01x07 - Cheese Champion

[bunniefuu]

Hey!

Aoki-san!

It’s been a while!

What’ve you been doing for the past week?

So this jackass finally shows his face around here.

Have you recovered?

Gee whiz, I’m starting to blush here.

It’s great getting this warm reception, but...

"But"?

Are you...?

No way!

I see. So you’re retiring.

Thanks for everything!

You’ve done good.

At least that was my original plan.

Good evening.

Uh, nice to meet you!

I can’t hear you! Shape up, will you?

W-We were very moved by Aoki-sensei’s match!

So we took the next step and decided to put ourselves under his wing!

"S-Sensei"?

That would mean I’m the hero.

That means I got charisma.

I’ve given them hope.

I’ve given them a dream.

So for their sakes, I ain’t gonna do it.

I ain’t gonna retire.

So that means we got us more gofers.

That’s great, ‘cause I could go for some juice.

W-We're here for Aoki.

So...

Go get it for him.

Yessir!

They only listen to Aoki-san?

They actually ignored Takamura-san?

Sendou! Sendou! Sendou!

S-So many people cheering for him.

This is Sendou-san’s comeback fight.

Holy smokes! He’s still down!

No count needed here!

That’s the match!

It sure as heck didn't look like he came back from anything!

But Sendou Takeshi is back!

The Naniwa Tiger is now reborn!

Here it is!

He must be happy about that win.

Are you crazy?!

You saying you got a problem with my match?

Wh-What was that? He doesn’t seem happy at all.

Oh, is that you, Makunouchi-kun?

G-Good evening!

We’re actually a little busy.

Oh, Sendou! It’s Makunouchi-kun!

Ah, Makunouchi! You came!

Congratulations! You were amazing!

You’re damn right I was amazing!

So would you mind telling him that?

Who?

That’s Sawamura from Nagano.
He was my sparring partner.

Sawamura from Nagoya?

He’s the third-ranked fighter in the Japanese featherweight division.

Sawamura Ryuuhei.

I thought I’d meet you in the ring during our title match, Champion.

H-How are you?

U-Um...

I won’t shake hands.

I don’t wish to sympathize with those I take the belt from.

I-Is that so?

I guess that would be a concern.

Later.

Yeah, get lost!

Can you believe his attitude?

Don’cha wanna beat him black and blue?

Nah!

Oh. Can you do me a favor, Champion?

Yes!

Yeah?

You know that Dempsey Roll of yours?

Do not use it when we fight.

That pathetic little move will be utterly pulverized.

Pathetic?

I hate to say it, but the guy's the real deal.

He even put me out in a few sparring sessions.

He was here to criticize my game.

He thinks my timing was off.

Timing?

So you figured it out, huh?

That’s right. Counters are the Dempsey Roll’s weakness.

You better be careful out there, Makunouchi.

The guy's a prodigy when it comes to counters.

Maybe an even bigger prodigy than that Miyata Ichirou.

M-Miyata-kun?

You’re kidding.

You can call him...

the Dempsey Roll’s archenemy!

The Dempsey Roll is pathetic?

That’s pretty maddening.

Sawamura Ryuuhei-san, was it?

I want to beat him with my Dempsey Roll.

We would now like to hear some comments.

We’ll start with the challenger, Larry Bernard-san.

I’m not a boxer who relies on cheap tricks. I’m a purebred fighter!

I really look forward to the champion fighting me head on instead of juking around.

That way, I’ll give you a slugfest you’ll be telling your grandkids about!

I’d say he’s confident.

So he’s saying he’s taking Takamura head on?

May we have a word from the champion?

I have an important announcement to make.

I am leaving the junior middleweight class as of now.

That means I’ll be giving up my belt.

I'll conquer the middleweights, the super middleweights,

then the heavyweight division!

I'll be the first to sweep all six divisions!

But all of that is just mere talk.

First, I need to put this guy through a bloodbath before you people can believe me.

He will not land a punch on me!

The only one punching will be me!

Are you sure about this, Takamura-san?

You really pissed off the challenger.

He says he will land a punch on you.

No need to worry, pipsqueaks.

I have a strategy!

We will now conduct the world junior middleweight title match!

I wonder what his strategy is.

Not sure. We'll just have to wait and see.

The smell!

I can smell it!

Smell what?

I can smell it clearly!

The sweet smell of winning without even trying!

He made me lose face!

Now, I’m gonna shut up that big mouth of his!

I can’t waste time here, not with the six-division sweep waiting.

I’ll make quick work of him.

You’re dead!

Box!

That’s the bell!

Both fighters approach each other in the center.

They both raise their fists toward each other...

Whoa! The challenger brushes off the other fist!

He just couldn't hide his emotions!

I’ll k*ll you!

You little pup.

I saw your plan from a mile away!

Take a...

look at this!

It... It’s the Look-Away!

That’s my move!

All I’m doing now is copying Aoki.

But I’m nothing like that pipsqueak.

So I’m gonna...

do this!

Holy Toledo! The champion turned his entire body!

What’s going on here?

So did you fall for it, Mr. Clean?

You’re wondering what I’m looking at, aren’t you?

You moron! Don’t look away!

Takamura-kun, look back!

You’re only supposed to look for a second!

You’re taking too long!

Eyes in front!

Whoa! He makes good on his promise of one punch!

And what a punch it is, folks!

He really felt that!

Get a hold of yourself!

Open your eyes!

Takamura-kun!

He’s right in front of you!

Whoa!

Why? That move fooled me 100% of the time!

Why didn’t it fool him?

The champion’s now looking grim!

It must've been from that punch!

Now the challenger is punching from left and right!

The champion is pinned at the corner!

Look out!

He’ll k*ll you!

Don’t get KO’d!

The punches keep coming!

B-But what’s happening?

H-He’s dodging every one.

I've had just about enough of your...

crap!

The challenger plows through
the mat with a sickening thud!

The referee rushes over! Will there be a count?

Nope! That’s the end of the match!

That’s pretty much...

what I’m talking about!

Screw off! You took a hit!

You liar!

Don’t throw items toward the ring!

Don’t scare us like that!

You ain't sweeping six divisions!

Please, do not throw items toward the ring!

It’s your fault I embarrassed myself out there!

Run! He’ll k*ll you!

You’re really taking it out on him?

It wasn’t his fault at all.

That was absolutely, positively pathetic!

Why can’t you ever do things right?!

Are you even aware that you’re the world champ?!

I won, so quit whining!

And this is the last junior middleweight fight I’m doing!

Get ready for my next division sweep!

I’m not done talking to you!

If he stuck with the junior middleweights, he’d keep defending his title and get rich off the purses.

I know it’s tough maintaining weight, but he didn’t have to give up his belt just like that.

You think... he did that in haste?

I never thought of it that way.

He’s a guy who lives for the limelight, so as long as he shows off his physical prowess, he's good.

That man has no real use for money or possessions.

Take a look.

Now who would ever forget that?

That’s just like Takamura-san.

It’s just like Takamura-san to forget this,

as it is just like Takamura-san to go for a six-division sweep.

He’ll become a boxer that commands the world’s attention, and not just the nation’s.

That’s what I think.

And it will happen soon.

So, how many times have you defended your title since becoming the Japanese champion?

F-Four times.

Only a fine champion can successfully defend four times.

I think it’s now time to think about the next step.

However...

Do you know what all these challenges mean?

F-Four of them?

They all think my belt is easy pickings?

You’re a cheese champion.

Cheese?

You’re a champion full of holes, just like Swiss cheese.

I-I sound delicious, don’t I?

These are proof of how little the other boxers think of you.

If you’re going to rise up, we must believe there's no one in Japan who's capable of beating you.

Choose.

Choose from these four challengers.

I-I’m supposed to decide?

Are you sure?

If I could,

I would like to fight him.

Sawamura Ryuuhei?

Let me fight him.

Please!

Are you really sure about putting him up against Sawamura Ryuuhei?

Did you see the look on his face?

I’ve rarely seen him that assertive.

There's no one alive who would say he’s a prideful man.

Yet he looked determined.

I’m putting my money on his disposition as a man.

Even if he loses, I hope he uses that as a springboard to develop even more.

Loses?

Is his foe that formidable?

He is.

I’m sure the kid is turning pale looking at the videos.

I-It can’t be...

What is this counter?

Sorry for making you all come over.

The video is who Ippo’s up against next.

But I ain’t well versed in pipsqueak boxers.

So I needed you guys to take a look.

He’s using Shimabukuro as a punching bag!

So the one other guy he lost to was Sawamura?!

But it still came down to a decision despite the beating he took?

Shimabukuro-san looks so disappointed.

He could have KO’d him at any time, yet he decided to spare him.

He knocked him down in the third round and again in the fourth,

but he didn’t take him out of his misery after that.

That guy was clearly toying with him!

This is very humiliating.

But he is very talented.

There!

A normal counter is often done after the opponent punches, but he does it before the punch.

He had the intuitiveness and the lightning- fast arm speed to perform that feat.

Yeah.

He’s not like Miyata-kun.

This is completely different.

Miyata throws himself into his opponents’ punches and hits back.

It’s like he’s throwing his entire soul...

into performing counters that glow like masterpieces.

H-He’s right.

Sawamura’s counters don’t glow, they’re just gloomy.

There's something very dark about them.

I’m sick of this!

Ain’t there a match where he gets hit?

Something to cleanse my palate.

Someone managed to hit him.

He got an elbow in!

Hell yeah, take him out!

Hey, don’t apologize!

It wasn’t on purpose, keep going!

Whoa!

Are you kidding?

This was a loss by foul.

He later said, nonchalantly I might add, that he took "an eye for an eye."

Fujii-san. Iimura-san.

Who’d thought Takamura-kun would invite me over to watch Sawamura videos?

Wh-What kind of person is he?

Sawamura Ryuuhei.

He has a 9-2 record and four KO's.

Both of his losses were caused by the same foul.

And just as you guessed, his lack of KO's is due to him playing with his preys.

His moral turpitude doesn’t stop at the ring.

Whether it’s at a train station or a dark street corner,

he will hurt anyone who bumps his shoulders or pisses him off in general.

He avoided total banishment because his own gym decided to suspend him.

H-He’s attacking ordinary people even though he’s a pro boxer?

Takamura-san, what do you think?

You’ve been silent this whole time.

I’ve been meaning to say this for a while...

It's too crowded in here!

How many people came anyway?!

Dumbasses!

P... Please let us go!

What did we ever do to you?!

Nothing.

I just wanted you gone.

I-I know you! You’re a pro boxer, right?!

We’ll run to the police if you don’t stop!

Then you won’t be able to box at all!

I-I’ll really press char—

Press charges?

Maybe if you can still talk.

Sawamura!

How the hell did you injure your hand?!

Don’t tell me you fought someone again!

Coach. I'm not an idiot.

S-So you didn’t fight anyone?

Let me see that. A fist is a boxer’s life, you know.

Wh-What's with these teeth marks?!

Did you send Makunouchi the challenge?

Y-Yeah.

We’re expecting a reply anytime soon.

But still, these teeth marks...

I can’t wait to fight in a title match.

I repeat: I'm not an idiot.

If there were any problems...

I would wipe them out myself.