Rikishi's death was especially notable because of the way he is illustrated from this point he often came across as a dead person. Joe's fate caused a major impact in Japanese culture when the anime ended there was a 700-person funeral procession for him by Shūji Terayama.[17] Joe's final scene has also been referenced in several series like Gurren Lagann and Gin Tama,[18] while his crosscounter with Rikishi was also referenced in the former as well as Dragon Ball Z and the Dragon Ball Super anime.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "The Interview". Tokyo Dome. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  2. ^ a b ""We don't read, We FEEL it." – Tetsuya Chiba Interview". Archived from the original on December 24, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  3. ^ "ちばてつやさん「あしたのジョー」　力石の死…描き進めていくうちに「これはもう生きていられない」と". Sankei (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  4. ^ "Did Joe Yabuki die? It's unclear but there are some comments by creators". October 21, 2018. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  5. ^ Kamba, Ryosuke (December 15, 2017). 「あしたのジョーは生きている」 連載開始から半世紀、法医学者が鑑定 (in Japanese). BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  6. ^ Parker-Dalton, Jacob (July 25, 2018). "50 Years of Yabuki Joe, the Working Class Hero". Otaquest. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  7. ^ "ジョー & 飛雄馬: 闘争の時代のヒーロー達" (PDF) (in Japanese). Osaka University. March 28, 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  8. ^ "「よど号」は、なぜ金浦空港に降りたのか". The Nikkei (in Japanese). January 1, 2016. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  9. ^ よど号ハイジャック事件 ～４０年目の真相～ ザ・スクープ (in Japanese). TV Asahi. November 28, 2010. Archived from the original on July 2, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  10. ^ Zoth, Thomas (January 12, 2010). "10 Most Iconic Anime Heroes". Mania Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
  11. ^ "Discussing the Socio-Politics of Megalobox 2: Nomad with Yo Moriyama, Katsuhiko Manabe, and Kensaku Kojima". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "Day 2: Ikebukuro and the Birthplace of Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  13. ^ TV Asahi (ed.). "芸能界アニメ通が集結!徹底調査アニメランキング100" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 25, 2009.
  14. ^ All About The King of Fighters '94 (ザ・キング・オブ・ファイターズ'94). All About [ja] (in Japanese). Vol. 7. The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation [ja]. December 25, 1994. (Translation by Shmuplations. Archived April 24, 2020, at the Wayback Machine).
  15. ^ Woo, William (December 7, 2019). "Interview with MEGALOBOX Director Yo Moriyama and Producer Minako Fujiyoshi". Manga.Tokyo. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  16. ^ "Megalo Box Series Review". Manga.Tokyo. August 28, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  17. ^ "Buried Treasure Ashita no Joe". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  18. ^ "A 50 años de Ashita no Joe: Héroe de la clase obrera y la juventud". La Izquierda Diario (in Spanish). Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  19. ^ "Ashita no Joe: O herói popular que ainda impacta o Japão Artigo Especial". Jbox (in Portuguese). Retrieved September 30, 2024.
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