Love of Shooting Star is sending you
A flash of light... Yeah!
With eternal dreams
Let's roll and go
Without thinking anything
I'm just living in the Now
What keeps me going is
A street song
I want to dive lost mind, I want to dive lost mind (I want to immerse myself in my dream till I can't think of anything else)
I want feeling, I want feeling, always (That's how I want to feel all the time)
I want to dive lost mind, I want to dive lost mind (I want to immerse myself in my dream till I can't think of anything else)
Why, why, why why, I want to dive feeling over (I don't know why, but I want to keep feeling passionate)
Love of Shooting Star is sending you
A flash of light... Yeah!
With eternal dreams
Let's roll and go
Finally I start going to the gym today.
But will I be all right? I'm such a klutz.
I'm sure the training will be tough, too.
Calm down, calm down!
Hey, it's the new guy.
I already nailed down the jab and my straight punches aren't bad, either.
Hey! What do you think you're doing?!
I'm sorry! I apologize! I'm truly, deeply sorry!
What the heck is he doing?
What a weirdo!
KAMOGAWA Boxing Gym
Whoa, I'm so nervous.
All right, I'll be enthusiastic.
What are you doing to me?!
Oh, sorry. You looked so tense.
I wanted to help you relax.
That doesn't mean you have to goose me!
What? Don't you know?!
Being goosed helps to make you relaxed.
What? You must be joking!
I'm shocked. I thought everyone in the known world knew that.
We know of boxing champs who made sure to goose themselves before a match.
What? Is that true? Um...
- I'm Aoki.
- And I'm Kimura.
Aoki-san, Kimura-san, please forgive me for doubting you!
Hey, do they normally fall for something like that?
No. Which means, this kid... will be fun to mess with.
Hello!
Hey! Good to see you again.
I'm Yagi, the general manager of this gym.
Pleased to meet you.
Let's cut to the chase. In regards your training...
Leave that to us.
Let's go, new guy.
Come with us.
Hey, you guys...
- Don't worry.
- We'll take care of him!
Come on, you can't act on your own!
Aoki-san and Kimura-san, are you going to be teaching me?
That's right.
We'll fill up your head, starting with the basics.
Hey!
What does one normally start with?
Well, let's start with basic training.
Then, you'll just keep running!
Oh. What about sandbag work?
- Sandbag work? - Cheeky kid.
If you think newbies get to wear gloves right off the bat, that's wishful thinking.
Phew, it's hot! Ah, you're here, Ippo.
Huh? What are you guys doing?!
Uh-oh.
Takamura-kun, please talk to them! They're dead set on teaching Ippo.
Who the heck put you guys in charge?! You're putting out poor ol' Yagi-chan.
- Uh, well...
- You know...
You're a life saver, Takamura-kun.
I only did what was right.
'Cause it's my job to teach Ippo how to box!
- What? - Oh, come on!
- What a dirty trick.
- I knew you'd pull that, you gorilla!
What did you say?! Who are you calling a dirty gorilla?!
You, that's who!
You won't get your way forever!
You idiots! I'm the one who found him in the first place!
- So what?
- You just want a gopher!
You're the ones who want a gopher! And everyone in this gym is my gopher!
- Who do you think you are?!
- Tyrant!
Shut up, gophers one and two!
Who are you calling gophers?!
In the first place...
- Settle down, all of you!
- Please stop.
Quiet!
What are you people doing?
We were, uh, offering to teach our dear little junior!
Ha! If you guys were the teachers, even a gifted student would be a flop.
W-What?!
Yes?!
Har, har! You got in trouble!
Shut up, you!
Knock it off!
Go back to your own training!
Takamura! You said you were going out for roadwork!
Damn you!
Kid! Your coach is me!
What? Really, sir?
What, you got a problem with that?
Uh, no!
Then go get changed!
Yes, sir!
Man, Chief Kamogawa is scary!
I gotta keep my wits about me.
Kid, put on gloves and get in the ring. You're mitt-punching.
What? I'm allowed to wear gloves, sir?
When I tell you to do something, be quick about it!
Yes, sir!
Hey, he's starting with mitt-punching from the get-go.
He's skipping the basics.
The geezer knows what he's doing.
What are you doing here?
Shh! Be quiet or he'll spot me!
Um...
What's wrong? Go ahead and start punching!
But I'm not sure what to do.
All you need to do is to punch the mitt wherever I put it. Hurry up!
Right!
That feels great!
Good! Next, from the left!
Next, left, then right!
Good! That was a one-two. Don't you forget it!
- Yes, sir. - Now, left!
Right! Come on! Again!
Again!
Whoa, those are great sounds. He must have really powerful punches.
He's picking up the tempo, too.
You're mistaken. The old man is the skilled one.
What?
Those are the unpadded mitts. Don't you guys remember them?
Oh, those! They make a great sound and feel great to punch.
They give you the confidence to get in the groove. That makes sense.
And look at the mitt positions.
That's good placement. An opponent would be knocked down for sure if it connected.
He's acclimating him to punch angles that will fell an opponent with a single blow.
That's what we call "That Kamogawa Magic."
Ha! His chin is going up!
He lasted the first round. Not bad for a newbie.
All right, take a break.
That was the length of one round in a standard match.
Make your body remember how long that is.
Yes, sir.
He's worn out.
Well, you can't expect much more from a newbie.
All right, let's start the second round!
What?!
Hey...
Does the kid already come with stamina?!
Oh, you aren't the one making those sounds, Takamura-san?
Huh?
Are you up to something again? You never learn, do you?
- It's not what you think!
- Oh, I see.
Good going, kid. If one of those hard punches actually hit an opponent...
say, Miyata, he would be in trouble!
What?
But it's totally out of the question, because he avoids everything I throw.
Don't be so shy. With me as your coach, you'll be at his level in three months.
H-Hold on a minute! Everyone's listening.
Don't even say that as a joke.
I get it.
The only reason you couldn't touch him during the sparring session the other day...
was because you only knew how to attack straight ahead from the middle.
You have enough stamina to continuously produce heavy punches.
Once you learn multi-directional attacks...
even a skilled boxer like Miyata won't be able to stop you.
Just render his defense ineffective and then make that single, destructive punch!
In other words, victory is yours!
Uh, right.
I don't expect dexterity from you.
I won't ask you to become a skilled outboxer with quick feet.
A cute little well-rounded boxer has no appeal!
Brute force will overpower any technique!
Don't you want to catch up to Miyata and outdo him?
It'd be great if I could, of course.
Do you have the motivation?
I'll do it!
Miyata-kun, I'm sorry!
D'oh!
Oh, no. I made him mad.
You really are a strange one. So, you'll do it?
Yes, sir!
Then learn this first!
It's called an uppercut.
U-Uppercut?
Punching those mitts was so much fun.
Takamura-san and others are kind, too, albeit a bit odd.
But Miyata-kun sure was mad.
Argh! I need to get to sleep! I have uppercut practice tomorrow!
I can't sleep!
The Next Day
Oh, Miyata-kun!
Kid, why are you goofing around?!
At least get better at jump rope, for God's sake!
Yes, sir!
- Get in the ring. - Yes, sir!
All right, we'll work on the form for the uppercut.
Lean your upper body further forward and keep both knees bent.
Like this?
Pull your fists in to your sides.
At this time, make sure your knuckles are facing up.
Right!
Show him your stuff, Ippo.
Hey, I don't see any movement!
All right, now you got the form down.
All you need to do now is extend your bent knees at full force...
and use the momentum and your body to thrust your fist upward. Give it a shot.
I lean my upper body forward...
extend my knees at full force and use the momentum...
and my body to thrust my fist upward.
Okay!
Extend the knees at full force...
and use the momentum and my entire body to thrust my fist upward!
- Aw, man.
- An empty swing.
I don't believe this.
Did you see the looks on Miyata's and the old man's faces?
They were freaked out!
Yeah, he had a nice form, but why are you so excited about it?
Yeah, if he doesn't hit anything, what's the point?
How long have you morons been boxing? Didn't you understand what you saw?!
When he finished, his arm, knee, and toes were in perfect alignment.
It was the ideal uppercut form!
It proves that he has outrageous destructive power.
A half-trained lower body wouldn't be able to produce that.
Ippo is in a class of his own!
You sure give me something to look forward to, kid.
I want you to master this uppercut in three months.
I can't wait to see your re-match with Miyata.
After that kid debuts, he may just keep winning without a hitch...
and pass you losers in no time.
Huh? No way!
The Following Day
Shadow, sir?
That's right. While I'm out, I want you to work on shadow boxing.
See? That's it.
Make sure to throw in uppercuts as you go. Understand?
I should've known. He's not going to be by my side every day.
I feel a little uneasy all by myself.
Shadow boxing?
Yes. I have no idea how to do it.
I get you.
It goes something like this.
That's not good enough.
What did you say?!
Now, this is shadow boxing!
You idiot! Don't teach that kind of unorthodox boxing to a newbie!
Who cares?
Your style is way too orthodox and rigid to be effective in real matches.
You talk big for a guy who loses a lot of real matches.
Look who's talking! Your record doesn't look that hot, either!
- What did you say?!
- Same to you, buddy!
Uh, guys?
This is shadow boxing!
No, this is how it's done!
He doesn't appear to be just swinging punches at random.
He's fighting something invisible.
I see! His opponent is imaginary!
Let's see, my opponent would be...
Someone way too strong popped into my head!
But come to think of it, Miyata-kun is the only one I've ever fought against.
Huh? How does Miyata-kun move again?
All I remember is myself getting pulverized.
This isn't working! I need to create the image of his entire body!
H- He's fast! Now I see it again, I'm impressed by his incredible speed!
Damn it!
Are you all right?
Yeah.
How did he knock him down?! I couldn't see a thing!
What?
Let me think.
It's no good. I can't see it!
At this rate, the uppercut I just learned won't even graze him.
Come to think of it, Miyata-kun has been boxing since he was little.
It'd be impossible to catch up to him in three measly months.
Ippo, what are these?
I was throwing out those old magazines in your room, and these leaves fell out.
Leaves?
Don't, Mom! These are my treasures!
What? Those dirty leaves?
Geez.
It all began with these leaves.
Yeah. It happened to me that time, too.
I felt like giving up...
but I hung in there and did it!
Even I can do it.
I can't give up!
It doesn't work because I try to envision his entire body.
I'll start with his feet.
So sharp!
So that's how he changes direction!
What the heck is he doing?
Let's see. I'd move forward like this, cross my feet and jump sideways!
Argh! It's not right!
Looks like it's time for some invaluable advice from me.
That really hurt, old man!
When the kid starts mumbling, it means he's thinking for himself.
Let him be until he reaches a conclusion.
But he's so clumsy, I can't bear to watch him!
It's none of your business! Mind your own training!
What did you say, damn it?!
Three Days Later
I saw it!
I could see Miyata-kun's punch!
Hey, Ippo!
What's up? What's the big hurry?
Umezawa-kun. Actually, I need to be somewhere.
Be somewhere? Forget about that and come with us.
But I have to go.
You haven't been very sociable lately. Are you trying to make a fool of us?!
Sorry!
You idiots! What are you doing?!
We're sorry!
Damn!
He's getting quicker at evading us.
Dodge the left, and straight punch. Go around and uppercut!
I know I'm only imagining it, but I can't believe how strong he is!
But I can see it. I can see Miyata-kun's shadow!
- Thank you! Have a good night! - Good workout.
I'm only a spectator, but I can picture his opponent!
I can see! I can see it!
The kid has finally captured Miyata's shadow!
Argh! This is all wrong!
But you know, kid, capturing his shadow is not enough.
You must block his weapon, that single deadly blow.
Reflecting on Today
That's coming to an end
I try to search for what I can do
I might have thought too hard
If I can tell myself "I'll be fine,"
That would be the first step
A paper plane is flying away
Hopefully it will make it to Tomorrow
Forever, forever, forever, forever
I'll keep believing
That's why... forever, forever, forever, forever
It will keep flying
The counterpunch. An extremely advanced skill that only a genius can acquire.
At least that's what I always thought of a counter punch with spectacular footwork.
But I was wrong.
I don't want to run away, I want to challenge him head on.
I may not be able to do it right now, but I want to play fair and square!
The next round is "Three Months to Counter."