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
Damn it!
What incredible strength!
This guy is a true prodigy.
He overcame the issue of stamina long ago.
With the way I'm training now...
I'll never be able to defeat him.
This sucks.
Well, at least Aoki will be grateful to Hayami...
for the girl-packed audience.
Excuse me! Can I get past you?
Wasn't Hayami-kun way too cool?!
He was electrifying!
Yeah, totally!
Maybe the main event is less of a draw than the curtain raiser.
Who cares? I'll be able to focus on the fight better...
without an audience to distract me.
Hey, there!
Hey, what's wrong? Give me some solid backing, OK?
He's such a clown.
As I anticipated, it's a rummle-pummle mudslinging match.
There isn't an ounce of spectacle.
Take that!
He did it! He got him with a left hook!
The winner is Aoki in the Blue Corner!
I did it! I won! I won!
Holy cow! Takamura-san, I won!
The more he dances around, the more he looks like a clown.
Kimura! Ippo! Did you guys see that?! I'm tough! The more he dances around, the more he looks like a clown.
Kimura! Ippo! Did you guys see that?! I'm tough! That's not very nice. He won, so let's be happy for him.
Yeah! I did it!
KAMOGAWA Boxing Gym
I'm back!
It was a real hoot! At that point, all the girls left...
Come on, can't we talk about something else?
What? Hey, is that Miyata-kun?!
Why, why? What are you doing here?
I'm sorry. But... why are you here?
I happened to be doing roadwork nearby.
I thought I'd stop in and congratulate Takamura-san on taking the belt.
Still, what was with that hug just now?
Sure, I always thought you were a little on the queer side...
but I guess it's true.
Oh, come on, Takamura-san! You're such a kidder.
Right?
Not you, too, Miyata-kun.
This isn't funny anymore.
How come you're all backing away from me?
Watch out for him, guys!
Hey! Stop running away from me!
Hold on a minute!
Anyway, be easy on him.
He's worked hard to get this far, to fight you in the ring.
Believe it or not, he's only got one more to go.
You guys are so mean!
One more to go.
But that last one is the problem.
You mean Hayami?
His specialty is a barrage called the "shotgun," right?
I don't have a chance of stopping it.
If it were me...
I would shoot down every one of them with my counterpunches.
His self-confidence always amazes me.
I've come this far, but I don't have nearly as much confidence.
I'd like to hear some bravado from you.
Where's the usual "I can beat him no matter what"?
But I...
Make sure you get past him.
I'll be waiting at the final as promised.
Miyata-kun!
OTOWA Boxing Gym It's him! It's Hayami!
Thanks for the interview!
Another TV station?
He's a popular guy.
Hi there, Hayami.
Good afternoon.
I'm here to get your comments on the next match.
Can I have a moment of your time?
As usual, you came without an appointment.
So, what did you think of the tapes I gave you the other day?
You mean Makunouchi's matches?
I gave the most recent one a quick once-over.
Makunouchi versus Kobashi. You haven't watched the others?
Well, yeah. I was a little disappointed.
Well, I understand you there.
That fight was the worst of all four matches.
But I think you'd find the Ozuma match to be informative.
It's all the same.
If he can't handle an opponent of that level, he's nothing.
The other tapes aren't worth watching either.
I'll win the semi-final hands-down.
Oh, really? Still...
I don't think you should ignore his destructive power.
It's definitely number one in this tournament.
If he gets you in an infight, you could be in for a surprise.
He does seem to have a good punch.
But...
Do you think it'll hit me?
Hayami! It's time to resume training!
Now, if you'll excuse me.
I'm going home now, sir.
Take it easy!
He's training pretty hard.
Conceited boxers normally cut corners on basic training.
But he's a boxing prodigy who's never lost.
Maybe that's why he knows how hard it is to keep on winning.
Then he'll do this...
It's no good. No matter what I do, I don't see how I can win.
If it were me, I would shoot down every one of them...
with my counterpunches.
Hey, Ippo!
I want your opinion of my right straight punch.
Uh, sure.
Take this! Right straight!
Hey, don't dodge it!
Forget it! I'm not your sandbag!
OK, so why don't you punch back?
- Huh? - Ouch!
You idiot! Don't punch me out of nowhere!
There are no warnings in boxing.
Oh, shut up! Shut up!
If I knew it was coming, I wouldn't let this knucklehead punch me!
Just maybe...
Huh? Did you say something?
What?! You want to learn how to counterpunch?
Please, sir!
You fool. That is a highly advanced skill!
What if I know what punch is coming next?
What did you say?
There is a certain punch I know he's going to use on me!
His infighter killing, short uppercut.
If I get close enough to him, he'll definitely let me have it!
And you're proposing to use a counterpunch against it?
Yes, sir!
What do you think?
It's nothing like your previous training for Miyata and Ozuma.
Are you still up to it?
I'm prepared to go past my limit!
You never change.
All right! Put on your headgear and get into the ring!
Yes, sir!
Good. It's time for my "Razor Upper" to make some noise.
I heard everything. I'll let the uppercuts fly...
so you can practice countering them to your heart's content.
W-Wait a minute, Aoki-san.
You haven't recovered from your last match.
Don't sweat it! I'll do anything to help you beat that bastard Hayami!
So, the clown thing did bother him after all.
Huh? Did you say something?
Uh, no.
I'll be with you all the way, so beat him no matter what!
Right!
Kid! To counter an uppercut, use a hook.
Time your hook as if to put a cap on his uppercut!
Right!
That's too pushy! Look carefully before you step in!
Right!
The Next Day
What's the matter with you?
You haven't made any progress since yesterday!
What's wrong?
N-Nothing. It's just difficult to see your punches.
Besides, it's easier to move around without headgear.
But it'd be bad to take a direct hit.
I have no time!
OK, just don't blame me later.
I'm ready!
All right, here it comes!
Right!
I told you so.
Chinese Noodle Restaurant IWATA
So, what's this interesting article you were talking about?
Oh, this.
Hey, the Rookie King Tournament feature article.
Eastern Japan Rookie Champion Tournament Line Up of Four Prospective Champs
As expected, Miyata and Hayami have extensive coverage.
Huh? I don't see Ippo anywhere.
Ippo... is right here!
Dark horse - Ippo Makunouchi Probably No.1 in Featherweight in punching power alone. This reporter is keeping an eye on him.
Is this tiny column pathetic or what?!
Fujii-chan said he had high hopes for Ippo...
but this is downright cold.
You never know. Maybe this was the best he could do.
At least it's his personal comment.
I guess we can't expect much.
Ippo is a dark horse. The odds are against him a million-to-one!
He's doing great considering how far he's come.
He's totally different compared to the guy who first walked into the gym.
He had bad luck. The other three seeds are way too strong this year.
But still, Ippo's determination is really something.
I think there's a lot of hope for him to hit the jackpot.
Wanna put your money where your mouth is?
All right, I'll put 1,000 yen on the safe bet, Hayami!
I'll put a whopping 5,000 yen on Miyata.
So, Aoki-kun, you're betting on Ippo, right?
Huh?
Whoa, I can't believe you're putting all your money on a dark horse.
S-Sure! I'm a natural gambler.
What are you doing?
I'm taking notes so you can't back out later.
So, what's your bet?
Well, uh...
Come on, spit it out already!
Uh, would it be all right to switch to Miyata?
Breet! Unfortunately, Miyata is sold out!
No way!
Well, let's go bug Ippo with this list!
You're a devil of a man.
Count me in!
Fishing Boat Rental MAKUNOUCHI Good evening!
Fishing Boat Rental MAKUNOUCHI Hello!
Oh, hi, everyone.
Hello, hello!
Ippo’s Mom, is Ippo in?
Actually, he came down with a fever after his bath.
Bath?!
Excuse us...
Coming through.
Uh, guys!
Are you stupid or what?!
If you put your swollen body into a hot bath...
of course you're going to come down with a fever!
Yeah, I should've known better.
Silly kid.
Oh, that's right! I'm glad you're here, Aoki-san!
While I was resting, I was thinking about the counterpunch timing...
and I came up with something. Can I try it out?
Hey, you wanna try it right now?
Don't you have a fever?
I'm not going to be beaten by a little fever.
Can't we do it tomorrow?
I want to win no matter what!
I don't want even a second to go to waste!
Uh... sure.
This isn't the right time to mock him, huh?
Yeah.
The million-to-one odds might just come up.
Now, the Semi-Final of the Eastern Japan...
Championship Tournament is about to begin!
The fighters at the top of the Japan featherweight class...
are on everybody's lips!
Hey, are they airing commentaries for the semi-finals this year?
Well, Hayami is mighty popular.
- My guess is that's the reason.
- Hmph!
First, Hayami makes his entrance from the Red Corner!
As usual, the crowd is deafening!
Ryuichi!
Get him with a KO, OK?
Noisy women!
They'll shut up if Ippo wins.
He'll win all right.
He's trained like a madman this past month.
He'll win for sure.
You were getting a little mad by the end of it yourself, remember?
Yeah.
Next, Makunouchi enters from the Blue Corner!
What's this?
Allow me to introduce these two boxers.
Hayami in the Red Corner, achieved an amazing...
three consecutive victories in the Interscholastic Athletic Competition.
Even after turning pro, he has 4 wins of 4, with 4 KO's, no losses.
He's the new star hopeful in the Japan Boxing world!
In the pre-match interview...
he boasted that he would end the match by KO.
It's understandable, considering his past record...
of 100% KO wins against infighters.
Yeah, yeah. Great, great.
Makunouchi in the Blue Corner...
also has 4 KO's of 4 matches, no losses!
He can deliver strong punches ambidextrously!
If he lands one, this match will become very interesting!
Whoa, this guy sounds pretty strong!
A hard puncher, huh?
His family runs a fishing boat rental business.
He is an energetic high school student who continues to box...
while helping out his mother who raised him by herself.
"I used to be bullied..."
"but my life changed since I discovered boxing."
Huh?
I like that! Take good care of your mother, kid!
That idiot! Couldn't he have written something with more style?!
We'll be cheering for you. Kill that womanizer!
Aim for his face!
Watch your mouth, jerk!
Hayami, darling! Knock out that Momma's boy!
Take out that lousy pumpkin head!
The female audience is completely against you.
It's not like I stirred them up.
I'm curious how many rounds it'll take Hayami to win this time.
Since he's the hope of Japan, he needs to win in a convincing way.
They're only interested in how Hayami will win.
That's expected.
But it's not like Makunouchi doesn't have a chance.
I'm looking forward to finding out what all those bruises are about.
Listen, kid. If Hayami finds out what we're up to...
he won't use his short uppercut on you.
You have only one chance to counter. Remember that!
Yes, sir!
1st Round Remaining Time
Seconds out.
It's no good. Your response time is slow!
You need to improve, or Mashiba's flicker jabs will get you!
OK.
What's the matter?
Nothing.
The bell is about to ring.
Win, you hear me?!
Box!
I have only one chance to counter.
I need to be careful, very careful!
The opening blow goes to Hayami!
I have to get close to him!
Whoa! It went from absolute silence...
to a rush of middle-range punches! Neither one is yielding!
Hayami-kun, you can do it!
Go, Makunouchi!
Good! The training is showing results!
Good concentration!
I need to study Hayami's moves and step in deep!
He... He's too fast!
It's Hayami's shotgun!
Has Makunouchi been caught in the fire?!
So, Hayami is superior in middle range fighting!
What are you doing?!
Go for it, fishing boat boy!
The speed of his barrage is unbelievable!
I don't have the time to gauge his movements!
I'll have to charge in expecting to take a few good hits on the way!
I see. An ordinary boxer would freak out if he took punches...
at this close range.
The No.1 destructive power in the tournament, huh?
Cool!
Here he comes!
I have to stand my ground! If I don't get near him...
I have no chance of winning!
He charged in!
He's prepared for the worst!
We're counting on you, Ippo!
Go! I don't care if you're too aggressive!
Charge in all the way!
Don't stop! Keep going! Once I get close to him...
he'll throw his infighter-killing left uppercut for sure!
I only have one chance!
I must concentrate on the movement of his left hand!
When is he going to use it?
When?!
He isn't using his left uppercut!
What?!
Huh?!
As you wish, I'll take your challenge! Let's infight!
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
Infight. An exchange of punches...
sparked after closing in on an opponent.
A fighting style compiled from past victories.
I thought I never had a chance of winning.
For a moment, I thought I had a chance.
Then he completely crushed me. He showed me his superiority.
But I can't let it end yet!
I've been entrusted with something.
I can't let it end in disgrace, with him looking down on me!
The next round is "Forward! Forward!"