The hit webtoon The Boxer by creator JH is officially making the jump to television. Announced during Crunchyroll's panel at New York Comic Con, the project is a collaborative effort between the newly established Japanese studio breccia—founded by former Kinema Citrus producer Muneki Ogasawara—and the Korean animation house Studio Jemi. The production is being spearheaded by HAYATE Inc., the recently formed venture between Aniplex and Crunchyroll.
The series features a notable creative team, with Takehiro Kubota and Won Yeong Kang serving as co-directors. The script is being handled by Toshiya Ono, known for his work on 86 and The Promised Neverland, while Masahiro Suwa of The Rising of the Shield Hero fame is tasked with character design. The voice cast includes Kōki Uchiyama as the protagonist Yu, alongside Kenshō Ono as Ryu, Tomokazu Seki as K, and Toshiyuki Toyonaga as J.
Originally launched on Naver Webtoon in 2019, the series follows the dark and intense journey of a legendary boxing coach who discovers a prodigy with a hauntingly apathetic outlook on life. The webtoon has achieved massive success, accumulating over 1.06 billion views globally and securing a win at the 2024 World Webtoon Awards.
While the source material is complete and available digitally via WEBTOON and in print through Ize Press, this adaptation marks the first major screen project for JH's work. Given the involvement of HAYATE Inc. and the high-profile staff attached, it will be interesting to see how the studio balances the webtoon's distinct visual style with the demands of a serialized television format.
