Fighting Spirit (はじめの一歩)

Yes!

After becoming champion and defending my title a few times,

I think I'm beginning to understand what it means to be strong...

Dad.

Dad!

Hiroko, Ippo!

The Strongest Challenger

Well, I'm off.

Have a good day. Be careful!

Sure thing!

Hey, Ippo!

Wait, Dad!

Here, you forgot this!

Oh, thank you!

Just wait, I'll bring back a huge haul!

Dad, when you get back, I'll help you!

You will, huh?

It's a promise, then!

Yup, promise!

When's Dad coming home?

Hmm, maybe a week or so?

Be a good boy and he'll be home in no time!

Sakuma, where are you?!

Makunouchi, get on the raft!

Hurry!

You idiots! Sakuma's still on the boat!

Sakuma, where are you?!

Answer me!

Sakuma!

Makunouchi...

You okay?

Forget about me, it's too late!

Don't say that!

My leg's trapped! I'm done for!

Don't you quit on me.

Forget it, Makunouchi.

Save yourself!

Don't give up! We're all going home together!

Get him!

Hurry up! Get on the raft!

Move!

Makunouchi!

I will make it home!

Hiroko, Ippo...

Ippo!

He was the best.

Makunouchi was the pride of all fishermen.

Thank you.

Kazuo-san would consider that the greatest of compliments.

I'm the one who should be thanking him!

Why, if it isn't Ippo!

Mister Sakuma!

Can you show me how to do something?

I sure can. What do you wanna know?

Teach me how to tie a clove hitch!

A clove hitch?

You gonna moor a ship to the dock?

I wanna learn how to do it before my dad gets back.

I promised to help him when he comes home!

When he gets back... you...

Show me!

F-Forget that! How about an amusement park?

I'll take you anywhere you want to go.

Let's go somewhere fun!

Thank you, but I promised him.

Listen, Ippo...

I know you're young, so maybe you don't understand,

but your father...

He said he'd come home.

Dad keeps his promises.

He's out there doing the best he can on his own,

but he'll come back!

A-Anyway, you don't want to worry your mother!

Let's get you home!

No!

Dad's coming back. I have to wait for him!

Ippo.

I'm gonna wait a little longer.

Let's go home.

Mom, look!

I learned to tie a bowline knot!

Dad will—

Just come home now, Ippo!

There's no point in waiting anymore! Your father's not...

Dad keeps his promises.

I know he'll come back!

I'm going—

Ippo!

Ippo!

Oh no, I have to get Ippo!

What happened? You're soaked!

He kept his promise.

Dad...

Dad came home.

We have to live on, together.

The Makunouchi Fishing Boat

What kind of carpenters are you? It's all crooked!

You were rushing us!

Every fisherman here's gonna give you idiots a lashing if you do shoddy work!

Mister Sakuma!

Hey, Ippo!

Look, mom got her boating license!

"Boat operator."

Nice work, Hiroko-san!

Thank you. I finally got it on the third try.

We'll show you where all the best spots are.

Your boat'll have a reputation for guaranteed hauls!

Thank you so much.

Let's go, Ippo!

You're heading out to sea right away?!

We'll do our best!

He'll be with us, too.

Yeah... you're right.

C'mon, Mom, let's go!

Wait a minute!

C'mon, c'mon!

Nope, I'm too worried!

Let's go with them!

I'm in!

Port side, check.

Aren't you done yet?! Hurry up!

Deck, check.

Makunouchi Fishing Boat

It's moving!

Here we go, Ippo!

Yeah!

The Makunouchi Fishing Boat...

has set sail!

Ippo!

Mom!

Let's be strong, Ippo!

Yeah, we'll be strong!

I'm going to become even stronger... until I finally catch up to Dad.

First, I have to focus on my next defense.

I will destroy the Dempsey Roll!

So we've finally got a challenger

who claims he can beat the Dempsey Roll.

Ippo-kun's fourth title defense is against

the Ryukyu warrior, Shimabukuro Iwao.

Kamogawa Boxing Gym

Use your hips. Your punches are soft!

Those punches won't even make Shimabukuro flinch!

Keep your hands moving. More rotation!

Wow, they're both fired up.

And here's why.

Destroy the Dempsey Roll?

Ippo's own pain and suffering

are what led him to develop the Dempsey Roll on his own.

If someone manages to stop it...

It'll be a huge blow to him.

I see. No wonder he's going all out.

The Dempsey Roll won me the championship.

I have to keep refining it,

until it's strong enough to beat anyone!

Until it's perfect!

It's been 13 minutes since he went down... any second now...

Shimabukuro, it's almost time to leave.

Are you ready?

Sure am, coach.

I can't wait.

This is my opportunity to see if I really am strong,

or if there are men out there stronger than me.

I heard Makunouchi-kun's the son of a fisherman.

That's correct.

So he's a son of the sea, too.

We'll see who the stronger son is.

I'm going to drag him deep down to the ocean floor.

I'll face the hard-punching champion Makunouchi Ippo head-on

and go blow-for-blow with him at the bottom of the sea.

And that's where I'll win!

I'll crush his trademark Dempsey Roll!

Yeah!

Iwao!

Come back with the belt!

The whole island will be celebrating!

Win the title!

I give you my word!

On my honor as a son of the sea, I'll come back with the big one!

The wait is over, everyone!

Beginning shortly at the Champion's Carnival,

it's the Japanese featherweight title match!

Makunouchi Ippo vs. Shimabukuro Iwao

Senpai!

How you feeling?