Wolf Kanagushi is one of Joe's early rivals in the boxing world. He meets Joe before the bantamweight rookie king finals.
After the fight he meets Joe again in the dressing room. Joe throws insults at Wolf causing him to lash out and ultimately ends up having Joe cross-counter him, causing both men to pass out. Wolf then becomes scared of Joe and his cross counter until his coach tells him how to beat it.
After Joe and Wolf obtain winning streaks a match is made between them. Joe wins the fight with a Triple Cross Counter, which forces Wolf into an early retirement due to a broken jaw.
It's later revealed Wolf became a Yakuza bodyguard. He is beaten up roughly by Gangster Gondo before Joe intervenes.
