While roaming the slums of Tokyo, fugitive orphan Joe Yabuki meets ex-boxer Danpei, who sees potential in the tough young kid and, through rigorous training, transforms him into a champion. The training will come in handy, too, when Joe must face off against his archrival, Tohru Rikiishi. Based on Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba's manga classic, this 1980 treat pioneered the genre of sports anime.