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
Kid!
Eight!
Ippo, can you go on?
Y-Yes.
Miyata!
Fight!
Stop! The first round is over!
Awesome, you guys!
Is this really a match between two non-licensed boxers?
Kid! Hey, kid! Wake up!
Snap out of it, kid!
Ch-Chief.
Are you awake now?
Too bad. You were able to counter his long uppercut, but...
Damn!
That right straight I took earlier made my feet weak.
If I could have stood firmer, that last punch would have finished him off.
He's practically a different person from who he was three months ago.
Starting with the second round, I'll fight him as though he's at my level!
If I don't watch it, I'll be the one who loses!
Ichiro.
You each have got two knock-downs. You're fighting at his level.
In... Incredible.
Miyata-kun really is incredible.
I can't believe he could save that...
that awesome attack until the very last minute.
That must have hurt bad. I hope he's not emotionally crushed...
from having the tables turned when he was so close to victory.
Anyway, I'm glad you're back!
B-But...
I hit him.
Last time, I couldn't touch him...
but I've knocked him down twice now!
The last three months of training has been tough...
but right now, I'm so happy it's unreal!
If I could, I'd love to get up again and again and keep fighting forever.
A great fighter like Miyata-kun is taking me serious enough...
to use a secret weapon on me!
I can't afford to just lay around!
What a kid.
They're both at the same level of damage.
Ippo may have blocked Miyata's counterpunch...
but Miyata took advantage of Ippo's long uppercut for his counterpunch.
They blocked each other's Sunday punches, making them totally on par.
No. I think the odds are against the kid.
If neither can use their best punches, it won't end with a single punch.
Which means, whoever delivers the most punches will win.
Which means...
All right. Seconds out! Let's start the second round!
- Whoa! Ippo unleashed one!
- How will Miyata react?
Wh-What's this?!
He's clinching?
Hey, it's not like Miyata to clinch.
What's going on?
Miyata-kun is clinching? Why?!
Break it up! Don't stand still, Miyata!
Fight!
Miyata-kun, why?!
Break it up! Get away from him, Miyata!
I get it.
Miyata is clever.
Stop!
The second round is over! To your corners!
Something's wrong. I thought that Miyata-kun wasn't the type to run.
So why?
Do you get it now? Miyata gave up attacking this round...
to focus on recuperating from his damages.
His longer boxing experience shows.
At the start of the round, he was heaving his shoulders...
but now his breathing is already back to normal.
In the remaining two rounds, he'll come on strong!
It's not that Miyata's not proud. In fact, he's the proud type.
He's doing whatever he can to win.
I can tell he's dead serious.
Still, it's unbelievable that Miyata was driven into a corner so quickly.
He's still dragging his feet from that damage in the first round.
But as long as he charges aggressively, your counterpunch will remain blocked.
How do you intend to beat him?
If I can stop his feet, he won't be able to step forward.
Oh?
That's what clinching is for.
I'll nail him in the next round. Watch me, Dad!
Seconds out!
My feet are back to normal.
The look in his eye has changed!
What'll I do?! Don't hesitate!
No matter what, all I can do is go forward!
Here I come!
Miyata has changed the style of his attacks!
His feet are moving light and swift!
He's using hit-and-away.
You jump in and attack quickly...
and by the time your opponent strikes back, you're no longer there.
Though not many of those punches will lead to a single KO punch...
it will definitely pile on the damage.
It's a textbook example of outboxing.
Ichiro!
He's focusing on body blows.
No matter how strong Ippo's body is...
he can't withstand that kind of barrage.
The kid is still reeling from his damages from the first round.
He's totally helpless against that incredible hit-and-away technique.
Oh, no!
Ippo's feet stopped!
Miyata's tactics won out!
As long as Miyata can stop Ippo's forward motion, he has nothing to fear.
This is where their difference in experience clearly shows.
M... More!
I want to keep standing more!
Miyata-kun is taking me seriously!
There's still one more round left!
How do you like that?!
Down! To your neutral corner!
One!
He won't get up from that.
Two!
Guess I'll grab Miyata's comments and get going.
Three!
Four!
He's still gonna fight!
Five!
Six!
Seven!
Eight!
Fight!
Stop! That's the bell! The third round is over!
Whoa, awesome!
They're fired up!
Saved by the bell.
They took it all the way to the final round.
Yeah, the kid is doing a great job against Miyata.
But the result is obvious now. It's impossible to turn the tables.
That was good footwork.
Still, I've never seen you make a victory pose before.
I'm surprised at it myself.
Every one of his punches is potentially fatal.
I can't let myself take even one.
I love this kind of tension.
That's what you need. In the professional ring...
the pressure of "beat-or-beaten" is always with you.
Unless you overcome the pressure, you can't become a real pro!
I need to thank the Chief. He's given good experience to my son.
The way you're fighting, it's only a matter of time before you score a KO.
However, he'll be going after a reversal like nobody's business.
Watch out for his uppercut.
I already have a perfect grasp of his uppercut.
If he keeps trying to throw it, I'll finish him with my counterpunch!
You can hardly breathe through that bloody nose.
I'm amazed you got back on your feet!
However, your charging feet have been taken away...
and his counterpunch has your finishing blow uppercut in check.
You're out of tricks now. So, do you want to give up now?
Even if you go on to the next round, he'll only use you as a punching bag.
I was content at first, just to get close to him.
I've already been able to do more than what I thought I could.
But since I've come this far, I wanna go a little farther.
Since I'm already fighting, I think that I'd like to win.
Is that... strange?
This kid's been taking a thrashing, but he's still thinking like that?!
But it's so obvious that he'll be beaten to a bloody pulp.
Should I let a kid who hasn't even debuted as a pro yet do this?!
Seconds out!
Kid, are you gonna go for it?
Yes, I am.
There's still one more thing I need to do.
All right, go out there and show me what you've left undone!
Right!
Go finish up, Ichiro!
All right!
Last round! Round Four!
- Go for it, Miyata!
- Don't back down, Ippo!
Here it comes!
Miyata took the initiative!
He went over Ippo's guard from the right, forcing him into the ropes!
You won't get away!
It's Operation Turtle.
Ippo's gone and reverted back to how he was three months ago!
He's determined to finish it by knock-out, no matter what.
The barrage of punches is so overwhelming, I can't do anything!
I have to be strong until it subsides!
When is it gonna subside?
His guard is wearing down. The KO is only a matter of time.
If this keeps up, he's gonna lose before he uses whatever he left undone.
Is this it?!
I won. This is the end!
The barrage has stopped!
The motion is small! It must be a right straight!
I'll dodge to the left!
What?! Is that an uppercut?!
A short uppercut without motion! So that's what the kid was aiming for!
How could he still produce a punch like that in his condition?!
That was so close! I couldn't predict him like I could before.
You made me break into a cold sweat!
I missed! I'm done for!
What? Why?
W-Why did Miyata fall? Did he slip?
Down! To your neutral corner!
What? Down?!
Did that connect?
It didn't miss! That uppercut grazed the end of Miyata's chin!
One!
Two!
What a waste of a knock-down!
A motionless uppercut, huh?
It was impossible to anticipate an uppercut from that position.
Three!
Four!
All right already. I'm getting up.
Five!
What's wrong, Ichiro?!
How can this be?
Six!
W-Wait! I'm getting up.
Seven!
Wait, please! I can go on!
Eight!
I said I can go on! Didn't you hear me?!
- Nine! - Damn it!
Ten!
What? Huh?
Huh? What?
Ippo wins!
That was awesome!
- He won!
- Can you believe it?!
W-What?
This can't be happening! Ippo ended up winning!
He won against Miyata with a KO! I don't believe it!
Uh... Miyata-kun!
Uh, I...
It was a good match, Makunouchi-kun. You worked hard for it.
Uh, yeah.
Hey, kid!
Uh... Yes?
I'll commend you on your mental strength not to give up to the bitter end.
But if you ask me, your technique still needs a lot of work!
We need to start you over from scratch!
Starting tomorrow, we're gonna resume the killer training, so be forewarned!
Aw, he finally gave out!
He's completely out of it!
It's surprising he lasted this long, considering the beating he took.
Yeah.
Huh? Where's the Chief?
He was delivering some elaborate speech a minute ago.
Ippo's lucky that he doesn't have to hear the old man nag any more!
If Kamogawa heard you, he'd kill you!
How do you like it? It's the decisive moment, don't you think?
It's one of the photos of that uppercut that I caught with my motor drive.
A pinpoint blow. The punch that grazes the tip of the chin.
When this punch connects, the brain is rocked side to side...
causing functional impairment to the legs.
That's why Miyata couldn't get up even though he was conscious.
So, his superhuman reflexes ironically contributed to the result of that match.
However, for an ordinary boxer, it would have been a direct hit...
possibly resulting in disaster.
That's the thing.
The amazing destructive power of 1 cm. I look forward to Ippo's development...
not just as a reporter of a magazine, but as a fan of boxing!
Fujii-san, the Editor-in-Chief want to see you!
Make sure he matures into a good boxer, Chief! Later!
Did you really skip the press conference for the World Title Match?
The Editor-in-Chief is furious!
That's okay.
Makunouchi... Ippo.
I still can't believe he produced such a powerful uppercut from that position.
Humph! I never taught him to punch like that!
He has a lot of nerve.
What if he injured a fist or something?!
What?!
Uh, nothing.
It's been a long time since I saw the Chief so excited.
Yes?
Hey, what's up?
Chief, the truth is...
Fishing Boat Rental MAKUNOUCHI
Ippo wins!
I can't sleep!
If I don't get to sleep soon, I'll be late for school in the morning!
Oh, no! What'll I do?!
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
A professional boxer. Harsh dieting.
Fierce training. Only a select few can persevere.
At least, that's what I used to think, but it's different.
They don't persevere because they can, they persevere because they have to!
They deserve the light and the applause because they won against themselves!
The next episode is "Promise to Meet Again."