Ippon Again Season 2: Release Date, Cast, Manga, Updates, And Everything We Know
Ippon Again Season 2, will it happen?
Sports animes are probably not for everyone especially if you prefer watching mainstream genres like shonen with planet bursting protagonists.
Nevertheless, the genre offers some unique plotlines which unlike fantasy worlds or reincarnations tropes are relatable as athletes compete against each in cutthroat competition.
Series like Blue Lock and Horimiya have been massive success in recent time but lesser-known sports such as Judo have barely had any representation.
However, Winter 2023 was different as the anime adaption of Yu Muraoka s’ manga series, Ippon Again hit the small screens.
The story follows Michi Sonoda who plans to quit judo after her final year in middle school as she claims her youth should be spent with getting a boyfriend rather than taking bumps on tatami mats.
This revelation shocks her friend Sanae Takigawa as Michi s’ passion towards the sport was the reason to encourage her to take up judo in the first place.
However, Michi s’ retirement plan takes a massive twist when she is beaten embarrassingly by the talented Towa Hirua.
After the loss, Michi and Sanae enters Aobanishi High School but soon finds out that Towa and her childhood friend Anna Nagumo from the Kendo club have also joined the same school.
Can Michi beat the new ace talent Towa Hirua as the newly formed judo club makes new friends and take on new rivals is the central plot of the show.
Ippon Again Season One was a relative success and fans who enjoyed the show are wondering if there will be a second installment or not.
To find the answer, keep scrolling as we bring you all the latest news and updates on Ippon Again Season 2.
Ippon Again is rated 7.1/10 and ranked #3322 with 20k members on MyAnimeList
WHAT IS THE IPPON AGAIN SEASON 2 RELEASE DATE?
Ippon Again Season one aired from 9th January 2023 to 3rd April 2023 for 13 episodes.
As of writing, there is no update from studio Bakken Record on the renewal of Ippon Again Season 2.
| SEASON | RELEASE DATE |
| Ippon Again Season 1 | 9th January 2023 |
| Ippon Again Season 2 | Yet to be Announced |
Production Studios consider various financial and commercial metrics before announcing a renewal.
As mentioned earlier, Ippon Again Season One was an above average series but was rated the second-best sports anime behind Tsurune in the Winter 2022 slate.
Despite being another generic sports anime, the first season keeps the viewers intrigued interested with its female cast and shounen plot.
However, the major criticism that seems to be labelled at the anime is the lack of introduction to sport of judo as viewers unfamiliar with its rules and regulations cannot relate to the fights.
Nevertheless, Ippon Again Season one was popular enough to deserve a renewal, but will it happen?.
While the reviews and ratings are mostly in favour, a crucial factor for renewal will be the availability of studio and source material.
Studio Bakken Record is one of the oldest production houses with over 60 years in the business.
Currently, the studio has listed three new projects for 2023 and beyond which essentially rules out any chance for a swift renewal.
Speaking of renewals, the studio hasn’t got a good track record for producing sequels which could spell bad news for fans hoping for Ippon Again Season 2.
The good news is there is sufficient source material available for creators to produce a sequel, with new volumes releasing every two months.
All in All, assuming the studio renews for a sequel, we can expect Ippon Again Season 2 trailer and Ippon Again Season 2 release date by Winter 2024.
MOU IPPON MANGA CATCHUP
Mou Ippon manga is written and illustrated by Yu Muraoka. It began serialization in Akita Shoten’s shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Champion from 18th October 2018 to 39th March 2023.
The series was transferred to the Manga Cross website on 6th April 2023 and has been collected into 25 volumes with the latest issue released on 7th September 2023.
As of September 2022, Mou Ippon manga has sold 300,000 copies for volumes 1-19.
Mou Ippon manga is rated 7.3/10 and ranked #3737 with 1.1k members on MyAnimeList
IPPON AGAIN SEASON 2 PLOT
In the finale of Ippon Again Season One, “”Another Ippon!”, Odagiri beats the most of the Aoba West Team who calls Michi a weirdo after the match.
The group takes pictures with the winning team as they look forward to the next match.
It’s finally the match that can decide everything. While Towa gave a big yell before the match, Emma seemed enthusiastic, despite Towa throwing her down and initially having an advantage.
Finally, Touwa managed to score a point. However, her advantage quickly disappeared as Towa started to tire out a bit. We also find out that Emma always smiles.
She is quick to learn her opponent’s strategy and manages to win. Halfway through the match, Towa loses her advantage.
She had some near misses. But manages to make a last-minute save and tends not to crash into Erika, who is spectating.
Either way, the score was tied, and Towa gave as much as she got. Sadly, she ends up losing after realizing she messed up. However, she wanted to win as she opened up thanks to Michi and her smile. Thankfully, her friends were there when she started to cry.
Still, seeing this result is unsurprising, as Rinka’s team is well-established, and Shino has to start from scratch.
At least they got pretty far, and Towa faced a formidable opponent. This will serve as a good experience for next time.
Sure, this is Himeno’s last time, but at least she filled in, and Nagumo feels she can live up to her reputation.
Nagumo won’t compete in this tournament, but it’s a shame we didn’t see how she does. At the same time, we also find out that Erika’s team fell short too.
Also, Shino’s team and Rinka’s team took a photo together before they parted ways.
I find it funny how Rinka held back her enthusiasm for Shino. Still, it’s unsurprising that she was doing this in front of her teammates, and she can’t show the other side of her personality.
Not only that, it’s nice to see a beach episode when the credits rolled along with a short epilogue of the girls’ last day of summer.
Ippon Again Season One covered roughly 58 chapters from the manga which means Ippon Again Season 2 will begin by adapting Chapter 59.
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IPPON AGAIN CAST, CHARACTERS AND CREW
Ippon Again is directed by Ken Ogiwara and scripted by Nozomi Fukui. Characters are designed by Airi Takekawa and the music is composed by Shun Narita.
Animation is developed and produced by studio Bakken Record and Yutaku Oomatsu with Masanori Nishiyama serving as art director.
You can find the list of Mou Ippon characters and voice cast below:
| CHARACTERS | VOICED BY |
| Michi Sonoda | Ayasa Itō |
| Sanae Takigawa | Yukari Anzai |
| Natsu Umehara | Ai Kakuma |
| Tsumugi Himeno | Anna Nagase |
| Erika Amane | Aoi Koga |
| Towa Hiura | Chiyuki Miura |
| Kotoko Nogisaki | Ikumi Hasegawa |
| Ami Shiraishi | Konomi Kohara |
| Midoriko Seno | Maria Naganawa |
| Anna Nagumo | Nene Hieda |
| Sachi Minato | Yuki Yomichi |
| Shino Natsume | Yumi Uchiyama |
| Emma Duran | Akira Sekine |
| Rinka Inui | Chinatsu Akasaki |
| Megumi Domoto | Fairouz Ai |
| Chigusa Sano | Hina Tachibana |
| Wakana Tamon | Iori Saeki |
| Isshin Nagumo | Kazuyuki Okitsu |
| Nene Koide | Miyari Nemoto |
| Kana Satoyama | Nao Ojika |
| Maho Sakakibara | Rei Matsuzaki |
| Sayaka Aoi | Rie Kawamura |
| Ran Fujimori | Riho Sugiyama |
| Tohka Oda | Saori Ōnishi |
| Mutsumi Jinno | Sayaka Kitahara |
| Ayase Suzu | Sayumi Suzushiro |
| Hikaru Mashima | Shizuka Ishigami |
| Mr. Gondo | Yasuhiro Mamiya |
| Homare Tezuka | Yuka Iwahashi |
| Yuri Hazuki | Yume Miyamoto |
CONCLUSION
Take away studio Bakken Records lack of renewal history, there is sufficient demand and source material for producing Ippon Again Season 2.
