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
I got a body blow!
What?!
Right!
There it is! Makunouchi's power blow...
that sends them flying, guard and all!
All right! We have control of the pace! Whale into him!
His punches aren't as powerful as Sendo-san's!
I'll go forward prepared to take a few hits!
Don't pull back.
Oh, my! This time Makunouchi's guard is blown away!
Okita hammers an intense right straight!
Th-This punch!
It's a corkscrew! Just like Date-san's!
The fighters have backed off from their ferocious battle.
Now, how will they act? Who will make the first move?
It's the same pose as Date-san, too.
Will he use his right, or will he use his left?
The pose makes it hard to tell.
Left!
No, right!
Wh-Which is it? Which is he gonna use?
Left!
Oh, no! It was a feint! I dropped my opposite guard!
Another feint!
This time, it's...
A body blow. He made it look like he was throwing high and aimed low!
Damn!
He's doing it again. Which is he going to use? Which?!
Damn! He made a punch look like a corkscrew...
and showed their difference in careers in one shot.
Ippo's rhythm has been shattered.
He's good at keeping distance.
Okita's actual match skill is greater than I imagined.
Hey, they've gotten quiet.
What happened to their energy?
This isn't an arranged marriage!
Go at it harder, would ya?!
Fight, fight!
That's easy for you to say.
Kid!
Don't wait for him to punch! Remember your own boxing!
H- He's right. I have to box my way!
I have to weave past his jabs and get on the inside!
He's going to attack.
Left!
No, right!
I got it backwards again.
I can't tell them apart!
Whoops! Okita's jabs are hitting their mark quite well!
Makunouchi tries to charge in, but he can't get near!
What's wrong with Ippo-kun today?
He can't find a venue! The kid's boxing consists of diving in...
and weaving through the opponent's punches...
but he still can't see where those punches are coming from.
Idiot! Don't get fooled by simple feints!
Pull back for now! Keep a distance!
Stupid, that's just what Okita wants.
If he backs off even slightly, he'll be run back into the rope.
Okita will aim for the rope-side punch he planned for.
A corkscrew?!
I take back what I just said! Ippo, don't back off no matter what!
I don't care if you have to force it! Just go forward!
Okita's aiming for the moment you back off!
Makunouchi's face is starting to change shape.
I guess if you take that many jabs it'll have an effect.
Is he gonna make a KO?!
I'll finish this!
Don't flinch, Ippo!
Get out there!
Kid! Don't back down!
He pulled back!
Y-You fool! You lost sight of your own boxing style!
Aah, Makunouchi is running!
He is cornered in one attack! His back is to the wall!
I told you NOT to back up, you moron!
Get out of there quick!
See that? My boxing is Date-san's boxing.
I've made countless simulations...
of what Date-san would do in a situation like this.
I'm fighting this match in his mindset.
If you think you can take him on when you can't even beat me...
you're 10 years...
... too premature!
Got you!
No! It's a corkscrew!
H- Hey, was he waiting for my corkscrew?
This is explosive! Makunouchi throws a right uppercut!
The punches keep coming!
Whoops! Makunouchi is also hurting! Okita also roundhouses!
Makunouchi, left! Okita returns the favor!
It probably hurts to move, but they don't stop!
Whoa, he returns the body blow!
Okita is down!
He's down! Back to your neutral corner!
A reverse development in the blink of an eye!
He felled him by force!
That's this year's Rookie of the Year for you! Ippo Makunouchi!
All right! This is what we came here to see!
That punch is inhuman!
It sent shivers up my spine!
One!
Huh, he fooled us.
The bastard was aiming for that.
He aimed for that?
A venue of attack.
He doesn't know what's coming next, so Ippo thought hard.
He forgot his own forward-attacking style of boxing.
So he decided to wager on the punch he knew was coming...
the corkscrew.
The idea was to force a venue of attack from there.
That makes sense.
He backed off without provocation in order to coax out a corkscrew.
No, it's not nearly that cool.
It means he was driven so far into a corner...
that he took the huge gamble out of desperation.
Three!
Still, Okita sure fell for it, hook, line and sinker.
After all, he pulled off a totally different pattern of boxing...
than anything he's ever done before.
T- There was an impact.
Don't get up. Don't get up!
Okita makes a response. Will he get up? Can he get up?!
Four!
Get up!
My boxing... is Date-san's boxing!
If I lose...
it will make Date-san's boxing look bad as well!
Five!
Six!
I... I can't lose!
Seven!
Okita's almost there! Will he make it to his feet?!
Eight!
I can go on! I can go on.
Okita is up! He's on his feet!
He takes a fighting pose!
Ippo! Don't show him any sympathy!
Finish him off!
If you win, you'll get 5th ranking!
You'll be within firing range of doing what you want...
challenging the champ!
Within firing range!
Now 30 seconds remain in Round One. Will Okita weather it out?!
Will Makunouchi put his opportunity to good use?
If you win, you'll get 5th ranking!
You'll be within firing range of doing what you want...
challenging the champ!
Within firing range!
Now 30 seconds remain in Round One. Will Okita weather it out?!
Will Makunouchi put his opportunity to good use?
Box!
The match continues!
Makunouchi attacks with vigor! How will Okita evade him?
Or will he be defeated in the face of Makunouchi's destructive power?!
I must win. I must win so I can challenge Date-san!
He's strong. This guy is strong, Date-san!
I must win!
Damn it!
I... I can't afford to lose!
I have to win to challenge Date-san!
I always looked up to him!
I'm going to be the one who catches up to him!
Both boxers move in at the same time!
How's this?!
Makunouchi's left is a split-second faster!
Whoa, he took it head-on!
He's a goner!
I connected!
H- He's powerful...
I can't hold on...
anymore.
Way to go, Rookie of the Year!
Oh, Date-san!
You really have gotten tougher.
Not really. I just learned to copycat you better, that's all.
You idiot. You have other textbooks to rely on than me, right?
Like Leonard and Hagler.
No thank you.
I like your boxing best.
Really? Well, do as you will!
I look up to you. I want to be like you.
Like you, Date-san.
H-He withstood the blow! I'm surprised!
Okita took Makunouchi's power blow full-on!
However, he props himself on the rope, refusing to fall!
If I fell, I wouldn't be able to get up again.
It was a really solid impact, too. What incredible willpower!
The most astounded person here has to be this man... Makunouchi!
Until a moment ago, he most likely thought victory was his!
Willpower? No, it's tenacity.
This guy is different from anyone you've dealt with so far.
There is a type of tenacity that comes from the unwillingness...
to relinquish a position you fought hard for.
The higher you go, the stronger that tenacity becomes.
Go, kid! If you don't take advantage of this opportunity...
you can't go for the top! Pin down Okita, tenacity and all!
If I don't use this chance...
I can't aim high!
He's gonna attack!
Calm down, Okita. This is the time you need to be calm.
I'm feeling the pain, but I still have strength in me!
That's it. Good.
If he's going to attack me straight-on, that's what I have to aim for!
Makunouchi's final move is well established.
However, it's direct.
- There will only be...
...one chance.
Aah! Makunouchi strikes! Will this lead to the finish?!
If I go now, I can go all the way!
If I beat Okita-san, I'll be ranked 5th. I'll be closer to Date-san.
To the champion!
Left!
His right guard is wide open!
He fell for it!
The left was a feint to bring Makunouchi around to the right.
Okita's aiming for...
The corkscrew!
My guard! It's no good. I'll have to shake it off!
It's bang-on!
That bastard! He rigged a fiendish trap at the last possible moment!
It's a corkscrew counter!
Got you!
Okita's is faster!
M-My God! Makunouchi's right straight scored as a counterpunch!
Okita has been flung off! This is his second knockdown!
He made it there first.
His timing was perfect.
But he took on too much damage to move his legs.
That was close. Okita-san lost control of his legs...
making him miss his mark.
One!
Now, the countdown begins!
Will Okita be able to show the same perseverance as before?!
He was in such bad shape he was barely able to stand...
but he still came up with that calm, calculated plan. What a guy!
Three!
Four!
Okita doesn't move!
Is it hopeless this time? Is it hopeless?!
Okita, keep going!
Get up, Okita! Show us what you're made of one more time!
Whoa, there's movement from Okita!
Five!
Stay down! Stay down!
Okita...
Okita!
Date... san.
Date-san, I...
I failed...
to be you.
The match is over!
Okita is unable to continue! Ippo Makunouchi wins!
Sempai!
He pulled it off!
Yahoo!
I... I did it.
I did it!
Oops, this is unusual! Makunouchi strikes a victory pose!
It was only one round of combat...
but his pose speaks for itself! It was a difficult victory!
The nonstop KO expressway... the fists that rule the ring...
are raised high in triumph!
You did it, Ippo-kun!
Th-Thank you, sir!
Uh, Chief...
You don't make the face of a victor every time around.
However, you took down a fifth-ranker.
I guess it's to be expected.
Thank you, sir.
Uh, th-thanks.
You got me.
Uh, Okita-san...
Date-san is nothing like me, got it?
Thank you for the match!
Okita, you did a great job hanging in there!
I want to see you here again sometime!
I have to start over. I'm still a long way from where you are.
I see.
You lost because you can't catch up to me? That's not true.
The difference in his attitude as a challenger showed in the final result.
You'll realize that soon enough.
There are those who try to catch up, and those who try to overtake.
Makunouchi showed you the difference between the two.
Overtake, huh?
KO Time: 1 Round 2 Minutes 58 Seconds Ippo Makunouchi 8 Fights 8 Wins 8 KOs
Room B Congratulations, Makunouchi-kun. That was a great fight!
Room B Now your ranking will be given a good lift. How do you feel?
Uh, I only just finished the match...
so I don't know how to feel yet.
All right, interview's over!
- What?! - You're kidding!
Oh, no! It's already started!
Takamura-san, what's happening now?
The challenger, Suzuki, fell down twice. He's a goner.
T-Twice? But it just started, didn't it?!
The old guy has a ridiculous amount of pep in him tonight.
He's surprisingly strong.
Oh! The champion connects with a right punch!
Suzuki lapses into defensive mode! How will he survive?!
Now Suzuki charges forward with the tenacity of a 2nd-rank contender!
A right from the champion!
What's wrong, Suzuki? You're not moving!
Heart break shot.
He throws a left without hesitation!
Three knockdowns! The match is over!
The champion flatly denies the 2nd-rank challenger his position!
His strength is that of a titan!
H-He's strong.
He would have fallen no problem from the left alone...
but he threw in a right for good measure.
Not only that, they were all corkscrew blows.
Are you really gonna take on that monster?
Aw, well. I hope you don't die.
That's not that funny.
Still...
He really is on a totally different level.
And now for an interview with the victor.
Champion, congratulations. You seemed to win with ease.
There's been talk of you returning the title within the year...
and re-challenging the world title.
Has this paved the way to that objective?
Yeah! Go for the world! The world!
Go take the world belt!
We're counting on you, Date!
I will not return the title.
I still have some unfinished business within the country.
I will settle that first.
The world can wait until afterwards!
Huh?
T-Takamura-san, he's looking this way.
He's looking at you, stupid!
It looks like his unfinished business is YOU.
The old guy's totally in the mood to fight.
U-Um, Ch... Champion?
Don't look away! Give him the evil eye!
For all his hesitation, he's ready to rumble.
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
Draw. To end in a tie after the completion of the last round...
based on the point count of the two judges and referee.
In a world like boxing that battles over strength...
no number of draws will lead to a victory.
Because instead of being viewed as a match you didn't lose...
it's viewed more as a match you failed to win.
The next episode is, "Challenge in a Foreign Land."