The challenger shows no mercy!
He pushes forward with blows from both sides!
The champion can only defend!
His punches are strong! I can't keep blocking forever!
This is the one!
When he hits the pit of my stomach,
I get stunned as though I've been zapped by electricity,
and it makes my feet stop!
The challenger starts another round of attacks with a left body blow!
Right! Left!
He pummels over the guard!
A solar plexus blow; that's a tough one.
Solar plexus?
A blow to the pit of the stomach.
You claim Geromichi's fighting dirty, but you're missing the punches he throws after that.
Right... He never hit the pit in the video.
It was his secret weapon?
Probably not.
He's probably carrying out the order he just received.
His lower body is built well enough to carry out that last-minute order.
Lower body?
In the two and a half years we didn't see him, he must have run, run, and run some more.
Geromichi...
It's a sign that Geromichi has had a packed life on his own as a boxer.
Right!
A direct hit to the champion's face!
He's starting to get hit in the face!
It's that tough of a fight?
Come on!
Don't drag it out against an underdog!
But is he really an underdog?
Huh?
See? He looks so strong!
He doesn't look like an underdog at all.
And his record is 8 wins out of 8 matches.
He's actually a future hopeful.
Go Hammer!
Hammer! Hammer! Hammer! Hammer!
It's a chant for Hammer in response to the challenger's fierce attack!
Senpai's not fighting back!
He's blocking tight.
Are my punches working?!
Man, they're getting heated.
Hey, that woman in the corner over there...
Is that Geromichi's...
Isn't she?
Naomichi...
I've always been running.
Even though you weren't running in front of me,
I always saw your back!
I never lost sight of it.
I've been training so I could catch up with you.
I've done everything I could!
How am I doing, Senpai?!
How close did I get?
You're strong.
Really strong.
You admired me.
You were my first rookie.
And now you've become a real pro.
You became a real boxer and are standing in front of me.
But...
Senpai...
Yamada-kun,
you still have...
something you haven't done.
Whoa! The champion drops his guard!
Is he provoking more attacks?
Senpai...
You're the one who has me in the corner.
But if you aren't coming, I will!
What pressure.
That caring senpai is...
But he's pulled off so many come-from-behind KOs.
I never know what he'll do if I go straight in.
Don't be hesitant! I still have a chance!
Believe in my two years!
The challenger charges in!
Ippo-kun! Pull up your guard and switch positions!
Don't fight so loose!
He's not!
Ippo's desperate too.
You might think he was pressured by the body blows, but he was pressured more by his spirit.
You have to show stronger spirit in order to come back.
He decided that he's gotta box straight on, with no tricks!
That's why he's fighting back in high-risk style!
In other words, Geromichi's gotten so strong...
that Ippo's been cornered.
The opponents in the past fell with this one!
How's that?!
That's an incredible power.
Even a scratch might knock me out!
But he must be hurt too!
I still have a chance!
He still keeps going after seeing that uppercut?
Has he got a screw loose?
He must be scared.
He must be fighting fear of unimaginable magnitude.
But he still steps forward!
He's taking on this match with that much determination!
I will have no regrets after this match, no matter what the outcome is.
I will retire.
Your determination isn't... Your two years aren't light at all!
Beating Makunouchi isn't a pipe dream if you use all of your determination!
How's that?!
The champion fights back!
But the swing's big! It strikes air!
He can still fight back?!
How's that?!
Anyone else would have been down long before now!
So why is he still hitting back?!
Does it not work on him?
Do my punches not work?!
Nao! They're working!
Don't hesitate! Keep punching!
Be confident!
Show him my two years!
Oh man! He's seriously damaged!
Come on, Makunouchi!
H-He's getting hit too much!
He can't take that—
He will!
Huh?
He has endured much stronger punches and much fiercer attacks!
You can do it!
He'll endure it!
Right in the pit!
No! Not that one!
Go Nao! Finish him!
He's down!
The champion's Liver Blow!
To a neutral corner!
After a long period of suffering, he finally let it explode!
He's got the powerful punch that turns the match around with a single hit!
This is Makunouchi Ippo!
Yamada-kun,
there's something you haven't experienced.
It was very difficult,
but it became a spring for me.
I was able to win the belt because of it.
Date-san showed it to me.
Yes... You...
still have not experienced a loss.
With a single blow from what's supposed to be a slow-reacting body blow!
And look how he's suffering!
He's facing more than mere difficulty breathing.
His ribs are broken!
No matter how many times we hit him, it's all over with one punch!
He's got such an unfair punch!
Damn monster!
Rather than feeling faint,
the pain actually keeps me conscious!
This is Senpai's Liver Blow.
He's really incredible.
I'm so glad I set him as my goal!
All boxers long to be the world champion.
But I longed to beat him!
Makunouchi Ippo has been my final goal!
Stand up!
As long as I'm conscious...
As long as my body moves...
I must fight!
Five!
Judging from how he's suffering, he got broken ribs!
Unless I stop the match, you'll try to keep going!
I'll throw in...
Hey! He's getting up!
No way! There's no way he can after that blow!
But he is!
Nao!
You haven't told everything to Makunouchi yet, huh?
He's getting up!
Oh man!
Nao...
Mom, I won't cause you any more worry.
Huh?
I've caused you many worries since I started boxing,
but it's all right now.
Are you quitting boxing?
After getting into it so much?
A match's been scheduled against Senpai.
I will retire after the next match.
Nao!
Six!
When I started boxing, I admired him so much.
He's always been my goal.
And now I'm here.
Seven!
I don't expect myself to win.
But I won't leave any regrets!
Eight!
This is...
the world title match for me!
H-He's up!
Korakuen Hall is filled with a roar!
It's a roar of surprise for the spirit of the challenger!
Yeah, Nao!
You're great!
Fight!
Nao...
you always bragged about him.
Mom!
He taught me one-two today.
I can't do it well.
But Makunouchi-senpai is really incredible!
He's so fast that I almost can't see his punches!
You became very cheerful after meeting Makunouchi-san.
I was worried, but also glad at the same time.
You brag about Makunouchi-san, but I will brag about you.
That my son fought so strongly against an incredible man.
So do your best until the end, Nao.
The fans are shocked that Geromichi got up,
but Ippo is...
He looks like he totally expected this.
He's gonna stay calm and take it to the finish.
I hesitated too, when I received the request for this match.
But it is a good opportunity for the kid to grow up.
He must overcome his weakness called naiveté,
in order to reach a higher goal!
I'll watch this on your behalf, Old Man.
We'll see if Ippo has a tight grasp of the torch you passed on.
Box!
Wow! The challenger makes the first move!
One-two!
And from below! His strong punch, Liver Blow!
But the champion stays calm and blocks this as well!
Geromichi!
All the punches Ippo taught him!
One-two!
Direct hits to the face!
But he's not going down! He keeps himself up!
Direct to the liver!
That snaps his body in half!
Senpai!
He's not going down! What spirit!
Second one!
A merciless attack!
Senpai...
Upper!
He doesn't allow him to fall!
Nao!
I've always admired you,
always respected you.
Please don't lose.
Please keep winning.
I'm proud that I got to
fight you.
Yamada-kun!
The referee breaks in between the two!
And now the gong denotes the end of the match!
The victory of the former gymmates goes to the upperclassman, Makunouchi!
Also, he has now successfully defended his featherweight title for the second time!
Nao! Nao! Hold on!
You all right?! Can you tell who I am?
Does beating your gymmate leave a bitter aftertaste?
His punches were really damaging.
Honestly, I thought I was in a pinch many times.
I'm now relieved that I won against a strong challenger.
Well, you've done your job as a champion.
Let's interview the champion who claimed victory with a splendid KO.
How was the battle against your former gymmate?
Well, um...
Come on, Makunouchi!
In the end, it was KO in the 2nd round.
He won with dignity, despite the mid-match difficulty.
Geromichi fought well too.
Really.
What's your impression of the challenger?
It looked like you had a tough time for a little while.
It was more than a little!
His punches were incredible.
I'd hate to fight him again.
Do you mean it was difficult to fight against a former gymmate?
Well, no.
Regardless of who he was, he was strong.
And... just like how it was for me...
It was a grudging experience when I lost once,
and I learned the depth of boxing.
So when he comes back to the ring,
I'm sure he will be much stronger than he is today.
You took too many punches!
I couldn't bear to watch!
You can't keep going if you let them hit you!
S-Sorry.
Are you listening to me?!
S-Sorry!
You mustn't go see Yamada.
B-But the match is over now!
And tell him what?
Tell him, "That was too bad," and comfort him?
Or cheer him up?
Either way, it'll end up rubbing him the wrong way, coming from the victor.
In this world, there are no words a winner can say to the loser.
I'll go take a shower.
Are you ready to head out?
Yes.
Once we get home, after a couple days of rest, make sure you get a complete physical.
Yes.
Also...
did you...
did you tell all of your mind to Makunouchi?
I don't know.
I was just desperately throwing punches.
Some of them felt solid.
And Senpai hit me hard too.
I was able to box my best against Makunouchi.
I'm satisfied.
Man! You look so refreshed, as if you just lost an evil spirit that had possessed you!
It's good that you're satisfied.
I'll explain things to everyone.
That Hammer Nao will retire.
Coach...
Let's go, Nao.
I must...
I must apologize to my mother.
Nao?
I told her that she wouldn't have to worry anymore.
I heard Senpai's interview.
He said I'll be much stronger than I am today.
Those are words of wisdom.
And more than that, those are Senpai's words.
Now that I know I can get stronger...
Now that I know... it's such a waste...
to quit... boxing now.
Makunouchi...
Senpai!
Nao, it's all right now.
You can go back to being upperclassmen and underclassmen, and have a word or two.
Senpai...
Senpai!
You've done it! It was so awesome!
Itagaki-kun!
That match-ending right punch was really the best!
Although you had a tough time mid-match.
Oh, come on. You have no place to talk here.
You aren't going?
No.
We exchanged many words already.
And he taught me something important too.
Yes... he taught me a lot in the ring.
And I will continue to chase after you.
Thank you.
He has gotten really strong.
Those blows to the pit were powerful.
They were incredible punches.
Ack.
It stings...