Fighting Spirit (2000) s01e20 Episode Script

1
ORIGINAL WORK BY GEORGE MORIKAWA
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
KOURAKUEN HALL
Whoa! The champion's
spectacular counterpunch!
The invincible challenger's knee
has finally touched the floor!
In the 9th pro match,
it's the first, humiliating down!
I can't believe
Takamura-san allowed a down.
A feint usually never tricks you!
You are under a lot of pressure!
Damn it!
Yajima!
No! I don't want you to lose!
Yajima!
Stand up, Takamura-san!
I don't want you to lose!
Lose? Did you say I lose?!
Please stand up, Takamura-san!
If you don't become a champion,
we're not gonna have any dreams or hopes!
Hooray! Takamura!
Don't lose, Takamura!
Takamura!
Hey, what's that frantic cheering for?
Do you guys even think I might lose?
You idiots!
He stood up!
Takamura-san!
THE THREAT OF A SHOTGUN
All right!
Whoa! He stood up! He did stand up!
Takamura stood up at the count of eight!
However, he still seems to
be suffering from the damage.
Will Yajima finish him off now?
Don't step backward!
The champion is a straight puncher!
The match resumed,
and the champion's barrage started!
Yajima's punches are
going toward Takamura's face
because he's so focused on scoring a KO.
Is Takamura provoking him?
It's mine!
It connected!
I'm not gonna let you get away!
The challenger is already fully recovered
from the down earlier.
Takamura's continuous punches are
pushing the champion against the rope!
Left and right! Left!
Amazing power!
With each punch,
the rope bites into the champion's back!
But the champion's guard is solid, too!
Damn it! I'll pry it open!
Eat this!
You idiot!
Did you forget that you received
a counterpunch to that?
It's dangerous!
I don't receive the same punch repeatedly!
Such a stupid down.
You humiliated me in public!
Never dream of getting
away without consequences!
Stop, Takamura!
The challenger Takamura's
deadly punches exploded!
Will the champion be able to stand up?
YAJIMA
Huh? He is not counting.
Ah! He stopped the match!
The match is over!
The new champion is born!
Great! Takamura!
All right! Way to go!
Takamura!
Chief, he did it! He's the champion!
Right!
Way to go!
Mamoru Takamura once again,
he scored a KO in the first round!
In a mere 90 seconds, he successfully
took the championship title!
And now, the championship belt is
placed around the new champion's body!
Awesome! Takamura!
-Great job, Takamura!
-You're the best!
You're way too strong!
Number One!
Awesome!
He's way too cool.
Ah, the celebration party
was really successful too.
I've never seen Chief so happy!
CELEBRATING MAMORU TAKAMURA'S
JAPAN MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE
With just a Japanese title
he was so excited.
When I get the world champion title,
he might have a heart attack.
The world, huh?
He really talks big.
See you later then!
Yes! Good night!
Are you all right?
Don't make a fuss. It's not a big deal.
It's what they call
"Punch-Drunk Syndrome" after a match.
Because I received
a clean hit today after all.
Humph! You need to hurry home too.
Go to bed and recover.
That's right.
Since it was such a spectacular KO,
I almost forgot.
Takamura-san didn't win
the championship belt easily.
It was the first time
I felt the damage in my legs.
I got headstrong and got up,
but what motivated me was
Stand up! Takamura-san!
I don't want you to lose!
Hey, Ippo!
Yes!
Thank you.
Huh? What did you say?
Ugh! Well um
Huh?
Don't you dare lose the next match!
Uh yes!
But the next opponent is Hayami-kun,
so it's gonna be tough.
You dummy! I don't know
if he's a prodigy or what!
But this is my order.
You have to win, no matter what!
Understand?!
Yes, sir! I'll do my best!
Win the Rookie of the Year!
Yes, sir! I'll do my best!
Hey, Ippo!
I saw your match the other day.
You made us really nervous.
You had only two seconds left.
Two seconds!
So, when is your next match?
The next match is a semi-final
of the Rookie Tournament.
So, in a month or so.
Who's the opponent?
It's not decided yet, but it's most likely
that Hayami-san from the first seed
should be making it to the semi-final.
Let's see. Ha ya mi.
Uh Umezawa-san. You spelled it wrong.
It says "seed brother one."
Here's Umezawa punch!
You have a conference
with your teacher today, don't you?
-What are you gonna do after graduation?
-Um, I'm not sure.
Think about it seriously,
because you're smart, unlike Umezawa-san.
Another Umezawa punch!
SHOIN HIGH SCHOOL
GUIDANCE COUNSELING ROOM
-What? Boxing?
-Uh yes
While helping my family business,
fishing boat rental, though.
Makunouchi, that's disappointing.
What?
With your grades,
you're well qualified to go to college.
It's not too late.
Don't you want to
apply for a couple of them?
But
Listen, Makunouchi.
Have more confidence in yourself.
Going to college will
certainly benefit you in the future.
I I am taking boxing very seriously!
I am in the middle of
the rookie championship right now
and my next opponent is extremely strong!
But
I can't afford to lose!
No matter what
No matter what I can't
just drop out halfway through!
All right, Makunouchi.
I won't say anything more because
you seem to be firm in your determination.
So, do your best!
But, Makunouchi, if you
ever change your mind,
come talk to me anytime.
I'll be happy to do
whatever I can to help you out.
Yes, sir! Thank you so much!
Now, excuse me!
That quiet and shy Makunouchi
I guess how they appear is
different from how they really are.
Ah! I forgot my bag!
Sorry! I left my bag.
Sorry to have interrupted.
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
I'm convinced that my next opponent
will be Hayami-san.
He is far from easy to defeat.
He is the strongest so far.
Kobashi-san!
Hi, there.
I saw you from up there.
You looked like you were worrying.
What?
I totally understand,
because the next one is Hayami-san.
I'm embarrassed to say this,
but I was planning on defeating you,
so I also studied Hayami-san.
Of course, in order to defeat him as well.
But
He has no blind spots.
He is extremely strong amazingly.
Even you can't come up with tactics,
Kobashi-san?
But You might have a chance to win.
With your style of boxing,
that never gives up until the end,
you will definitely find a breakthrough.
Above all, you have a fatal punch
that could knock anyone out!
My nose knows that.
What?
Well, it broke.
I thought I put up a good guard,
but still, your punch was awesome.
Back then?
I am terribly sorry!
Please don't apologize for it.
When you keep winning,
we can be proud as well.
And the wounds will become our medal.
No one is happy to lose.
That's all the more reason
I want you to win next.
Your fists will be carrying our hearts.
Give all you've got.
Promise me! You'll become
the Rookie Champion!
Please do your best to
become Rookie of the Year.
Kobashi-san Ozuma-san
I have to give all I've got,
for their sake too.
KAMOGAWA BOXING GYM
I gathered all of Hayami's match videos
after he turned pro.
He fought an in-fighter just once,
an onrush-style bull fighter
just like you.
Watch it pretending
that you are the one fighting him!
As expected, his guard is solid.
After this, Hayami's gonna shoot one-two.
What would you do?
If it was me
I'll block the jab on one,
and weave under the straight punch
on two and try to go deep inside.
Right on! Use a hook there!
So, would you say
it was an easy victory today?
Well, I should say that I was lucky
to have an in-fighter as my opponent.
Meaning?
I've never failed to
bring down an in-fighter.
What he's saying is not a bluff.
Ever since his amateur days,
Hayami has KO'd in-fighters
with a 100% success rate.
He has an incredible barrage of
middle-range punches called "shotgun."
When you try to go deep inside,
he'll greet you with
that sharp "short uppercut."
That's why he makes
a sucker of in-fighters so easily.
Then my current tactics
won't be effective.
Right, as you just witnessed.
So, we'll improve your defense.
Move your body with the image
of Hayami in your mind constantly.
You have to make every shot
of his shotgun a swish in the air!
If you do succeed,
he will have exhausted
a considerable amount of stamina,
and you'll be able to use
that to your advantage.
How come you're not dodging them?
That's absurd!
Hayami's punches will outnumber
these rocks!
I'm not gonna tell you
to dodge all of them!
But improve parrying, blocking,
and other skills
to avoid fatal blows.
That's what gloves are for!
Thank you for your instructions!
All right! Let's get started!
Yes, sir!
Keep bobbing your head constantly!
If your head stops,
it'll become a perfect target!
Yes, sir!
CHINESE NOODLE RESTAURANT IWATA
What a ridiculously tough training
you've started.
Your face is covered with bumps.
Well, someone like me
can't even be on equal footing
with Hayami-san if I stick
to an ordinary type of training.
You're working hard until late at night.
You have your semi-final match tomorrow.
No problem.
Even if I hurry home,
I won't be able to sleep.
He's always like that before a match.
He gets more nervous than necessary
and that's how he lost some of
the matches.
Shut up.
An insensitive bozo
like you wouldn't understand.
Why do you need to be nervous?
You have no reason to be under pressure.
You make such good ramen noodles.
You don't need to worry
about your career after you retire.
Uh Aoki-san. Please don't pay
attention to that.
I'll come tomorrow to cheer you on!
Don't butter him up. The truth is,
you're more concerned about Hayami
in the curtain-raiser match.
Well, of course, that's the truth.
I bet he's extraordinary.
Hey, Ippo. Everything is relative,
you know.
No matter how awesome Hayami may be,
he's just a curtain-raiser for Aoki.
You're right. Aoki-san's curtain-raiser.
That's right! Aoki-san's curtain-raiser,
after all!
You're right!
If I look at it that way,
I feel more relaxed!
Right.
You are absolutely right!
I'm just a good-for-nothing boxer
who can only make ramen noodles!
I'm so sorry, Aoki-san.
I got a little carried away.
You have no idea.
I'm so sorry. Sorry!
Come on, Takamura-san,
please say something!
If you're done eating, just go home!
Come on, Aoki.
Can't you relax a little more?
It'll be a while before it's your turn.
I am fine. I am calm.
The third round of the Eastern Japan
Rookie Championship is about to begin!
The red corner,
125 and three-quarters pounds,
from Otowa Gym.
Ryuichi Hayami!
Hayami-kun! We're here for you!
Let's see what he's made of,
and see if he really deserves
all this cheering!
I don't care if the entire audience
becomes my enemy!
I'm gonna cheer for
his opponent, Yasukawa!
Okay.
I get to see him in a match
before I fight him.
I want to study him as much as I can.
Round One!
Amazing! He is weaving
through the barrage of punches!
What do you think
you're doing to my Hayami?!
Please don't hit his face!
He's too handsome!
Not bad! The timing
to dive in is just perfect!
Yasukawa has an excellent knack
for offense,
but he's not punching much.
He must be going for endurance!
It's the same tactics
as Chief came up with.
I can learn a lot from this!
Hayami is being aggressive too.
He must have realized Yasukawa's tactics,
but he doesn't care.
Hey. He's letting him sink punches
in way too much.
Come on! Dive in like earlier!
Well, he can't!
Hayami's speed is going up!
At this rate, it's gonna get faster!
You've got to be kidding!
He keeps punching for so long!
Damn it!
You dummy! You shouldn't lose your temper!
Oh, man!
Tsk! How annoying.
What incredible strength!
He's not a half-baked prodigy.
He has already overcome
the issues of stamina.
With the way I'm training now
I'll never be able to defeat Hayami-san.
Some sort of
I need to find some sort of breakthrough.
Short uppercut.
Compact upward swing
to the opponent's chin
who has stepped forward
to come deep inside you.
It's hard to see it coming,
and it's hard to dodge it,
even for a boxer with brilliant footwork.
It's the type of punch,
specifically aimed for in-fighters.
But I won't give up!
I want to win no matter what!
I'll win to get in
the ring for the final match!
I'll have to win to keep
my promise from that day!
Next time, "The Way to Capture a Prodigy."