Abstract: The fixing apparatus includes a back-up member which is disposed outside a rotational and flexible endless belt and moves the endless belt, and a heating unit which is located inside the endless belt to face the back-up member and forms a fixing nip, and heats the endless belt at the fixing nip. The heating unit includes a support member having a recess formed in one surface thereof, current-supply electrodes respectively disposed at both ends of a length of the recess, and a heating element which is formed in the recess to contact the current-supply electrodes, the heating element including a base polymer and an electrically-conductive filler distributed in the base polymer to form an electrically-conductive network in a base polymer.