Homeland: Tokyo, Japan
Occupation: Professional Boxer (formerly), Doctor, Cornerman
Weight Class: Featherweight
Height: 167 cm (5'5")
Reach: 168.4 cm (66")
Style: Hybrid
Stance: Orthodox
Current Affiliation: Kinoshita Boxing Gym
Previous Trainers: Kinoshita coach, Dankichi Hama
Retired: April 1994
Sanada Kazuki shows up throughout Hajime no Ippo as a rival character, most notably as the main antagonist in the Champion Road TV special. He's a former Junior Featherweight Champion who eventually moved up in weight class to pursue new challenges.
What sets Sanada apart is his deeply analytical approach to boxing. He's the type of fighter who calculates everything—literally timing down to the second how long an opponent will be stunned by his strikes. He relies on precision and tactical knowledge rather than raw power or speed. His real edge comes from his medical background; he understands human anatomy well enough to target specific points on the body with devastating accuracy, aiming for the vital organs that cause cyanosis rather than just throwing heavy shots at the torso. He can even control his heart rate between rounds, which lets him recover and fight at peak performance when others are gassed.
Ippo and Sanada have a genuine respect for each other despite their rivalry. When Ippo was worried Takamura might have a detached retina, Sanada didn't hesitate to step in and help—that's the kind of relationship they developed. Their title fight became a clash between Sanada's cold, calculated science and Ippo's raw fighting spirit, with Ippo's determination ultimately proving Sanada's predictions wrong.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
