Ring Ni Kakero

Ring ni Kakero (“Put It All in the Ring”) is a Super Famicom boxing game developed by Earthly Soft and published by NCS. It was released exclusively through the Nintendo Power service in 1998, late in the Super Famicom’s lifespan.

The game follows the plot of the manga of the same name, following the champion-boxer-in-the-making Ryuuji Takane and his analytical sister Kiku Takane, who acts as his ringside coach offering advice. The game includes many characters from the manga, including Ryuuji’s friendly rival Jun Kenzaki, the comic relief Ishimatsu Katori, the prim Takeshi Kawai, and the former Kendo expert Kazuki Shinatora.

The gameplay uses an isometric perspective reminiscent of Human’s Fire Pro Wrestling series, where players can use the space to get around their opponent and flank them. Occasionally, an opponent can launch a special attack and the player must hammer the buttons to counter in time.