Fighting Spirit (2000) s01e49 Episode Script

1
ORIGINAL WORK BY GEORGE MORIKAWA
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
Chief, what should I do?
What should we do?
Right now, the kid has no technique
to avoid a combination of that magnitude.
Seconds out!
The Chief is worried.
But if he doesn't say something,
his boxer will become anxious.
Seconds out!
Chief
-Kid.
-Yes, sir!
Do your best!
That's it? That's all
you're going to say to him?
Yes, sir!
THE COURAGE TO BELIEVE
The Gazelle Punch
has been completely cancelled out.
And it was conceived
as the finishing blow for this match.
Ippo has no way to stop the White Fang.
What should he do?
Are you sure you should send him in
with a little, "Do your best?"
That's going to make Ippo-kun anxious!
There are a hundred meanings
to those three words.
If the kid can understand
even ten of them
It looks like he's still feeling
the damage.
However, it doesn't matter
how badly hurt he is.
He'll come at me
as long as he's conscious.
That's the kind of boxer he is.
He probably intends to sit tight
this round with a firm guard,
replenishing power to counterattack,
but, Kamogawa, it won't go your way.
Pry open his guard
and don't let him get away!
Round Three!
I will take him down this round.
Now Volg leaves his corner.
He appears to be completely recovered
from his previous knockdown.
On the other hand,
Makunouchi's moves are slow.
Clearly he still has damage.
He's not trying to get away!
Does he plan to intercept?
If you want to exchange punches,
that's fine.
I will not hold back!
I'm not clever enough to dodge an opponent
like Volg-san for three full minutes.
The Chief told me to do my best.
That wasn't just said in encouragement!
He instructed me to do my best
as we practiced.
I got this far always
believing in the Chief
and won!
This time is no different.
I'm sure you're getting hit hard.
You may fall down.
But do your best! Keep doing your best!
You'll eventually see a light
at the end of the tunnel.
I'm sure there's something good
in store this time, too.
What do you know? Makunouchi has no guard!
It's a bullish pose
that says "come if you will".
Does he want to switch to attack-only?
Don't get excited. It's only a pose.
He widened his stance
to compensate for his inability
to brace his legs.
Volg's uppercut flashes!
Makunouchi sways hard!
Pulverize him!
Volg goes in! Is he going for the win?
Come on, hit me! Use a left-right barrage!
As we practiced.
It's an exchange of blows!
-Go, Ippo!
-Don't let him out-punch you!
He's being out-punched!
He's not an opponent
you can stave off with a firm guard.
However, he should still concentrate
on self-protection to recuperate.
Kamogawa
Did you instruct your prized apprentice
to throw away his life?
You can't win if both boxer
and trainer fall into desperation.
Volg rushes! Makunouchi can't touch him!
He's completely groggy.
He's doomed at this rate!
Oh! That's got to hurt!
He's down! To your neutral corner!
It's a standing knockdown!
Makunouchi is down!
I can go on.
Where are you?
Korakuen Hall.
-What is your name?
-Ippo Makunouchi.
Good, you're fully conscious.
The referee doesn't stop the match!
It continues!
Two minutes remain. I can knock him down!
Volg rushes! He's gone in for the win!
Makunouchi is in a bad place!
White Fang!
He's fallen!
He collapses easily to one hit
from an uppercut!
Makunouchi takes his second knockdown
for this round!
He fell before my next move.
There shouldn't be any need
for a countdown.
Chief, you need to step in!
Your boxer is fighting on instinct alone!
If you don't stop him,
he'll keep fighting until he dies!
Instead of winning or losing,
we must think of Ippo-kun's future.
Throw in the towel!
When I told him to do his best,
he responded to me.
Loud and clear, too.
In every instance of this,
he always pulled through.
He went along with the most difficult
training without giving up.
How long are you going to rest?
Back to the gym for mitt-punching.
Mitt
Listen! You can't reach Volg
with technique alone.
Bridge the gap with strength of mind!
Intimidation! Willpower!
Intimidation Willpower
Let me see your eyes.
He's in fighting pose.
But the damage looks too extensive.
Should I stop him?
His eyes are still alive.
The match continues!
However, Makunouchi already has
two knockdowns to his name in this round.
The next will automatically disqualify him
for the win.
He has no more leeway!
He saved the energy to get up again
by avoiding the upper jaw.
But if I knock him down once more,
it'll all be over.
As we practiced, as we practiced!
Hey! Over here, kid!
What? He can still resist?
Oops! A hook scores a direct hit on Volg
as he dives in unprepared!
So close. He didn't step in far enough.
Step in faster! You aren't using
the spring from your knees!
Ridiculous! He hasn't lost
strength at all!
Don't rest! Barrage!
Makunouchi launches a fierce attack!
Volg can't punch back for sheer force!
Has Makunouchi revived?
That's it! Like we practiced!
That's the way, kid!
It's his final desperate struggle.
Oppose him calmly.
A left from Volg!
Don't rest, don't rest! Lash out!
Over here! Come hitting!
Makunouchi doesn't stop resisting!
It's another barrage!
All right, good going! That's the way!
ROUND 3 REMAINING TIME
Makunouchi recklessly
punches, punches, punches!
Six seconds remain!
Keep going, kid. Keep going!
Round Three is over!
I'm shocked! Makunouchi evades
a desperate situation
with two knockdowns against him
through marvelous perseverance.
Chief
Don't talk!
You did a good job hanging in there,
like we practiced.
Your perseverance makes me
feel lucky to be a trainer.
And that will always be rewarded.
The kid will undoubtedly turn pale
in the next round.
It's amazing. Really amazing.
Yes, Volg is amazing.
His strength is the real deal.
No.
You're the one who's amazing, Chief.
Nothing seemed to make
any sense halfway through,
so I tried to do it like I was punching
your mitt as we practiced.
And they hit. My punches hit him.
It's so amazing.
You really do know everything, Chief.
Kid
Why? Why is Makunouchi still standing?
I hammered many fatal blows into him!
I can analyze his marvelous tenacity.
It's the spring from his knees.
His spring, full of flexibility
and elasticity,
absorbs your power blows,
allowing him to escape from them.
-Absorbing my punches?
-That's right.
This means he reinforced
an invisible part of him.
Kamogawa is an excellent trainer.
This is roundabout, but you need to start
by crushing his spring.
It's simple.
Hit him with enough body blows
to make him lose control of his legs.
You will completely cancel out
the Gazelle Punch.
He has no more weapons left.
Fight the match with a calm head.
Right.
REMAINING TIME
Seconds out!
Listen, kid! Keep doing your best!
Yes, sir.
If you persevere a little longer
-Seconds out!
-you'll eventually see a light at
Seconds out!
-Oh, stuff it!
-Chief
Just a little more. Just a little.
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
Round Four!
Now Round Four begins.
A moment ago, Volg drove Makunouchi
to the point of knockout.
Makunouchi is hurting badly.
However, he rides it out
on his marvelous tenacity.
Volg Zangeif only needs to decide
how to serve him up!
Whoa, a body-upper!
What?
Volg has switched over to body attacks!
Is this a strategy to squeeze out
Makunouchi's strength?
Volg's left-right stabs into the body!
This looks painful for Makunouchi!
This is bad. If this continues,
his heels will drop
and his knees will stop doing their job.
Once that happens, he won't be able
to withstand those power blows.
Volg's breathing was ragged
during the interval.
To my memory, this has never happened.
Kamogawa, you and your boxer are superb.
If you'd only had an extra two years
of experience together,
I would not have known
how this fight would turn out.
It's been ten years now.
Russia had sent many top boxers
to the world stage,
and I saw athletes with hidden qualities,
but was never impressed.
Until I met him.
I want to become strong.
I want to become strong because
there is someone I need to protect.
I thanked God.
It was a rare encounter with talent.
There is no greater joy for a trainer.
I was devoted to bringing out
and refining his talent.
He is my greatest masterpiece.
My life's work!
A clean hit to the liver!
Oh, no!
Good! His spring is gone!
Volg, above! Makunouchi can no longer
absorb the shock!
If you strike his face, he will fall!
Volg goes in!
He hammers a barrage, guard be damned!
His momentum is so great,
one successful punch will fell him!
Makunouchi, what's wrong?
He's lost it!
Is a reversal too much to ask?
He's doing his best, but it's hopeless!
Besides, his health is at risk now!
Kid, persevere. Please, persevere!
Chief!
It's only a matter of time
before his guard is pried open!
Just persevering is a downhill battle!
Ippo-kun has no weapons left.
This isn't an even fight!
Yes, he does. He still has a weapon.
If the kid was a boxer with no more
to him than destructive power,
he wouldn't have appealed that much to me.
I dare say that
when I first encountered him,
I didn't detect
an ounce of ability in him.
But that sorry excuse for a boxer
showed me something.
A weapon that allows him
to never lose heart and never withdraw,
whether he takes hit after hit,
to confront as many times as it takes.
A weapon called courage!
The kid has a weapon
that even the most excellent trainer
could never give him,
no matter how long he trains him.
Oh, my! Volg finally
pries open the gloves!
Got you!
Makunouchi parries with a body blow?
A right from Volg!
I can't move my feet,
but I can still punch!
Body, body! Makunouchi doesn't give up!
It's a barrage with his back to the ropes!
Keep going! You still have life left!
-Don't give up!
-Damn, I'd love for him to win!
Another right!
He starts to fall forward!
The range is too tight to rotate my back.
However, it's a leaning body attack!
I'm not through yet!
As long as I can still lash out
The Chief knows
that there's something after this.
If I keep at it, there will be something!
Until I see what it is
I'll never give up!
Makunochi!
The rope-side
offensive defensive battle continues.
Even as he weakens,
Makunouchi continues to resist!
In the meantime, Volg wants
to finish him off one way or another!
I can still move! I can still punch!
I can't believe how stubbornly he boxes.
Don't rest, kid! You're almost there!
Hang in there a little longer!
What? What is he expecting?
What could he be hoping for
in his half-dead state?
It connects! A right from Volg!
Makunouchi has now stopped moving!
This will work!
That hurt I've lost.
I'm sorry, Chief.
I don't think we'll get to see
what happens next.
Can nothing be done?
Now it's over!
Whoops, he misses!
What could have happened?
Volg's upper body is way off balance!
What's this? What happened?
My body feels abnormally heavy!
What is wrong with you, Volg?
There it is! It's finally here!
Kid, clench your fists!
If you have the strength to clench them,
take it and throw them into him!
Volg's upper torso goes flying!
It's a miraculous single blow!
All right, now whale into him!
I'll parry with a left!
What?
Duck right!
What?
Why? Why is he taking every shot?
He's out of stamina, that's why.
That's ridiculous!
It's only been four rounds.
You probably don't believe it,
but this is a professional boxing ring.
Fighters are not protected
by soft gloves and headgear here.
This uses far more physical strength
than amateur boxing.
The kid did not punch out at random.
He gave a dose of pressure
with every punch!
Are you saying the fatigue
that we accumulated unwittingly
showed itself all at once?
Your fight I believed to be desperate
was actually a strategy predicting this?
It was the only chance of victory
this old head of mine could think of.
It was a risky gamble,
but the kid responded to it perfectly.
Volg retreats! Makunouchi summons
all of his remaining strength
for his hard-won opportunity.
My body feels so heavy!
I feel like I'm in somebody's else's body!
Don't pull back, Volg! He'll get you.
Volg also lashes out!
However, was Makunouchi's
barrage effective?
His punches lack their usual sharpness!
This might actually work out for Ippo.
Yeah! If he gets in one shot,
he'll turn this around.
Go for it, kid! The fight begins now!
Don't shield yourself, Volg!
If you back off now,
Makunouchi will get his wind back!
It's a fierce exchange of blows!
However, neither fighter
throws a decisive blow!
That's because their punches
have obviously slowed down.
However, they still have
their Gazelle Punch and White Fang.
I have a feeling those big guns
will sway the tide.
I agree, but Ippo's big gun
has been completely blocked.
He's at a disadvantage.
Volg-san is starting to choke.
If I connect something big now,
he should stop moving.
He's bowed over.
He's going for a Gazelle Punch.
It's disadvantageous to continue
this exhaustive fight.
I'll let him use his big gun.
I can stop his Gazelle Punch!
I'll let him throw it and then finish him
with the White Fang!
Volg swings wide!
Makunouchi goes on the inside!
I can do this!
Whoa, I know this pose!
Now, come and get me!
No! It's too soon!
He still has power below the waist!
The wide swing was a trap!
I was framed! I can't!
I can't use the punch like this!
The moment you finish the punch
will be your last.
I can't stop! This is bad!
This is bad!
KAMOGAWA BOXING GYM
Stamina.
The physical strength needed
to fully fight a boxing match.
One round is a mere three minutes.
However, the pressure in your fists
and the drive to knock down an opponent
consume mental and physical strength
at a terrifying speed.
I have to go forward.
This is a chance that finally came my way!
Squeeze out every last drop
of willpower and produce punches!
This is the beginning
of the true test of endurance!
Next time, "Something to Convey."