B.B.
B.B. is a Japanese boxing and coming-of-age manga series created by Osamu Ishiwata.
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Overview
B.B. is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Ishiwata. Its title is associated with the phrase “Burning Blood,” reflecting the volatile temperament and combative drive of its central character, Ryō Takagi. The series was serialized in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shōnen Sunday, beginning with issue 24 of 1985 and concluding with issue 9 of 1991. It belongs to the sports and youth-drama tradition of manga, but its premise also incorporates music, street violence, underground boxing, and the protagonist’s struggle to control his anger. The story begins with Ryō Takagi playing trumpet at a club. After leaving the venue, he is attacked by a motorcycle gang. The confrontation escalates into a street accident, becoming the decisive event that redirects his life. Ryō ultimately abandons his musical ambitions and enters the underground boxing world. His progression as a fighter is intertwined with an effort to master the “burning blood” and impulsive rage that repeatedly threaten to overwhelm him. This combination of physical competition and emotional self-discipline provides the series with its central dramatic structure. B.B. was created during a period when Weekly Shōnen Sunday published long-running action and sports narratives aimed at younger male readers. Ishiwata used boxing as the principal framework while giving the work a broader identity through its musical opening, street-oriented setting, ensemble cast, and focus on personal transformation. The principal cast includes Ryō Takagi, Jin Moriyama, Minoru “Sorry” Satou, Koyuki Matsuhara, Kouichi Wakabayashi, Su-chan, Makoto “Ottosei” Otobe, Gentarou Takagi, and the character known as Fox Fire Head. The series received significant industry recognition when it won the Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category in 1989. After B.B. ended, Ishiwata created LOVe, which is described as a continuation of the series. B.B. was also adapted into a pachinko game by Okamura under the title CR B.B.; that adaptation was released on 1 April 2000. The manga itself is no longer in active serialization, but it remains notable as a Shogakukan award-winning boxing manga and as an earlier work connected to Ishiwata’s later serial output.
History
B.B. is a Japanese manga series by writer and artist Osamu Ishiwata. The work was serialized in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shōnen Sunday from issue 24 of 1985 through issue 9 of 1991. The title is associated with “Burning Blood,” a phrase that captures the aggressive energy and emotional volatility of the protagonist, Ryō Takagi. The narrative opens with Ryō performing trumpet at a club. After leaving the club, he becomes involved in a confrontation with a motorcycle gang. The fight spills into the street and leads to a traffic accident, serving as the story’s key turning point. Ryō abandons his musical career and enters underground boxing, where his physical development is accompanied by a more difficult internal challenge: learning to restrain the anger and impulsiveness represented by his burning blood. Although boxing supplies the series with its principal sport and action setting, B.B. is also a youth drama about identity and redirection. Ryō’s movement from music into fighting gives the manga a distinctive starting point, while the underground environment allows Ishiwata to explore rivalry, loyalty, violence, and self-control. The supporting cast includes Jin Moriyama, Minoru “Sorry” Satou, Koyuki Matsuhara, Kouichi Wakabayashi, Su-chan, Makoto “Ottosei” Otobe, Gentarou Takagi, and Fox Fire Head. B.B. achieved formal recognition in 1989, when it won the Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category. This award established the series as a notable work within Japanese youth-oriented manga during its original run. After the serialization ended, Ishiwata produced LOVe, which is identified as a continuation of B.B., extending the creative relationship between the two works. The property later moved beyond print. Okamura adapted it into a pachinko title called CR B.B., released on 1 April 2000. The adaptation represents the best-documented commercial extension of the manga beyond its original magazine serialization. No further information in the supplied references establishes a current publisher, active licensing program, new serialization, or ongoing commercial operation. Accordingly, B.B. is treated here as a completed manga property rather than an active consumer brand.
- 2000
Pachinko adaptation released
[1]Okamura releases the CR B.B. pachinko adaptation on 1 April 2000.
- 1991
Original serialization ends
[1]The Weekly Shōnen Sunday serialization concludes with issue 9 of 1991.
- 1989
Shogakukan Manga Award recognition
[1]The series wins the Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category.
- 1985
Serialization begins
[1]B.B. begins publication in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shōnen Sunday with issue 24 of 1985.
Products and positioning
A Japanese shōnen sports and action manga centered on underground boxing, personal discipline, and the transformation of an anger-prone young musician into a fighter.
Manga series · 1985
B.B.
The original Japanese shōnen manga written and illustrated by Osamu Ishiwata. It follows Ryō Takagi, a trumpet player whose confrontation with a motorcycle gang leads him away from music and into underground boxing. The series combines sports action with a coming-of-age narrative focused on anger, discipline, rivalry, and personal change.
Pachinko game · 2000
CR B.B.
A pachinko adaptation of B.B. produced by Okamura. It transferred the manga property into Japan’s pachinko entertainment market and was released on 1 April 2000.
Manga continuation
LOVe
A subsequent serial by Osamu Ishiwata described in the reference material as a continuation of B.B. The supplied sources do not provide enough detail to document its publication history or relationship to the earlier series beyond that connection.
Recent events
- 2000
CR B.B. pachinko adaptation released[1]
Product launch
Okamura released a pachinko adaptation based on B.B. under the title CR B.B. on 1 April 2000.
- 1989
B.B. wins the Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category[1]
Other
Osamu Ishiwata’s B.B. received the Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category, marking the series as an officially recognized work of Japanese youth manga.
Sources2 sources
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