The Champion (1957): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1957, The Champion is an action, drama, romance and music film directed by Umetsugu Inoue, running about 97 minutes.

What it’s about. Eikichi Yamashiro, who is a former contender for the boxing title, works as a manager at a Club Champion owned by his fiancé Natsuko’s father. He lost a title match five years ago as he was besotted by Natsuko, but Eikichi actually cannot give up the dream of the championship. One day, he meets Shuntaro Fuma, who is a punk kid but a promising boxer, and realizes the dream that he himself could never fulfill. Then, they together start to train with the aim of the title. Mari Shiraki is an up-and-coming ballerina under the patronage of Eikichi as well. Eikichi forbids Shuntaro and Mari to be romantically involved with someone during their training, however, they start to go on a date. (source: Nikkatsu International)

Who’s in it. The Champion stars Tatsuya Mihashi as Eikichi Yamashiro, Yūjirō Ishihara as Shuntaro Fuma, Yôko Minamida as Natsuko Miyagawa and Mie Kitahara as Mari Shiraki, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, The Champion has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Champion page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Champion tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.