Fighting Spirit (2000) s01e54 Episode Script
Fists of the Champ
1
ORIGINAL WORK BY GEORGE MORIKAWA
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
Your fists are light.
You'll need to do better to defeat me.
What?
FISTS OF THE CHAMP
How's the fight going?
Dammit.
Takamura takes another hit!
He's missing his usual intensity!
He's taking the challenger's blows
full-on!
Damn! This is the reverse
of what usually happens!
I guess the harsh diet is hurting him!
A right uppercut from Tamaki!
He'll be barraged!
This is bad! He has to hit back!
The champ runs from the ropes
without hesitation!
This is the first time
I've seen Takamura-san run away!
His condition is so bad,
he doesn't care how bad it looks!
Tamaki lands a right!
He manages to guard!
Hey, that's a right punch
worthy of Takamura-san!
He can't possibly take that head-on.
He jabs out as though to swipe away
the challenger!
He's being careless!
His left guard is drooping!
He's being targeted!
I'll take that belt!
The champion's head gets twisted!
Takamura-san!
He takes it! The champion stands
with his feet braced apart
with a monstrous look on his face.
And there's the bell.
Round One ends
with the challenger Tamaki still superior.
The hall is buzzing with excitement.
If the champion Takamura takes
a KO today, he will set a new record
with a stunning consecutive 12 KOs
since his debut.
However, he's in really bad condition.
New records aside, the fight development
is jeopardizing his throne.
This is seriously bad.
His condition is too bad.
He can't be expected to
You idiot!
No matter what shape he's in,
Takamura-san will win.
The big guy is our goal! He is our goal!
Yeah. You're right. He'll win for sure!
Right!
You got nailed pretty bad.
Don't look so grave.
There's no way I'd lose to a guy like him.
Takamura-san, you can do it!
You gotta fight! Fight!
Fire up! Fire up!
-Fight!
-Tell the idiotic cheering trio over there
to chill out and enjoy the ride.
Go for it, go for it, Takamura!
The Takamura-maru is unsinkable!
I have no more technical advice
to give you, but
Seconds out!
You have to get out.
Listen until I'm finished!
I know what you want to say.
Takamura-san!
Round Two!
Takamura steps forward!
He hurls his frame into him!
But he's pushed back instead!
The giant Takamura has lost
the clash of the big horns.
You have no power whatsoever!
Tamaki pushes him
into the ropes and barrages.
It's a violent attack aimed at the title.
Takamura-san
This can't be real!
Takamura can't make a move!
He's a rope-side sandbag!
I can knock him down!
Even if he's nowhere near peak condition,
I can knock down the champion
known as the most powerful
active boxer.
All right!
Those aren't the eyes of a man
near defeat.
Does this mean
my punches aren't having an effect?
Or is he trying to lead me somewhere?
Please keep going, Takamura-san!
Takamura-san!
Uh-oh. I seriously feinted there.
Why didn't this bastard come to get me
while he could?
I get it. He chickened out.
Come on and hit me, you thug!
Oh, my! Takamura taunts Tamaki!
What's wrong? Tamaki won't attack!
Good job. It's a feint with the eyes.
The challenger is starting to hesitate.
There's no way it's not having an effect.
He should fall after one more attack.
One more attack!
See? He can't make a single move.
He's hurting!
Lash out, Takamura-san!
What are you doing?
Takamura-san!
It connects!
A counterpunch! Was this effective?
The champion tumbles over!
Takamura-san
Don't you remember what you told me?
You told me that champions
have a special power.
Show it to me.
Please show it to me!
You're mine!
Takamura lands a blow!
He waves away the uppercut!
The challenger showed hesitation.
He aimed for it!
He got me.
But he should have more damage than me.
My legs!
Takamura!
There are small fry
striving to be great like me.
I must continue to be their goal.
The champion is also hurting.
I trained for this for dear life,
just like him.
He's a human being, just like me.
There's no way I can't defeat him.
Know this
A champion carries many burdens.
The fists of a champion
are stained with all sorts of guys.
The fists of a champion are special!
We are not the same!
He did it.
The match is over!
He did it!
I believed in you, Takamura-san!
You made me damned uncomfortable.
Takamura successfully defends his title
for the third time by KO reversal!
And now for the interview
with the winner, Takamura.
You won, but that was certainly
a painful defense fight.
Maybe he'll explain what he meant
when he told me
that the fists of champions are special.
I just gave him a little leeway,
that's all.
I thought I'd give the audience
a real show.
Did you guys enjoy it a little?
Huh?
What are you talking about, fool?
I read the weekly gossip rag.
You screwed up your diet
by chasing after chicks!
Don't screw with boxing fans!
It's hopeless. This atmosphere
isn't right to say anything.
Actually, being a champion means
Is he gonna say it?
Hey, interviewer girl! Watch out!
He'll make a play for you
right in the ring!
Don't worry!
You can get away from him
in front of a hotel.
Don't let it bother you.
Do you think I'm not popular
with the chicks?
You see here?
She's delighted to be with me.
She's hating it!
That's sexual harassment, you rapist!
Is that how a champion behaves?
-Shut up!
-This is the worst.
Keep your head down!
They'll think we're with him.
If anyone has a problem with that,
step into the ring!
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
I'm stuffed!
Yagi-chan was thoughtful to
order blowfish for my celebration party.
Still, what was up with
that unseemly cheering?
People might think I was gonna lose.
But the way it was developing
I told you that I'd show you
the power of a champion.
I definitely sensed something special.
Do you think my fists are light?
That's what Date-san told me.
At first I thought it was a taunt,
but after watching your match,
I began to think
that there's a huge difference
between a champion and a challenger.
Yeah, 'cause you currently
have ten consecutive KO wins.
It's not like success has gone to my head,
but I don't think I can defeat him
with light punches.
You have punching power.
You're stronger than the old guy.
Then why?
"Light" has a different meaning.
Meaning?
For example, today's match.
If you guys hadn't been there,
my punches might have been
a little lighter.
A lot of things accompany champion status.
Guys who have expectations of you.
Guys who place their dreams on you.
Guys who look up to you as their goal.
Your fists are haunted
with all of their unfulfilled dreams.
Unfulfilled dreams?
Do you understand?
The fists of a champion are always heavy
with stuff like that.
Which means the old guy's fists
are real heavy.
They did feel incredibly heavy to me.
Fists haunted with the unfulfilled dreams
of all sorts of guys.
My own fists came from the love of boxing,
but that's all there is to them.
What sort of mindset should a challenger
face a fight with in order to win?
SEVERAL DAYS LATER
Hello?
He lost!
Huh? What's wrong, Kimura-san?
The Junior Light champion lost.
Mashiba's the new champ.
Mashiba-san won? That's great!
You fool! Think of how I feel!
I have to make it my goal
to fight a guy who isn't even human!
That's not nice.
Imagine him with
the belt around his waist.
You just imagined
something horrific, right?
Yes.
Anyway, my new motto is
"Down with Mashiba." Bye!
So, Mashiba-san is the champion.
I'd love to ask him
if the champion's fists felt heavy to him
and how it felt to fight him.
Hello?
Good evening, this is Mashiba.
It's his little sister, Kumi!
Oh! It's been a long time! Good evening!
My big brother had a match today.
I heard he's the new champion.
Congratulations!
Thank you. Um, it's about that.
I've prepared a celebration party.
But he has no friends,
so nobody is coming.
If it's no trouble, would you please come?
No, this is no time to get giddy!
I want to hear his impression
of the title match.
Nobody's answering.
Um, it's me, Makunouchi.
Come in.
Right.
Excuse my intrusion.
Why is it pitch-black in here?
It's still up!
They're probably planning to switch
on the lights to surprise me.
Sit.
Right!
Um, where's Kumi-chan?
"Chan?"
Uh, no! Um, where's your little sister?
She went out to buy something.
Oh, I see.
Congratulations on
your accomplishment today.
No, really. You're a champion
at last, huh?
So, how did you find your opponent?
I heard he was
an incredibly strong champion.
In which round did he go down?
I hope she gets home quick.
Round Seven.
What?
A KO in Round Seven? That's amazing.
But the champion was amazing, too, right?
That he could last seven rounds against
you after upping your weight class.
So, is there something special
about a champion?
Like their intensity or their dignity?
Or maybe the weight of their fists?
They're nothing special.
Really?
I merely fought the way I always do.
It's a pity he didn't go to sleep sooner.
He wouldn't give up,
so I made him into a gooey mess.
It was a title match,
but he fought it like usual?
Those are words of a strong athlete.
Why is it so dark in here?
Makunouchi-san, thanks for coming.
Sorry to intrude.
I'm sorry about today.
Everyone at his work says they'll have
a party for him in a few days,
but I really wanted to have one
on the same day.
No, stuff like this should take place
on the same day.
After all, he doesn't appear
to have any fight fatigue.
He doesn't look like he had an easy fight.
He was in a death match
just a little while ago.
For 21 minutes over seven rounds.
That's the face of someone
who fought for dear life.
He risked his life
to come back with that belt.
Excuse me.
Uh, right. Let's have a good time.
Here.
Ryo, congratulations
on becoming the champion!
Congratulations!
He's mad! He doesn't like stuff like this.
It was terrifying today.
I couldn't watch all of it.
That's because the champ defended
his title five times already.
But he KO'd him in seven rounds.
You always impress me!
Thanks a lot for coming today.
It looks like
I just made him grumpy instead.
That's not true. He looked very happy.
Did you see the wrinkles forming
between his eyebrows?
That's how he looks
when he's trying not to laugh.
I haven't seen so many wrinkles there
in a long time.
That's how he looks when he's happy?
Still, it must be nice to have a sibling.
Someone to throw you a party
and be happy for you.
I'm an only child.
Your title match is coming up soon,
too, isn't it?
Uh, yes.
I'll throw you a celebration party.
I want to thank you for today anyway,
and I'll celebrate it for sure.
Wow! She looked incredibly cute just now.
But in my case,
there's no guarantee I'll win.
I believe it was the same for my brother.
I believe he was incredibly uneasy
before the match.
But he said he would try as hard as usual
and really went out the door
as though nothing was different.
I have no idea what I'm talking about.
As though nothing was different, huh?
Maybe that's all you can do in the end.
Once you practice all you can,
you just have to do your best in the ring.
No matter who my opponent is,
I'll make it a good fight.
I'll make it a fight I can be proud of.
That's set then.
I'll go about it as usual.
This is far enough, thanks.
I'll run a little on the way home.
Makunouchi-san!
Give it your best!
Please become the champion!
I'll give it my best!
KAMOGAWA BOXING GYM
-All right, kid. Are you ready?
-Yes, sir!
An all-around champion versus
a challenger with remarkable growth.
Makunouchi's liver blow is a winner.
But that's only if he can throw it.
When he uses the liver blow,
it leaves him momentarily unguarded.
That won't escape Date,
because Makunouchi has a heart.
He'll attack him with the heartbreak shot.
And if he shrinks back to guard it,
he won't be able to use his left.
All right, jump at him!
That's the way! Get close enough
to take it into a clinch.
He needs distance
to throw his corkscrew blow.
If you're that close, don't fear.
-Yes, sir!
-All right, resume!
That's the Chief for you.
He's foreseen his left being blocked off.
He'll reserve the left for blocking,
get close, and smother the corkscrew.
However, if he gets that close,
it'll reduce his own punches
to half power.
There will be almost no openings
to throw punches.
All right! That's enough.
I'm surprised.
Come to think of it, a champ once said
that if your fist is at least ten cm away,
you can knock down a man.
At that range, you can concentrate
all of your strength into a fist.
If you have a strong lower body
like Makunouchi
I'm really looking forward
to this match now.
Takamura-san protected his.
Mashiba-san took his.
And now it's my turn!
Title match.
A match waged between
a champion and a challenger over a belt.
A fight between two boxers,
one called the best,
versus one seeking to become the best.
I would've never imagined this
three years ago.
But now, I'm dying to climb
into that ring!
Right now, I believe I would like to fight
with my full strength.
Next time,
"The Japan Featherweight Title Match."
ORIGINAL WORK BY GEORGE MORIKAWA
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
Your fists are light.
You'll need to do better to defeat me.
What?
FISTS OF THE CHAMP
How's the fight going?
Dammit.
Takamura takes another hit!
He's missing his usual intensity!
He's taking the challenger's blows
full-on!
Damn! This is the reverse
of what usually happens!
I guess the harsh diet is hurting him!
A right uppercut from Tamaki!
He'll be barraged!
This is bad! He has to hit back!
The champ runs from the ropes
without hesitation!
This is the first time
I've seen Takamura-san run away!
His condition is so bad,
he doesn't care how bad it looks!
Tamaki lands a right!
He manages to guard!
Hey, that's a right punch
worthy of Takamura-san!
He can't possibly take that head-on.
He jabs out as though to swipe away
the challenger!
He's being careless!
His left guard is drooping!
He's being targeted!
I'll take that belt!
The champion's head gets twisted!
Takamura-san!
He takes it! The champion stands
with his feet braced apart
with a monstrous look on his face.
And there's the bell.
Round One ends
with the challenger Tamaki still superior.
The hall is buzzing with excitement.
If the champion Takamura takes
a KO today, he will set a new record
with a stunning consecutive 12 KOs
since his debut.
However, he's in really bad condition.
New records aside, the fight development
is jeopardizing his throne.
This is seriously bad.
His condition is too bad.
He can't be expected to
You idiot!
No matter what shape he's in,
Takamura-san will win.
The big guy is our goal! He is our goal!
Yeah. You're right. He'll win for sure!
Right!
You got nailed pretty bad.
Don't look so grave.
There's no way I'd lose to a guy like him.
Takamura-san, you can do it!
You gotta fight! Fight!
Fire up! Fire up!
-Fight!
-Tell the idiotic cheering trio over there
to chill out and enjoy the ride.
Go for it, go for it, Takamura!
The Takamura-maru is unsinkable!
I have no more technical advice
to give you, but
Seconds out!
You have to get out.
Listen until I'm finished!
I know what you want to say.
Takamura-san!
Round Two!
Takamura steps forward!
He hurls his frame into him!
But he's pushed back instead!
The giant Takamura has lost
the clash of the big horns.
You have no power whatsoever!
Tamaki pushes him
into the ropes and barrages.
It's a violent attack aimed at the title.
Takamura-san
This can't be real!
Takamura can't make a move!
He's a rope-side sandbag!
I can knock him down!
Even if he's nowhere near peak condition,
I can knock down the champion
known as the most powerful
active boxer.
All right!
Those aren't the eyes of a man
near defeat.
Does this mean
my punches aren't having an effect?
Or is he trying to lead me somewhere?
Please keep going, Takamura-san!
Takamura-san!
Uh-oh. I seriously feinted there.
Why didn't this bastard come to get me
while he could?
I get it. He chickened out.
Come on and hit me, you thug!
Oh, my! Takamura taunts Tamaki!
What's wrong? Tamaki won't attack!
Good job. It's a feint with the eyes.
The challenger is starting to hesitate.
There's no way it's not having an effect.
He should fall after one more attack.
One more attack!
See? He can't make a single move.
He's hurting!
Lash out, Takamura-san!
What are you doing?
Takamura-san!
It connects!
A counterpunch! Was this effective?
The champion tumbles over!
Takamura-san
Don't you remember what you told me?
You told me that champions
have a special power.
Show it to me.
Please show it to me!
You're mine!
Takamura lands a blow!
He waves away the uppercut!
The challenger showed hesitation.
He aimed for it!
He got me.
But he should have more damage than me.
My legs!
Takamura!
There are small fry
striving to be great like me.
I must continue to be their goal.
The champion is also hurting.
I trained for this for dear life,
just like him.
He's a human being, just like me.
There's no way I can't defeat him.
Know this
A champion carries many burdens.
The fists of a champion
are stained with all sorts of guys.
The fists of a champion are special!
We are not the same!
He did it.
The match is over!
He did it!
I believed in you, Takamura-san!
You made me damned uncomfortable.
Takamura successfully defends his title
for the third time by KO reversal!
And now for the interview
with the winner, Takamura.
You won, but that was certainly
a painful defense fight.
Maybe he'll explain what he meant
when he told me
that the fists of champions are special.
I just gave him a little leeway,
that's all.
I thought I'd give the audience
a real show.
Did you guys enjoy it a little?
Huh?
What are you talking about, fool?
I read the weekly gossip rag.
You screwed up your diet
by chasing after chicks!
Don't screw with boxing fans!
It's hopeless. This atmosphere
isn't right to say anything.
Actually, being a champion means
Is he gonna say it?
Hey, interviewer girl! Watch out!
He'll make a play for you
right in the ring!
Don't worry!
You can get away from him
in front of a hotel.
Don't let it bother you.
Do you think I'm not popular
with the chicks?
You see here?
She's delighted to be with me.
She's hating it!
That's sexual harassment, you rapist!
Is that how a champion behaves?
-Shut up!
-This is the worst.
Keep your head down!
They'll think we're with him.
If anyone has a problem with that,
step into the ring!
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
I'm stuffed!
Yagi-chan was thoughtful to
order blowfish for my celebration party.
Still, what was up with
that unseemly cheering?
People might think I was gonna lose.
But the way it was developing
I told you that I'd show you
the power of a champion.
I definitely sensed something special.
Do you think my fists are light?
That's what Date-san told me.
At first I thought it was a taunt,
but after watching your match,
I began to think
that there's a huge difference
between a champion and a challenger.
Yeah, 'cause you currently
have ten consecutive KO wins.
It's not like success has gone to my head,
but I don't think I can defeat him
with light punches.
You have punching power.
You're stronger than the old guy.
Then why?
"Light" has a different meaning.
Meaning?
For example, today's match.
If you guys hadn't been there,
my punches might have been
a little lighter.
A lot of things accompany champion status.
Guys who have expectations of you.
Guys who place their dreams on you.
Guys who look up to you as their goal.
Your fists are haunted
with all of their unfulfilled dreams.
Unfulfilled dreams?
Do you understand?
The fists of a champion are always heavy
with stuff like that.
Which means the old guy's fists
are real heavy.
They did feel incredibly heavy to me.
Fists haunted with the unfulfilled dreams
of all sorts of guys.
My own fists came from the love of boxing,
but that's all there is to them.
What sort of mindset should a challenger
face a fight with in order to win?
SEVERAL DAYS LATER
Hello?
He lost!
Huh? What's wrong, Kimura-san?
The Junior Light champion lost.
Mashiba's the new champ.
Mashiba-san won? That's great!
You fool! Think of how I feel!
I have to make it my goal
to fight a guy who isn't even human!
That's not nice.
Imagine him with
the belt around his waist.
You just imagined
something horrific, right?
Yes.
Anyway, my new motto is
"Down with Mashiba." Bye!
So, Mashiba-san is the champion.
I'd love to ask him
if the champion's fists felt heavy to him
and how it felt to fight him.
Hello?
Good evening, this is Mashiba.
It's his little sister, Kumi!
Oh! It's been a long time! Good evening!
My big brother had a match today.
I heard he's the new champion.
Congratulations!
Thank you. Um, it's about that.
I've prepared a celebration party.
But he has no friends,
so nobody is coming.
If it's no trouble, would you please come?
No, this is no time to get giddy!
I want to hear his impression
of the title match.
Nobody's answering.
Um, it's me, Makunouchi.
Come in.
Right.
Excuse my intrusion.
Why is it pitch-black in here?
It's still up!
They're probably planning to switch
on the lights to surprise me.
Sit.
Right!
Um, where's Kumi-chan?
"Chan?"
Uh, no! Um, where's your little sister?
She went out to buy something.
Oh, I see.
Congratulations on
your accomplishment today.
No, really. You're a champion
at last, huh?
So, how did you find your opponent?
I heard he was
an incredibly strong champion.
In which round did he go down?
I hope she gets home quick.
Round Seven.
What?
A KO in Round Seven? That's amazing.
But the champion was amazing, too, right?
That he could last seven rounds against
you after upping your weight class.
So, is there something special
about a champion?
Like their intensity or their dignity?
Or maybe the weight of their fists?
They're nothing special.
Really?
I merely fought the way I always do.
It's a pity he didn't go to sleep sooner.
He wouldn't give up,
so I made him into a gooey mess.
It was a title match,
but he fought it like usual?
Those are words of a strong athlete.
Why is it so dark in here?
Makunouchi-san, thanks for coming.
Sorry to intrude.
I'm sorry about today.
Everyone at his work says they'll have
a party for him in a few days,
but I really wanted to have one
on the same day.
No, stuff like this should take place
on the same day.
After all, he doesn't appear
to have any fight fatigue.
He doesn't look like he had an easy fight.
He was in a death match
just a little while ago.
For 21 minutes over seven rounds.
That's the face of someone
who fought for dear life.
He risked his life
to come back with that belt.
Excuse me.
Uh, right. Let's have a good time.
Here.
Ryo, congratulations
on becoming the champion!
Congratulations!
He's mad! He doesn't like stuff like this.
It was terrifying today.
I couldn't watch all of it.
That's because the champ defended
his title five times already.
But he KO'd him in seven rounds.
You always impress me!
Thanks a lot for coming today.
It looks like
I just made him grumpy instead.
That's not true. He looked very happy.
Did you see the wrinkles forming
between his eyebrows?
That's how he looks
when he's trying not to laugh.
I haven't seen so many wrinkles there
in a long time.
That's how he looks when he's happy?
Still, it must be nice to have a sibling.
Someone to throw you a party
and be happy for you.
I'm an only child.
Your title match is coming up soon,
too, isn't it?
Uh, yes.
I'll throw you a celebration party.
I want to thank you for today anyway,
and I'll celebrate it for sure.
Wow! She looked incredibly cute just now.
But in my case,
there's no guarantee I'll win.
I believe it was the same for my brother.
I believe he was incredibly uneasy
before the match.
But he said he would try as hard as usual
and really went out the door
as though nothing was different.
I have no idea what I'm talking about.
As though nothing was different, huh?
Maybe that's all you can do in the end.
Once you practice all you can,
you just have to do your best in the ring.
No matter who my opponent is,
I'll make it a good fight.
I'll make it a fight I can be proud of.
That's set then.
I'll go about it as usual.
This is far enough, thanks.
I'll run a little on the way home.
Makunouchi-san!
Give it your best!
Please become the champion!
I'll give it my best!
KAMOGAWA BOXING GYM
-All right, kid. Are you ready?
-Yes, sir!
An all-around champion versus
a challenger with remarkable growth.
Makunouchi's liver blow is a winner.
But that's only if he can throw it.
When he uses the liver blow,
it leaves him momentarily unguarded.
That won't escape Date,
because Makunouchi has a heart.
He'll attack him with the heartbreak shot.
And if he shrinks back to guard it,
he won't be able to use his left.
All right, jump at him!
That's the way! Get close enough
to take it into a clinch.
He needs distance
to throw his corkscrew blow.
If you're that close, don't fear.
-Yes, sir!
-All right, resume!
That's the Chief for you.
He's foreseen his left being blocked off.
He'll reserve the left for blocking,
get close, and smother the corkscrew.
However, if he gets that close,
it'll reduce his own punches
to half power.
There will be almost no openings
to throw punches.
All right! That's enough.
I'm surprised.
Come to think of it, a champ once said
that if your fist is at least ten cm away,
you can knock down a man.
At that range, you can concentrate
all of your strength into a fist.
If you have a strong lower body
like Makunouchi
I'm really looking forward
to this match now.
Takamura-san protected his.
Mashiba-san took his.
And now it's my turn!
Title match.
A match waged between
a champion and a challenger over a belt.
A fight between two boxers,
one called the best,
versus one seeking to become the best.
I would've never imagined this
three years ago.
But now, I'm dying to climb
into that ring!
Right now, I believe I would like to fight
with my full strength.
Next time,
"The Japan Featherweight Title Match."