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Hajime no Ippo Manga Takes Break Due to Creator's Hospitalization (Updated)

George Morikawa announced on X/Twitter that his Hajime no Ippo boxing manga will remain on break as he was hospitalized on Monday and is focusing on recovery. He expects to be back in about a month. He posted a draft picture of his upcoming chapter on X/Twitter.

Update: This year's 18th issue of Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine confirmed that the manga will go hiatus for a while. Although the next chapter is scheduled for the magazine's 25th issue on May 20, the staff will decide whether to publish the chapter on that date based on the author's health.

The manga recently took a break last December. The manga's 1,515th and most recent chapter launched in this year's 14th issue of Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine on March 5.

K MANGA publishes the series in English and describes the story:

What does it feel like to be strong? That's the question on the mind of Ippo Makunouchi, a clumsy high-school kid who gets bullied a lot. But when he runs into pro boxer Mamoru Takamura, it isn't long before the dynamite in his fists is unleashed! Dreaming of joining Takamura in the pro ranks, Ippo joins him at the Kamogawa Boxing Gym—and there his quest for true strength begins, in and out of the ring!

The series commemorated over 100 million copies in circulation in July 2023.

Morikawa launched Hajime no Ippo in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 1989, and the series is his only manga.

The manga inspired a television anime adaptation in 2000, followed by the Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger sequel in 2009 and the Hajime no Ippo Rising sequel in 2013. The series also inspired the Hajime no Ippo - Champion Road special and the Hajime no Ippo - Mashiba vs. Kimura original video anime in 2003. Geneon Entertainment released the first television anime season on DVD in North America before the company ceased operations in 2007.

Discotek licensed the first anime and releases the series on Blu-ray Disc. Crunchyroll is streaming the original anime adaptation and Hajime no Ippo Rising.

The manga inspired its first stage play adaptation in 2020.

Kodansha started releasing the manga digitally in 2021. The manga's 145th compiled book volume shipped on January 16.

Update: Added information from Weekly Shōnen Magazine. Source: Weekly Shōnen Magazine issue 18

Source: George Morikawa's X/Twitter account