Kanichi Nishi

Before he ever cared about boxing, Kanichi Nishi was known mostly for getting into fights he had no business starting. He first runs into Joe Yabuki behind the walls of a juvenile facility, and that first meeting ends badly for him: Joe knocks him flat without much trouble. Oddly enough, that loss is what starts their friendship rather than ending it, and the two grow close once they both land at the same correctional facility.

Watching Joe take on Tooru Rikiishi in a brutal detention-center bout changes something in Nishi. The swagger and bad attitude that defined him begin to fade, replaced bit by bit with real discipline, and he picks up an interest in the sport almost by accident. Years later, back near Namida Bridge, Joe is stunned to find that Nishi has already signed up to train under Danpei Tange, determined to stay close to his old rival turned friend. Nishi never becomes a star in the ring himself, but his steady, reliable style makes him the only sparring partner tough enough to actually push Joe during training.

His story outside boxing turns gentler: he falls for Noriko Hayashi, whose father happens to be his boss at the grocery store, and after a hand injury forces him to step away from competing, he throws a retirement party where he openly says how proud those years in the sport made him. Marriage to Noriko follows, along with a steady job, though he never stops showing up in Joe's corner whenever a big fight comes around.