We're really going back to Japan, huh?
Yup!
It was starting to feel like we'd be there the rest of our lives!
Huh? I thought chimpanzees belonged in Africa, not America.
Who're you calling a chimp?!
Actually, Suzuna, this creature resembles the missing link more than an ordinary chimp!
My bad!
Yukimitsu, are you studying?
Yeah, I'm doing cram school homework.
I told my mother I was studying abroad in America for the summer.
Ouch, dude.
The death march AND homework?
There's no way this huge hunk of scrap iron can fly.
Stay cool, Jumonji.
We're here for ya.
Acrophobia, huh...
Ah well, that's not something a death march can cure.
Oh yeah, we completed the whole death march.
My arms are screaming for action!
They wanna get out on the field and see how much stronger they've gotten!
Me too.
I want to see...
...if the Devil Bat Ghost is enough to compete against Shin on even ground!
That reminds me...
How did Ojo end up doing in the Kanto Tournament?
Ojo lost to Shinryuji.
Ojo LOST?!
Kireigoto de katameta boku no
My defense is so full of holes,
suki darake no defense
nothing I do can cover it up.
Nani wo mamotteta no?
How was I supposed to protect anything?
Ukabarenai hibi wa
Let's just say these long boring days
yosou no hanninai to shiyou
are about what I expected.
Demo yume wa bokura no
But our dreams
souzou ijou no chikara de jimen wo keru
will kick up off the ground much harder than we imagined.
Tsugi no shunkan
And as the dirt gusts up
ano kaze wo hikitsukete fuwari to ukabun da
the wind will take me and carry me into the sky.
Kinou no kusari wa chigireteku
I'll break free from the chains of yesterday
Boku ga tonde misetara tsuzuitekureru ka na
If I keep trying to fly, will I eventually take flight?
Nigitta bukiyou na kono te mo
And pretend these clumsy hands of mine
tsubasa to shinjite
are really wings.
The Distant Peak.
I-Is Shinryuji that good?
It was 41-3.
Ojo couldn't do anything to stop them.
Of course, Shinryuji's the best high school team there is... right now.
They call Unsui and Agon the twin geniuses.
Agon didn't play.
Shin's team... Ojo...
...lost.
You losers make me sick!
What's your problem?!
Ojo's gotten so weak they're calling Seibu the best Tokyo-area team,
for God's sake!
Without us, Ojo's golden generation,
you're like a bunch of helpless babies!
Shinryuji mopped the floor with them.
You can't get anything going when you can't even complete a pass.
What do you have to say for yourself, Takami?!
I'm sorry...
And you, Sakuraba.
I don't care if you're a model or a movie star,
but we don't need flaky pretty-boys who don't give 110%!
Who's there?
It's Ikari.
If he comes our little pep-talk'll get-
Open the freaking door!
You think you're a big shot just because they're being polite and listening, huh?!
Who do you think you're calling losers here?!
You uppity little scumbag, show your predecessors some respect!
Predecessor?
Sorry pal, I'm only a freshman!
I've never even seen your pug-ugly mug before.
Get the chains.
At any rate, the founders of Ojo'll be rolling in their graves!
Now get your acts together and start practicing!
Down with Shinryuji!
Stay focused!
You're not gonna beat Shinryuji like that!
Not again!
I'm worried about Sakuraba.
He's been trying to match Shin's training schedule,
despite not being nearly as athletic.
Actually, he may be training more.
Next up is the 40-yard dash!
Sakuraba, 4.92!
You broke the five second mark!
Shin, 4.36!
4.36...
Way to go, Shin!
Excellent.
I ran at my top speed,
but I'm still so far behind Shin...
140 kilograms!
I finally caught up to you, Shin!
I see.
Aww come on, react!
Don't make me fart over here!
Shin benches 140 kilograms...
Forget him, come on.
Right...
70 kilograms...
Half of Shin's best...
I finally ran the 40 in under five seconds,
and got my bench to half of what Shin can do...
We did the exact same training, and I still only got this far...
You've made amazing progress since the spring.
Progress? What progress?
All that training...
Sakuraba...
Maybe you're right, maybe it is progress!
For a mediocre athlete like Haruto Sakuraba...
Ace Sakuraba, Ace Sakuraba!
What a joke... They call me an ace, with my stats.
Just... Just ignore them.
I tried to live up to the hype.
I couldn't tell you how many times I puked during training,
hot on the heels of a natural-born athlete.
And what do I have to show for it?
He's so far away I can't even see his back.
I never should've listened to those guys who encouraged me to play football because I was tall!
You don't need me!
I've wasted five whole years!
It's all been pointless!
How DARE you spout that garbage?!
Those five years... I've been...
Forgive me.
I apologize for hitting you.
I'm no longer qualified to lead you.
I can't believe Takami would hit anyone...
Yeah, never saw that coming.
Sakuraba, 4.92!
You broke the five second mark!
You've made amazing progress since the spring.
W-What're you-
Sakuraba, I've been looking everywhere for you!
President Ito?
You've missed a whole month of modeling work, but I forgive you.
No hard feelings.
Now let's go home to Tokyo!
Actually, I-
Football Clinic!
What is a timeout?
When you stop playing in the middle of a game.
You only get three per half, so plan carefully! Ya-ha!
This is all we've got?
I thought I bought enough at the last stop...
Ow...
Does it hurt? Sorry!
Don't look so glum, you should be thanking me, Sakuraba.
I saved you from an evil training camp where you get beaten up and punched in the face.
Maybe... this is for the best.
Hello, what's this?
A wristband?
Something's written on it... Christmas... Hmm?
That wristband...
You're all better, Sakuraba!
Hooray!
This's for you.
It's a wristband from our touch football games.
Huh?
I may never get a chance to wear it...
But in exchange, you have to take it all the way to the Christmas Bowl.
"To the Christmas Bowl, Torakichi."
Just some scribbling... Filthy.
What do you want with that dirty old rag?
We'll win the championship. I'll wear it in the Christmas Bowl!
Sakuraba?!
I promised him!
But what can I do at my current level?
What...
What can I...
How...
How do you do it?
How does an average Joe...
...catch up to a dedicated genius?!
I want to beat you,
Shin!
I can't bring myself to quit!
I want to be in the top tier!
How does a mediocre athlete do it?!
Shin... We need to talk.
Where is he?!
Not in here!
He's not in there, either.
Keep looking!
- Right!
Somehow... we've got all our weapons ready.
We'll be able to start using Ikari in the fall tournament.
Takami's more excited than anyone.
Sakuraba's finally become a real asset.
He made it very clear to me.
Shin, Sakuraba, Otawara... everyone.
If we were missing even one person, I'd still be a second-stringer.
I've only sold him short one time.
Because of an injury he suffered as a kid,
he'll never be able to run the 40 in under six seconds.
That's a fatal flaw for a quarterback.
Takami, you'll never make it as a quarterback with your legs.
Today's football demands that you do more than just throw passes while the line protects you.
I need a quarterback who can read the situation, and if need be,
run to a new position before throwing,
or even run the ball himself.
I'll never be able to change my legs.
So I'll be superior in every other way. It's my only chance.
I'll research football day and night.
And practice until I collapse.
That's the only road I have!
But Takami didn't become a REAL quarterback for another four years.
Quarterback: Takami!
And I've told him countless times ever since that day:
"You make few mistakes,
but you're still a second-rate quarterback with no particular strengths."
But this year, we've got one last shot!
Sakuraba's improved bit by bit and become a reliable receiver.
Combining Takami and Sakuraba's height gives us a powerful new weapon.
I've been waiting so long...
...for someone to to come along who lets me use my height...
This second-rate quarterback has waited six years
for Haruto Sakuraba to get to a level that would let him compete in the first-rate world!
You don't need me!
How DARE you spout that garbage?!
Shin, what do you think of Ojo's current level.
Our job is to win it all.
No matter what anyone else says,
I truly believe this year's team is the strongest.
But it will require Sakuraba to motivate Takami
and Takami to motivate Sakuraba.
Ojo no longer has any weaknesses.
I'm counting on you, Shin.
I... I'm...
I'm... so stupid...
Sakuraba.
Takami...
Time to work it!
We climb Mt. Fuji!
Everyone run your butts off!
Shin... I quit my job with Jari Productions.
Sakuraba quit?!
I won't let anything get me down again.
I'll follow you until the very end.
We ARE going to the Christmas Bowl.
You're finally ready?
See you up there.
Yeah...
Down...
...with Shinryuji!
Everyone, listen up!
The fall tournament's just around the corner.
We're not the only ones who trained.
Zokugaku,
Seibu,
and Ojo are sure to have leveled up over the summer.
Brace yourselves!
We can't get to the Christmas Bowl until we beat all of 'em!
That's right...
EVERYONE wants to win.
I've got to get stronger...
Stronger!
Goal mezashi
Zero in on your goal
eranda michi hashirinukou.
and charge down the path you've chosen.
Yowai jibun wo semeru yori
Instead of berating yourself for being weak
naritai jibun wo egaitemiru.
figure out what kind of person you want to be.
Hajime no ippo fumidasu yuuki
Work up the courage to take that first step
ashita no bokura kaeteyuku.
and we can change who we'll be tomorrow.
Nandomo tsumazuite wa
Constantly getting tripped up
ashiato furikaeru.
just ends up making you retrace your steps.
Okubyou na kono kimochi
Take that nervous, sick feeling
bane ni shite
and use it as your springboard
habatakou.
to take flight.
GOAL ni mukatte SPEED agetara
If you all turn towards the goal and start speeding up
kokoro wo hitotsu ni kake dasou.
your wills and spirits will unite as one.
Tomo ni tatakau nakama tachi to
And you and your friends, all together,
tsugi no tobira hirakou.
will open the next door.
Time to announce the NEW Devil Bats lineup!
I'm 100% guaranteed to be picked as a starter!
If you want my autograph, you'll have to ask me afterwards!
Get outta here, you dunce!
Now let's go to the Christmas Bowl!
Next time on Eyeshield 21: The New Starting Lineup?! Ya-ha!
This is the highest point in all of Japan.
And that pass you just caught is the highest pass in all of Japan.
We're both about 190 centimeters tall.
No one can stop a super-high pass like this.
We'll beat all those first-rate geniuses together...
Us, Shin, Otawara, everyone.
Together, we'll reach the summit!
Right!