Tomorrow's Joe 2

About Tomorrow's Joe 2

Meet Tomorrow's Joe 2 (あしたのジョー２), an action, drama and slice of life anime by Tokyo Movie Shinsha (1980). Here is the premise in a nutshell. In short: Yabuki Joe is left downhearted and hopeless after a certain tragic event. In attempt to put the past behind him, Joe leaves the gym behind and begins wandering.

Further in, on his travels he comes across the likes of Wolf Kanagushi and Goromaki Gondo, men who unintentionally fan the dying embers inside him, leading him to putting his wanderings to an end. His return home puts Joe back on the path to boxing, but unknown to himself and his trainer, he now suffers deep-set issues holding him back from fighting. In attempt to quell those issues, Carlos Rivera, a realm renowned boxer is invited from Venezuela to help Joe recover.

With action at the core, fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. Voice work is led by Teruhiko Aoi as Joe Yabuki and Shuusei Nakamura as Tooru Rikiishi. If you count yourself among viewers who like fast, high-impact fights, put it on your list. At 47 episodes in total, it is easy to plan a viewing schedule.

Production & Appeal

Tokyo Movie Shinsha is the studio behind Tomorrow's Joe 2, and its direction shapes everything from character design to motion. The action focus matters here: fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. Viewers rate it 8.9/10, which signals strong word of mouth. On the casting side, Teruhiko Aoi voicing Joe Yabuki gives the lead role a recognizable voice. It aired in 1980, which makes it easy to place in the wider anime calendar.