Fighting Spirit (2000) s01e22 Episode Script

1
ORIGINAL WORK BY GEORGE MORIKAWA
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
Here he comes!
I have to stand my ground!
If I don't get near him
I have no chance of winning!
Go! I don't care if you're too aggressive!
Charge in all the way!
Don't stop! Keep going!
Once I get close to him,
he'll throw his in-fighter-killing
left uppercut for sure!
I only have one chance!
I must concentrate on
the movement of his left hand!
When is it coming?
When?!
He isn't using his left uppercut!
What?!
Huh?!
As you wish, I'll take
your challenge! Let's in-fight!
FORWARD! FORWARD!
He isn't using his left uppercut!
Oh, my! Hayami has taken
an in-fighting pose.
Is this some kind of strategy?
Fighting on their own ground to
show them just how outclassed they are
gives the experience meaning.
Why didn't he use his left uppercut?!
Don't let it throw you off, kid!
You'll just have to
be defiant and fight him!
He's right! He can't use
his shotgun at this range!
I have a chance at close-range fighting!
Why is Hayami in-fighting?
It's part of his showboating.
He likes to show off his superiority
by beating his opponents
with their own techniques.
That bastard. When will the insults stop?!
This can't be happening!
He's blocking me easily
at this close range!
Damn. Ippo is confused.
His punches are off rhythm.
Didn't he just slip?
No. Hayami's right connected dead-on
before he fell.
Ippo was out-punched at in-fighting!
No, he just took a fluke hit right
when he slipped.
It's no good.
I thought I had some advantage,
but he's a better in-fighter too.
It's not that he couldn't
use his uppercut
He didn't need to use it!
How does it feel to be defeated
at your own specialty?
I allow the opponent to
show his power at 80% to 90%,
and then beat him with my own 100% power.
This is what makes me stand out.
Hayami-kun!
Stand up, Ippo!
Are you going to let it end
with your face in the dirt?!
What was that week of intensive training
at camp with us for?
That's easy for you to say.
I'm way outclassed!
The fact of the matter is
I did great to get this far
in the Rookie King Tournament.
Please do your best
Please do your best to
become Rookie of the Year.
As long as you keep winning,
we can also be proud.
That's right.
If I lose like this,
I would make Ozuma-san
and Kobashi-san look bad for losing to me!
I'll be waiting at the final as promised.
I can't
let it end like this!
Right on!
Oh, my! Makunouchi got up!
He stood up at the count of eight!
Oh, okay. Let's do a double demonstration
so I can show you just how
different our boxing levels are
using your precious in-fighting.
I'm not going to back down now!
Now, they have both paused
in the center of the ring.
Will they start duking it out
at close range again?
It doesn't hurt!
I won't let it end with
him looking down on me!
Why, you!
Why, you!
Hey, Hayami backed away from him.
Even though none of
Makunouchi's punches connected.
He's regained his rhythm.
Hayami pulled back because
he got overwhelmed by the kid's drive.
I'm sure he just backed off
from a close-range fight.
None of my punches have connected,
but I overwhelmed him.
Now I'm going to get in his face
and challenge him!
Don't push your luck.
I backed off because
accidents can happen at close range.
Yeah, Hayami! Go for the win
with out-boxing!
Good work, kid!
Your powerful punches
made him chicken out!
Keep letting them fly!
Me, chicken?!
I just got a little nervous, that's all.
I'm going to be taking a major role
in the world of boxing
so I can't afford mistakes
in a place like this.
Whoops! Hayami gives him a clean one-two!
The distance is advantageous to Hayami!
Get close to him!
He's been out of reach since
the moment he used his footwork on me.
You and I are different species!
The bastard is real flamboyant
when he sticks to out-boxing.
Hayami-kun!
Pulverize that wild boar of a kid!
Did you just call him a boar?!
Is that any way to talk about
a guy who's fighting his hardest?!
Now. Don't be so excited.
Actually, I wouldn't mind
being called a wild boar myself!
Jeez! You're a doting fool
when it comes to women.
Hayami-kun!
Go for it!
What the hell is that thing?!
Do you want a middle-weight punch
in your fat, little head?!
You don't have to go that far.
You idiot! Take a good look at
that woman's face!
She's hot.
I've got to get close to him!
I'm going to run him down, run him down
and catch him!
Damn, he's persistent.
Good, he doesn't like it.
Hey, Hayami's starting
to back into the ropes.
He's using the footwork
I trained with him at camp!
He's gradually cornering him
using small shifts in weight!
I finally cornered him!
You bastard Give it your best shot!
I'll give you a taste of
this the moment you jump in.
He has no place to go.
He'll use it this time for sure.
He'll use his in-fighter-killing
left uppercut!
Got you!
Here it comes!
I have to synchronize my right hook to it!
What?! A counterpunch?
Go!
I'll get you first!
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
What?! A counterpunch?
Go!
I'll get you first!
My God, it's punch-for-punch!
Hayami's left and Makunouchi's right
collide simultaneously!
I felt an impact! How did I do?!
No way! It didn't do anything!
Damn, it was too shallow.
Now he knows what Ippo's aiming for!
Hayami won't throw another uppercut
like that again.
But we practiced
that counterpunch so hard together!
How could it have had no effect?!
If he can take my right hook, I'm through!
Hey, what are you doing?!
Punch each other!
What's wrong?
Are you boys in love or something?!
That's easy for you to say.
Kid! What are you doing?!
Staring won't get you anywhere!
Hayami's back is to the rope!
Attack him while you can, you idiot!
Argh! Worrying will get me nowhere!
His lower body took a hit! He took damage!
He's right! My counterpunch did hurt him!
All right!
Oh, no! Hayami, get away from the rope!
The power of Makunouchi's punch is real!
Whoa, Hayami is dodging! He's dodging!
He's defending as if he never took a blow!
His lower body
should be out of commission,
but he's dodging everything!
He's taking advantage
of the rope's elasticity.
His amateur boxing experience
allows him to cope with any situation.
Oh, no!
The shotgun!
Damn, we're back to square one.
He needed to use this round
while Hayami's still reeling,
but it won't be easy to break through
those shotgun punches.
How do you like that?
I've still got my trusty shotgun.
As long as I have this,
you won't be able to get near me.
Makunouchi has been pushed
back by the barrage.
He wants to press on,
but the shotgun punches have him blocked!
He's going in again!
Get a new routine!
Hayami-kun, knock him down!
Right on, Hayami! Keep it up!
Makunouchi can't get near him!
He keeps getting hit by the shotgun!
I guess you haven't had enough.
He's too fast.
Pull back, Ippo! You're in trouble!
Yes, he's fast! However
he's not using his hips.
He's only using his arms!
This is nothing to fear!
If I sway too wide, I can't counterattack!
I need to make tiny dodges!
Makunouchi has started to dodge!
Hayami's barrage slices into thin air!
Now it's Makunouchi's turn to show off!
What a superb defense!
This isn't happening.
This isn't happening!
Impossible!
He's dodging without a wasted movement.
He can see the punches clearly.
Hayami, I hear that your next opponent
is the most reputable
hard puncher in the tournament.
Do you have a strategy to deal with him?
If he was anyone worthy of tactics,
I would think of something.
So, do you mean,
you don't need a strategy for Makunouchi?
I didn't say that.
I mean that I don't cut corners,
no matter who my opponent may be.
Like the lion that uses
his full power to catch a rabbit?
I don't know about that.
I have
my shotgun.
As long as I have this,
no one will ever defeat me.
Or rather, I can't ever let anyone
defeat me.
It's a hit! The impact is terrific!
I can't believe it! He beat my shotgun.
My shotgun!
I can't let someone like him beat me!
This is my chance! I have to jump in now!
Punch him!
Don't hesitate, Ippo!
His gut is wide open!
Use your upper, your upper!
This is nothing!
You bastard!
Hayami! Push him away with your barrage!
He's hurting from the body blow!
Close in on him and knock him down!
Hayami counterattacks!
He can't lose to a barrage!
He desperately punches back!
I won't lose!
Makunouchi follows suit!
His willpower is impressive!
A right punch from Makunouchi!
I can't afford to lose on
a small stage like this!
A left from Hayami! Was it effective?!
I'm going to steamroller you!
Whoa, he's down! Hayami is down!
Down! Makunouchi, he's down!
Go back to your neutral corner!
The referee waves his arms!
The match will not continue!
The fight is over!
It's an upheaval!
Advancing to
the Eastern Japan Rookie
Championship Tournament, Ippo Makunouchi!
I I did it.
I won.
All right!
He won! He's going to the final!
Hey, this is great!
Hooray!
Well, I'll be!
You did it! You did it, Ippo-kun!
Yagi-san, Chief, I did it!
Yeah, you did great.
That was a spectacular rush.
-Ippo!
-Ippo!
-I won!
-Yeah, you pulled it off!
You did an awesome job, you bastard!
Cry me a river!
This is the first time his cheering squad
has seen him lose.
I bet it's a real shock for them.
This'll be a serious blow for him,
with the publicity he was getting.
He has a tough time ahead of him.
Huh? Well, yeah
I guess so.
It's a little sad
when this happens to a genius.
Hayami
Hayami. Hey, can you hear me?
Hayami.
Why, you! I'm amazed you won!
Don't make us nervous like that, you fool!
You took a clean hit.
But you know what?
Your true ability is far above his.
Let's use this loss to bounce back and
Loss?
So, I lost.
We're having a tough time
believing you lost too.
-I see.
-What?
So, I lost.
I'll be all right.
Even Ali and Raynard lost once in a while.
In fact, they showed
their legendary strength after they lost.
Well, please keep your hopes up.
The next time I stand in the ring,
it'll be the beginning of
Ryuichi Hayami's legend.
Or something.
Why, you
Hayami-kun, please try again another time!
-Don't be sad!
-I love you!
Don't get depressed over this!
I'll be there for your next match!
I love you, Ryuichi!
Humph! What is that?!
He's almost acting like he won.
I was a fool to feel any sympathy for him!
I'm in trouble.
I was planning a feature article on Hayami
for next month's issue.
What a drag. Is this for real?!
Maybe all that publicity went to his head.
Yeah. He fell asleep at the switch.
Yes, Hayami was careless.
But that's only a minor point.
Makunouchi won due to
his unbelievable growth as a boxer.
Who is next? Miyata or Mashiba?
Either way, it's too important to miss.
Well, the most important thing
was that Ippo won by counterpunch!
Don't forget that he was coached
by a genius!
You idiot!
He won because of the footwork
I taught him at camp.
That's what turned the tide.
No, it was his counterpunch!
Footwork!
Now, now! Does it really matter
what did it?
The credit goes to everybody.
Yes. I won today
thanks to all of your efforts!
I learned footwork from Kimura-san,
the counterpunch from Aoki-san,
the Chief taught me defense,
among other things,
and Takamura-san taught me
Takamura-san taught me
Huh?
You ungrateful bastard!
Anyway, thank you,
everyone, for all your help!
It's too late to beg for your life now!
My right punch will send you to your doom!
No, thanks!
I don't know how,
but I managed to get
to where I promised to,
Miyata-kun!
KO TIME: 1R, 2 MINUTES, 59 SECONDS
IPPO MAKUNOUCHI
ADVANCES TO THE FINAL MATCH
OF THE EASTERN JAPAN
ROOKIE KING TOURNAMENT!!
A solid puncher.
A boxer who knocks out his opponent
in a second with sharp, slicing punches.
He attacks without leaving you
time to blink, like a master swordsman.
A high-level offense and defense
backed up by concentration and technique.
And I realize again,
that this is what it takes
to get to the final match of
the Rookie Championship Tournament.
Next time, "The Other Semi-Final."