Fighting Spirit (2000) s01e74 Episode Script

1
ORIGINAL WORK BY GEORGE MORIKAWA
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
The Dempsey Roll!
The challenger's knees also give out!
He's also hurting!
Dammit!
Now it's my turn!
The next round will be the key.
Yeah. Sendo won't be able to recover
from that damage in a one-minute interval.
Ippo's in the same boat.
What?
Can't you tell
why Ippo couldn't whale into him?
-Well, that would be
-Um
Ippo probably hasn't realized it either.
But he has a bomb in his hand
in this round.
Next is Round Five.
I'm sure another chance will come my way.
MIX-UP
He took punches
while dodging in the early stages.
However, in this round he took
Sendo's punches while moving in.
Which means
Knockdowns look flashy,
but the effort probably sapped
the energy right out of him.
There are no subjective symptoms
when you're completely involved.
But it will revisit him
when he least expects it.
The accumulated damage
is felt all at once,
and you're no longer
the master of your own body.
From a spectator's point of view,
Ippo has already taken more
than his limit of damages.
If he falls down, standing back up
will be an impossibility.
Well done getting up!
Only you could get up after that.
Still, what an incompatible fighter.
Just when you think he's down,
he hops right up again.
Don't let your guard down
even after a good punch.
It has nothing to do with compatibility.
Makunouchi is tough.
Of all the guys I've fought,
he is definitely the strongest.
What are you talking about?
You're the strongest.
You have the belt to prove it.
That thing's still a fake.
Once I beat Makunouchi,
it will finally be the real thing.
Yanagioka-san, you kept your word.
All I have to do now
is prove I'm number one in Japan!
Seconds out!
We're only in the middle stage.
Don't be intimidated.
You will get another chance.
Yes, sir!
The challenger dashes out
from the corner with the bell.
The champ also moves in.
One-two! It gets in clean!
He's driven into a corner!
This is the challenger's chance!
Oh, my! He gives it back!
Is this a switch in offense and defense?
They swap positions!
Again he's pushed into a corner!
Is this the same fighter
who hit the mat a moment ago?
My word? Number one in Japan?
That sure takes me back!
You haven't changed a bit
since we first met, have you?
It's an emergency!
The trainees are in a fight!
What's wrong?
I told you never to use your fists
in street fights!
Sir, the guy was unbelievably cocky.
This is ridiculous!
He took on our trainees single-handedly?
I don't believe it!
Who the hell are you? This isn't a show.
I'm not a spectator.
It's my job to look after these guys.
They said they were boxers,
so I thought they'd be tough,
but I guess this is all they've got.
Isn't there anyone tough around?
I want to find out how strong I am.
I'm sick of small fry like these.
Actually, they're more like fish
in a barrel.
Huh?
The guys you defeated
are still fledgling trainees.
If you want to act big,
do so after you knock down a real boxer.
Hey, are you a boxer?
Okay, let's see
He's fast!
what the real thing is like!
I am a boxer.
No, more accurately, I was a boxer.
Even a retired boxer
is capable of this much.
In the ring, I'd look pathetic
compared to others.
NANIWA BOXING SOCIETY
Chief, listen.
I ran into this amazing guy.
He's like a mad dog.
He's hungry for power.
Hungry guys like him
are rare in this day and age.
He'll be good!
But I heard you beat him.
Well, if it went any longer,
I would have lost for sure.
He's that impressive?
He is no mere mortal.
I only made it to Japan first ranking,
but I'm sure he could realize
my dream of reaching the belt.
What the You weren't the champ?
It reeks of sweat in here.
This place is a real dump.
You were ranked first, huh?
Then the champ must be very strong.
Yeah, sure is.
If I get into the ring,
I'll see him someday, right?
Yeah, sure will.
All right, I think I would like to meet
the strongest man in Japan.
He's surprising.
He wants to go straight to the best?
You're full of it.
I'll show you
if I'm just talking big or not.
Let me see him soon.
When the time comes
I'll prove to you that I'm number one.
A right! But the champ takes it!
What he takes, he always gives back!
Now you've met him, right?
The guy standing in front of you
is the one you've been dying to meet.
He is the only one
who can sate your hunger.
If you beat him, everyone will accept it!
Win and prove that you're number one!
Oh, my! The champ's face is bloodied!
The challenger now moves in!
He returns a counter!
That connected at a real bad angle.
The sight of blood made Sendo lose it.
Ippo, lash out! Put up a resistance!
I doubt you've noticed,
but you're damaged well past your limits.
Once you start to take hits,
it will all surface at once.
Attack! Attack or you'll lose
your tension.
Takamura-san stood up and shouted!
That's how bad that shot was.
Lash out, Ippo!
He's down!
The champion delivers a surging rush!
The challenger suffers
his first knockdown of the match.
Not just for this match.
This is his first knockdown
including the previous match.
This is extremely poignant.
It destroyed his indomitable image!
Now he can fight looking down
on Makunouchi.
He's up! He's up on his feet!
Clinging to the ropes to stand up,
he's assumes a fighting pose.
From what I can see,
heavy accumulated damage has surfaced.
One minute remains in Round Five!
More than enough time
to attack and knock him down.
It's a near-miracle
that he stood up at all.
It's the call to continue!
The champion moves in!
The challenger couldn't be
in a worse predicament.
Oh, my! He aimed for it!
The champion lands
a full-body right straight!
It's knockdown number two!
The challenger lies flat
on the mat spread-eagle!
A face-first knockdown!
The smell of danger hangs in the air!
He doesn't look back!
The champion does not look back!
He heads to a neutral corner
certain of victory!
Did you see that?
Did you see that punch?
Did you see my strength?
These
These are the most powerful fists
in Japan!
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
FISHING BOAT RENTAL MAKUNOUCHI
The title is staying put.
Because the title belongs
to the strongest man in Japan.
And that man is Sendo!
We won!
He fell forward. This is dangerous!
The towel! It's the same way
he fell in the Date fight.
The correct decision
is to throw in the towel.
I hate to say it, but he can't continue.
He isn't throwing it in!
So sleepy.
I've never taken a punch
that made me feel this good before.
It would be so easy to just close my eyes
and go to sleep.
Sendo-san is amazing.
I tried my best
but I couldn't reach the belt.
Don't dwell on it.
Just close your eyes.
I failed to get the belt again.
Don't think about it. Close your eyes.
I failed to get the belt again.
If I close my eyes,
I'll be out of my misery.
What the hell am I thinking?
If I did that,
it would be just like the last time.
Do you really want to go through that
all over again?
I trained as much as possible
after I lost to Date-san.
I am not the same as I was back then.
I'm not the same!
The challenger is up!
This is startling!
He stands up yet again from
a knockdown thought to be conclusive.
However, the champion
is the most shocked of all.
He surely believed the match was over.
The full-body punch was that powerful.
He stares at the challenger
looking stunned!
Makunouchi.
I'll do this. I can still do this.
I've made progress, too.
I won't let training camp
and my fight with Date-san go to waste.
Never!
I don't believe it.
He took so many punches from Sendo.
He still has the spirit,
and he's also attacking?
If it ended now,
it would be the same as before.
I didn't train you to allow that.
You've grown one step stronger
compared to that time.
Let me see you surpass the Date fight.
Why, you This is a first.
This is the first guy
to put my punches to shame.
The champion launches an attack!
The challenger has nowhere to go!
One more fall
will end the match automatically!
-Go, Sendo!
-Knock him down for the win!
Stick to your guns!
Keep going, Ippo!
I have to stay alert!
Look closely at the punches!
This is it. He's almost lifeless,
but his eyes are still glaring.
He wasn't mocking me.
I should have fought harder
to knock him down.
Makunouchi's willpower
is superior to my punches.
I'll land an even more superior punch.
A right! His back gives way!
But he still doesn't stop weaving!
A further rush!
The fangs of the Tiger
tear into his dying prey!
Will he weather out this round?
Will he be taken by storm?
Let's see you take this and stay standing!
The champion reels in agony!
The little shit got numbers six and seven!
However, he immediately
resumes the barrage.
Can the challenger endure?
Damn! They crack more
with every punch I make.
He still has this much power left?
I felt an impact,
but he's not losing momentum.
Has this guy also out-trained me
in willpower?
Yet another hit to the liver!
Guess it's really broken now.
But as long as he's enduring it,
I can't whine about it.
He's strong.
In strength alone,
he's stronger than Date-san.
If I can defeat this man
If I defeat this man
His eyes are still shining.
You really gotta admire the guy.
Shot number three to the liver!
He lands simple shots,
destroying the champion's momentum!
I understand fully now.
In the end
the fight between you and me
Where's the blood coming from?
My head. It'll stop sooner or later.
In the end, the fight between you and me
won't stop till one of us falls dead.
Can you see through your eyes?
Just a nod will do.
To be strong
What does it mean to be strong?
What does it mean, sir?
You want to know?
Then go fight out there.
Go defeat that man!
When you do, you will probably
find the answer for yourself.
That's true.
I was thinking the same thing.
Seconds out!
-Do your best, kid!
-Yes, sir.
If I finish the fight with Sendo-san
and win
I'll get the answer
I've been seeking all this time.
Round Six.
It repeats yet again!
The barrage battle
between two hard punchers!
Their fighting spirit never weakens!
Makunouchi's body blows
are getting sharper.
Right on! Makunouchi!
Makunouchi!
We can't lose to them!
Sendo!
What did I come here for?
This is no time to look away
when he's up there fighting so hard.
Ryo, let's cheer for him!
Let's make some noise, too!
Fine. Makunouchi-san, give it your best!
I'm shocked.
They're definitely not average boxers.
But I never thought
they would take it this far.
The bastard has gotten even stronger.
This match may be a real crowd pleaser,
but speaking as a boxer,
the risks are horrifying.
At this rate,
either one of them could break.
The old geezer knows it, too.
He attempted to throw in the towel
in Round Five.
That was his last chance.
He can't do it now.
The geezer is hypnotized.
He can't do it now?
When you interviewed him, were you able
to predict they would take it this far?
No, I thought it would get violent,
but this is entirely different.
Their boxing skills and even
their facial expressions are different.
Watch intensely, you wet nose.
This is a mix-up.
Mix-up?
They raise the bar between them,
and limitations cease to be limitations.
They're getting more powerful
as they fight.
They are maturing as they exchange blows.
If you saw your student becoming
strong before your very eyes,
would you be able to stop him?
You don't get to see a match
of this caliber every day.
As a journalist,
I wish I could have seen these two fight
on a larger stage.
Makunouchi is a heck of a guy.
I can't believe he drew
this much power out of Sendo.
I've never seen him like this,
and I've known him for years.
Go ahead and show me everything.
I won't stop you.
I don't know what will happen
if you fight a match this fiercely,
but I won't throw in the towel
for anything.
The kid has already done
everything he can.
But what a worthy opponent!
He squeezed out more power
from the kid who's running on empty.
The kid is starting to surpass
my teachings.
I want to see! I want to see
just how far he can go.
The bell.
The beginning and ending of a round.
And the bell
that signals the end of a match.
I discovered boxing
and picked up the gloves.
I got this far by learning
to do my absolute best.
I'm sure the bell will continue to ring.
It will signal the end of something,
while at the same time,
signaling a beginning.
Next time, "A Step Further."