01x10 - Cannon Fodder

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I've been fighting to get it all for awhile

Running towards my dream at mach 50

Whirling winds tear through the sky

and I promise to become better than I was yesterday

The blue sky got twisted up with dark clouds

The wind that I waited for pressed onto my shoulder

and in my hand I grasped onto

The flash from a thunderbolt out of the blue

When I stopped running after so long

and opened these fists that have been thrown so often

Inside of them were traces

of the first step I'd taken to make it here

Tomorrow will take care of itself

Tears will come as the winds continue until morning

And to us as we grew it was like

A thunderbolt out of the blue

Tell Makunouchi Ippo this...

I'm coming

for his belt.

Round 10: Cannon Fodder

Wanpo! Did you come to get me?

Emotional...

I guess that describes you well.

I guess everyone else sees right through me.

They could tell | wasn't into hitting the mitts.

To be honest, I don't feel right about this match.

It makes sense,

since you'll have to fight against your
kouhai in front of a crowd of 3,000 people.

But...| have to do it.

I can't just give him the belt.

Will you be able to?

Worse than pulling punches, you
might not be able to throw any at all.

Do you know the meaning of the word "cannon fodder?"

Cannon fodder?

A fighter whose main purpose is to
build up their opponent's confidence.

An underdog whose sole purpose is to play
the part of the loser in front of a huge crowd.

Some do it because they love boxing.

Some do it for the money.

But they all accept the matches,
knowing full well they can't win,

and end up hurting themselves.

Occasionally, there will be an underdog who
bites back and somehow emerges victorious.

That is...

Hammer Nao, Yamada Naomichi.

Yamada-kun is...

cannon fodder?

Ippo-kun, do you know Hammer Nao's record?

I think it was 8 matches, 8 wins, and 5 KO's.

It's a good record...

but did the Yamada Naomichiyou knew have the
talent to make it to a title match in only 8 fights?

Now that you mention it...

Yamada-kun wasn't in the Rookie King
Tournament or the Class A Tournament.

How could he have made it this far
without taking the shortest path possible?

He's a no-name boxer who gets hit a lot.

Most gyms were happy to send their hopefuls after him.

No matter how bad the odds seemed, Hammer
Nao always got in the ring without any hesitation.

Though he would take brutal
beatings, he kept on winning.

It wouldn't be exaggerating to say he
literally crawled his way to the top.

But why?

Instead of doing something so dangerous,

he could have worked his way up normally, starting
as a 4-rounder and gradually building his strength.

He might have changed a lot on
the surface, but not on the inside.

He started boxing because he
looked up to Makunouchi Ippo.

Senpai...

Even now, as a boxer, he still considers you his goal.

Senpai!

I don't know why he was in such a hurry,

Senpai!

But he was desperately rushing towards
it and now he's reached his final goal.

Final goal?

Yes.

A match with Makunouchi Ippo.

To him, that's a dream far
greater than a world title match.

He'll come after you with everything he has.

Be careful when you face him.

With me as his goal...

He was beaten so badly and hurt so much.

He suffered through being treated as cannon fodder.

Yamada-kun...

You met with Yamada-kun?

He really pissed me off.

He's not our Gero-michi anymore,

so don't hold back and beat his a*s!

Okay...

Tuck your arms in!

The geezer still won't help you with mitt hitting?

Yes...

I think I really made him angry.

Man, you can't even dodge that?

You really are out of it.

Senpai!

Everyone's worried about you!

You seem kinda down lately.

Yeah... sorry.

Itagaki-kun,

do you have a goal or anything like that?

Well, I'd like to be a boxer who
could fight on the world stage!

If you're gonna have a goal, then the bigger, the better!

Difficult goals help me get motivated!

W-What's wrong?

A goal...

That's right, I was chasing
after Date-san and Miyata-kun.

It was because of them that I've
been able to make it this far.

A goal has to be set high,

and Yamada-kun chose me as his goal.

To him, that's a dream far greater than a world title match.

I have to answer him...

with these fists!

Hey, the geezer's picked up the mitts again!

You better not throw any more
brain dead punches, got it?

Coach...

What?

Do you think Yamada-kun will
be fine with his weight control?

It doesn't seem to be having a great effect on him.

If anything, he's probably closer to his natural
weight with all that water weight gone.



How about worrying about yourself instead!?

Go ahead and punch!

Right...

If he's in good condition...

then I can relax...

and hit him with everything...

I've got!

Yamada-kun...

I'll answer your challenge,

because you took such a beating to make it to this point!

What's wrong?

The sandbag is bouncing around!

What would happen if you got hit with one of those?

Well, you'd be sent off to dream land with one shot!

I guess he's back in the swing of things!

I don't know about that.

Ippo's completely naive.


cold punches when he sees Gero-michi in person.

Right, Aoki?

Why are you so gloomy?

Forget Gero-michi, you think there's any
chance he'll have any trouble hitting me?

Aoki! Get in the ring!

You're sparring with the kid!

I think he'll be able to hit you just fine.

That's what I figured.

Is Aoki-san always the guinea pig?

Not bad.

Listen kid, Hammer Nao is an awkward fighter.

He'll come for a close range fight,
no matter what it costs him.

Which means this range.

You're going to be fighting at this range the entire time.

I'm grateful for it.

Normally, I have to close the distance
myself, but he'll be coming to me.

On the other hand, your strongest
weapon, the Dempsey Roll...

I won't be able to use it.

Why won't he be able to use the Dempsey Roll?

It requires a certain amount of distance
in order to get the rotation started up.

Power, speed, experience...

You've got all the advantages!

Face him head on as the champion!

Overwhelm him with raw strength!

Right!

He looks ready to go!

If he gets into the ring like this, something
incredible is bound to happen.

Sure looks like it.

But that's only if Ippo can maintain this mindset.

Yeah, Ippo's only seen Gero-michi
in videos and pictures so far.

When they meet face-to-face...

...those sentiments from two and a half
years ago will start coming to the surface.

He'll be influenced by his feelings
whether he wants to or not.

It's not that they spent so much time together,

but they had a lot in common and really connected.

They were more like a pair of best
friends than a kouhai and senpai.

When they said they'd both do
their best, they really meant it.

And now they're enemies, huh?

Whether he really considers him his enemy...

We'll find out tomorrow if he can take him on seriously.

It'll all be clear when they meet
each other at the weigh-in.

Senpai!

Makunouchi-senpai!

When I heard he was working hard
in Hachinohe, I was so happy...

Now we're meeting him again, but as your opponent.

We don't know why he wanted a match with you.

It doesn't feel like we're going to see Yamada-kun.

It's not Yamada-kun.

Ippo-kun?

We're going to meet the fighter "Hammer Nao!'

The Kamogawa guys have arrived.

Ippo-kun, the challenger is already inside.



Both fighters meet the weight limit.

Makunouchi,

any comments regarding your reunion
or thoughts on the upcoming match?

It must be hard having to talk about how you're
going to be fighting each other tomorrow.

In that case, could we get a handshake
as a sign of good sportsmanship?

Oh, a handshake...

Okay.

Hey, the champion's offering his hand, that's rude.

Senpai...

I'll say this, Senpai.

I owe you a lot.

You taught me a lot about boxing

and now you're giving me the belt.

Champion, any response to that comment?

Well, I guess...

I don't think he owes me anything.

What do you mean?

We did train together for a while,

but...

I never taught him how to take the belt.

So they're going to fight seriously!?

Kid, we're leaving.

Okay!

Who gives a crap about Hammer Nao?

He's just some cannon fodder,

piece of cake!

I hope we get to see an awesome KO!

All right, I'm almost ready to go.

Good luck, Aoki-san!

Don't even worry!

This guy's only ranked 10th in the Philippines.

It'll be a piece of cake!

But still, no matter who it is, you
should take things seriously!

I get it, I get it.

I don't mean to brag, but I'm used
to fighting against cannon fodder.

That's not something to brag about.

Aoki-sama, the underdog hunter, is gonna show you
how to polish off guys who don't stand a chance!

It just sounds like bullying the weak.

I'm taking off, so get ready!

It'll be over in the first round and you're up after that!

Right!

Do your best!

We're gonna head up to the stands too.

We'll be cheering you on!



Horizontal hooks are his speciality.

Be especially careful of his left hook to the body.

When I saw him yesterday I couldn't
believe it was the same Yamada-kun.

He's changed a lot in two years,

but he still thinks of me as his goal.

His goal, huh?

Over already?

That's pretty impressive, Aoki-san.

What're you laying around for?

ONE
What're you laying around for?

ONE
Looking pretty lame there, Aoki!

Looking pretty lame there, Aoki!

What the hell are you doing, dumb-a*s!?

TWO
What the hell are you doing, dumb-a*s!?

What the hell are you doing, dumb-a*s!?

I thought you were an underdog hunter, doofus!

THREE

THREE
Oopsie-daisy!

Oopsie-daisy!

FOUR

FOUR
He managed to land his opening shot.

He managed to land his opening shot.

Stop the count!

We're just getting started, Mr. Referee!

He really got you, moron!

It's because you let your guard down, idiot!

He rushed in to finish him!

Here it comes!

It's the Frog Punch!

Now the other guy is down!

I was waiting for that!

This is one crappy match.

So you can land a punch like that.

He's getting up!
I did it!

Aoki, use the Frog again!
I did it!

Aoki, use the Frog again!
I did it! I did it!

Go for a Triple Cross Frog Punch!


Go for a Triple Cross Frog Punch!
Tomiko!

There's no such thing!
Tomiko!

The match before ours is really heating up.

They're knocking each other around
already and Aoki's on the offensive now.





Nao...

That's what eventually happens to all cannon fodder...

even me!

Calm down!

You gotta calm down Nao!

Don't get nervous!

Me, the others in the gym, and everyone in
the shopping district are all counting on you!

Do you know how happy we'd
be if you brought the belt back?

But more importantly, we wanna see you do your best!

So just focus on the match!

Y-Yesterday, Makunouchi Ippo said that
he never taught me how to take the belt.

He was serious...

He's going to fight me seriously.

I'm scared...

His punches aren't normal.

Thinking about them hitting me was so scary that...

I couldn't sleep last night.

That's totally normal!

I know you've been playing tough this whole time!

It must've been hard!

There ain't a boxer who's not
afraid of Makunouchi's punches!

When you ignored his handshake,

I was worried that you might make him serious.

No...

I'm glad he's going to take it seriously.

If he didn't, it would be meaningless!

What are you...

No matter what happens, I want to
fight the serious Makunouchi Ippo!

What I'm worried about is whether
or not I can withstand his punches!

I started boxing because I idolized Makunouchi
Ippo and, before I knew it, I was chasing after him!

I didn't want to lose sight of him!

I thought that maybe we could
meet again if I kept boxing!

I made my debut and knew I got stronger,

so I wanted to show my senpai
that even I was able to do it!

You could've told him anytime!

You could've gotten in touch with him!

I'll tell him today.

In the ring, I'll let him know everything...

How hard I've worked these last two years!

That I've gotten stronger!

With every single punch, I'll let him know!

My style of boxing is one where I get hit a lot.

I know that means my boxing
career will be a very short one.

So while I'm still in my best
condition, I want to show my senpai!

That's why you put out a challenge for the
Japanese title after only eight matches.

But all that ends today.

I have no interest in making the world
title my goal or anything like that.

Regardless of the result, once this
match is over, I won't have any regrets.

I'll retire.

Nao...



So that's how you feel.

I'm really sorry, Coach,

but I feel better after telling you everything.

You've got nothing to apologize for!

Keep your head high!

Hold it up high and let the champion know!

Tell Makunouchi Ippo what you've
been doing these last two years!

Coach...

Right!

Winner!

In the red corner, Aoki!

Stop acting cool!

It ended up as a decision!

I can't believe you got into a mudslinging
match with some cannon fodder!

How did Aoki-san do?

Well, he did win.

He didn't look like much of a hunter though.

Try not to polish off anyone the way that he did.

R-Right!

I'll do my best!

I'm giving it my all!

That's my answer to Yamada-kun...

who made me his goal!

And now, tonight's main event..

The Japanese Featherweight Title
Match scheduled for 10 rounds.

What's wrong, Nao?

Do you see the stains along the hallway?

They're marks made from gloves.

Everybody tries to calm themselves down
while hitting the wall like this. Bam! Bam!

Calm down...

Calm down... Calm down...

I just have to use what I've learned these two years!

Hey...

I have to show Makunouchi-senpai
what I can do at my best!

My best...

That's enough already!

You're gonna hurt your hand
before the match even starts!

I-I'm fine...

I'm fine now.

Listen, do you know what I want from you?

You might be content with being able to show
Makunouchi what you can do, but I won't!

Your conditioning and spirit are
better than they've ever been!

I'm sure you're gonna fight your best match ever!

But on top of that, I'm hoping that you'll win.

That you'll take the belt.

That's what I want.

And now, in the blue corner,
the challenger Hammer Nao!

The fight between former gym mates starts now!



It's his first appearance in Korakuen Hall!

Nao! We all came to cheer you on!

This might be the Champion's hometown,
but you won't be left wanting for cheers!

We won't let you feel like you're alone!

We won't let you feel like you're alone!
Everyone...

Nao, you can do it!

Nao!

Take the belt!

Once the fight's over, you'll be the champion!

Entering next is the champion, Makunouchi Ippo!

There are 13 dazzling KO stars
marking the front of his trunks!

Will another star be added tonight?

Will he successfully defend his title once again?

Get a load of these cheers!

This champion is undoubtedly popular in Korakuen Hall!

Makunouchi!

Don't let the challenger's gruesome mug scare you!

Here comes the champion, Makunouchi Ippo...

Both fighters,

to the center of the ring.

Former senpai and kouhai now meet
each other as champion and challenger!

There's no hint of familiarity in their eyes!

They're clearly meeting as enemies!

Yamada-kun...

Will Makunouchi Ippo overpower the challenger?

Will Hammer Nao surpass his senpai?

Senpai...

What drama will unfold in this tragic
reunion after two and a half years!?

Some night

I can't remember why

We stayed up 'til 4 AM ['til 4 AM]

We talked about nothing
important and then made love

The person can't be close her eyes

The person can't be close your eyes

And now while she calls my name inside her dream

Kisses me so I'll fall asleep

Don't I wish that we could stay right there?

Yeah, yeah, yeah...

You shut the alarm to work to sleep that day

I'd do anything if I could make this time rewind forever

'til 7:59