Template:BoxerImai Kyousuke (今井 • 京介 lit. imai kyousuke) is a recurring character in Hajime no Ippo.
He is a featherweight in fighter and the current JBC Featherweight Champion affiliated with the Otowa Boxing Gym. He is proclaimed the eternal rival of boxing genius Itagaki Manabu, and is known for being a very talented hard puncher capable of holding his own against Makunouchi Ippo.
History
Prior to his highly anticipated entry into the Pro Ring, Imai was a two time inter-high boxing champion, defeating his rival Itagaki Manabu twice, both times by knockout. Despite his idolization of Makunouchi Ippo, Imai chose to join any gym but Kamogawa Boxing Gym in hopes to one day be able to fight Makunouchi Ippo in the ring. He is first seen in the anime visiting Kamogawa in hopes to be able to spar with Ippo before the Class-A Tournaments, and is shown to be able to withstand one of Ippo's famous Liver Blows with little damage sustained. Seen by Itagaki, Imai approaches his rival in friendly spirits only to be regarded with hostility, and quickly retorts with harshness of his own before leaving the gym quietly.
He is again seen in his match against Itagaki in the East Japan Rookie King Tournament final round, where he quickly takes the upper hand in the match with his boxing sense and power punches. Believing this match to be no different from the times he defeated Itagaki in the Inter-High Championships, Imai is surprised when Itagaki's spirit overwhelms his own and suffers his first loss in the sixth round.
Imai spars with Miyata Ichirou while Miyata is preparing to face Randy Boy Junior.
After Ippo relinquishes his title, Imai, then ranked number 2 in Japan, meets Itagaki in a match for the title. Imai executes a flawless plan in which he traps Itagaki in the corner at the sound of the bell, then lands one punishing body blow via an exchange which damages Itagaki extensively. He proceeded to knock Itagaki out with an uppercut, claiming the Japanese title and his first professional win over Itagaki.
Match History
| Result | Opponent | Type | Rd., Time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WIN | Itagaki Manabu | TKO | 1(10) | 1998-03-21 | Tokyo, Japan | Wins Japanese Featherweight Title |
| LOSS | Itagaki Manabu | Decision | 6(6), 3:00 | 1995-11 | Tokyo, Japan | East Japan Rookie King Tournament Finals |
| WIN | Terai Makoto | KO | 1(4) | 1995-11 | Tokyo, Japan | East Japan Rookie King Tournament Semi-Finals |
| WIN | Unknown | KO | ?(4) | 1995-11 | Tokyo, Japan | East Japan Rookie King Tournament Quarter-Finals |
| WIN | Unknown | KO | ?(4) | 199? | Tokyo, Japan | Pro Debut |
Amateur Matchs: ?-?-?-? (? KO)
VS Itagaki Manabu 4R Win by KO (Unknown)
VS Itagaki Manabu 4R Win by KO (Unknown)
VS Itagaki Manabu 4R Win by KO (Unknown)
Appearance
As a fellow featherweight in-fighter, Imai's body is built strikingly like Ippo's albeit being taller than the latter. He has a dark skin tone, large dark gray eyes, and thick eyebrows. His hair is grown short, cut in between the styles of spiky and curly with five strands of hair hanging from his hairline to his forehead just long enough to brush against his eyebrows.
Personality
An incredibly serious and respectful member of the Otowa Boxing Gym, Imai is shown to show great admiration towards fellow featherweight in-fighter Makunouchi Ippo. It is shown that he wishes to befriend Itagaki Manabu sincerely on one occasion, even going as far as calling him by his given name, but quickly recoils and turns harshly confident when the latter refuses his offer of friendship.
He has an unrequited love for Itagaki's younger sister Itagaki Nanako and comes from a rich family. It is mentioned in the anime and manga that Imai's relatives strongly disapprove of his choice to become a boxer.
Fighting Style
Despite his youth, Imai has proven to be a very capable fighter, able to defeat Itagaki twice before they turned pro and hold his own against Makunouchi, then the Japanese Champion. He has been compared to Ippo in terms of strength and style as a fellow in-fighter. He fights with an orthodox style, although he tends to make wide swings to scare off his opponents. His main weapons in the ring are his strength and stamina, which make him a powerful hard-punching boxer. According Ippo, Imai's punching power is greater than Shimabukuro Iwao's, a boxer whose punches were comparable to his own.
Techniques
Weaknesses
Imai doesn't possess any footwork, which makes him easy to out-box. He does, however, compensate for this in his latest battle with Itagaki in which Imai cornered Itagaki.
Gallery
Quotes
"Your puny punches won't stop me. [They're] weak weak weak weak WEAK!" -Round 1026
Trivia
- Imai is probably based on WBC Light Welterweight Champion Hamada Tsuyoshi, which also Ippo is likely based after him.
- Although he and Itagaki Manabu purport to dislike each other, they still refer to each other by their first names, "Manabu" and "Kyousuke".