Fighting Spirit (2000) s01e73 Episode Script

1
ORIGINAL WORK BY GEORGE MORIKAWA
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
If I took that head-on
what the heck would happen to me?
Round three, huh?
I was beaten in this round
the last time we fought.
I'll give it right back to him.
I have to lash out first!
The challenger charges in with the bell!
SURPASS THAT MOMEN
I have to lash out before Sendo-san!
Before he can!
What are you doing? Hit him!
Oh, yeah! I have to attack!
I must attack!
This is big!
What the heck is that?
That looks just like a round-house punch.
That idiot.
Now the champion lashes out!
The challenger ducks!
The champion smashes!
It barely grazes him!
If I took that,
my head would fly off my neck.
He's coming! What do I do?
The initiative!
Oh, yeah! The initiative!
I have to
lash out!
That idiot.
No. I can't take a punch like this.
What the hell
is that supposed to be, Makunouchi?
Guard! I have to guard!
That fool! Didn't he hear what I said?
Look at you, balled up like a turtle.
Is this how you box?
I'm truly disappointed.
Guarding that firmly will only prolong
your defeat a little more.
He's coming.
He's coming from the left.
I dodged it! What's next?
A right! I'll block it.
A left?! But it looked like a right!
This time it's a left!
A right? But how? That's ridiculous!
It's a fierce attack from Sendo!
Makunouchi is pinned down!
He'll be pressed!
A left!
Another right! What's happening?
I'm so confused!
What are you doing?
You won't get anywhere by running around.
-It's a feint.
-Huh?
Sendo is mixing feints
in with his punches.
And Ippo's getting suckered by them.
And they're not ordinary feints.
They definitely look
like the real thing to Ippo.
'Cause each and every feint
is laced with killer intent.
Killer intent?
The trick that you showed us in camp?
Ippo loses by flinching.
Once the fear is imprinted,
it's not easy to shake it off.
Makunouchi should be anticipating
Sendo's every move with fear by now.
We have complete control of this match.
I was naïve.
How could I have looked forward
to fighting someone like this?
It's ridiculous to look forward to this.
I don't know what to do.
He's too strong.
I'm scared!
The challenger has backed
into a corner on his own.
Has he been overwhelmed
by the champion's drive?
Ippo! What are you doing?
Makunouchi
It can't end like this.
What have you used
that you learned in training camp?
Please show me how you've grown.
Is he getting timid?
Don't monkey around with me.
How long will you stay
balled up like that?
He's coming!
That's what I call monkeying around!
The champion's barrage has begun!
Right now, you only look like
a sandbag to me!
It's a storm-like attack!
Makunouchi is devoted to defense!
Is there nothing he can do?
How long are you going to be so cowardly?
Do you think I can't take down
a wimpy boxer
like the one you're pretending to be?
An uppercut blasts into him!
His neck twists!
He narrowly dodges the next blow!
However, he has no leeway!
Is it only a matter of time
before he falls?
What are you doing, Makunouchi?
-Lash out!
-Fight back!
This is just absolutely pathetic!
What a pitiful state for a title match.
Weather out this round and come on back.
I'll give you a good slap
that'll knock some sense into you!
Persevere, Ippo-kun!
The Chief wants you to come back.
He has expectations of you.
The Dempsey Roll may be in check,
but you still have a weapon.
The weapon you used
in the Volg fight and the Date fight
is still lying there unused.
It is the only weapon that can go against
your fear of Sendo.
It connects!
This one hurt!
I can't go on any more.
I can't stay on my feet.
I'm not good enough
to beat Sendo-san.
It's over.
It's over? How come?
Surely
I did everything I could.
Did I use that?
No
I haven't!
This is a shame, Makunouchi.
I'm disappointed.
I didn't know that in the 21 months
we didn't see each other,
you had turned into such a useless boxer.
I'll bring this god-awful match
to a close.
It's the third round,
about when you defeated me before.
I haven't fully used it.
I haven't fully used
what I've learned so far.
So I'll do the exact opposite
of what you did.
But what should I do?
What have I done so far?
Once I swing this, it's over!
I don't want it to end.
Sendo smashes!
I can't let it end!
Whoops, now the champion backs off!
What happened?
What was that?
And there's the bell signaling
the end of Round Three!
The challenger has again been saved
by the bell!
Didn't he throw a punch just now?
That's sure what it looked like.
I'm saved.
This is bad for the heart.
Tell me about it.
Still, I know he was saved and all,
but what happened to Sendo there?
Yeah, it's unlike him not to attack
a defenseless opponent.
Actually, maybe Ippo did defend himself.
Oh! With a feint.
Maybe when all seemed lost,
Ippo used a feint of killer intent.
So that's why Sendo backed off.
Right, except his feint
wasn't made of killer intent.
What's wrong?
Couldn't you take it all the way?
It's not like you
to leave something undone.
Was it because it was the round
you were defeated in last time?
Yeah.
No, that's not it.
Right before the end, I had a premonition.
He isn't dead yet.
Don't talk. Keep breathing deep!
Concentrate on recuperating.
I can't let it end.
I trained so hard for this.
I have to fully use what I learned.
Yeah.
Yeah, but what did I learn?
My brain isn't working.
I forget. What have I done so far?
Pull yourself together, Makunouchi!
You have to counterattack
in the next round!
That's right!
The fight has only just begun!
Ippo!
The Dempsey Roll
is not the sum of its components!
There are other ways
to punch than just punching.
It's hopeless!
I can't do it like Nekota-san.
And that about sums it up.
I remember now.
The expression on Ippo-kun's face
has changed.
That's it. That's the look I want to see.
I doubt he needs a slap now.
Sendo saw what was emanating
from those eyes.
That is the one and only weapon
that can overcome fear,
and is Ippo Makunouchi's
most powerful weapon.
Courage!
HAJIME NO IPPO: THE FIGHTING!
ROUND FOUR
Seconds out!
Your opponent is groggy! Calm down!
-Don't let him get away this time!
-Right.
Was what I saw an illusion?
Or was there really something to it?
I'll go make sure.
The fight has only just begun!
Go and push back the tide!
Yes, sir!
It's all right. My legs can still move.
I still have plenty of stamina.
I can still do this.
It's thanks to training camp.
Thanks to that training.
I'm obviously getting results!
I have to be confident!
He looks good and determined.
We can be hopeful for this round.
Really, sir?
Excuse me.
We heard a dog bark in this vicinity.
Have you seen it anywhere?
No, I haven't seen any dogs.
How could a dog possibly be in here?
You're hearing things.
I see.
Now Round Four begins.
Well, this is unusual!
Both fighters start off calmly,
and observe each other's condition.
The mood is slightly different
for this round.
They don't move!
An oppressive atmosphere
envelops the hall.
Ryo, what's wrong with Sendo-san?
I'm glad that he's not attacking, but
He's hesitating.
The Tiger of Naniwa's animal instincts
are making him hesitate before going in.
It's those eyes!
In the Eastern Japan Rookie
of the Year tournament final,
the bastard had the same eyes
when he got up from a knockdown.
The irritating look in his eyes
hasn't changed.
I wish I could trade places
with Sendo and take him myself.
Ryo?
He definitely aimed something at me
right before the end of Round Three.
Is there a punch you can throw bent over?
Damn. It's a waste of time
to think too much.
I'll have to go in to find out anyway.
The challenger breaks the silence!
Unlike before, he goes right in!
I have to be confident!
All I did was train to win.
If I use all of my training, I should win!
A smash!
He stops it!
Damn! I used too many smashes.
He's reading my moves!
That is the one thing I won't take.
If I took that head-on,
it would be over in one punch.
The smash isn't my only KO punch,
you know.
There it is! A feint!
Don't be fooled by it!
Weave your body fast enough
to dodge all of them.
What amazing weaving!
He intends to dodge everything,
punches and all.
That'll make it difficult
to lock down a target even with feints.
He'll link the weaving
to the Dempsey Roll.
Crush him before he can!
The challenger goes in!
The champion joins him!
They bump heads!
It's an extremely close-range fight.
If he doesn't have the range,
he can't throw a smash.
No fear, kid!
Now, it's an exchange!
It has turned into a slugfest
like Round One.
This is Ippo's range.
Please out-hit him this time.
Ugh! It's still no good?
I can't exchange blows
with him at his rhythm.
Throw two while he throws one.
VICTORY
That's it! Those are the results
from training camp.
Don't woof at me! You stay hidden!
The challenger forges forward!
Why, you
But the champ doesn't back off!
It's a fierce battle for dominance!
You don't get to see a barrage
of Sendo's caliber that often.
I bet the fear lingers with every blast,
causing your legs to freeze.
However, you have no chance of winning
if you are overpowered by fear.
Don't lose on the emotional front!
Push yourself forward!
Put courage in both fists.
You always overcame difficult situations
in the past.
A right! This is powerful!
The champion is thrust aside!
Good going! Whale into him!
But he was groggy! The guy's impossible!
That's him all right!
This man is worthy of my steel!
Sendo-san backed off! Go for it!
No!
Southpaw!
I know this!
The punch that brought down Volg-san!
His right
Smash!
The challenger is sent flying backwards
like a human cannonball!
But he blocked it!
He was so conscious about left punches,
his right guard weakened!
What shocking destructive power he has.
Even if he had predicted it and blocked,
he may not have been able to absorb it.
He presses on like a bulldozer!
He takes him all the way
to the corner in one push.
His back gives out!
I got you!
He's strong.
Even if the kid summons
every ounce of courage
Even if he uses all of his strength
Sendo's strength may exceed it all.
Finish it!
I've won!
I beat Ippo Makunouchi!
I've won!
He's down!
It's a miracle single shot!
The challenger scores
an incredible counter.
This is the champ's
second knockdown this match!
Gazelle Punch.
That's right.
It's the one punch
that can be thrown when bent over.
To your neutral corner!
It wasn't an illusion.
Get up, Sendo!
The thing he aimed at me
at the end of the third round
That's it, stand up!
Makunouchi is also groggy!
So this is what it was.
Oh, my! He falls back on his rear!
It was a Gazelle counter punch!
This had a major impact!
Oh, no! His legs aren't responding!
Don't get up! If he stays down,
Ippo-kun is the champion.
Stand up, Rocky!
Don't give him the belt!
Stay down!
Please, give Ippo the belt!
Sendo!
He's up, he's up!
But he hasn't assumed a fighting pose.
Is this the end for the champion?
Kid?
He's coming!
His fighting spirit
has not weakened at all.
I know he's going to assume
a fighting pose.
Simple punches won't chisel
through that fighting spirit.
A barrage.
I'll knock him out completely
with the Dempsey Roll.
Sendo is posed to fight!
-Rocky!
-All right!
However, his legs are unsteady!
What is the referee's decision?
He can't continue!
Stop the match, Ref!
Continue it!
The match continues!
However, the champ
has sustained serious damage.
This is a big chance for the challenger.
Go for it!
Get it done!
I won't give up!
As long as I can still lift a finger,
I will not quit this fight.
A barrage! If I whale into him, I'll win!
The champion doesn't move his legs!
The Dempsey Roll!
The challenger's knees also give out!
He's also hurting!
Dammit!
Now it's my turn!
Whoa! What a waste!
He would have fallen
after a single shot, too!
A large sigh echoes through the stadium!
That is the extent of this climax
created by the challenger.
When he's believed to be cornered,
he rallies back.
And who could have predicted
the match would evolve
into him knocking the champion down twice?
The two great rivals
withdraw to their respective corners.
This has indeed turned
into a riveting fight.
I saw that!
That was a superb punch
worthy of a challenger.
Don't talk!
You need every second
of recuperation time.
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.
This is only the beginning.
Aggressive.
To go in for attacks aggressively.
Boxing is about
knocking down your opponent.
It is impossible to knock them down
without attacking.
That's why I must attack.
I can't flinch even when I'm hit.
Hit back! I doubt Sendo-san
has recouped either.
I can't lose the battle of intimidation.
My chance will come.
I'm sure a chance will come my way.
Next time, "Mix-up."