Seek... without asking for the answer
I want to discover in the match on the edge
GET LIFE... not much time is left
That is the beginning
I WANT THIS ONLY
I will continue to seek
In the midst of that silver light
I may hurt others
As others may hurt me
But it doesn't end there
Keep seeking single-mindedly
I still don't see anything... WHY?
But I still keep seeking
NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
It's a smash!
That was close! If I hadn't sparred with Takamura-san...
I would have taken a direct hit!
Again!
What?!
From below?!
A new and improved smash!
What the heck was that punch?!
Something awesome just connected!
S-Sendo smashes!
However, it's different from the previous incarnation!
This time, his body hugs the ground in a wide swing!
It's a super low altitude smash!
He threw his entire body at him as he stretched up!
Hey... The drawback of the smash is defense!
But he revised the thing to increase the attack power, not the defense!
He would think of something like that.
Ippo managed to guard himself somehow...
but it's gotta hurt on top of everything else.
TEAM EAST
It got to my legs! Even though I had my guard up.
If I had taken a direct hit...
Finish him all the way, will ya?!
You don't have to tell me. I will!
I'm impressed that you can still move.
I meant for it to knock the sense out of you...
even with your guard up!
Yet another smash!
Makunouchi flees the point of impact!
Damn!
I'd be a goner if I took a hit from that.
He's dodging it somehow...
but it can only go downhill at this rate!
Can't he do anything other than block?!
Well, yes, he can, but...
I must stay away from the ropes.
Damn it!
Again!
Oh, dear! Makunouchi throws himself into Sendo's arms!
What the heck?! He's clinching!
Why don't you fight like a man?!
Damn!
Whoops! He's not clinching, he's close-range fighting!
Makunouchi comes to Sendo with a close-range fight!
That's fine by me!
Just like Round One, both fighters stop in their tracks and duke it out!
Wow, this is packed with thrills!
If one of those connects, someone's gonna go flying!
The odds are even at close-range!
The Eastern kid is doing a great job against a guy like Sendo!
Nah, Sendo has the smash in his arsenal!
Smash him, Sendo!
Heh, stupid newbies. He couldn't throw a smash right now if he wanted to.
What? Why not?
That's what Takamura-san would call a smash-blocker.
At a glance, it looks dangerous...
but the smash is a middle-range blow.
If Ippo maintains that proximity, Sendo can't use it.
Effectively, he's smothering the smash.
Wow, that's amazing! Ippo-kun is really using his head.
But it's pretty impressive to tell all that simply by watching!
Aw, any boxer could see that.
I couldn't.
Oh, my! They hit each other simultaneously!
However, Makunouchi took the worst of it!
Yet he clings on!
He still sticks to close-range fighting no matter what!
He does not fear Sendo's powerful punch!
That guy has nerves of steel.
He's fighting with a cannon pointed right at his face.
I know he's the enemy, but he has courage.
That's good! Don't give him any distance!
If you stick to him, you're sure to find an opening to charge!
He won't find an opening like that.
What?
Right now, he's only lashing out in desperation.
He's writhing under the pressure of the knife flashing in his face...
a knife they call the smash.
So, you mean, Ippo's fighting at close range...
only to keep the smashes in check?
That's why it's so bad to have his back to the ropes.
The revised smash is a punch that comes to life at rope-side.
They have stopped moving.
Are they both so exhausted from the fight...
that they need to catch their breath?
Or are they merely waiting for the perfect time to strike?
I can't give him an inch of leeway.
I have to keep trading blows with him in this position!
I have to make a stand!
Take the initiative!
Don't give him a chance to hit back! Hit him first!
He's right. That's all I can do!
Oh! Sendo back-steps!
That's a bad distance!
Get close to him! You have to get close to him!
I won't make it in time! What'll I do?!
I know! I'll counter!
I'll match his punch from below with a hook!
He's countering! Just like in the Hayami match!
No way! The smash was a feint?!
Sendo lands a right!
Makunouchi blocks with his shoulder and somehow withstands it!
But it's taken its toll. He can't control his feet!
He's gone!
Below!
It grazes his cheek! Did this have an effect?!
Ippo!
No, he's staying up! He holds onto the rope and perseveres!
This is it! Sendo goes to deliver his finishing smash!
Go!
This is bad!
Got you!
Stop!
The bell has rung, both of you!
Now, return to your corners!
Round Two is over! In a reversal from the first round...
this time Makunouchi is saved by the bell!
What an extreme series of developments!
This is definitely a main event...
worthy of the All-Japan Rookie Championship!
Oh, darn! Ippo-kun is trying so hard, too!
Isn't there any way he can win this?
The smash is pressuring him so bad...
that he can't help going into defensive mode.
Oh, I know! How about if Ippo fights back using a smash?
It would sure scare the socks off Sendo!
What are you talking about?!
You can't just go and photocopy a move like that!
Hold on a second.
The problem is, the smash prevents him...
from using middle-range fighting, right?
In retrospect, Ippo only uses close-range fighting...
because it's convenient, so...
So if he could only use a middle-range blow...
that could oppose the smash...
he could shake the pressure...
and take it back into close-range fighting, right?
In Ippo's repertoire of punches...
In Ippo's repertoire of punches?
It's no good! I can't think of anything!
Ow!
What's your problem?
Don't raise our hopes for nothing!
This is a real fix.
Good going, Sendo, you're doing fine.
Makunouchi is really hurting now!
It's no good. He's not the type to give up after a trifle like that.
Through all his grogginess, just before the bell rang...
he was attempting something new.
So, we don't know what could happen if this drags on, huh?
Very well! If you see a window in the next round...
go for it! Press him hard!
Save your breath. That was already the plan!
The kid, who's a storehouse of stamina...
is this run-down after only two rounds.
Our method of attack is sound! His counter wasn't a bad move.
Still, each blow puts him further behind.
To think he would use his secret weapon...
as a feint of all things. No...
It was effective because it's a secret weapon.
I suppose a first-rate fighter has a stockpile of first-rate severity.
This match has become a little too much...
for the kid at his stage of development.
Ippo-kun!
Ippo-kun, gargle! And sit yourself down.
What's wrong? Sit down already. You need as much rest as possible.
I... I think I'll stand... if you don't mind.
But why? You didn't sit after the first round either.
I feel like once I sit down...
I won't be able to get to my feet again.
My body is still moving, but I took some hard hits.
But I want to keep at it a little longer.
Because... I came here because I wanted to fight him.
Besides, there's still one thing I need to do!
Seconds out!
Chief, my mouthpiece.
R-Right.
Are you sure about this, Chief?
Do you want to send him in without any advice?
He has one thing left to do, eh?
What?
In this hopeless downhill battle...
the guy has the nerve to say he's got unfinished business.
I've heard that phrase from him on one other occasion.
There's still one more thing I need to do.
He used the exact words he used back then.
I'll let the kid have this round.
I'd like to see this unfinished business of his!
Round Three!
Now, this is the important round.
Will Sendo proceed to launch an all-out attack?
Or will Makunouchi counterattack? This is positively riveting!
It ends this round!
Damn straight! You get him, Sendo!
Aw, damn it! I can't be squelched by the people around me anymore!
Wait right there, Ippo! I'll get the party started for you!
H-Huh?
What's wrong?
Have you seen my drum anywhere? I think I dropped it or something...
Rocky! Rocky!
Why, you snotty brats!
Rocky! Rocky!
We'll clap our hands for him.
Umezawa-san...
The contenders stare each other down yet again.
And as they lock eyes, the distance begins to shrink away!
Hey, hey... What are you thinking, Ippo?!
He took up position in middle range, of all the stupid places!
Isn't he going to stick close and fight?
This distance is in my favor! I'll rip your head off with my smash!
Ippo-kun?!
Kid...
Looks like he's ready for it.
My word! Now Makunouchi has thrown his Peek-a-boo stance to the wind!
What kind of strategy is this?!
Kid!
What is he thinking?!
Normally, he should tighten his guard and wait for his second wind!
If he lowers his right guard, he'll take the smash head-on!
Hey...
His right and left are different, but doesn't that pose look familiar?
Ippo's lowered his right guard...
and Sendo's lowered his left guard.
You're right. Their right and left fists are mirror reflections.
He's using the same pose as Sendo?!
Don't tell me...
Don't tell me, you...
You're not gonna mimic my smash, are you?!
Why, you!
Now he's pissed!
How could he not be?! The smash isn't a run-of-the-mill punch...
you can accomplish without tons of heavy training!
If a guy takes your pose when he's never done it before, it's insulting!
What's with these wimpy jabs?
Is he gauging distance?!
Do you think you can simply throw something like a smash overnight?!
That's not only insulting, that's absurd!
Sendo launches a series of attacks! Is Makunouchi pressed to stay alive?
A right?!
An uppercut?! No!
His wrist is straight!
A straight?! Angled from below?
Oh, crap!
Aah! Sendo stumbles!
Makunouchi hits him with an uppercut angled from below.
In other words, a smash?!
What?! Makunouchi can do those, too?!
That's a crazy, sharp punch!
No, it's slightly different from a smash!
His is more upward-angled and pull-away...
compared to Sendo's round-swinging punch!
Holy cow. When did he acquire a middle blow like that?
It's the first I've seen it!
He can't throw something like that from the Peek-a-Boo stance.
So that's why he lowered his right!
It's amazing he pulled off a punch like that without practice at this stage.
He probably had a lot of faith in it.
After all, that's the punch he beat Miyata with.
I bet he's been thinking about it nonstop...
since watching me spar with Sendo.
Chief, down to the words and the deed, it's the re-enactment of that fight!
The kid's really done it this time.
Go! Don't rest your hands! Keep hammering!
Okay!
But it's been so long since I've put it into practice, my image is a little off.
When I fought Miyata-kun, it was more...
I'm surprised. He has a very similar punch.
However...
Right!
I have more destructive power!
A throw-away punch!
Take that!
Oh, my! Sendo launches another smash!
It's a hit-for-hit!
Sendo stabilizes! Makunouchi also takes it!
No, I take it back! He's feeling it!
Kid!
I don't care! I'm better at hit-for-hitting!
I have to remember! With Miyata-kun, it was more...
It was more compact!
Like this!
Makunouchi lands a right! It's a powerful hit!
A-All right!
He blew away Sendo!
It's reversal after reversal! However, will this end it all?
It connected!
It appeared as though they punched at the same time...
but Ippo's hit faster because it was straighter.
Wasn't that great?
The punch he used on Miyata is now his counterpunch!
I felt a solid impact. Don't get up!
One!
Two!
- Three!
- Sendo!
Four!
The huge cheering squad watches over him with bated breath!
Can Sendo stand?!
Five!
He can't stand. He can't possibly stand!
Sendo doesn't twitch a muscle! Did that settle it?!
R-Rocky...
Get up, Rocky!
Rocky, get up!
Get up or else!
Rocky?!
Rocky!
Oh, my! Sendo responds! His upper torso rises from the mat!
It can't be.
Ro-o-cky! Ro-o-cky!
Sendo bites on his mouthpiece and attempts to stand!
Will he stand? Can he stand?!
Seven!
He stumbles towards the referee! His legs are unsteady!
Sendo!
Sendo-san...
Eight!
Rocky!
He's up! Sendo has risen to his feet into fighting pose!
He has come back to life!
He got up. What a guy!
This... This man is the real Sendo-san!
That's right! That's our Rocky of Naniwa!
We're counting on you, Rocky! Give it back to him!
That one really hurt.
The cheering sounds like a ringing in my ears.
What the hell is wrong with you, Rocky?!
Fight harder!
You promised to buy us video games, remember?!
I can hear the brats quite clearly.
Risking my life to buy video games.
Damn, what a stupid promise that was.
It isn't stupid whatsoever.
It's hard to come across someone with such awesome punches.
This is a valuable experience for me!
How many guys in Japan can let me sample this thrill?
This is what Sendo-san is all about.
We each threw our best punches, and he still gets back on his feet.
My boxing with Sendo-san is only just beginning.
This is only the beginning of our real fight!
Again, the audience calls Rocky.
Can Sendo respond to the crowd's expectations?
Go, Ippo!
If you knock him down again, you win!
Sendo...
Stay calm, and go finish it up!
I know you like Rocky, but my Rocky is Rocky Marciano!
Sendo-san once told me that the boxer with the superior power...
... is the boxer who can withstand the most punches.
Box!
This is a boxing...
... challenge!
A sudden hit-for-hit!
Ah, Sendo falters! Is the damage serious?!
I'm going all in!
Sendo strikes back with a mighty right!
Makunouchi falters! Is it a reversal?!
No, Sendo also staggers from the hit!
Th-This is an incredible exchange of blows!
They're both fighting with their shields down!
Makunouchi gives it back!
And Sendo sends it back again!
Damn it!
Another hit-for-hit!
Their fists never stop, and the body blows keep flying!
The punches from both boxers are so powerful...
they make a dull roar that reverberates throughout the stadium!
Go! Don't get out-punched!
Stand your ground, Ippo!
You're almost there!
Right on!
Listen to this intense cheering!
The intense punching battle does the cheers justice!
It's a virtual test of endurance, a test of punching power!
It's a test of life-and-death tenacity!
What an amazing guy Sendo-san is!
But I won't give up first! I must hit back for all I'm worth!
This is cool! This is so cool!
This is it! I've been wanting to do this forever, Makunouchi!
No matter what I do, it's the same
I keep making mistakes
What is truly important?
Weary about what's under my feet
I can't stop looking down
When that happens
Just look up
Look far into the distance
Find a new perspective from a different angle
When walking down a narrow path, look up
You'll find the world has a 360-degree view
Rush. The act of constantly attacking...
in an all-out effort to break through a match that's gone stagnant...
concentrating barrages without allowing room for counterattack.
Stick to it! Hit back!
My opponent is also taking my punches on his feet!
That's why I can't let myself be pressed back like this!
The next episode is, "The Rookie King."