Joe yabuki conclusion is amazing no of the best I seen we see a end to his inspiring and amazing character journey we see lots of themes in his conclusion we see a sense of realism on punch drunk syndrome. Throughout the story the narrative makes a lot of reference to joes passion and will for boxing as a flame , when he talks to noriko he says "until all that remains is pure ash there is no embers left just pure ash" this is foreshadowing for this moment, but also shows Joe passion for boxing is a burning flame but can a burning flame burn forever ? No When a flame burns out what happens, it turns to white ash the panel is white and so is joes hair symbolism the end of his flame and essence in life, The fire in Joe is gone and burned up until it turned into ash, showcasing joe is white ashes, the panel also showcases him alone and doesn't show anyone else showcasing that joes alone, the reason Joe is smiling is because he ended his life doing what he loved the most boxing until his burning flame turned into ash, nothing else matter to him but boxing.