Finishing move, my ass. It's just swaying back and forth.
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
He's down!
Just as the challenger seemed about to throw another counter,
the champion crushes him in an incredible comeback!
He did it!
That was...
The Anti-Anti-Dempsey!
Ryuuhei...
He did it.
To a neutral corner!
It was a punch powerful enough to overcome a seemingly hopeless disadvantage!
An earth-shattering thud just echoed across the arena!
He stopped the Dempsey Roll mid-sway?
The predictable rhythm was its one weak point, and now he's fixed it.
He's clearly come up with a new Dempsey Roll.
That gave me chills.
I know firsthand how brutal the Dempsey Roll is,
and he just stopped halfway
Five!
and came back with even more power.
That kind of damage is no joke.
I got goosebumps, too.
I was planning on using Sawamura's Anti-Dempsey strategy myself.
He changed the timing that far in?
You can't counter that.
That could've been me lying on the canvas.
You never disappoint...
Yeah! This is what I came to see!
The kid must've realized how close he was to losing the fight,
so he put all his energy into using what he'd practiced at the gym.
He's been trying to pull off the new Dempsey from the start.
He couldn't follow through before, but he made an effort to stop swaying.
That's how he blunted the damage from those two counters
and survived this long.
Now all that effort's paid off!
Eight!
I... can still fight, asshole...
He's up!
The Deathblow Dragon lives!
Go beyond that limit,
and I guarantee it will shorten your life as a boxer.
I swore I'd use it as many times as it takes.
The fight resumes.
Makunouchi! Makunouchi!
The hall resounds with a Makunouchi chant!
Backed by their cheers,
the champ squeezes out every bit of strength he has!
The challenger can't hide how hurt he is!
Ryuuhei...
The challenger's stance falls apart!
Is he going down? Is he going down?!
Oh, my! He slips behind the ref and uses him as a shield!
How low can you get?!
Enough cheating! Fight fair!
Sawamura, back off!
I have no idea what's happening...
I don't understand...
But I don't want to lose.
I won't, I won't!
Now!
Stop!
There's the bell! Round six is over!
He fell just short of ending it.
The fight will see a seventh round!
You all right?
Bet that was quite a shock, eh, Sawamura?
You mocked the Dempsey Roll as being a clumsy technique.
Yet now it's evolved splendidly.
It's not a move you can throw out on a whim.
It's something born from countless hours of training.
Makunouchi's not a man who goes around picking fights.
He's not like you.
But this is where his type is stronger than anyone.
Here in this ring is the only place where he can
focus on putting what he's learned into practice.
He's a pure-blooded boxer.
A-Aren't you going to sit, Ippo-kun?
He can't sit.
His muscles are spasming from the harsh
stop-and-go twisting the new Dempsey Roll demands,
plus the damage Sawamura's already dealt.
He's so beat up, he won't get up again if he sits down now.
Water? Yeah, you can have some.
You've made it perfectly clear how determined you are to win.
All I can do now... is watch!
It's flowing through me...
I feel revived...
What's that?
Makunouchi! Makunouchi!
They're cheering...
Makunouchi! Makunouchi!
Yes. I'll do my best.
Thank you. I'll do my best.
Thank you.
I'll do my best. I'll do my best...
Everyone's giving me the strength to go on.
I'll do my best.
Do they have to cheer so damn loud?
It puts even more pressure on us.
Though, it looks like he doesn't even hear them anymore...
We're done.
I'm...
I'm not... gonna lose.
No one is on my side.
I only have myself to rely on.
If you sit around believing someone will come to help you,
all you get in the end is betrayal.
I can only put my faith in myself.
My fists.
Sawamura...
I will not lose the one thing I can trust in this world.
I refuse to lose.
Box!
Makunouchi! Makunouchi!
Round seven begins!
The champ has resurrected the Dempsey Roll. Can he finish the job?
Or will the challenger's tenacity carry him to victory?
Sawamura's not motivated by anything as simple as tenacity.
It's hatred.
A man driven by hatred will stop at nothing.
Let your guard down for even one second,
and he'll send you to Hell, Makunouchi.
I will not lose.
The momentum's back on our side,
but he's preparing to throw in the towel?
Is Ippo-kun really that close to his limits?
Everyone's support has taken me this far.
I have to keep fighting.
Fight, and win!
No matter what the consequences!
Makunouchi! Makunouchi!
The challenger strikes first, firing a round of Bullets!
But they're blocked!
Two shots! Three!
The challenger freezes!
Good offense.
This round's all yours. Take it as far as you like!
I won't throw in the towel 'til you're done.
Let's hope it's just to wipe the sweat after you win!
The challenger's knocked into the ropes!
The champ gives neither of them time to rest!
With seemingly limitless stamina, he attacks and attacks!
Go!
Get him, Makunouchi!
The challenger's face distorts!
What devastating punches! It's hard to believe he's still standing!
A left!
That hurt him!
But he still won't go down!
Ryuuhei!
I don't... wanna lose.
I know I'm strong.
Every man I've faced has fallen before my fists.
If I can't even trust my fists, I'll be back where I started.
In that room, just waiting for something to save me
that'll never come...
I can't lose!
I won't lose everything! I'm gonna win!
He stuck out his foot!
Of course, he still has this!
The timing of that trip will destroy all the momentum he's built up.
H-He dodged!
What incredible...
...concentration!
Yes! He's going down!
Now it's the challenger showing us what he's made of!
He fights back!
He's countering subconsciously.
Unreal... He's taken so many of Makunouchi's punches, and not only is he still standing,
he's actually hitting back.
It's not physical strength.
It's spirit that's keeping him upright.
He's strong. He's so strong!
I knew from the start that if I'm going to beat him...
If I'm gonna beat Sawamura-san...
This is my only hope!
Here it is again! The Dempsey Roll!
Is it the new one?!
Ryuuhei...
Bullseye!
I know now.
You're stopping, right?
You won't fool me twice!
He stopped, too!
The Anti-Anti-Anti-Dempsey!
He's seen through it already?
What chilling talent...
I just need to sync up with his reduced speed!
Now! Die!
Down there?
I'll meet you anytime!
He can stop down there, too?!
I don't know what to think anymore.
And he falls! He's down!
The Dempsey Roll explodes to life!
Can the challenger get up? Wait, is he even breathing?
The champion takes a victory pose, as if confirming the outcome!
And this match is over!
Kid! Kid!
C-Coach...
I did it, Coach. I won!
Don't try to talk!
Don't move him!
Get a stretcher in here, pronto!
The scene in the ring tells the tale of a bloody war.
Applause rains down on the two warriors!
That was awesome!
No one's stronger than Makunouchi!
I can't believe he lasted through all that!
Sawamura was great, too!
You said it.
He was strong...
He was... really strong.
Good fight, Sawamura!
Fight in the hall again!
We'll cheer for you!
Just stop cheating!
Listen to that applause.
At the start, everyone was booing him, and now they're shouting his name.
Do you hear them, Ryuuhei?
They're praising your efforts.
They're acknowledging your strength.
Do you hear them?
Do you still think you're alone?
I hope Sawamura's not dead.
I'm gonna go check on him. We're technically friends.
You got me all fired up now, Makunouchi.
He's sure easy to read.
Then again, no active boxer could watch
a fight like that and not be pumped up, huh?
I'm not the type.
Take care, Date-san.
That evolved Dempsey Roll is not just a stop-and-go trick.
It's a lethal anti-counter technique that mixes feints from the left and right.
No one can stop that.
Or can they...?
Interesting.
I'm retired, and even I'm all worked up now.
In a word, you're...
strong!
Thank you. Thank you!
All right, let's go see the man!
Yeah!
Ippo!
Room D
Torn muscle fibers, burst blood vessels,
and slightly hyperextended ligaments.
But luckily, it ended before you did any critical damage.
Those armor-plated muscles just barely managed to save you.
R-Really?
Sit still!
You're still in very serious condition!
Whew.
That's a load off.
Do you remember the moment Sawamura went down?
He looked like he was begging for forgiveness! I loved it!
We saw that victory pose, too.
Do you feel better after taking out your anger out on him?
It was never like that...
While we were fighting,
all I could think about was how strong Sawamura-san was,
not the cheating or the stuff that happened before the fight.
I just... desperately wanted to beat a strong opponent.
That's all.
When I knocked him down, I wasn't thinking about winning or losing...
I just got so excited that I'd done it, I thought, "Yes!" and...
And struck a pose.
Just like you.
I was pushed to my limit...
That's why I'm so happy!
I'm so psyched, I don't even feel any pain!
Inoue Emergency Hospital
He broke three ribs and all four front teeth,
but the real injury is a skull fracture in his left eye socket.
His eye is sunken in. He'll need immediate surgery.
Makunouchi's punching power gives me the chills.
I'm amazed Sawamura took that much punishment and kept going.
Yeah, no kidding. He did well.
But even better...
He may have lost, but I think this fight
might be the catalyst that changes Ryuuhei for the better.
So even the Deathblow Dragon can end up in the hospital.
It's weird, ain't it?
Even after getting beaten up so badly,
you still want to keep on boxing.
Something about Makunouchi always makes you feel that way.
His fists weren't honed on the streets like ours.
His were built in the gym.
It makes you think you can win if you train harder,
that you can grow stronger.
His fists carry that message with every punch.
So you think, "I'll train, come back stronger, and beat you."
He makes you feel that way.
Our fists are murder weapons, designed to put a man on the ground
so he never gets back up.
But Makunouchi's fists just make people want to fight harder.
His fists pick you up.
Conked out, huh?
Well, it was one hell of a fight.
It was a tough fight.
Well...
Like always, I can't help but think how I could never win on my own.
I win with everyone's strength.
But that's why it makes me so happy.
That's why I'll never quit boxing!
KO Time 7R 1'15" Makunouchi Ippo 18 fights 17 wins 17 KO 1 loss
Japanese Featherweight Title 5th successful defense
Empowering Words