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
Oh!
- Here he comes!
- Do your best, Ippo!
Go punch him up!
Damn! How can I be so nervous after all I've done to get here?!
I must focus on the match!
The first match, 4 rounds...
of the featherweight class is ready to begin.
In the Red Corner, from Nishikawa Gym...
weighing 124 and a half pounds...
Yusuke Oda!
In the Blue Corner...
from Kamogawa Gym, weighing 124 pounds...
Ippo Makunouchi!
You could at least acknowledge them!
Uh, right!
For your information, this will be Makunouchi's debut match.
Pleased to meet you!
Love the polite hellos, Newbie!
Good luck!
Fighters to center.
Be extra careful about foul play.
I will give serious deductions for butting and low blows.
D- Don't try to stare me down, 'cause it won't work!
I won't stay spooked forever, you know!
Hey, Ippo's staring back!
The kid is showing some backbone.
All right! Let's put some "umph" into our support.
Good, Ippo! Stare at him until you kill him!
You need to intimidate him more than that!
Damned straight! You have nothing to fear!
Because your dong is a heavyweight!
Trust me! The bigger man wins!
Talk about immoral support!
Give the guy a break!
How could he do this to me on the eve of my debut match?
Don't let it get to you. Win, and it'll become a good memory.
If you get the chance, use a fast break! But never lower your guard.
Yes, sir!
Round One!
All right, I won't lose!
Heh, that relaxed him a little.
I can't lose. If I lose now, I'll lose everything.
I'm gonna win no matter what!
Excellent. He's in the proper frame of mind!
Good, I was able to dodge it! I seem to be in good shape!
What a hard right!
Isn't Oda pacing himself a little too fast?
I'm worried he'll run out of gas again.
Don't worry. See? That's a good combination!
What's wrong, Newbie?! You won't win unless you punch!
Oda is in awfully good shape this time.
Yeah, his punches are in the groove.
He stole the wind from Ippo's sails. However...
It looks like he can see the punches.
I'm getting used to his swings.
What kind of a punch was that?! It broke right through my guard!
All right!
Damn!
Aw, man! Why are you taking a counterpunch?!
His guard is down!
Stop!
Good job sticking with it! The power of his fists are real.
He'll try to throw more in Round Two. Listen, never withdraw!
You are both fighters! The man who runs will lose. It's that close!
Heh, that's fine by me.
Your opponent is nothing to sneeze at. Listen, your vigor will prevail!
If he tries to put on the pressure, retaliate with double the vigor. Got it?
Yes, sir!
Round Two!
Exchanging punches is what I do best.
I'll teach that greenhorn how hard the professional world can be!
That's the spirit!
I'm sure he's feeling the pain, but he's in good spirits.
That proves he's full of confidence.
I'll punch and punch and keep on punching!
Vigor! I have to fight back with vigor!
Damn!
Two body blows in a row? He's really mastering the art of in-fighting.
Oda's taking those body blows really well.
Yeah, considering how many he's taking.
Those are the type that made you guys blow chunks.
You knew about that?
Of course! Anyway, don't miss it!
Huh?
Oda is backing into a corner!
They had equal punches, but the difference in power is starting to show.
I cornered him!
Do it!
You idiot!
That's the same as before!
Come on!
He keeps throwing hard punches, but he's still going strong!
They lied when they said he had no stamina!
Oda! What are you doing?! Go around!
Get away from the corner!
Hey... The body blows are starting to affect his legs!
Come on!
Don't get discouraged! Oda-san must be hurting, too!
I'm gonna go at him with everything I've got left!
Why, you...
Do you think you can take me down with a punch like that?!
I'm not finished yet!
Down!
I... I did it!
Atta way!
I... I can't let it end this way!
What did I do all that running for?!
Why did I go through all that training?!
Six! Seven!
He got up!
It's no good! He won't win.
And this was the first time he came so physically prepared...
and showed so much grit in the ring!
Damn! Why did he have to be pitted against such an incredible newbie?!
Oh, God...
This might be my last time in the ring.
I'm not going down while they're calling me gutless!
It's my chance... My chance for a KO.
I won't let it pass me by!
Box!
It only grazed him.
That was freaky.
Huh? What?!
Doctor!
Was it that right hook?
This is bad. If the doctor stops the match now, he'll lose by TKO.
I don't get it. According to my fortune telling...
Ippo was supposed to have the best of luck. Remember?
Right?
Scary! Aoki's prophecy was right again.
Huh?
The doctor looks perplexed.
Yeah, 'cause the match was totally in the kid's favor.
Please resume the match!
Well, fortunately, it hasn't reached the fascia.
For now, we'll resume the match, but if the cut opens up again...
we'll stop right away. All right?
Yes, sir!
All right! Ready an ice bag! And the Quick Clot!
Box!
Stop! The second round is over!
Chief, can you stop this bleeding?! I worked too hard for today!
If I lose like this, I'll never be able to accept it!
Don't worry! I'll make it stop.
Stay still.
I am about to put a secret medicine on your cut.
Good. First, the avintene, and then adrenalin ointment.
And to finish the job...
So, how is it?
It stopped!
The geezer knows his stuff.
I'm not sure what he did at the end, but he's a top-notch cutman.
Thank you, sir!
It's a cutman's job to stop bleeding.
However, it's your job as a boxer not to make the injury any worse.
Go knock down Oda before the cut opens up again!
Right!
Good job getting up from that knockdown!
It's a shame your opponent was injured...
but this is a lucky chance presented by your grit!
That's right. It's my chance. My last chance!
Round Three!
My legs are about to give. It's already the third round...
The old me would have been totally exhausted by now...
but I'm not myself today. I'll settle this in the next round!
I don't want the doctor to stop me and lose by technical knock-out.
I must knock him down before he can hit me!
Which will come first? The blood or the KO?
Either way, it will be decided in this round.
Box!
Hey! Oda's still reeling from the damage he took earlier!
Go all the way! Huh?
Stop that!
He's aiming for your left eye!
Don't fight from a distance! Get close to him!
He's clinching!
That bastard! What a cheap trick!
Come on, Ref! Separate them already!
Break it up! Get back!
Oh, no! But I put up such a strong guard!
Box!
Don't step back! He'll take advantage of it!
I can't let this go on! They'll stop the match!
But I can't relax my left guard either!
This is bad. Ippo's left is completely blocked.
He needs to gauge the distance with his left, or his right won't connect.
If he could only jab, it would open the way.
This is not good! I have to do something!
I can't hold on much longer! They'll stop the match!
I don't want that to happen!
What? Southpaw style?!
I can't hold on much longer! They'll stop the match!
I don't want that to happen!
What? Southpaw style?!
I'll never give up! I know it's chancy, but I'll try it like this!
This guy is serious.
He switched!
That's reckless!
Nah. I love this kind of gamble!
When Oda-san comes at me, I'll block him with right jabs...
and stake it on my left straight!
Here he comes!
Huh?!
He's surprised at his own punches.
It feels really weird!
Do you think you can stop me with those pathetic jabs?!
Without your main cannon, you're nothing to fear!
Looks like it backfired big time.
Call a stop! Hurry and stop the match!
Not yet! Kid, don't strain yourself!
How can you expect me not to strain myself?!
How come I can't do it properly?!
The jab is the punch I began with!
Began with?
Those were pretty good jabs!
Oh, yeah!
Oh, no!
- He's stopping it!
- Is this it?!
Now I remember. Jabs are...
You're through!
There! Use a left straight!
Stop!
This can't be!
All right, we won!
What?!
The winner, Makunouchi!
I... I won!
Hey. Hey!
You fought good.
You did it, Ippo-kun!
Hey, don't just stand there. Go thank the man.
Uh, right!
Excuse me...
Um...
Congratulations on your debut match. Good luck with the next one, too.
Uh, sure!
Thank you for the fight!
So, how does it feel to win by KO?
Actually, it doesn't feel real yet.
I was so caught up in it, it feels like I won in all the confusion.
Good job, Makunouchi!
Aim for the Rookie King!
I'll be back to root for you!
Th-Thank you so much!
Aoki's fortune-telling missed for the first time.
So, he ended up defeating him down with one right jab.
Yeah, I wonder how many connected in a row?
Yeah, those are scary punches.
However, he only won by a hair's breadth.
He still has a long way to go.
He'd better improve more or it wouldn't be much fun.
KO Time 3R 2 minutes 35 seconds
Ippo Makunouchi Victorious in Debut Match At Korakuen Hall!!!
He had the nerve to thank me...
the bastard.
Yeah.
Damn it! He took the words out of my mouth!
What have I been doing all this time?!
I was so conceited, I underestimated boxing.
He taught me that if you give it all your guts...
boxing can be this exciting.
You saw what happened. I made a mockery of myself.
Yes, you lost...
but you weren't a mockery!
In fact, you never looked more awesome.
I want you to keep boxing.
I want to keep boxing, too...
but I lost.
They won't set me up for another match.
Oda!
Don't drag your feet around here! Hurry home and go to bed!
If you don't, it'll effect your training that starts tomorrow!
Huh?
Listen, his guard was weak.
He only won by a hair's breadth.
We'll win next time.
And at that time, you will be the challenger.
Thank you, sir.
Korakuen Hall
Chief, thank you for all you did for me today.
He was in kind of a bad mood, wasn't he?
He's actually ecstatic.
He just doesn't like to be seen looking happy.
- And to prove it...
- Ooh!
- Look!
- We were waiting for that!
Which means...
Bar "Sugar Ray" - This is the place! - All right!
This is the reason I go to see the fights!
Is it okay for boxers to consume alcohol?
Don't be such a stickler!
This is about the only time we DO get to drink.
But...
It's only a toast with one beer, so it's not "drinking" per se.
We merely want to enjoy a taste of celebration.
Oh! Hello, Yagi-san! Come on in!
You, too, Takamura-kun! Long time no see!
- Hi, Akemi-san! - Knock it off, you!
The young people at your gym are always full of energy, Yagi-san.
Actually, the reason we're here today...
What? You're kidding!
Amazing! This little boy is really a boxer?
And you won?
You must be incredible under that innocent face.
Without further ado, let's toast to Ippo's debut match victory.
Cheers!
- Congratulations! - Th-Thanks.
- You must have worked hard. - Uh, yeah.
Still, I sure am impressed Oda fought that hard.
We call those "Revival Miracle Jabs." I'm amazed you thought of that!
Actually, thought had nothing to do with it.
Hmph!
I've never experienced anything like this!
I have friends around me, and it's so much fun...
I never knew that winning could be this wonderful!
Hey, this boy is blushing for some reason.
That's adorable!
Uh, I am?
I have a soft spot for guys like him.
Maybe I'll become a fan of yours, Ippo-kun.
Huh?
Adorable, you say?! Don't let him trick you!
Once you see how huge it is, you'll never call him adorable again!
Just a darned minute! I can't believe you're doing this to me again!
You embarrassed me so bad before the match, I almost died!
Huh? What is it? What's huge?
Uh, no... It wouldn't interest you!
THIS is what I'm talking about!
Oh, my...
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
Butting.
Close-quarter fighting so tight, you breathe secondhand air.
Heads could easily clash by accident.
But it's no more than a technical difficulty.
However, if you find out it was done on purpose...
it not only hurts, it's aggravating!
But for some reason, a head-butt from a friend...
makes you glad even though it hurts!
The next episode is "Becoming a Bully's Buddy."