The Ballad of Tobio

The Ballad of Tobio (トビオのバラード, Tobio no barādo) is a manga and later Anime series by Osamu Tezuka that ran on Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1965 to 1969, it tells the story of young orphan Tobio Katsumoto training from Street Smart Teen to Featherweight Prize fighter, this is considered to be Tezuka's most violent work in his career.

in 1975, United Artists released a loose adaptation simply named Toby, starring Walter Matthau as the trainer Robert Shmuel, in 1979 an Anime adaptation was aired on TV Ashai that concluded in 1982, followed by some video games, a Musical Remake is in the works at MGM's Orion Pictures.

Story
the year is 1963, Tobio Katsumoto is a troubled 14-year old boy who ran away from an orphanage in 1959, wandering through the slums of Tokyo, he meets old Trainer Robert Shmuel being harassed by a robber, Tobio beats him up and saves Robert, Tobio however slips on a banana peel and gets knocked unconscious, Robert later takes Tobio to his Boxing Gym and later Tobio wakes up on one of the benches, the two become friends and Tobio agrees to be Shmuel's boxer pupil.

however, a ruckus begins outside caused by the biker gang, the Mad Masked gang, Tobio pops out of the gym and defeats many members, including their leader Mack "The Knife", Tobio later frees Italian-American 14-year old schoolgirl Hannah Cacaronie, whom becomes Tobio's love interest later on.

Tobio later attends Hannah's school to get a better education.

after some weeks of rigorous training, Tobio feels ready for his first fight, Tobio starts his debut at a underground bar against the 18-year old French weakling, Jean Belmondo, whom Tobio defeats in the first round, Tobio later fights the more stronger 17-year old Jo Kashuka, whom he knocks out in the second round.

during Tobio's school life, he makes some new friends, including Jiro Takeshi, whom he saves from bullies.

After winning a slew of illegal underground matches, Tobio then faces off against Jazz Kid, a 16-Year old African American living in Tokyo, they then score a brutal match on each other, both getting major injuries in the process, at the final 5th round, Tobio soon gets the upper hand and knocks him to his corner, Tobio tries to perform the final blow on Jazz, when his arm is stopped by Hannah, preventing Tobio from accidentally killing Jazz, the match ends with a split decision, declaring Jazz the winner, though they become friends later on.

Tobio and his friends from School and the gym all decide to unite together to fight the Mad Masked gang, they all emerge victorious against the gang and even getting leader The Knife sent to the police while the rest of the gang all declare surrender, they become heroes of the Neighborhood slum, thus ending the first half of the Story.

3 Years Later and it's Late 1966, Tobio is now 16 after years of being a Club fighter, at school however, the School principal Mr. Oroka expels Tobio after finding out his Double life, Tobio is now in a state of depression and having constant visions of his dead mother, it would all seem like the end for Tobio's career when suddenly while training, he is found by a TV Sportscaster and recommends him to sign a deal to broadcast his fights on national Television, he agrees and suggests his Ring name to be "Kid Kamikaze of Yokohama" (横浜のカミカゼ) after Yokohama, his place of birth, he then tells Robert and Hannah the news about his deal, Tobio then trains more harder than before for his first Televised match against 26-Year old Calamity Jones from the UK, as Tobio appears on the TV, he gives Hannah's parents who are watching on TV a big shock, the match begins as Tobio throws Body and head blows at Jones, but no success, but at Round 2, Tobio takes the round and knocks Jones down for the count, thus winning the match.

after having a successful winning streak with 17 wins and barely any losses, Tobio is then approached by 36-year old undefeated heavyweight champion and expatriate Salvador Havana from Cuba, and they agree to a 15 round match on Christmas day 1967 that be broadcast worldwide, between July and December, Tobio trains rigorously to be stronger and more worthy of fighting an unbeatable menace, as he prepares for the big day though Tobio meets Hannah at her local church, where Tobio decides to convert and becomes a Christian, knowing the lord will always be on his side.

December 25th arrives and the fight is to start, their respective corners are decorated in the flags of Japan and Cuba, their home countries, Tobio says he can fare against Salvador, the fight begins as Tobio and Salvador duke it out, early on during the grueling match, both boxers get facial and body injuries including black eyes, bloody noses, ect., sometimes, Salvador has the upper hand, other times is Tobio, at the last round of the match, Tobio and Salvador are at each other's throats, beating each other senseless, until the round ends, both fighters are separated to avoid further damage, Salvador is declared the winner by split decision, until a bruised and bloodied Tobio falls out cold on the canvas, he soon gets taken to his locker room by his trainer, only to see that Tobio is dying of injuries, leaving Robert, Hannah, her parents, the rest of his pals, and even Salvador in shock and sadness, Tobio dies satisfied.

in an epilogue, Robert is seen in Funeral tuxedo (Indicating a funeral for Tobio had took place) wandering in the now abandoned gym, soon to be replaced by a restaurant, he then sees a picture of Tobio and says, "Good work son, Good work..." he then leaves the gym, and the screen fades to white.

"終"

Main

 * Tobio Katsumoto (勝本トビオ, Katsumoto Tobio) or Toby in English versions, Voiced by: Keiko Toda (Japanese), Brett Johnson (English), the protagonist of the story, originally from Astro Boy, a parent-less street urchin turned Featherweight boxer who always protects those in need, and can attack someone if provoked, known for his Brown hair, his Beige coat, red newsboy cap, and Gakuran uniform when at school.
 * Robert Shmuel (ロバート・シュムール, Robāto Shumūru) Voiced by: Casey Takamine (Japanese), Paul Frees (English), an old WWII Vet of Jewish descent who got lost due to his drunkenness and stayed in the streets of Tokyo since, though overtime, he opened up a Boxing gym in the 50s despite never being a boxer himself, though he has claimed his Father was one, After seeing the Tobio's potential, he decides to bet everything on him, believing that Tobio can become an extraordinary boxer.
 * Hannah Cacaronie (ハンナ・カカロニー, Han'na Kakaronī) Voiced by: Mari Okamoto (Japanese), Christie Moreau (English), an Italian-American foreign exchange student living with her Family, after she was saved from the Mad Masked Gang by Tobio, she becomes his Love interest, and became the series main couple, Tobio was the only boy Hannah ever really loved, and is torn apart after his eventual death. Hannah is known for her Working clothes at home and her Sailor Fuku at school, their romance made this one of the first interracial relations in a manga.

Tachi High School

 * Jiro Takeshi (武 二郎, Takeshi Jirō), Jeremy Bottoms in English versions Voiced by: Noriko Ohara (Japanese), Knowl Johnson (English) is Tobio's friend whom he saved from Bullies, they become the best of friends even after Tobio gets expelled.
 * Mr. Oroka (オロカさん, Oroka-san), Mr. Orson in the English version, the strict principal of Tachi High School who at times is seen in conflict with Tobio, he is last seen when Tobio is expelled, when he is given punch to the face by Tobio in return, to the amusement of some of the students.

Cacaronie Family

 * Johnny Cacaronie (ジョニー・カカロニー, Jonī Kakaronī) is Hannah's working class father who is later revealed to be a Boxer himself during his youth.
 * Katie Cacaronie (ケイティ・カカロニー, Keiti Kakaronī) is Hannah's mother
 * Kyo "Chibi" Cacaronie (京「ちび」カカロニー, Kyō `chibi' Kakaroni) or simply Chibi, is Hannah's adoptive little brother and a bratty half-pint at times, but is respected by her older sister nonetheless, his design was the title character from Tezuka's first published manga "The Diary of Ma-Chan"

Mad Masked Gang

 * Maku Kata (カタ・マク, Maku Kata) Mack the Knife in English versions, Voiced by: Casey Takamine (Japanese), Carl Andy (English), the leader of the Delinquent gang, he is first seen attempting to harass Hannah before being beat up by Tobio, forcing him to retreat, he comes back again to get his revenge but not before Tobio bands together with his friends and former Boxing rivals, and his gang is defeated as they retreat while Maku is taken to the Police Station.

Rivals

 * Jean Belmondo (ジョン・ベルモンド, Jon Berumondo) from Paris, France, is Tobio's very first opponent and his most easiest opponent due to his weakness and cowardice, he may have been an inspiration for the Punch-Out!! series' Glass Joe.
 * Jo Kashuka (ジョー・カシュカ, Jō Kashuka) from Tokyo, Japan
 * Jazz Kid (ジャズキッド, Jazukiddo) Voiced by: Noriko Ohara (Japanese), Shawn Wayans (English), Originating from Harlem, New York City, an African-American Foreign exchange student from another school, he and Tobio start out as enemies but become good friends after.
 * Luca Ferrari (ルカ・フェラーリ) a young fighter from Italy who only appears in the Anime's second season.
 * Calamity Jones (カラミティ・ジョーンズ, Karamiti Jōnzu)
 * Salvador Havana (サルバドール・ハバナ, Sarubadōru Habana) The perfect champion who had never lost, fought beautifully and was admired by all. He takes great care of his health and family, and is constantly calm and confident, giving an aura of being truly unbeatable. A recurring theme is his immense physical strength, to the point of leaving big bruises on Tobio body by gripping him, easily forcing him into a handshake, and even bending coins with his fingers. He only breaks down from this during the later stages of his fight with Tobio, where he loses his cool and fears for his life against Tobio's unrelenting spirit. Havana was knocked down for the first time in his career during the fight, and even fouled Tobio violently in a moment of terror. He would win the decision, he may have been an inspiration for Jose Mendoza in Ashita no Joe.

Anime Series (1979-1982)
the series was adapted into an Anime series that ran for two seasons on TV Asahi from 1979 to 1982, the first season was later dubbed into English by director Carl Andy's Dreidel Productions and retitled "The Life of Toby" with Distribution from Paramount Television (whom previously produced a failed Sitcom with Andy), however finding a network to air it proved a challenge, ABC, CBS and NBC all turned it down for their Saturday Morning Lineup, in part due to it's violence and the concept of a boy becoming a prize fighter at a young age, the then newly established Nickelodeon also turned it down, Syndicating the show was also not an option, eventually Home Box Office (HBO) accepted the series and gave Andy creative control over the dub, unlike most English dubs of the time, this one was uncut by retaining the violence and swearing, it aired from 1985 to 1986, later on, Paramount Home Video released volume tapes of all the episodes edited together to 2 feature length movies, "New Kid on the Block" and "Road to Glory", Paramount also released these versions to theaters Internationally, they were also released on DVD in 2001.

in 1998, Paramount sold the home video rights to Family Home Entertainment, the same company that released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Robotech, and Rakin & Bass tapes at the time, FHE released volume tapes of the dub in an edited form to cater to Children, FHE's target audience.

in 2003, Lions Gate Films acquired and folded Artisan Entertainment and FHE became a sub-division of Lionsgate Home Entertainment, before taking down FHE with them in 2005, in the year prior, Manga Entertainment (itself would be folded into Lionsgate after absorbing Starz Distribution in 2016) bought all rights (including the undubbed Second season) and released the entire original series Uncut on DVD along with the English dubbed 1st Season, Andy was involved and insisted the Paramount Television logos be retained on the dubbed episodes.

in West Germany, ZDF aired a German dub in 1987 called "Toby der Kinderboxer", the dub was infamous among fans as it changed the setting to the future as well as changed most of the characters to robots (e.g. some shots featuring blood were painstakingly repainted to black to make it look like oil alongside metal sounds when Tobio or another fighter gets hit), as well as more Electronic sounding music and stock footage from the 1980 Astro Boy series to reinforce it's future setting, supposedly this was done to avoid controversy about it's violence involving teenagers. this dub was later cancelled after 7 episodes, the series was later aired in Germany in the late 2000s on Animax Germany, restoring it's 1960s setting and violence.

Video Games
the series spawned many video games some only released in Japan,
 * 1984 - Tobio no barādo (Arcade) - Namco (Japan)/Bally Midway (North America), Released as Hot Streets Internationally
 * 1986 - Tobio no barādo: Hotto Buraddo (Family Computer) - Namco
 * 1991 - Sūpā Tobio no barādo (Super Famicom) - Bandai
 * 2002 - Tobio no barādo: Eikō (Playstation 2, Gamecube) - Sega, GC Version was released in the US as Hot Blooded Street Story: Tobio's Journey