| Joe Yabuki | |
|---|---|
| Ashita no Joe character | |
 Joe Yabuki by Tetsuya Chiba | |
| First appearance | Ashita no Joe chapter 1 (1968) |
| Created by | Asao Takamori, Tetsuya Chiba |
| Portrayed by | Shōji Ishibashi (1970), Tomohisa Yamashita (2011) |
| Voiced by | Teruhiko Aoi, Kei Tomiyama (Pilot Film), Yoshito Yasuhara (Radio Drama) |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Joe |
Joe Yabuki (Japanese: 矢吹 丈, Hepburn: Yabuki Jō) nicknamed just Joe (ジョー, Jō) is the protagonist of the manga series Ashita no Joe by Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba. Joe Yabuki, is a wandering orphan wo who discovers a passion for boxing in a juvenile prison, and his rise through Japan's and the global boxing scene. He is coached by Danpei Tange to become skilled and face his prison cell partner Tōru Rikiishi. The character has also appeared in video games based on Ashita no Joe and has been portrayed in two live-action works by and Shōji Ishibashi and Tomohisa Yamashita.
The character was based on multiple boxers Asao Takamori researched. The main idea behind Joe's characterization was that he was passionate about his love of boxing and thus would live to his full extent until his death. Critical response to the character was positive due to his The characterization and rivalry with Tōru Rikiishi. Joe went on to become iconic in manga history, influencing real boxers and other fictional characters, most notably Kyo Kusanagi and Gearless Joe. The character's final fate has been ambiguous which was a major hit in manga history but Chiba often saying he did not give him a particular fate as he had no idea how to close the manga.