It's a Dog Eat Dog World Out There - Megalo Box and Socioeconomic Critique

By: Mithrandiel

Though still early in the season, it’s fair to say that the sports series Megalo Box has emerged as an unexpected contender for anime of the season.

Central to its popularity is the charm and fire of Megalo Box’s main character: Junk Dog (later known as Joe).

In the world of Megalo Box, Junk Dog is a nobody. Fighting for survival in the slums of his world, we still don’t have the details on what led him to the ring in the first place. What is established early on, however, is that there’s a world of opulence and luxury that exists as a cruel lure to the lower classes. That's why the announcement of Megalonia is so inspiring for him. The chance to utilize his limited skills as a brawler to secure a better life is the dream that spurs him on in the opening episode.

His coach, Nanbu, has a different view of the world. Older and more experienced in the ways of the world, Nanbu appears to have a better understanding of the injustice that keeps him from ascending to the higher classes. He tells Junk Dog “Thinking about tomorrow isn’t for guys like you and me.”

Now we haven’t dug into the details of Nanbu’s past either, but it’s interesting to see his wildly different approach to the world: most likely inspired by years of rejection and a first-hand account of the forces that keep people like him and Junk Dog submissive and compliant. He feels that a junkyard dog like his student will simply be chewed up and spit out by the forces that be, and attempts to temper his expectations in the opening episodes. Dreaming isn't what they are supposed to do. They're supposed to survive.

Yet, for all the charm and grit that Nanbu and Junk Dog demonstrate in the early episodes, I’m actually more interested in the Megalo Box champion: Yuri. Here we have a dog of a different breed. Unlike the unkempt and wild Junk Dog, Yuri has been groomed and brought up as show dog: a tool to inspire the lower classes. The clout and influence associated with his name is a result of the literal blood, sweat and tears he’s left in the Megalo Box ring. Yet, for all of the taunts he sends Junk Dog’s way following his victory in episode 2, we later see in a conversation with Owner Yukiko Shirato that he doesn’t have as much freedom as he’d like.

There’s an interesting dynamic even within the way he constantly refers to her as “Owner”. Sure, she owns the Megalo Box franchise, but there are many ways that he could address her to communicate her authority over him. Miss, Ma’am, Madame President, etc. However, they choose to have her recognized as “Owner”. She owns Megalo Box. She owns Yuri.

And so, in pitting these two dogs against one another: one a rabid dog from the slums, and the other a groomed dog sent to represent the higher classes, Megalo Box alludes to a broader socioeconomic game that we’ve all seen before. The upper classes maintain their control and influence by selecting individuals brought up from the world below and putting them on display as the reward for “hard work”. You don’t have to stay poor and living in the slums! One day you could rise up through the ranks of Megalo Boxing and become a superstar like Yuri! So quit moaning, and get back to work.

It will be interesting to see how Yuri and Joe's path will evolve in the coming weeks, but I think we can expect to see some turmoil on the part of Yuri as he reflects on what it means to be the Champion. What would it mean for the broader world if Joe is successful in taking the crown? A rabid dog wreaking havoc among the ivory towers of the upper classes?

If you're interested in seeing how it shakes out (and I highly recommend you check the series out), you can find it on Crunchyroll.