Ippo Makunouchi is a very shy high school student who never had the time to make friends because he was always busy helping his mother with the family charter boat fishing business. Because he kept to himself, a group of bullies lead by Umezawa got into the habit of picking on him. On one particular day these bullies decided to give him a rather serious beating, but a middle-weight professional boxer who was passing by stopped the bullies and took the injured Ippo to the Kamogawa Gym, Kamogawa Bokushingu Jimu?), owned by retired boxer Genji Kamogawa, to treat his wounds. After Ippo awoke to the sounds of boxers training, the boxer who saved him, Mamoru Takamura, tried to cheer Ippo up by letting him vent his frustrations on a sandbag. It was then that they had their first glimpse into Ippo's talent for boxing. After that incident, Ippo started his regular training and began his path in Japan's professional boxing.
-taken from Wikipedia

Picture	Real Name	Description
	Ippo Makunouchi	The kind and easily intimidated titular hero of the series, Ippo wishes to become stronger, both physically and mentally. As fate would have it, he meets Mamoru Takamura who introduces him to the world of boxing. From that moment on Ippo tirelessly trains to become a pro boxer and overcome his fears.
	Ichiro Miyata	Ippo's greatest rival. Not only is the taciturn Miyata a boxing prodigy, but he's also blessed with good looks, amazing reflexes, and nearly unmatched speed. He began at the Kamogawa Gym, but later transferred to Kawahara Gym in hopes of one day facing Ippo in an official match.
	Mamoru Takamura	A veteran boxer who introduces Ippo to the sport after rescuing him from bullies. Gifted with incredible physical ability, he is considered to be one of the very few Japanese boxers that can make it on the world stage. As a result of his incredible skill, Takamura has an equally large ego and is not above bad-mouthing his enemies, teammates, and even Coach Kamogawa.
	Genji Kamogawa	Head coach and founder of the Kamogawa gym. He fought as a prizefighter in Japan shortly after the end of World War II. Along with his friends, Ginpachi Nekota and Dankichi Hama, Kamogawa developed a style of fighting that both presumably became the forerunner of boxing in Japan and emphasized scientific theory in its techniques.