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Ring ni Kakero 1: Sekai Taikai-hen Anime Debuts in April

The Toei Animation company has launched a website for the fourth Ring ni Kakero 1 boxing anime series, Ring ni Kakero 1: Sekai Taikai-hen, and Toei has announced that the new series will premiere next April on Japan's Animax channel. The first Ring ni Kakero anime and the three sequel series are all based on a manga by Masami Kurumada (Saint Seiya, B'tX). The story follows Ryūji Takane's rise to the world junior boxing championships.

Series script supervisor Yousuke Kuroda, character designers Michi Himeno and Shingo Araki, and musical composer Susumu Ueda are reprising their respective roles from the previous anime series. However, Hiroshi Ikehata is the new director, and Keiichi Ichikawa is co-designing the characters in addition the overseeing to animation process.

Ring ni Kakero 1 was the name of the 2004 anime adaptation of Kurumada's first Ring ni Kakero manga, and its 2006 sequel was named Ring ni Kakero 1: Nichibei Kessen Hen (Ring ni Kakero 1: The Japan/U.S. Battle Story Arc) after one of the manga story arcs. Ring ni Kakero 1: Shadow premiered this past April.

Kurumada is best known around the world for the Saint Seiya mythological manga and its various anime adaptations, but he also drew the B'tX futuristic adventure and the Fuma no Kojirou ninja story. Viz Media published the 28th Saint Seiya manga volume in North America this past February, while Tokyopop published the 16th volume of B'tX last month. ADV Films and DiC Entertainment released the Saint Seiya anime in North America, and Illumintoons released the B'tX anime.

Kurumada ended his Ring ni Kakero 2 manga sequel in 2008. The ongoing Saint Seiya video anime spinoff, Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas - Meiō Shinwa, will start its second season next February.

Thanks to George Horvath for the news tip.

Update Saint Seiya's volume number corrected. Thanks, Lord Geo.