Ippo-kun, are you okay?!
I'm fine.
I can keep going...
Ow.
Don't panic.
Keep your fists hot, your head cool, and remember the basics.
The basics?
Focus on getting through that jab first.
You've completely taken control of the pace.
Just remember, Makunouchi can hang tough
for a long time, no matter how badly hurt he seems.
Take it nice and slow and keep piling on the damage.
Nobody likes a tough steak...
Huh?
I'm gonna take plenty of time...
until he's tender and tasty.
The Anti-Dempsey Perfected
Round four.
Makunouchi tightens his guard in the peek-a-boo style,
adding a vigorous weave.
The champion's falling back to his usual stance!
Move your body and use the basics.
Basics!
He looks perfectly calm.
Didn't that counter damage him at all?
Let's find out.
The champ goes in!
He's met with a storm of Bullets, but dodges them all!
Slowly but surely, he slips through the barrage and closes in!
He's a fast healer.
It'll take more than a little swaying to escape me.
Ouch! He takes a few hits, but still presses in further!
Damn it, he's not trying to run.
The ones he can't dodge, he deflects with his guard.
So that's what the peek-a-boo is for.
He's within range!
And now that he's close...
An uppercut!
The champ switches his attack pattern!
A liver blow to the challenger's exposed flank!
The challenger blocks a second liver blow with his elbow.
Going high now? I gotcha—
A feint?
Three low blows? Persistent bastard...
A massive uppercut whistles through the air!
Followed immediately by another body blow!
It's barely blocked, but the force pierces through regardless!
The challenger strikes back!
But the champion's fierce weaving dodges every shot!
I can dodge them.
Have Sawamura-san's lefts slowed down?!
His swaying becomes even sharper... the champ looks like a pendulum!
After that many body blows,
even Sawamura's gonna be slowed down.
Miyata, you hit the nail on the head.
Sawamura showed us he's very deft at taking out infighters.
But a textbook anti-infighter strategy's not enough to beat Makunouchi now.
I'm not interested in an anti-infighter strategy.
What I really want to see...
is an anti-Makunouchi.
I've got him.
Go... Go!
Anti-Makunouchi?
Makunouchi is the number one infighter in the country,
and Sawamura's the number one counter-puncher.
I sincerely doubt he'd try to beat Makunouchi by the book.
Yeah, but just look.
How do you expect him to stop that?
Kill him!
Knock him out!
He's got this, right, Takamura-san?
Don't take anything for granted.
Just what kind of face is that bastard Sawamura making behind that guard?
He's strong. He's really strong!
Gotta hold on. Gotta wait it out.
The longer I have to fast, the more delicious the feast will be.
He's flying back and forth faster and faster.
Sooner or later, he's gonna crack open that guard.
No, wait a sec.
No matter how fast he moves,
that weave is still nothing more than simple repetition.
Simple repetition?
And given Makunouchi's formidable stamina,
he can repeat it as long as he wants.
It's very predictable.
If you're an astute enough boxer,
it's very tantalizing counter fodder once you're accustomed to the rhythm.
The secret to crushing Makunouchi...
is to drag out the time he spends in that weave!
Drag it out...
Sawamura's been waiting for...
The Dempsey Roll.
Here we go! The champion unleashes the Dempsey Roll!
The challenger tightens his guard,
but can he endure these heavy blows?!
He jumped back and made a gap!
This is what...
...I've been waiting for!
A... A counter!
A left counter punch!
A stunning turn of events right as the champ
seemed about to clinch the win with the Dempsey Roll!
The entire arena is in shock. It's dead silent!
He grabs the ropes and stays on his feet, but...
But the champion's eyes are glazed over!
Lifeless!
And who can blame him?
He's already had his ultimate move stopped once by Shimabukuro,
but this time it's a completely different story!
Where Shimabukuro paid a heavy price for his strategy,
this challenger...
is untouched!
He has defeated the Dempsey Roll decisively!
He...
He got us!
The challenger edges forward.
The champion turns to face him.
What's this?
H-H-He's inspecting him!
No attempt to end it!
He's simply observing how badly the champ is hurt!
The champ starts to move.
His entire body is trembling, but he's still conscious!
Fight back!
Now it's your turn!
You're fine!
Like hell he is!
The Dempsey Roll is a finishing move,
and he just had all its power turned right back on him!
It's a miracle he's still on his feet!
The champ digs down deep...
but there's nothing left!
Round four is over.
The champ is saved by the bell!
Kid!
You with me? Can you hear me?
I won't lose.
If you're awake, that's enough! Don't talk!
If I lose to a guy... who's so disrespectful... to boxing...
Don't talk! Take any rest you can get!
I'm the champion.
If I lose, then every boxer in Japan will be reduced to a joke...
I have to win.
Kid...
He's still got the will to fight.
His best move was countered, and he's badly hurt,
but it hasn't dampened his spirits.
It shows how strong his determination and sense of
responsibility were coming into this match.
It's nice and tender.
His strength is gone, and the muscles are all slack now.
So tender, you could shred the meat right off the bone with your teeth.
The same meat that was so hard and tough at the start...
is finally ready to eat!
There's the opening bell for round five.
The champ unsteadily wobbles towards the center of the ring.
I can't lose.
Incredible...
His muscles are all relaxed.
I can feel each individual fiber ripping apart.
There's no other sensation like it.
It's the greatest feast a man can have!
You are delicious!
And the Bullets fly!
The cheek meat's especially tender.
Perfect... I found the best cut!
A top-notch counter-puncher like Sawamura going on the offense...
Even worse,
the Bullets Makunouchi was dodging before
are coming much faster.
He slowed them down on purpose so Makunouchi could dodge them.
Those lefts were Dempsey Roll bait.
It was all a ploy to nail that counter.
You're saying all of Makunouchi's offense
was playing right into Sawamura's hands?!
Oh, man, I'm drooling.
Everywhere I hit is a prime cut of meat.
The champion fights back!
I won't be full until I eat every last bite.
I'll suck the flesh off your bones!
Another counter strikes the champion's head!
Wait! We dodges it by the skin of his teeth!
Stay conscious! If I pass out, it's all over!
The muscles with the most strength and endurance are always red.
He still hasn't run out of stamina.
That's what makes meat tasty!
Good, oily, perfectly marbled meat!
It's the same flavor!
Yeah...
The steak I ate that day had the same enticing flavor!
Feed me more!
A merciless beating squelches the champ's show of resolve!
He can't dodge!
Fresh blood splashes across the ring as the round ends!
The bell continues to save the faltering champion!
This is seriously bad.
He's in trouble.
After seeing him train, we had some idea of what to expect,
but I was hoping it wouldn't happen for real.
This can't get any worse for him.
This anti-Makunouchi strategy... I have to admit, he was outstanding.
Is this what you were hoping to see, Miyata?
Is this the state you wanted Makunouchi to end up in?
So... strong...
If I lose focus,
he'll knock me out in a heartbeat.
I can still move.
As long as I'm still conscious, I have to...
I have to bring the fight to him!
Think only about winning!
You're not sitting, Sawamura?
I don't want to interrupt my flow.
Feels like someone interrupted my dinner.
Ring the damn bell.
Look at that proud pose...
Are you watching, Kawabe?
The problem child you brought to me
is about to become the Japanese champion!
Ryuuhei...
Oh! He's on the attack the moment the bell sounds!
And by "him," I mean the near-dead champion!
A counter followed by a round of Bullets!
The challenger refuses to be interrupted!
You're amazing...
Everyone said Makunouchi-san is a strong champion.
I thought even you might have trouble, but to dominate him this much...
Your talent is absolutely terrifying.
I miscalculated.
Now he'll never learn to feel any empathy,
or see the value of working hard to achieve a goal.
He'll lose more and more of his humanity.
Ryuuhei, what will become of you?!
Stay conscious. Bring the fight...
to him!
It's the Dempsey Roll again!
Is he trying to make his last stand?!
The champ prepares to go down swinging!
The Dempsey Roll is performed by
swinging quickly between the left and right blind spots while punching hard.
There's nothing scarier than a punch you can't see.
But...
If you move back just a bit so you can see his whole body,
they become nothing more than textbook hooks.
There you are!
It's not gonna work anymore, Makunouchi!
I wanted to savor the flavor longer,
but if you're gonna serve my favorite part of the meal now...
I'll just have to swallow you whole!
The anti-Dempsey. He used his left last time, but now...
It's his right, the Thunderbolt!
This won't be anything like the left.
If that connects, he'll be decapitated!
I don't care if he loses the match.
If he loses consciousness, we can start again when he wakes up.
But if, by some freak tragedy...
D—
Don't!
Counter! A direct hit!
The Dempsey Roll is buried yet again!
He didn't pull that punch one millimeter. A fatal blow...
If he lands wrong...
He'll die!
Don't hate me for this, kid!
H-He stayed on his feet!
Even after that tremendous hit, the champion refuses to go down!
The challenger is stunned!
Y-You're kidding me!
That should've been more than enough to knock him out,
but he's still up.
He's learned the counter.
He knows this flavor!
If that'd been the first counter, I'd be on my back right now.
The only reason I'm still standing is... without a doubt...
because of Volg-san,
everyone who helped me,
and what I built through my training.
I can't waste it.
No matter what happens to me in the end, I can't lose!
I'm going to win this match!
Even on his last legs, the champion won't give up!
Have faith in everything you've built up to this point.
Use everything you've learned!
You're hanging by a thread, and you still think you can beat me?
He'll...
He'll come out of this okay, right?
He was acting weird before the match.
He was brooding... Nothing like his usual self.
Wriggling around like a damn caterpillar...
You're making me nauseous.
No matter how delicious a meal is,
if you overeat, you'll end up puking it all up.
An elbow!
He just dropped an elbow square on the champion's back!
What are you doing, Sawamura?!
And of course, he's penalized!
Once again, an ugly atmosphere descends upon the ring!
The hell, Sawamura?!
What were you thinking?!
You want to be champion with that attitude?!
You fool.
No one wants you to win!
You're seconds away from becoming champion...
Even if it's effective, this will just isolate you further!
Like the institution...
Your heart's going to be locked up in that room all alone forever!
Hate away, folks, hate away.
No one wanted me to win from the get-go, anyway.
Grind your teeth and watch me win the title.
Are you okay, Makunouchi? Can you continue?
I can.
The champ moves in!
I've had my fill of your meat.
I'm full.
I'll snuff the life out of you.
The challenger moves in for the kill!
He's going mad.
No one can stop him now.
Coach, that's enough!
The towel!
Throw in the towel!
He didn't fall because he knew the counter was coming...
And something else, one more reason...
Kid, I'll put my faith in that something!
The champ's getting clobbered! He can't do anything!
This is getting dangerous!
You're gonna die.
One more push, and you're dead!
The champ falls back to the Dempsey Roll yet again!
He's determined to live or die by this move!
Still clinging to a defeated strategy?
Are you trying to die before we even have our fight, Makunouchi?!
Senpai!
No!
Kid!
Finishing move, my ass. It's just swaying back and forth.
See? Here it comes.
You're just showing me how stupid you are.
I don't care how tough you are. If I shatter your skull, you're done.
I'll snuff out your life
with this right hand!
N-No way!
He froze?!
N-No! I can't stop!
A Fist that Picks you Up