Fighting Spirit(はじめの一歩Hajime no Ippo, lit. "The First Step" in Japan) is a boxing manga and anime series created by Jōji "George" Morikawa which is serialized by Kodansha in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. The manga has been running since 1989, spans 90 tankōbon. A 76-episode anime adaption, titled Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! was produced by Madhouse, the Nippon TV Network and VAP, directed by Satoshi Nishimura and ran on the Nippon TV Network from October 2000 to March 2002. One OVA and a movie were also produced. At the end of 2003 the anime was licensed in North America by Geneon. Geneon released it as Fighting Spirit. It was called Knock Out! in the Philippines.