Fighting Spirit: Champion Road

Makunouchi Ippo has earned the Japanese Featherweight title and must now defend it for the first time. His opponent is Sanada, a former junior featherweight champion and medical student who uses his knowledge of anatomy to implement a scientific boxing style. The conflict is intensified by the fact that Sanada is trained by Hama Dankichi, a former rival of Ippo's coach, Kamogawa. Beyond the ring, Ippo struggles with his personal life, as Sanada works at the same hospital as Kumi, a nurse who appears to have moved on from Ippo.

Directed by Satoshi Nishimura, this 2003 Japanese TV movie was the first of two films he directed, followed by Trigun: Badlands Rumble in 2010. The production was handled by Madhouse, Geneon Entertainment, and Discotek Media, with a screenplay by Kazuyuki Fudeyasu and production by Hiroshi Yamashita. The voice cast features Kohei Kiyasu as Ippo, Rikiya Koyama as Mamoru Takamura, and Kenji Utsumi as Genji Kamogawa, alongside Masaya Onosaka, Tomokazu Seki, and Wataru Takagi.

The film has been received positively by audiences, holding a rating of 8.1/10 on IMDb based on 2,500 votes. On TMDB, it has a lower score of 6.9/10 from 74 votes.