The Frog Punch explodes off the canvas!
So this is how he knocked the champ down before!
The Distance Between Me and Glory
One!
I knocked the champ down twice.
Two!
I guess I'm pretty good after all!
Three!
So maybe I'm not a natural like Takamura-san, or explosive like Ippo.
Maybe I was just a frog stuck in a well,
pushing around whatever punks I ran into.
Four!
But I weaseled my way into this world of brawling specialists we call boxing,
and this little frog learned enough to survive!
All the knowledge I've accumulated over these past six years
came together to create this new weapon!
I'll never fly like a bird.
But I grasped and struggled,
and no matter how many times I crashed, I kept jumping up again!
Just watch...
It's almost within my reach now!
The belt's right in front of me!
Six!
Seven!
Eight!
The champ finally stands up at the count of eight!
Can you box?
He nods at the referee. The fight continues!
I thought it was within reach...
It's still so far away?!
He's got this in the bag!
One more knockdown and the belt's his!
Why the long face, Senpai?
All the momentum's on our side.
It wasn't enough, and that's gonna hurt.
You worry too much.
I bet Aoki-san's...
Why's he so tired all of a sudden?
Fighting in a title match is twice as stressful as a normal bout.
You wouldn't believe how quickly the fatigue mounts.
And there's the bell. Round six is over!
The challenger stares upward. He was so close!
With four rounds to go, will it be enough to come back?
Imae's obviously taken more damage,
but Aoki's never fought in such a high-pressure situation.
If it comes down to who can take more...
A contest of wills, huh?
Aoki-san...
You did well to make it back. Sit down!
He's strong.
Without a doubt, he's the strongest opponent I've ever faced...
We've got such similar careers, but he definitely has something I don't.
What?
Imae... Imae, can you hear me?!
Now it comes down to who has more heart.
Remember how hard you've worked!
Remember why you fight, and stand up to him!
Why I fight...
You let go of your Goddess of Victory!
Tonight, I'll show you the true power of a man who's got
someone watching over him.
I see...
What a difference it makes!
Aoki!
The belt's right in front of you! No one said a title match would be easy!
You've gotta get through! Have faith in yourself and—
Guess I don't need to say anything.
Round seven!
Hell yeah!
Look at that pose. He's raring to go!
Yeah!
When I become champion, I want you to call me "sir."
Fine, fine.
Whatever you want.
Rip the belt outta his hands! Go, Aoki!
Get him, Aoki-san!
Don't think about what comes next! Just get him!
Just a little more!
Masaru!
The challenger comes out swinging! He wants the belt now!
Every punch sends a clear message, telling me what he's fighting for.
His fists are endowed with support and courage!
They're fighting for the one watching over him!
What have I been fighting for?
To be champion?
No...
That's not it!
Leave Sachiko alone!
Kacchan...
That's right.
I'm sorry, Sachiko.
If I were tougher...
Sachiko...
Well?
Not bad, huh?
You don't have to push yourself so hard for me...
Sachiko, it was for you.
Damn it!
Damn it, damn it!
Come on, let's take a nice vacation...
Vacation?!
Forget it. I'm gonna train harder than anyone!
You're holding me back!
I need to focus on boxing! Leave me alone!
Don't come after me again!
The champ clinches yet again!
Fight fair and square!
You wuss!
You call yourself a champion?!
Sachiko...
I started boxing so I could take care of you,
but I abandoned you...
I cast you aside!
A bodyblow!
The champion's face is a study in pain!
I'm gonna fall for it...
I can't resist!
It's useless to resist.
Your human instincts can't deny this move!
Accept it, and behold!
When your gaze settles, you'll be staring...
at Hell!
There it is!
The Look-Away!
Imae's gonna take the full force of a Frog Punch!
He won!
No way!
Imae-san didn't turn his head!
He didn't fall for it? How did he resist?!
Sa... Sachiko!
Why is Sachiko here?
Why is she praying?
Kacchan...
It couldn't be... for me?
She's praying for me?
She was always so modest. She worried about me before herself.
Supporting me, watching over me!
My... Goddess!
You moron!
He just set up for the Frog Punch without even checking!
The belt is mine! Take this!
What?!
Why didn't he look away?!
I won't turn my head again!
I can see what really matters now!
Please connect!
The Frog Punch misses its mark!
Despite all that momentum, he now hangs hopelessly in the air!
With all that power comes excessive movement! This is bad!
A right!
He knocks the frog out of the air
and sends him crashing to the mat!
Masaru!
Bastard...
I'm not going down!
The belt's right in front of my face! I refuse to give up!
Amazing! This is what a man can do with someone watching over him.
Even in that awkward pose, he throws a punch!
A minute ago, this strength would've knocked me off my feet,
but now I understand the point he's been making this whole time.
I can keep fighting because I've got someone supporting me.
I thought I couldn't make it to the top unless I sacrificed something,
but he's clawed his way up while holding on to everything!
I can't even call him a boxer.
I am not going to lose.
I was just jealous!
He showed me. He taught me the truth!
That support is what makes one truly strong!
I now have the utmost respect for this man!
I'll fight until the last second!
I'll beat him and win the title!
I'll vanquish this powerful foe and meet Sachiko with my head held high!
It's not working!
They're both way more drained than we realized.
Don't worry about power. Keep him pinned down with combos!
It's all about heart now! Keep throwing punches until he's overwhelmed!
We've got a thrilling slugfest in the center of the ring!
Or perhaps more of a slapfest?
The sound of their powerless punches echoes through the arena!
Both men are vastly weakened, yet they still refuse to quit!
Neither gives an inch!
They both continue to strike!
They both fall!
This is not a knockdown. They simply slipped while duking it out!
The ring is slick from all the sweat.
Their faces are so swollen, they're almost unrecognizable!
It's as if we're now watching in slow motion!
It's a mudfight. They're both completely bogged down.
A hell of a mudfight at that...
It's hopeless now. This happens every time.
If it goes to a decision, I'd say they both lose.
So cool...
Cool?!
Both of you have really warped aesthetic senses, you know that?
No, he's the coolest.
He may not be able to fight like you or Ippo-kun, but he tries every bit as hard.
No matter how this ends, I think he's the coolest man in the world!
Twenty seconds remain in the final round.
They've traded knockdowns,
and now it seems the match will go to the judges.
It's been a long, long ten rounds, but it's finally about to end.
A chopping right!
The challenger begins to collapse!
High drama in the final seconds!
It's no use. I can't stay upright. I just don't have the strength...
Masaru... Masaru...
His jaw's completely open...
It's right there...
I just need to reach up and take it!
Reach out and take the belt!
C'mon, legs, please listen to me!
Flex! Move!
We've spent six years making it to this point!
Six years running every damn day!
Six years!
Every day.
Every day!
He stays up!
Both feet planted firmly on the ground!
And that stance is...
The Frog Punch, in his condition?!
Can he even do it?
You can! Do it!
These six years haven't been for nothing!
Come on, Masaru, come on!
I've spent my career believing that
if I kept jumping as high as I could,
someday I'd make it!
And look now! I'm there!
I just need to extend my arm and the belt will be there!
Do it, Aoki!
Make it!
He connects!
A clean hit to the champion's jaw!
Oh, but...
He only jumped a little bit.
The impact is blunted!
He's out of gas.
If he hadn't been so exhausted, it would've been a flawless punch.
Wait! It still hurt him!
They fall to the mat entangled in each other's arms!
Their stamina completely spent, their desperate struggle is mercifully over!
The bell draws the curtain on this fight!
We now go to the judges for the results of this long war!
That was still great for a mudfight!
You're both champs to me!
Great job, Imae.
Aoki, you were incredible!
What a great bout!
You think so?
What's the matter? Aren't you gonna clap?
It's not over yet.
Masaru's battle isn't finished until we hear the decision.
I'm exhausted...
Kimura-san?
Objectively, what do you guys think?
The decision?
Honestly, it's too close to call...
I want Aoki-san to win!
I want him to be the champion!
I just can't picture him as a champ.
By my count, Aoki won by a point.
C'mon, judges, please...
Let Aoki win!
The judges have tallied their scores. Now for the results.
Judge Uchida scores the bout 95-94...
Imae!
What the hell was he looking at?!
Aoki squeaked out the victory, damn it!
Judge Morita scores the bout 95-94...
Aoki!
Masaru!
Yes!
Oh, my! It's a split decision!
Both left only the narrowest margin.
How did the final judge see it?
Imae or Aoki?
Who will walk away with the belt?
Referee Shimakawa...
94... to...
To what, to what?
Say it already!
My stomach hurts...
Please make Masaru the champion!
I fought to the end. I have no regrets,
no matter how they call it.
Did I make it?
Did my hand finally reach the belt?
94 to...
94!
A draw!
Folks, the judges score this Japanese lightweight championship title bout a draw!
A tie!
The champ retains via a draw!
The belt will not change hands,
but from the opening bell to the decision, this was a splendid fight!
It was a deathmatch with no casualties!
Let's go, Aoki.
So... I didn't make it.
What'd I tell you? They're both losers!
A-At least say they're both winners.
There are no winners in these crappy mudfights!
Awkward or not, I was moved by their performances!
The result fit. The judge's decision was as clear as mud!
Whoa, good one!
Stop joking around and go cheer him up, you jerk!
Room A
A-Aoki...
Umm...
Err...
Uhh...
I fought like this was gonna be my last shot.
You didn't lose!
It was so close!
Coming close doesn't make me feel any better.
I didn't win the title. That's all there is to it.
I'm gonna...
Don't finish that sentence, Aoki!
What happened to your cheek?
Shut your mouth!
Your woman happened to it, that's what!
This is your damn fault for sucking so much.
You couldn't even finish the job!
Not only are you both losers, you're losers covered in mud!
You ruined everything!
You should be ashamed!
Kicking him when he's down!
For God's sake, there's a time and a place!
Don't cry, Aoki!
Sachiko.
I finally understand...
You've been there for me all this time.
If you hadn't been there, I wouldn't have made it!
I'm sorry, Sachiko!
I know...
Aoki-san!
Ah, I get it...
He got his Goddess of Victory back.
Everything makes sense now.
Thank you very much!
I don't want your thanks.
If you'd just beaten me, I could have called it quits...
Great job today, Masaru.
Tomiko!
Don't worry. I'll make it all better.
Are we clear, Takamura-san?
You have to apologize.
I know, I know.
If Aoki-san decides to retire, it'll be your fault!
All right already!
Damn it. Why do I have to apologize to Aoki...
Hurry up!
I mean it! You were so cool out there!
Cool, huh?
It makes me all tingly, Masaru.
You know, I bet next time I'll win the title no problem.
Of course you will!
Ow, careful! That's swollen too!
He sounds pretty happy to me. Can I do this later?
Doesn't sound like he wants to retire...
Yeah.
We'll come back tomorrow.
At any rate...
Good job, Aoki-san!
Cheese Champion