The champ is met with a right!
Damn it! Why'd he try for a big swing?!
The champ stumbles backwards!
C-Coach.
Ippo-kun's face is turning...
That's...
Cyanosis, due to prolonged hypoxia!
I can see that you're submerged. The water's over your head now.
Welcome to the ocean floor.
The Dempsey Roll Destroyed
In a close-range fight he's not used to,
along with the pressure Shimabukuro puts on,
the kid's been drained of all his stamina in a heartbeat!
Now he's fighting on Shimabukuro's turf.
He may have the edge in pure strength, but we've got a much more potent weapon!
He can punch at a consistent pace, keeps his breathing under control,
and has the legs and loins to spring right back after taking a hit.
In a word: resilience!
Shimabukuro's resilience is his greatest advantage!
Fifteen seconds left in the fifth round!
The challenger rushes in!
Body, body, body!
He pounds his body into the ropes!
The champion's face twists with pain! He's hurting!
He slips away along the ropes...
But he can't get away!
Body, body, body!
A relentless assault to the midsection!
Man, that's brutal.
I feel like I'll suffocate just watching it.
It hurts... I feel like I'm gonna puke up all my insides...
There's the bell!
Back away, Shimabukuro!
The champ is left more broken than we've ever seen him!
He only rests on the ropes with a blank stare, not moving!
Or, perhaps, he can't move?
The crowd watches the battered champion in stunned silence.
A dark cloud has descended over the arena!
He came with me to the bottom of the ocean.
He sure did. Well done!
I expected to get to this point a lot earlier, but he resisted for all he was worth.
Still, he can't get back to the surface now.
He'll never get his head above water again.
I'll leave him sunk like a shipwreck next round.
Conserve your strength. Conserve...
I was too scared to use it after he said he'd beat it,
but I can't beat him unless I give everything I've got.
I need to conserve my strength so I can hit as hard as possible...
Hit him with the Dempsey Roll!
He's trying to summon up what little energy he has left.
I can tell exactly what you're thinking, kid!
You're planning to use the Dempsey Roll!
Our opponent had no hesitation in saying he would break it, though...
If he does stop him, the kid will be...
Seconds out!
You've got this bout won. Finish him off!
I'll sink him.
I'm going...
Round six.
Box!
Round six begins,
and the champion's steps are heavy. He's clearly still hurting.
But the challenger chooses not to rush in!
He's slowly, deliberately working his way in!
His eyes are still alive.
Even at the bottom of the ocean, you can still see light.
I understand. Then I'll just have to eliminate all hope!
I'll drag you down to the blackest depths of the ocean,
where there's not a speck of light!
The challenger makes his move!
He dives low into the champ's chest like a submarine!
The left hook is completely ignored, and the champ is in agony again!
A relentless storm of body blows contorts his face with agony!
Get away, Makunouchi!
No! Clinch him!
He throws a hand up to push the challenger back. Anguish is written on his face!
Can he manage to escape?!
I don't think so!
The champion strikes back!
A hard right as he falls off-balance!
He's still got power behind his punches!
Another return blow!
The champ counterattacks from a very awkward position!
The challenger's not slowing down.
He presses forward with rapid jabs from massive fists!
But none are landing! The champ weaves past each one!
The champion's weaving takes a familiar shape,
as his body draws an infinity symbol in the air!
The challenger throws a left!
A miss!
The champ turns back around on the momentum of his weave!
Swinging back and forth like a pendulum, this is...
The Dempsey Roll!
His ultimate weapon is unleashed at last!
The challenger desperately defends himself!
About time!
Break his guard!
Knock him out!
His stance falls apart! The challenger is open!
The light you were seeing was the Dempsey Roll...
Well, no light can reach the bottom of the ocean!
Watch me destroy the Dempsey Roll!
A dual exchange!
An explosive crash like two tanks colliding reverberates about the arena!
The challenger fights the Dempsey Roll with brute force!
The champ starts up again!
Another ferocious exchange!
Fresh blood flies off their faces as another explosion rocks the arena!
The champion will not stop!
But the challenger meets him and they trade blows again!
Unbelievable! This was his plan to break the Dempsey Roll?
He's just trading punches!
An utterly terrifying exchange of blows!
The champion continues the Dempsey Roll!
He bets the match on the move he believes in most!
With all the momentum he builds up during the Dempsey Roll,
his punch would theoretically become a counter that deals double damage.
But it's a huge risk. It seems virtually impossible to pull off!
He's a fearless man with nerves of steel,
with the physical might to endure the Dempsey Roll!
That makes him the first person who's been able to go blow-for-blow with the kid!
What an unbelievable feat!
Each blow could easily be a knockout punch!
Both men falter as the exchange takes its toll!
Not yet...
He hasn't beaten the Dempsey Roll yet!
Ippo...
Senpai...
Kid, you're not...
I... I won't quit... 'til the very end!
You've got no momentum. That's just a normal hook!
That had to hurt!
The champ's head snaps back. He stumbles backwards!
H-He got him.
The champ grabs the ropes and refuses to go down!
Will this be his last stand?!
We've just witnessed a stunning, shocking display:
the Dempsey Roll has been overcome!
A technique we all thought was unstoppable, obliterated with a direct assault!
What incredible fortitude the Ryukyu Warrior has!
He may be our opponent, but I have to respect that.
You're an extraordinary man, the pride of Okinawa!
I did it... I did it!
I beat the Dempsey Roll!
The belt wasn't my only goal in coming to the mainland.
I wanted to prove myself as the bravest man in Japan!
Nothing is a greater source of pride to a son of the sea!
I finally blotted out the last ray of light.
I've won the battle of fishermen!
The challenger took a lot of damage from the dual exchanges, too,
but he'll never have a chance like this again! Can he finish the job?!
Trading those punches hurt his spirit as much as it did his body.
He's in real trouble!
The full-to-capacity crowd holds their breath in anticipation!
Makunouchi will go down with just a tap now! Take him out!
The belt dangles in front of his face.
He need only stick his fist out and claim it!
What happened?
Why...
What? He's not moving!
The challenger stands ready to strike before the beaten champion!
His big chance to take the belt, and he's completely frozen!
I dominated the battle between we two sons of the sea,
but I can't move!
Of course, the exchanges!
There's no way Shimabukuro didn't get hurt as well!
Sh-Shimabukuro!
Did he sacrifice too much to beat the Dempsey Roll?
He's not holding off on purpose. He really can't move!
Shimabukuro's face is turning...
That's...
Cyanosis!
It's prolonged hypoxia.
He's been slugging it out at close range the whole time, too.
All that time deprived of oxygen just hit him all at once,
plus the damage from Ippo's punches.
Right now, they look like they've both sunk to the bottom of the sea.
The fighters stand idle as time ticks down!
Only seven seconds left in round six!
Five, four, three, two,
one!
There's the bell!
We'll have to wait until the next round to see who takes control!
How will this battle, this "Submarine War," ultimately end?!
He may have bested the Dempsey Roll, but he paid a hell of a price to do it!
It's all Shimabukuro can do just to stay on his feet!
Right...
Breathe deep, and pull the oxygen up from every cell in your body!
If you can hang on to all of it, you can last three minutes!
Well, how're you doing?
The Dempsey Roll... is no joke.
But...
I'll catch the big one in the next round.
Good. Spoken like a true son of the sea!
Seconds out!
Both fighters have suffered heavy damage, but the bell for round seven...
has rung!
Box!
The challenger rushes in.
He makes a beeline for the champion!
He's already recovered from cyanosis?!
Man, fishermen must have crazy lung capacity!
Crisis is the door to opportunity!
Senpai had a minute to rest, too.
He must have regained some energy!
What the hell was that weak left?!
He didn't recover at all!
This is a crisis.
The challenger starts slugging away immediately,
pushing inexorably into the champion!
He looks as fresh as he did at the start of the first round!
He's looking to finish it.
It's over. Makunouchi's gonna lose the belt.
The champ is thrust into the ropes!
He can't move! Just moments into round six, and he's cornered!
The champ throws a left!
It's brushed aside!
That confirms it.
The fish has no strength left. I can reel him in!
The challenger ducks down!
And the punch coming out of that position is...
The Gazelle Punch! The champ is knocked off his feet!
Yes!
The glove just grazes his chin. He escapes by a hair's breadth!
I'm grateful to you from the bottom of my heart.
I've never fought such a strong opponent!
But it still hurts! The champ can't regain his footing!
One-two from the champ!
Those light punches won't do anything.
I can barely stand to watch anymore.
The challenger continues unfazed. The champion reels from each blow!
Is his attachment to the title all that's keeping him up?
No.
If he's so passive that all he can do is defend, he's already given up!
He's attacking with all his might!
Keep fighting. Keep fighting, kid!
The challenger's left hook hits hard!
The champion's stance crumbles!
I'll blast right through your guard!
The Gazelle Punch bursts forth!
His body flies off the canvas! Is this the end?!
Both arms! The champ defends with a double-arm block!
He slips away from the ropes!
You're damn tough!
As a fellow son of the sea, I respect your tenacity!
C'mon, Makunouchi!
Don't give up!
Makunouchi! Makunouchi!
The crowd starts chanting for Makunouchi,
trying to light a fire under his battered body!
That won't change a thing.
Makunouchi! Makunouchi!
It's only a matter of time before the title changes hands!
Well, kid?
Can you still move? Can you still fight?
I can still move, and I can still fight!
All I can do now is have faith in Coach to the bitter end!
There's no force behind them.
You can tell there's no power behind them.
It looks as fundamental as you can get, like he's just hitting the mitts.
He's on auto-pilot, just punching wherever the mitts are.
He's not even thinking about keeping the belt.
He's focused entirely on winning the match!
On the challenger!
You punches don't hurt anymore!
This battle between fishermen is over!
Kid!
You're toast, Makunouchi!
The challenger is out for blood!
The power, the speed, the timing...
That punch was absolutely flawless.
Shimabukuro will be rocked to his core!
It's working, kid! Get him!
Th-Th-The Dempsey Roll!
He's betting it all on his best move!
I already beat it once!
Simultaneous hits!
This is it! I refuse to lose!
Your last stand against your fellow fisherman, eh?
I won't back down!
They trade blow after blow! Neither man gives an inch!
It's an epic battle of wills for both fighters!
The champion's going down!
He's done for!
Shimabukuro's just a little stronger on the ocean floor!
No. Look.
Oh my, the challenger looks unsteady as well!
I can still fight! I can still punch!
I won't lose to another son of the sea!
Shimabukuro!
My pride as... a son of the sea!
Too bad. On the ocean floor, you'd definitely come out on top.
But this isn't the ocean, it's the ring!
I see...
He's no fisherman. This was never a battle between sons of the sea.
He's pure, unadulterated boxer.
Down!
The Dempsey Roll reemerges at the most crucial moment!
We thought the challenger an unsinkable battleship,
but there he is, collapsed on the canvas!
To a neutral corner!
Wow, just a nudge from the referee nearly sends him down!
Makunouchi desperately clings to the ropes!
One!
Get up, Shimabukuro!
Makunouchi's hanging by a thread! You can win if you get up!
Weren't we taking the belt back to Okinawa?! Don't quit on me!
Two!
Think of everyone on the island! Think of your fishing boat's flags!
Three!
Four!
Five!
Six!
Seven!
Eight!
Nine!
Ten!
He can't get to his feet!
Shimabukuro is counted out!
After a long, grueling war, it is the champion who is still standing!
Yeah!
He wins at 2:15 in the seventh round!
Senpai, you did it!
A fourth successful title defense!
Yes...
Yes!
Kid!
Coach!
I did it!
I'm so happy. I'm so happy I won!
Ippo-kun!
Well, you sure as hell didn't fight like a champion,
but you did a great job nonetheless.
Thank you!
From a technical standpoint, though, you're a mess!
Keep having fights like this and you'll be retiring early!
Yes, sir...
Man, you beat me good.
Shimabukuro-san.
The crowd showers the two warriors with cheers and applause!
Though he lost, Shimabukuro Iwao, the Ryukyu Warrior, put up a splendid fight!
I'm going to retire from boxing.
What?
I got the opportunity to fight a world-class opponent.
That's enough for me.
I'm going to live my life on the sea.
You should live yours in the ring.
You're really strong, Makunouchi Ippo!
Thank you very much!
KO Time 7R 2:15 Makunouchi Ippo 17 fights 16W 16KO 1L
Japanese Featherweight Title 4th Successful Defense
A Woman's Battle