Tetsuya Chiba, the manga creator behind Ashita no Joe (*Tomorrow's Joe*), has died. His death was announced on October 27, 2026, and within hours his publishers, his former award winners and much of the manga industry had posted tributes. If the news has you wanting to go back to Joe Yabuki, or to watch him for the first time, this is where the anime stands and how it ranks on SenpaiRanks.
Quick answer
Tetsuya Chiba drew Ashita no Joe (written by Asao Takamori, serialized 1968–1973), the boxing manga behind two TV anime: Ashita no Joe (Mushi Production, 1970, 79 episodes) and Ashita no Joe 2 (TMS, 1980, 47 episodes, directed by Osamu Dezaki). There are also two compilation films from 1980 and 1981. According to SenpaiRanks, Ashita no Joe 2 scores 8.17, which makes it the #4 boxing anime on our board. The original series sits at 7.70. The 2018 anniversary reimagining Megalobox (7.63) and its sequel Nomad: Megalobox 2 (7.73) both stream on Crunchyroll, so they are the easiest way in.
Who Chiba was
Chiba debuted professionally in 1956, when he was 17 and still in high school, per Anime News Network. Ashita no Joe is the work most people know, but his reach went beyond it. He chaired the Japan Cartoonist Association. In 2022 he was named to the Japan Art Academy as one of its first two manga creators, and in 2024 he became the first manga creator to receive the Order of Culture. He kept working to the end: Big Comic's editors said he was still serializing Hinemosu Notari Nikki with them.
The tributes show how wide that reach was. Kodansha's Chiba Tetsuya Award launched careers, and Kingdom creator Yasuhisa Hara wrote that he came out of it and that Chiba had kept an eye on him ever since his debut. Tetsuo Hara (*Fist of the North Star*) and Kōsuke Fujishima (*Oh My Goddess!*) also posted, per ANN's two-part roundup.
Where to watch Ashita no Joe and Megalobox
- Megalobox (2018, 13 episodes) — made for Ashita no Joe's 50th anniversary, with a new sci-fi setting and new characters. It streams on Crunchyroll. Show page.
- Nomad: Megalobox 2 (2021, 13 episodes) — a quieter, sadder sequel that our voters rank above the original. It's on Crunchyroll. Show page.
- Ashita no Joe (1970) and Ashita no Joe 2 (1980) — legal streaming for these classic series is limited and varies by region. The Ashita no Joe and Ashita no Joe 2 show pages track current listings.
Which one to start with
If you have a weekend, start with Megalobox. It runs 13 episodes and shows you why Joe still matters without asking you to sit through 1970s production values. If you want to see the source of half the sports anime you love, go straight to Ashita no Joe 2. Dezaki's freeze-frame "postcard" shots and the series' famous last image are the genre's founding grammar. Our boxing anime ranking places both next to Hajime no Ippo, and the 1980s anime films ranking and 80s–90s board cover the era Joe 2 helped define. For the wider picture, see the sports anime ranking.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who was Tetsuya Chiba?
A: A manga creator best known for drawing Ashita no Joe. He chaired the Japan Cartoonist Association and in 2024 became the first manga creator to receive Japan's Order of Culture. His death was announced on October 27, 2026.
Q: Is Ashita no Joe 2 good?
A: Yes. It scores 8.17 on SenpaiRanks and is the #4 boxing anime on our board, behind only the three Hajime no Ippo seasons.
Q: Where can I watch Megalobox?
A: Megalobox and Nomad: Megalobox 2 stream on Crunchyroll.
Q: Is Megalobox connected to Ashita no Joe?
A: Yes. It was made for Ashita no Joe's 50th anniversary and credits the original manga as its source, but it uses a new setting and new characters.
Q: What order should I watch Ashita no Joe in?
A: Ashita no Joe (1970), then Ashita no Joe 2 (1980). The 1980 and 1981 films are compilations of those series, so you can skip them if you've seen the TV versions.