Fighting Spirit (2000) s01e33 Episode Script

1
ORIGINAL WORK BY GEORGE MORIKAWA
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
OSAKA PREFECTURAL GYMNASIUM
It's a smash!
That was close! If I hadn't sparred
with Takamura-san,
I would've been hit!
Again!
What?!
From below?!
SMASH FORCE
A new and improved smash!
What the heck was that punch?!
Something awesome just connected!
Sendo smashes!
However, it's different
from the previous incarnation!
His body hugs the ground in a wide swing!
It's a super-low-altitude smash!
He threw his entire body
at him as he stretched up!
Hey The drawback of the smash is defense!
But he revised the thing to increase
the attack power, not the defense!
He would think of something like that.
Ippo managed to guard himself,
but it's got to hurt on top
of everything else.
TEAM EAS
It got to my legs!
Even though I had my guard up.
If I had taken a direct hit
Finish him all the way, will you?!
You don't have to tell me. I will!
I'm impressed that you can still move.
I meant for it to knock you out,
even with your guard up!
Yet another smash!
Makunouchi flees the point of impact!
Damn!
I'd be a goner if I took a hit from that.
He's dodging it somehow,
but it can only go downhill at this rate!
Can't he do anything other than block?!
Well, yes, he can, but
I must stay away from the ropes.
Damn it!
Again!
Oh, dear! Makunouchi throws himself
into Sendo's arms!
What the heck?! He's clinching!
Why don't you fight like a man?!
Damn!
Whoops! He's not clinching,
he's close-range fighting!
Makunouchi comes to Sendo
with a close-range fight!
That's fine by me!
Just like round one, both fighters stop
in their tracks and duke it out!
Wow, this is packed with thrills!
Someone will go flying!
The odds are even at close-range!
The Eastern kid is doing a great job
against Sendo!
Nah, Sendo has the smash in his arsenal!
Smash him, Sendo!
Heh, stupid newbies.
He couldn't throw a smash right now
if he wanted to.
What? Why not?
That's what Takamura-san
would call a smash-blocker.
At a glance, it looks dangerous,
but the smash is a middle-range blow.
With Ippo that close, Sendo can't use it.
Effectively, he's smothering the smash.
Wow, that's amazing!
Ippo-kun is really using his head.
But it's impressive to
tell all that simply by watching!
Aw, any boxer could see that.
I couldn't.
Oh, my! They hit
each other simultaneously!
However, Makunouchi took the worst of it!
Yet he clings on!
He still sticks to close-range fighting
no matter what!
He does not fear Sendo's powerful punch!
That guy has nerves of steel.
He's fighting with a cannon pointed
right at his face.
He's the enemy, but he has courage.
That's good! Don't give him any distance!
If you stick to him,
you're sure to find an opening to charge!
-He won't find an opening like that.
-What?
Right now, he's only lashing out
in desperation.
He's writhing under the pressure
of the knife flashing in his face,
a knife they call the smash.
So, you mean,
Ippo's fighting at close range
only to keep the smashes in check?
That's why it's so bad to
have his back to the ropes.
The revised smash is
a punch that comes to life at rope-side.
They have stopped moving.
Are they both taking a break
from exhaustion?
Or are they merely waiting for
the perfect time to strike?
I can't give him an inch of leeway.
I have to keep trading blows
with him like this!
I have to make a stand!
Take the initiative!
Don't give him a chance to hit back!
Hit him first!
He's right. That's all I can do!
Oh! Sendo back-steps!
That's a bad distance!
You have to get close to him!
I won't make it in time! What'll I do?!
I know! I'll counter!
I'll match his punch
from below with a hook!
He's countering!
Just like the Hayami match!
No way! The smash was a feint?!
Sendo lands a right!
Makunouchi blocks with his shoulder
and somehow withstands it!
But it's taken its toll.
He can't control his feet!
He's gone!
Below!
It grazes his cheek!
Did this have an effect?!
Ippo!
No, he's staying up!
He holds onto the rope and perseveres!
This is it! Sendo goes to deliver
his finishing smash!
Go!
This is bad!
Got you!
The bell has rung, both of you!
Now, return to your corners!
Round two is over!
Unlike the first round,
this time Makunouchi is saved by the bell!
What an extreme series of developments!
This is definitely a main event worthy of
the All-Japan Rookie Championship!
Oh, darn! Ippo-kun is trying so hard too!
Isn't there any way he can win this?
The smash is pressuring him so bad
that he can't help
going into defensive mode.
Oh, I know!
How about if Ippo fights back
using a smash?
It would sure scare off Sendo!
What are you talking about?!
You can't just go and photocopy
a move like that!
Hold on a second.
The problem is, the smash prevents him
from using middle-range fighting, right?
Ippo only uses close-range
because it's convenient, so
So if he could only use a middle-range
blow that could oppose the smash,
he could shake the pressure,
and take it back into
close-range fighting, right?
In Ippo's repertoire of punches
In Ippo's repertoire of punches?
It's no good! I can't think of anything!
Ow!
What's your problem?
Don't raise our hopes for nothing!
This is a real fix.
Good going, Sendo, you're doing fine.
Makunouchi is really hurting now!
It's no good.
He's not the type to give up
after a trifle like that.
Through all his grogginess,
just before the bell rang,
he was attempting something new.
So, we don't know what could happen
if this drags on, huh?
Very well!
If you see a window in the next round,
go for it!
Press him hard!
Save your breath.
That was already the plan!
The kid, who's a storehouse of stamina,
is this run-down after only two rounds.
Our method of attack is sound!
His counter wasn't a bad move.
Still, each blow puts him further behind.
To think he would use his secret weapon
as a feint of all things.
No
It was effective
because it's a secret weapon.
I suppose a first-rate fighter
has a stockpile of first-rate severity.
This match has become a little too much
for the kid at his stage of development.
Ippo-kun!
Ippo-kun, gargle! And sit yourself down.
What's wrong? Sit down already.
You need as much rest as possible.
I I think I'll stand if you don't mind.
But why? You didn't sit
after the first round either.
I feel like once I sit down
I won't be able to get to my feet again.
My body is still moving,
but I took some hard hits.
But I want to keep at it a little longer.
Because I came here
because I wanted to fight him.
Besides, there's still one thing
I need to do!
Seconds out!
Chief, my mouthpiece.
Right.
Are you sure about this, Chief?
Do you want to send him in
without any advice?
He has one thing left to do, eh?
What?
In this hopeless downhill battle,
the guy has the nerve to say
he's got unfinished business.
I've heard that phrase from him before.
There's still one more thing I need to do.
He used the exact words he used back then.
I'll let the kid have this round.
I'd like to see
this unfinished business of his!
Round three!
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
Now, this is the important round.
Will Sendo proceed to
launch an all-out attack?
Or will Makunouchi counterattack?
This is positively riveting!
It ends this round!
Damn straight! You get him, Sendo!
Aw, damn it!
I can't be squelched
by the people around me anymore!
Wait right there, Ippo!
I'll get the party started for you!
Huh?
What's wrong?
Have you seen my drum anywhere?
I think I dropped it or something
Rocky!
Why, you snotty brats!
Rocky!
We'll clap for him.
Umezawa-san
The contenders stare
each other down yet again.
And as they lock eyes,
the distance begins to shrink away!
Hey What are you thinking, Ippo?!
He took up position in middle range,
of all the stupid places!
Isn't he going to stick close and fight?
This distance is in my favor!
I'll rip your head off with my smash!
Ippo-kun?!
Kid
Looks like he's ready for it.
My word! Now Makunouchi has thrown
his peek-a-boo stance to the wind!
What kind of strategy is this?!
Kid!
What is he thinking?!
Normally, he should tighten his guard
and wait for his second wind!
If he lowers his right guard,
he'll take the smash head-on!
-Hey
-What?
His right and left are different,
but doesn't that pose look familiar?
Ippo lowered his right guard,
and Sendo lowered his left guard.
You're right.
Their right and left fists
are mirror reflections.
It's the same pose as Sendo?!
Don't tell me
Don't tell me, you
You're not going to mimic my smash,
are you?!
Why, you!
Now he's pissed!
How could he not be?!
The smash isn't something
you can accomplish
without tons of heavy training!
If a guy takes your pose when
he's never done it before, it's insulting!
What's with these wimpy jabs?
Is he gauging distance?!
Do you think you can simply
throw something like a smash overnight?!
That's not only insulting, that's absurd!
Sendo launches a series of attacks!
Is Makunouchi pressed to stay alive?
A right?!
An uppercut?! No!
His wrist is straight!
A straight?! Angled from below?
Oh, crap!
Sendo stumbles!
Makunouchi hits him with
an uppercut angled from below.
In other words, a smash?!
What?! Makunouchi can do those too?!
That's a crazy, sharp punch!
No, it's slightly different from a smash!
His is more upward-angled and pull-away
compared to
Sendo's round-swinging punch!
Holy cow.
When did he acquire
a middle blow like that?
I've never seen it!
He can't throw something like
that from the peek-a-boo stance.
That's why he lowered his right!
It's amazing he pulled off a punch
like that without practice at this stage.
He had a lot of faith in it.
After all, that's the punch
he beat Miyata with.
I bet he's been thinking about it non-stop
since watching me spar with Sendo.
Chief, down to the words and the deed,
it's the re-enactment of that fight!
The kid's really done it this time.
Go! Don't rest your hands! Keep hammering!
Okay!
But it's been so long since I've used it,
my image is a little off.
When I fought Miyata-kun, it was more
I'm surprised. He has
a very similar punch.
However
Right!
I have more destructive power!
-A throw-away punch!
-Take that!
Oh, my! Sendo launches another smash!
It's a hit-for-hit!
Sendo stabilizes!
Makunouchi also takes it!
I take it back! He's feeling it!
Kid!
I don't care! I'm better
at hit-for-hitting!
I have to remember!
With Miyata-kun, it was more
It was more compact!
Like this!
Makunouchi lands a right!
It's a powerful hit!
All right!
He blew away Sendo!
It's reversal after reversal!
However, will this end it all?
It connected!
It looked like
they punched at the same time,
but Ippo's hit faster
because it was straighter.
Wasn't that great?
The punch he used on Miyata
is now his counterpunch!
I felt a solid impact. Don't get up!
Sendo!
The huge cheering squad watches
over him with bated breath!
Can Sendo stand?!
He can't stand. He can't possibly stand!
Sendo doesn't twitch a muscle!
Did that settle it?!
Rocky
Get up, Rocky!
Rocky, get up!
-Get up or else!
-Rocky?!
Rocky!
Oh, my! Sendo responds!
His upper torso rises from the mat!
It can't be.
Ro-o-cky!
Ro-o-cky!
Sendo bites on his mouthpiece
and attempts to stand!
Will he stand? Can he stand?!
He stumbles towards the referee!
His legs are unsteady!
Sendo!
Sendo-san
Rocky!
He's up!
Sendo has risen
to his feet in a fighting pose!
He has come back to life!
He got up. What a guy!
This man is the real Sendo-san!
That's right! That's our Rocky of Naniwa!
We're counting on you, Rocky!
Give it back to him!
That one really hurt.
The cheering sounds
like a ringing in my ears.
What the hell is wrong with you, Rocky?!
Fight harder!
You promised to buy us
video games, remember?!
I can hear the brats quite clearly.
Risking my life to buy video games.
Damn, what a stupid promise that was.
It isn't stupid whatsoever.
It's hard to come across someone
with such awesome punches.
This is a valuable experience for me!
How many guys in Japan
can let me sample this thrill?
This is what Sendo-san is all about.
We each threw our best punches,
and he still gets back on his feet.
My boxing with Sendo-san
is only just beginning.
This is only the beginning
of our real fight!
Ro-o-cky!
Again, the audience calls Rocky.
Can Sendo respond to
the crowd's expectations?
Go, Ippo!
If you knock him down again, you win!
Sendo
Stay calm, and go finish it up!
I know you like Rocky,
but my Rocky is Rocky Marciano!
Sendo-san once told me
that the boxer with the superior power
is the boxer who can
withstand the most punches.
This is a boxing
challenge!
A sudden hit-for-hit!
-Damn it.
-Sendo falters! Is the damage serious?
I'm going all in!
Sendo strikes back with a mighty right!
Makunouchi falters! Is it a reversal?!
No, Sendo also staggers from the hit!
This is an incredible exchange of blows!
They both have their shields down!
Makunouchi gives it back!
And Sendo sends it back!
Damn it!
Another hit-for-hit!
Their fists never stop,
and the body blows keep flying!
The punches from both boxers
are so powerful,
that it reverberates throughout
the stadium!
Go! Don't get out-punched!
Stand your ground, Ippo!
You're almost there!
Right on!
Right on!
Listen to this intense cheering!
The intense punching battle
does the cheers justice!
It's a virtual test of endurance,
a test of punching power!
It's a test of life-and-death tenacity!
What an amazing guy Sendo-san is!
But I won't give up first!
I must hit back for all I'm worth!
This is cool! This is so cool!
This is it! I've been wanting
to do this forever, Makunouchi!
KAMOGAWA BOXING GYM
Rush. The act of constantly attacking
in an all-out effort to break
through a match that's gone stagnant,
concentrating barrages
without allowing room for counterattack.
Stick to it! Hit back!
My opponent is also taking
my punches on his feet!
That's why I can't let myself
be pressed back like this!
Next time, "The Rookie King."