Dragon Slayer Arc

Dragon Slayer Arc
Information
Volumes	51-56, (6 Volumes)
Manga Rounds	461-504, (44 Chapters)
Anime Rounds	111-117, (7 Episodes)
Chronology
Previous	Comic Show Arc
Next	A Passing Point Arc

The Dragon Slayer Arc, also known as The Owari Dragon Arc (尾張の竜編, Owari no Ryū-hen), is the twenty-fourth story arc in the series and the third in the Rising Saga.

Ippo Makunouchi has his fifth JBC featherweight title defence match against the "Owari Dragon" Ryūhei Sawamura, a dangerous fighter who toys with his opponents with precise long range counters, yet who uses fouls to get ahead as well despite his skill, he also has his own named techniques, the Bullet, and the Flash which are used at more powerful opponents. He warns Ippo before the match about how his Dempsey Roll is a clumsy technique and will fall apart. Despite this, Ippo focuses on evolving the Dempsey Roll. Takeshi Sendō makes a return in the ring since his title defence loss against Ippo. Ippo meets Kenta Kobashi who wishes him to keep on winning. A while after, Alexander Volg Zangief wants to continue boxing after losing his mother, returning to Japan to get what he left, before moving to the bigger stage in America. Volg ends up helping Ippo in a big way right before leaving. Mamoru Takamura defends his WBC junior middleweight title for the first time against Larry Bernard and announces he will move up and conquer six weight classes.

Summary

Team Aoki

Ippo meets Kobashi.

A week after Aoki's title match loss against Katsutaka Imae, his gym mates at the Kamogawa gym begin to think he is retiring. Ippo is visited by Kenta Kobashi, who reveals that he lost his JBC junior featherweight in his first title defence and had recently retired without regrets. Kobashi tells Ippo how he was lucky to have met him as he taught him something important while fighting him. Kobashi then explains that he became a trainer a month ago and informed Ippo that everyone from last year's East Japan Rookie King Tournament besides Miyata, Mashiba, and Sendō had retired. Ippo is then asked why he started boxing by Kobashi, to which he answered that he wanted to become stronger, but he still has not found the answer. Kobashi walks away after saying that he would keep watching Ippo to see how far he has to go to be satisfied.

Isamu and Hiroshi being introduced to the Kamogawa gym members.

Later, Aoki enters the Kamogawa gym after his long absence. Aoki expressed to everyone how he considered retiring, however, he introduced to his gym mates, Isamu Akamatsu and Hiroshi Kizakura, who sees Aoki as their master when Aoki "accidentally" showed them a dream and gave them hope during his match against Imae. Aoki decided he would not retire for their sake. The two Aoki fans would not listen to anyone at the gym but Aoki and would not want to do roadwork with the others. When Itagaki and Kimura learned how Isamu and Hiroshi would get picked on all their life, Kimura and Itagaki suggested to look up to Takamura or Ippo instead of Aoki to better themselves. Isamu and Hiroshi told them the reason they don't is because Takamura reeks of talent and Ippo reeks of hard work, while they look up to Aoki as they want to win without trying. Isamu and Hiroshi were then relieved the see Aoki return from work as they feel like they were about to die from roadwork. Aoki learned that Ippo went to Osaka, realising that he went there to see Sendō's comeback match.

The Naniwa Tiger's Return and the Owari Dragon - Ryūhei Sawamura

Ippo encounters Sawamura.

At the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, Sendō wins by knockout out in the first round in his come-back match. Wanting to meet Sendō, Ippo goes to his changing room where he encounters Ryūhei Sawamura, who he recognises as the third ranked featherweight in the JBC. Sawamura wishes to not be friendly toward Ippo, denying a handshake and walking out of the room after warning Ippo to not use the Dempsey Roll against him as he views the technique as a clumsy one that will fall apart. Sendō admits by experience that Sawamura backs up his own word, as he abuses his timing errors while sparring. Sendō notices that Ippo already knows about his Dempsey Roll's timing being it's weak point and warns him that Sawamura is a counter puncher and the Dempsey Roll's natural enemy. Outside, Sendō thanks Ippo for watching his fight and expresses his willingness to fight Ippo again, however he is unable to lose enough weight from the rehab. Sendō then mentioned how a fight with Sawamura is possible for Ippo and that he believes that Sawamura has the potential to surpass Miyata. Sendō leaves for his victory party with Yanaoka and Ippo takes the train back to Tokyo.

Meanwhile in Russia, Alexander Volg Zangief visits his mother's grave, apologising if his return to the ring saddens her. Volg tells Ruslan Ramuda that he would be going to the United States of America to risk it all on his fists despite knowing his reputation after he was let go from the Otowa gym. But before going to America, Volg plans to retrieve something he left behind from a friend. Ramuda believes that his mother's death was a trigger for Volg's departure, as he knew he would leave Russia one day as there would be no way to keep his blood from boiling over for too long.

KING OF HAWK - WBC Junior Middleweight Title Match - Mamoru Takamura VS. Larry Bernard

Takamura and Bernard at the pre-fight press conference.

The pre-fight press conference for Takamura's first WBC junior middleweight title defence match against the third ranker Larry Bernard commences. Bernard comments to the press that he plans to take Takamura straight-on and exchange punches, vowing to take the champion belt home with him in America. Takamura then makes an announcement that after the match, he would relinquish the belt and move to the middleweight class all the way to the heavyweight class in a quest to conquer six weight classes. To make everyone believe him, Takamura claims he will not take a single hit from Bernard.

Bernard getting downed.

On the day of the match at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Takamura tells his worried gym mates that he has a secret plan against Bernard. With Takamura wanting to finish quickly to hurry to the next weight class, and Bernard wanting to humiliate Takamura for embarrassing him at the press conference, the match begins. At the start of the first round, Bernard immediately tries to hit Takamura by knocking his hand away. Bernard stops when Takamura begins to turn his head. Takamura performs the Look Away and then turns his whole body in the direction he is looking. Bernard is not fooled by Takamura's trick and lands a clean punch on Takamura face that causes him to lose consciousness. Takamura snaps back to consciousness and wonders why Bernard did not fall for what he fell for when Aoki did it. After Takamura dodges all of Bernard's punches, Takamura lands two right hits that downs Bernard and ends the match without a count, making Takamura the winner. Due to Takamura breaking his no-hit promise, the audience scolds Takamura. Takamura then runs away from the building after being scolded by Kamogawa, forgetting his WBC belt.

The Bloodthirsty Mad Dog Named Ryūhei Sawamura

Everyone watching videos of Sawamura's matches.

Kamogawa calls Ippo into his office and tells him that despite defending his title four times, he still has many challenge requests due to others taking him lightly and having holes like swiss cheese, making him a cheese champion. Kamogawa has Ippo pick one out of four challengers to face as his fifth title defence. When Ippo picks Sawamura, Yagi advises him to look at the videos before coming to a decision, however, Ippo reveals that he already met Sawamura. Despite him and Kamogawa knowing that Sawamura is the Dempsey Roll's natural weakness, Ippo asks him to let him fight him. Ippo takes the videos of Sawamura to his house and watches Sawamura exhaust Iwao Shimabukuro after four rounds. Ippo then goes to Takamura's house, where Aoki, Kimura, Itagaki, Isamu, and Hiroshi are invited. The group watches as Sawamura wins by decision against Shimabukuro, despite being able to finish him by knockout during the match. They note how, unlike Miyata's counters, Sawamura's counters hit before the opponent begins to move and is surrounded by darkness. Ippo then shows everyone a tape where Sawamura gets accidentally hit by an elbow. They become shocked when they see Sawamura forcefully jamming his elbow into his opponent's face while holding him. Fujii then entered and explained his record and that he toys with his opponents. Fujii also reveals that Sawamura hurts others on the street despite being a pro boxer and was banned for one year because of it. When Takamura is asked for his thoughts, he throws everyone out due to his room being too crowded. While walking from Takamura's home, Aoki and Kimura think of Sawamura as a combination of Miyata and Mashiba. Ippo refutes their claim, as he refuses to recognise Sawamura as a boxer.

Sawamura beating a citizen.

At night in Nagoya, Japan, Sawamura brutally beats up citizens in an alley simply because he doesn't like the looks of them. He then rode his motorcycle to the Nagoya Oniyaritome Boxing Gym where his coach, Karil is frightened to see teeth marks on his fist, thinking Sawamura was in another street fight. Later, Sawamura and his former teacher, Kawabe, goes out to eat at the Hirosue. Sawamura informs him that he is going to fight for the JBC title. He expresses his thrill that he gets praised for beating people in the ring, while Kawabe suggests that he gets praised for his hard work. Sawamura then mentions how he feels the sensation in his fist is doubled when he lands a counter. Kawabe begins to regret introducing him to boxing, as he originally planned to make Sawamura have friends and have others recognise his hard work, but his talent made him even more isolated.

At the Kamogawa gym, Takamura asks Ippo what he will do about the Dempsey Roll's weakness to counters. Ippo plans on using the technique on Sawamura to beat him, and to make the Dempsey Roll not lose to modern boxing. Ippo announces to evolve the Dempsey Roll.

Theory to Evolve the Dempsey Roll

Ippo sparring with Kimura.

Ippo tells his gym mates that he does not know how he will evolve the Dempsey Roll yet, but wants to practice by having Kimura and Itagaki spar with him and try to use their counter against his Dempsey Roll. Kimura gets into the ring with Ippo and attempts to counter it, however, he backs away from fear of the technique, which Itagaki admits he would not be able to either. Takamura mentions to Ippo that he needs to do something soon, because it may take too long for Kimura and Itagaki to get used to the timing of the counter for them to have the confidence to throw it, suggesting to have someone on the same level as Miyata to practise with. Back at his house, Ippo wonders if he can have Takamura try to counter his Dempsey Roll before thinking that it would be suicide.

Sawamura defeating a junior welterweight.

At the Nagoya Oniyaritome gym, Sawamura trains by having a sparring partner attack him from a blind spot as he looks away from the partner, though he has trouble finding one that matches Ippo's speed. The next day, Kamogawa notices Ippo worried about evolving the Dempsey Roll, and has him think what to do about it while having him run while dragging a vehicle tire on a rope, informing Ippo that if he finds a way to evolve the technique, will require a strong lower body to pull it off. Overlooking Ippo doing roadwork, Itagaki begins to wonder if one does not need guts to throw a counter at the Dempsey Roll, and that there is something unique with the Dempsey Roll that causes anxiety when trying to face it. Itagaki then looks to solve the mystery behind the reason the technique instils fear. While doing research, Itagaki runs into Isamu and Hiroshi, bumping into them and making them drop their books containing their research about techniques. While the books were no help to Itagaki, when Hiroshi put his hand in Itagaki's blind spot, asking for his book back, Itagaki got scared. Realising he got scared of Hiroshi's hand coming from his blind spot, Itagaki solved the Dempsey Roll's mystery. Itagaki went and informed Aoki and Kimura about the discovery and explains how the fear comes from the opponent's perspective of Ippo going for blind spot to blind spot delivering punches. Itagaki continues, explaining how in order to overcome the fear, one has to take a half of a step away to see the full view of the Dempsey Roll. Since Itagaki has his Rookie King Tournament match in a month, it is decided that Kimura has to help Ippo by throwing the counter.

Volg Arrives to Japan

Ippo and Volg meet again.

While Ippo is doing roadwork, he became shocked to see Volg, who has been looking for Ippo, in the area. Ippo is excited to see Volg and asks him why he is in Japan. Volg reveals that he is making a come-back to boxing in America and came to Japan to receive his old boxing gloves he gave Ippo. When Volg mentions how he has been sleeping under a bridge for two days since he couldn't find Ippo's home, Ippo tells him that he can stay at his house the whole time he is in Japan. At his house, Ippo shows Volg videos of him fighting. Amazed at seeing the Dempsey Roll, he wonders how he would defend against it, explaining to Ippo that he would counter it since the rhythm makes it easy to. Hiroko arrives with dinner, and the atmosphere makes Volg get reminded of his mother. Volg asks Ippo if he knows anyone in America since he doesn't know where he should go. Ippo answers that he doesn't know, but will ask around. Outside the house, Volg is amazed to see Ippo's training routine before going to bed: hitting a tire with a hammer three-hundred times, which builds arm and lower body strength. Ippo pleads to Volg to help him by sparring and counter his Dempsey Roll since his opponent, Sawamura, is a counter expert. Volg declines, feeling that he can't help him as he is not the same as when he was called the "White Fang" since he has been retired for a while.

Sawamura and Sendō talking outside.

At the Nagoya Oniyaritome gym, Sawamura is irritated at Karil for not getting him any sparring partners for three days. Karil explains that it is because rumours have been going around about him overdoing things and injuring sparring partners, but he is sure he will find someone. Sawamura doesn't like that answer and begins kicking things around in the gym until Sendō shows up, offering his help. Sawamura denies his help as a sparring partner due to him being close to Ippo and assuming that he will tell Ippo about his fighting condition. Knowing that Sendō came all the way from Osaka, he decides to take him out for a drink. Outside, they get a drink from a vending machine and Sawamura explains that he wouldn't help as a sparring partner because he is a different in-fighter breed than Ippo, which would throw off his counter timing for the Dempsey Roll. Sendō mentions how the punches come from where he can't see, but Sawamura notes that he can just step back and throw a hook, shocking Sendō. Sawamura notices that the trail that they are in is the same place where he first met Sendō.

Sendō and Sawamura's first encounter with each other in the past.

In the past, Sawamura came across Sendō and his group of delinquents after Sawamura injured someone of Sendō's group. The two made hostile remarks towards each other and they began to fight until Kawabe got between them, begging for Sendō to stop. Sendō decided to stop and he and his group walked away from them. Kawabe, however, followed Sendō, as he wanted to talk to him. At the Coffee Lennon, Kawabe told Sendō about how Sawamura has been lonely since his youth, detailing how Sawamura saved his mother by stabbing his stepfather, then his mother left him at the care of the state, and it took Sawamura three years to realise that he was abandoned by his mother he was trying to protect. Kawabe noted how it had an impact on him as he grew up, which caused him loneliness. Kawabe pleaded for Sendō to become Sawamura's friend since if it is someone equal or greater than him, Sawamura might acknowledge them. Sendō declined, saying that the way Sawamura and him are, they won't admit someone is stronger than them, and he needs someone different to smack sense into him. Back in the present, Sawamura wants to brawl with Sendō, but the latter claims that he doesn't get into fights outside the ring. Sawamura walks away, saying that when he becomes champion, he will be his first challenger so that they can finish what they started in the past. Sendō wonders if Ippo can stop the madness of the Owari Dragon.

Gym members asking Volg for help.

Since Volg is staying at the Makunouchi Fishing Boat, he helps the Makunouchi family's boating business. He notices how doing the job trains one's stamina, power, and balance in the lower half of the body, and is something Ippo does every day, realising why he was defeated by the inexperienced boxer. At the Kamogawa gym, the boxers are surprised to see Volg punching the bags. Kamogawa tells Volg he can use the gym equipment as much as he wants and will let him know when he gets in touch with a friend in America. At Kimura's house, Aoki, Kimura, and Itagaki decide to ask Volg to use Itagaki's strategy to beat the Dempsey Roll in a spar. Later at the Kamogawa gym, Isamu and Hiroshi makes Volg clean the Statue of Takamura on the roof. Aoki, Kimura, and Itagaki got to the roof and the latter chastises the duo for making Volg do that. Itagaki gives Volg a paper that has a diagram of his strategy to defeat the Dempsey Roll as he, Aoki, and Kimura asks Volg to help Ippo. While Volg is not sure he can do it, the gym member asks for him to think about it. Later at the Makunouchi Fishing Boat, Volg tells Hiroko how Ippo is strong, and is in a good environment at the gym, but wonders why Ippo and the gym members are so worried about his match against Sawamura. Volg decides to watch videos of Sawamura's matches to find out why he is frightening. Afterwards, Volg begins training to pull off what Itagaki suggested against the Dempsey Roll in order to help Ippo against the dangerous challenger, Sawamura.

Volg counters Ippo's Dempsey Roll.

At the Makunouchi Fishing Boat, Ippo tells Umezawa that Volg is going to America to be trained under world-class trainer Dankichi Hama and that Volg has been training like he is a boxer before a match. At the Kamogawa gym, while Volg hits the mitts with Shinoda, Takamura and Kamogawa explain to Aoki, Kimura, and Itagaki how Volg would have defeated Ippo and possibly even Date if Volg was using his normal technical style rather than the in-fighter style he was forced to use against Ippo in order to get an audience as a foreign boxer. Later, Ippo and Volg dash back home in a race. After Ippo wins the race, Volg requests to spar against him the next day. The next morning at the Kamogawa gym, Kamogawa, Takamura, Aoki, Kimura, and Itagaki watches as Ippo and Volg are in the ring about to fight with no headgear. The two begin to fight as if it was a real match, with Volg landing a White Fang, and Ippo landing a Gazelle Punch. Ippo and Volg throw out more punches, however, since Volg is in his true form and using his feet, Ippo has trouble hitting him. During the third round, Volg begins running out of stamina. Ippo starts using the Dempsey Roll. Volg has trouble blocking the hooks, however, when he steps back, he is able to see Ippo's full motion as a right hook is about to be thrown. Volg throws a right of his own and counters the Dempsey Roll, sending Ippo down. The spar ends immediately as Ippo is unconscious. Before Volg leaves, everyone at the gym gives their thanks for the farewell gift, and wishes him luck in America.

At the Makunouchi Fishing Boat, with Volg about to leave, Hiroko gives him an omamori and money for helping at the boat. Volg asks her to say "I pray for your success, my son" in Russian, and, after she does, Volg thanks her in Russian. While Umezawa drives Volg to the airport, Volg mentions to Umezawa that he is going up to the junior lightweights as weight control will be too severe due to his downtime. When they got to the Narita Terminal 1, Volg requests for Umezawa to tell Ippo that he believes he will see him in the future again as long as he is still boxing.

Evolving the Dempsey Roll

Later, Ippo is doing roadwork while talking about Volg with Umezawa. Umezawa theorises that Volg meant that they would meet again as world champions, but Ippo only sees Volg becoming world champion. Umezawa encourages Ippo to win his next title defence, however, Ippo thinks it is impossible. Later, Ippo is on the rooftop of the Kamogawa gym shadowboxing as Kamogawa approaches him to tell him that the truth was worse than he thought, declaring the Dempsey Roll as dead. He explains to Ippo that any counter user that can see how the technique works and read the rhythm can do the same thing Volg did, and that Volg held back on the counter, fearing it's power. Kamogawa expresses his concern that Sawamura will not hold back, and, if it connects, Ippo may not wake back up. Inside the gym, Takamura tells Aoki, Kimura, and Itagaki that the shocking reality was huge for both of them, as Ippo experienced firsthand how he may lose. While Itagaki believes Ippo won't run away and that Volg believes in Ippo, Takamura doesn't know if Ippo can pull it off. On the rooftop, Ippo tells Kamogawa that he will do what he can, thinking that there should still be hope, and if he can figure out what to do, he can come up with a strategy. Walking away, Kamogawa knows there is one thing, but he can't tell him, as it is something only possible by overcoming the limits of human joints and will chip away at his boxing life. At the Nagoya Oniyaritome gym, Sawamura wishes to train when he is out of breath to train his stamina to last ten rounds and be able to do what he is able to while out of breath. He tells Karil that while he hates getting hit, he hates losing even more.

Yamaguchi performing an emergency checkup on Ippo after he injured himself while training his New Dempsey Roll.

Later, while doing roadwork with tires tied to his back, Ippo realises there is a reason why he is training his lower body against boxers who can read his rhythm. Ippo comes up with an idea that if he changes the rhythm of his Dempsey Roll, it won't be easy to read. Ippo tries changing the direction of his Dempsey Roll midway, however, his legs and waist becomes painful due to the momentum. Ippo realises that this is why Kamogawa wants to him train his lower body: to absorb the shock. Later outside the Kamogawa gym, Aoki, Kimura, and Itagaki are worried about Ippo's match since it is only two weeks away and he is only doing basic training, no sparring. They are also worried about Sawamura landing the counter on Ippo since it is worse than Shimabukuro's way of going against the Dempsey Roll. Yamaguchi approaches the gym since she was called by Kamogawa, and, when Kamogawa asks her to perform an emergency checkup in the basement's ring, her and the gym members go there. Performing the checkup, Yamaguchi reveals that there is too much strain put on the waist and knees, and any more strain will be dangerous to his boxing career if it gets severely injured. Being asked by the gym members what Ippo was doing, Kamogawa declared that the Dempsey Roll has successfully evolved, however, Yamaguchi points out that it is too risky. Knowing that Ippo will still use it despite the risk, Yamaguchi tells him to only use it twice, as anymore will be pushing his limit. Ippo thinks that if two isn't enough, he will use again, as he refuses to lose this match. At the Nagoya Oniyaritome gym, Fujii watches Sawamura spar while Karil explains Sawamura's left jab, called the "Bullet". Karil stops Sawamura during the spar, as he was attacking while his opponent was down. Karil explains to Fujii how he is always irritable during weight control, but this time is worse, with him being like a mad, starved dog. Karil believes that he may overdo it against Ippo, and cause an end by disqualification.

Later, while Sawamura is riding on his motorcycle, he gets a metal rod thrown at him. While he was able to dodge it, Sawamura approaches the group that threw it. The group wishes to fight Sawamura with knives in their hands, thinking that they can beat him while he is weakened from weight control. Sawamura fights the group, knocking everyone out brutally. After licking the blood off his hand, he wishes for more blood and just as he was about to stab one of them, Kawabe, who saw Sawamura's bike near the area, stops Sawamura. Sawamura claims that he was coming to see him to give a ticket to his match against Ippo, thanking him for letting him become number one in Japan. As Sawamura left, Kawabe wonders if he was wrong to introduce him into boxing. Later, Ippo is outside when Umezawa approaches him, noticing that he seems more serious than he usually does before a match. Ippo tells Umezawa how boxing may just be fighting, but there are rules to follow while fighting, however, Sawamura ignores the rules without caring and just wants to be hurtful. Ippo adds that Sawamura is strong and he can see him becoming a champion one day, but doesn't want to see him become one when he ignores the rules, wishing to not give him the belt as long as he is champion. Walking away, Ippo decides he will change the rhythm of the Dempsey Roll as many times as it takes, even if it means he won't be able to fulfil the promise he made with Miyata.

Kawabe pleading to Ippo to defeat Sawamura.

At the Kōrakuen Hall on the day of the weigh-in between Ippo and Sawamura, Kumi and Mashiba are waiting outside for Ippo. At the weigh-in, after the boxers pass the weight check, they shake hands, however, Sawamura doesn't let go, and asks Ippo to fight him right now in front of the reporters. Ippo forces his hand back and reminds Sawamura that the match is tomorrow night at the Kōrakuen Hall where they shall fight fair and square, following the rules. Sawamura scoffs at the thought of fighting fair, viewing Ippo as some delicious meat that he will have for dinner. After the weigh-in, Ippo starts to leave to meet Kumi, however, Kawabe stops him to wish him good luck and pleading for him to take Sawamura down to teach him a lesson. Kawabe reveals to Ippo how he brought Sawamura into boxing, which has made him more unstable, and that he wasn't always like this. Ippo wishes to not hear about Sawamura's story, as even if he heard it, he will still work hard to knock him out. Kawabe is glad to hear that, asking for Ippo to teach Sawamura that there are those who are stronger than him. After Ippo leaves, Sawamura, who was eavesdropping, is annoyed to find out that the one person he thought was on his side, wishes for his downfall.

Kumi getting hit by Sawamura.

Outside the venue, Ippo meets up with Kumi and is surprised that Mashiba also showed up. The three head to the amusement park to eat. Along the way, Mashiba spots a motorcycle. Having always wanted one, he expresses his desire to ride on it. Kumi get between the motorcycle and him to prevent him from doing so. Sawamura approaches his motorcycle and tells Kumi to not touch his motorcycle while throwing a punch at her. Ippo knocks Sawamura's fist away, but it still scratches her face. Ippo checks on Kumi, while Mashiba throws a punch at Sawamura, who dodges. Mashiba enters his Hitman Style, however, Ippo gets between him and Sawamura, stating that he will fight him tomorrow. Sawamura leaves after warning Ippo that in the ring, there will be nowhere he can run and no one to help him. The three decide to head to their houses, but before doing so, Ippo asks Kumi to watch his fight against Sawamura, as it would help encourage him. Kumi agrees to watch, making Ippo glad as it might be his last match ever. Kumi tells Mashiba how worried she is about Ippo as something seems different about him. That night, Hiroko mentions to Umezawa how Ippo has shut himself in his room ever since he got back from the weigh-in. In his room, Ippo is flustered as he thinks about how Sawamura threw a punch at Kumi, refusing to let Sawamura have his belt and not caring about what may happen afterwards anymore.

Dragon Slayer - JBC Featherweight Title Match - Champion Ippo Makunouchi (Fifth Defence) VS. Challenger Ryūhei Sawamura (JBC Rank 3)

Ippo and Sawamura in the ring.

On the night of Ippo's fifth JBC featherweight title defence match against Sawamura, Sendō sees Miyata and tries to talk to him, however, the latter ignores him. Date notices Sendō arguing with Miyata and tells them to get along. At the audience seats, Sendō mentions to Miyata, who claims he knows how to beat the Dempsey Roll, that Sawamura will pull off what he is imagining and will probably shock everyone in the venue. Date realises that for the two rivals of Ippo to be that serious, the two fighting will not be in one piece. In Ippo's room, Umezawa teaches Ippo the Russian saying that Volg told him, with Umezawa saying "I pray for your success, my son" in Russian, and Ippo thanking him in Russian. In Sawamura's room, Sawamura wakes up after having a dream of his last dinner with his mother, with the only thing he can remember is the taste of the steak he ate. He wishes to eat meat of the same taste again, choosing to get a taste of Ippo's champion meat. With the match about to begin, Sawamura goes to the ring as the audience senses his dangerous aura. Sawamura stares intently at the red corner, where Ippo begins heading to. Once Ippo entered the ring, Sawamura lunges at him, ready to fight. Ippo plans to go at him from the start, without holding back.

Sawamura hitting Ippo while he is down.

With predictions of the two boxers hitting each other immediately as round one begins, Sawamura instead goes around Ippo, drops his shoulders down, and stares at him. Sendō sees the action as Sawamura looking for the best way to eat him. Kamogawa shouts for Ippo to attack to not get drug down to his pace. Ippo throws a left jab that gets dodged, but Ippo brings his left to Sawamura's shoulder and forces him to look in front of the champion. Ippo attacks with a right straight, which Sawamura blocks, however, he also gets pushed back. Ippo uses the opportunity of Sawamura being off balance to throw a flurry of punches to his guard and gets him pushed up against the ropes. By the advice of Kamogawa to weaken his guard with left-right combinations, Ippo manages to break his guard with a strong right to the side of it. With Sawamura defenceless, Ippo begins to throw a left, however, Sawamura moves his foot to the back of Ippo's leading foot to make him trip and fall. A slip is declared, but Sawamura decides to throw a right down at Ippo. The shocked Ippo dodges while he is still down, and Shimakawa declares a point loss for the rule breaker, warning him that he will be disqualified if he does it again. Sawamura ignores him and the audience, covering his ears. Ippo gets up and tells the referee that it is fine, and to continue the match. As the round continues, the audience and Ippo are angry, and the latter throws a furious round of left and right hooks at the challenger's guard. Ippo breaks the guard with a right and sends a left follow-up at Sawamura's face. Ippo stops the follow-up to dodge Sawamura's counter attempt. Ippo tries for a right, but stops immediately to dodge another counter. Ippo finally hits with his speciality: a liver blow that causes Sawamura's usual blank expression to change. Sawamura's attempt to escape the corner fails as Ippo blocks his path and the hook that Sawamura tried to land. By Karil's order, Sawamura tries to clinch Ippo, but Ippo immediately lands a punch to break the clinch. Sawamura throws multiple punches that Ippo dodges, and the first round ends as Ippo misses a punch to Sawamura's face and hits the corner post.

Ippo stands with confidence while staring at Sawamura, seemingly unbothered by the foul he did earlier. Date is surprised by Ippo, noting how he has levelled up rapidly through his title defences. Sawamura believes Ippo's power is almost the same as Sendō, but his step-in speed is dangerous, however, he now has his rhythm down. As Ippo is walking to his corner, he strikes a pose, putting his raised fist down and looking at Sawamura, thinking that he is just getting started. The audience reacts with great support for the champion, while Mashiba is annoyed by Ippo showing off, and Kumi wanting only for match to end in a safe way. In Ippo's corner, Kamogawa praises Ippo for a good start, and warns him about Sawamura's counter, as well as to not lose focus. In Sawamura's corner, Karil tells Sawamura to not cheat, as the venue already hates him now. He advises Sawamura to tolerate it and wait for a chance, however, Sawamura claims that he will give as many points to Ippo as he wants, as he will defeat him and make the audience silent.

Ippo facing Sawamura's Bullet.

As the second round begins, Sawamura puts out his hand, gesturing a greeting. When Ippo tries to touch gloves, Sawamura pulls the hand back and throws a punch. Ippo dodges, but Sawamura has made the audience and champion frustrated once more. Date sees Sawamura is strong but asks Sendō if he is really all he says he is. Sendō claims that if Sawamura isn't doing anything, it means he is either thinking of something or Ippo just is really strong. Ippo presses forward with hits to Sawamura's guard. When he gets Sawamura to the ropes, he delivers a liver blow, which causes a lot of pain to Sawamura, who wonders if Ippo is hiding a rock in his glove. Ippo tries to follow up with a left to Sawamura's face, however, he has to duck as Sawamura was about to counter it. After both miss their punches to their face, they again throw a punch to their face at the same time, this time connecting in a dual exchange. Both boxers step-in with both aiming for a hit once more, but Sawamura is shocked by Ippo's increased step-in speed and gets hit by a right to the face, causing him to go down on one knee. Sawamura jolts back up at the count of four as if nothing happened, however, he wobbles and had trouble with his footing before being able to do a fighting pose by the count of eight. As the match continued, Date and Sendō predict that Sawamura may not be able to continue if he gets hit before recovering again. Ippo charges forward and feints up high before landing a liver blow. Ippo keeps Sawamura at the ropes with jabs at his guard, but Sawamura suddenly puts his hands out and clinches Ippo. Sawamura forces himself down onto Ippo by locking legs and loosens his glove taping before getting back up. The referee notices the loose glove taping and pauses the match to let Karil fix it at their corner, causing an uproar from the audience. Sawamura stalls until he legs recovered in time for the referee to continue the match. Sawamura takes an unorthodox style with his left extended, surprising Ippo. Ippo decides to charge in and dodges a left, but realises too late that the left doesn't pull back all the way and has to block Sawamura's next left, which causes Ippo to fly back. Karil calls the fast lefts of Sawamura, the "Bullet". Ippo feels as if a gun is being pointed at him due to Sawamura's stance. Ippo makes repeated attempts to get close to Sawamura, but the Bullets causes him trouble up to the end of the round.

As Ippo walks to his corner, he thinks to himself that he refuses to lose to a man like Sawamura, and will never back down on a match or street fight. Miyata is surprised that Sawamura as a counter-puncher is at least his level, and thinks that Ippo may lose. He tells Date and Sendō that Sawamura may show everyone something of great interest to him and other counter-punchers: a sure-fire recipe against in-fighters, the "Makunouchi Killer". At Ippo's corner, Kamogawa advises for Ippo to keep moving to not let Sawamura have anything to pinpoint.

Ippo getting hit by Sawamura's Flash.

When the third round begins, Ippo has trouble still getting close to Sawamura due to his Bullets. Ippo decides to use the Cross-Arm Block while rushing forward and have Bullets hit his hardened defence. As Ippo gets closer, Mashiba and Miyata realise that Ippo will rush in swinging, creating a perfect scenario that Sawamura made. Ippo sends out a right, but Sawamura's right called the "Flash" hits him instead. Ippo's mouthpiece falls, and he himself almost falls as well but he was able to barely keep his footing. Ippo advances slowly while getting hit by Bullets, and, when he gets close and attacks, he is hit by Sawamura's Flash again. Ippo almost falls, but he leans on Sawamura as the gong sounds to end the third round. Sawamura believes that Ippo still looks under cooked as his meat still needs to tenderise more before he can eat it. At the corner, Ippo struggles with trying to find out what to do as Kamogawa headbutts him, telling him to not panic. He explains to Ippo that the reason he got hit by his Flash was because when Sawamura committed a foul, Ippo got angry and then rushed when Sawamura threw his Bullets, and since he is rushing, he threw wide swings. Kamogawa advises Ippo to focus on dodging the Bullets, as they give Sawamura a good sense of timing and distance, so dodging them will distort them. At Sawamura's corner, Karil praises him for taking the pace and advises him to take his time and slowly beat him. Sawamura claims that Ippo will take time since tough meat doesn't taste good, and after it is tenderised, he will have a tasty meal.

Ippo's Dempsey Roll gets countered.

As round four begins, Ippo is in his Peek-a-Boo Style while weaving his body, and Sawamura is in his unorthodox extended left style. Ippo slowly closes in while dodging Bullets with his weaving, and when he is unable to dodge, the strong guard of the Peek-a-Boo Style absorbs it. When Ippo gets within his range, Sawamura assumes that Ippo will throw a right to his face like always and throws a Flash, however, the Flash misses as Ippo has thrown an uppercut that Sawamura barely dodges. Ippo immediately lands a liver blow and begins to throw a right to Sawamura's face, but Ippo is hit by the Flash. Sawamura backs away, but Ippo chases him while weaving around Bullets. When Ippo gets close, Sawamura is confused about how Ippo will attack now. Ippo goes for a liver blow that Sawamura dodges, another liver blow that gets blocked by the elbow, then finally another liver blow that lands. From that position, Ippo throws a right uppercut that Sawamura barely dodges, then throws another liver blow that gets blocked, but Sawamura felt pain through the block. Ippo goes for a right to Sawamura's face, but he gets countered with the Flash. Sawamura takes the distance and throws Bullets. Ippo dodges by weaving like a pendulum. Date asks Miyata if he has anything to say after Sawamura showed the perfect in-fighter killing strategy, but a textbook in-fighter killing strategy won't work on the best in-fighter in Japan. Miyata claims that he doesn't want to see just an in-fighter killer, but the ultimate Makunouchi killer. Ippo gets Sawamura to the ropes and attacks his guard with a left-right combination powered by the momentum of his weaving left and right. Miyata predicts that the Makunouchi killer will come about due to his rhythmic motion. When Ippo breaks Sawamura's guard, he ducks under a left jab and begins dodging more lefts while starting his Dempsey Roll motion. Sawamura tightens his guard and steps back as Ippo begins attacking with his Dempsey Roll. As a left hook from the Dempsey Roll came towards him, Sawamura counters it with a left hook of his own, causing Ippo so much pain that he staggers and wobbles to the ropes to hang onto them. After Ippo looks back at Sawamura, the latter walks over and bends down to check his condition. Ippo attempts to throw a punch, by falls and leans on Sawamura due to the momentum of his throw as the fourth round ends.

As Sawamura walks back to his corner, he can tell that Ippo's meat is soft now, and if he bit into him, his teeth would sink in with no resistance. Sawamura wonders if he should grill or boil him. At his corner, Ippo tells Kamogawa that he can still fight, refusing to lose to a man who treats boxing like he does, as if he loses to him, ever boxer in Japan would look foolish. At Sawamura's corner, Karil tells him that one more push should do it, but warns him about Ippo's ability to win against opponent who were on the verge of victory. Sawamura claims the Ippo is finally tender, so it is now time for him to eat.

When the fifth round begins, Ippo struggles with his balance while standing since he hasn't recovered from the power of the Dempsey Roll counter. Ippo tries to fight, but Sawamura dodges and hits him in the face and body while salivating over the feel of Ippo's now soft muscles, believing that Ippo will be the ultimate grade A prime cut. As Ippo attempts to throw a punch in-between Sawamura's throws, Sawamura hits his face with Bullets and notes how Ippo's cheek meat feels soft. Date and Miyata notice how Sawamura was purposely slowing down the speed of the Bullets earlier to draw out the Dempsey Roll, but now the Bullets are faster, as Sawamura had predicted Ippo's offence and used it against him. After Sawamura hit Ippo's body, Ippo backed up to the ropes and tries to punch Sawamura again. Sawamura counters with the Flash, but it brushed at the top of his head as Ippo barely dodges. After Ippo hits Sawamura's guard, Sawamura retaliated with Bullets to his face while thinking that the feeling of Ippo's meat is like the meat he had at the last dinner with his mother. The fifth round ends with Ippo hunched over. Date comments how the "Makunouchi killer" was brilliantly done as his ultimate weapon being destroyed leads to his demise. Date asks Miyata if he wanted to see Ippo like this. At the corner, Ippo acknowledges how strong Sawamura is, and feels that as long as his body can move, the fight must go on. At Sawamura's corner, Sawamura refuses to sit down, and Karil remembers the day when Kawabe brought Sawamura to his gym, and he believed that he could bring him his gym's first title.

Ippo counters Sawamura's Dempsey Roll counter.

In the sixth round, Ippo begins attacking and is quickly countered by a left. Sawamura lands punches on Ippo's face until Ippo ducks under one of the jabs and starts doing the Dempsey Roll motion. Sawamura takes a step back, and counters an incoming right hook with his Flash, however, despite the Dempsey Roll being countered with a right, Ippo still stands, surprising everyone. Ippo knows the reason he is still standing is thanks to Volg hitting him with the same counter and everyone who helped him, as well as all his practise. Ippo starts using basic punches with jabs and one-twos, but Sawamura keeps going to Ippo's blind spot as Ippo's right eye is swollen shut. Kumi is worried about Ippo, wondering if he will come home okay. Sawamura hits Ippo with a left counter and proceeds to throw multiple Bullets at his face. Yagi tells Kamogawa to throw the towel, but Kamogawa believes that there is a second reason Ippo did not fall from the right-on-right Dempsey Roll counter, betting on that reason. The referee was about to stop the match as Ippo wasn't moving from the barrage of punches, but Ippo suddenly hits back with weak lefts. Sawamura decides to slam his elbow on Ippo's back, causing the referee to give Sawamura a penalty. As the audience jeers at Sawamura, the latter doesn't care, planning to show them his smiling face when he wins. As the match continues, Sawamura hits Ippo with Bullets until Ippo manages to dodge one of them to enter his Dempsey Roll motion again. Sawamura sees a right hook coming and prepares to counter it, however, Ippo stops mid-motion. Sawamura is unable to stop throwing his punch, and Ippo continues throwing the right hook from the Dempsey Roll once Sawamura threw the counter, hitting Sawamura's face and sending him down. Sawamura gets up at the count of eight with blood on his face. When the match continues, Ippo lands a hit on Sawamura's face, causing him to almost fall, however, he uses the referee to hold himself up and begins hiding behind him, with the sixth round ending soon afterwards.

Sendō remembers Sawamura calling the Dempsey Roll a clumsy technique, but he knows that it is a technique that was naturally born through countless hours of practise and believes that Ippo and Sawamura are like two different species, as Ippo has blood of a true boxer. At the corner, Kamogawa sees that Ippo won't sit, as the damage from the New Dempsey Roll and Sawamura's attacks would prevent him from standing back up. When Kamogawa gives Ippo water, he starts to hear the audience cheering for him, and is thankful to everyone who helped him. At Sawamura's corner, Kawabe goes to Sawamura's corner, and encourages him to win, as he may end up living alone in a room again. Sawamura, remembering how he felt betrayed when Kawabe pleaded for Ippo to beat him, spits on Kawabe. Sawamura believes that he can only trust his fists, as he boxes to make men kneel before him, not wanting that to be taken away from him.

Ippo winning against Sawamura.

As the seventh round begins, Sawamura is driven by hatred, refusing to lose, while Ippo wishes to do his best as everyone helped him come this far, vowing to win no matter what happens to him. Sawamura throws Bullets at Ippo's guard. Ippo moves forward and hits Sawamura with a liver blow three times before pushing him to the ropes with attacks to the guard. Ippo hits him twice in the face, and Sawamura tries to trip him, but Ippo read the foul and moved his foot out of the way. Ippo hits him with a right to the face, and Sawamura retaliates with a right of his own to Ippo's face. After getting hit with a counter, Ippo motions the Dempsey Roll, knowing that to beat Sawamura, he needs to use it. Ippo launches the first hook, which Sawamura begins throwing his counter for. Ippo stops mid-motion, but Sawamura stops his counter mid-motion as well. Ippo and Sawamura continues their motion, however, Ippo dodges the counter and sets up another hook that Sawamura prepares for. Ippo stops mid-motion, but Sawamura is unable to stop his. Ippo continues the motion as Sawamura finishes his counter throw, and Ippo lands the hook. Ippo follows up with more hits from the Dempsey Roll to Sawamura's face until he falls on the canvas. The referee decides to end the match without a count, and Ippo excitedly puts both fists in the air celebrating his victory of defending his title for the fifth time.

Ippo's seconds help him to his corner to sit down and thinks how Sawamura was strong, while Sawamura leaves the ring in a stretcher. While the audience praised Ippo for his victory, they also praised Sawamura for his performance, wanting him to come back to the venue one day. Kawabe wonders if Sawamura can hear the cheers for him, and that he knows he is no longer alone. Sendō is fired up after seeing Ippo defeating Sawamura despite him being really strong. Miyata finds the New Dempsey Roll interesting, as it seems like it is impossible to stop. Date deems that Ippo is strong. When Ippo gets out of the ring, he falls down the stairs and is picked up by Takamura who takes him to the waiting room where Yamaguchi is. Yamaguchi performs a check up on Ippo, and claims that there is some tearing in the muscle fibres, some bursting blood vessels, and his ligaments are a little hyper extended. She notes that his tough muscles saved him. Itagaki congratulates Ippo on his victory, Aoki jokes how Sawamura's last down look like he was kneeling at Ippo's feet like he was caught doing a crime, and Kimura remembers how Ippo had his fists up in victory before the winner was announced, asking if he was happy he finally beat Sawamura. Ippo states how Sawamura was strong, and they were both desperate, with him being desperate to beat someone that strong. When Sawamura fell for the last time, Ippo claims he wasn't thinking of winning or losing, he just thought that he finally did it. Ippo thinks that he is so excited, he can hardly feel pain, which is why he can't stop boxing.

Sendō talking to Sawamura.

At the Inoue Emergency Hospital, Sawamura was checked on by the doctor, and the doctor informs Karil and Kawabe that Sawamura has three broken ribs, four lost teeth, and a fracture in his left eye socket making he eyeball sink in, making him require surgery and an extended hospitalisation. Karil has chills thinking about Ippo's destructive power, and is amazed that Sawamura lasted taking many of his punches. Karil tells Kawabe how he can't believe Sawamura spit on him during the match and advised for him to chew him out, but Kawabe claims that Sawamura had his reasons and believes that the match will likely put Sawamura on the correct direction, and if he heart was straightened even slightly, then it is fine. In Sawamura's hospital room, Sendō talks to him about how Ippo's fists makes people feel like they can't stop boxing. He adds how he didn't get strong from street fights like they did, but from training, which makes others feel as if they lost because they didn't train enough. He mentions how their fists are made to take a man down so they never get up again like a killer's blade, while Ippo's fists bring the best out of people, like a blade of life. Before leaving, Sendō mentions how he shouldn't worry Kawabe so much, as he came out from the same institution as him, and had the same experience as he did, which is why Kawabe can't leave him alone. The information shocks Sawamura. In the lobby, Sendō tells Kawabe that Sawamura said he wanted something good to eat when he gets out with him: a grade A steak. Ippo begins leaving the venue with the help of Kumi, thinking how everyone gave him strength to win, which is why he is so happy, and why he can never stop boxing.

Cap of Memories

Looking at the venue's ring, Kimura is worried that fighting harsh battles that gets him constantly beaten on will destroy his body. Kamogawa asks Yamaguchi about the diagnosis. Yamaguchi claims that while she isn't an expert on brain damage, Ippo's body must be hurting, as any more of the New Dempsey Roll would have had permanent damage. Yamaguchi adds that he must take time to rest, but when he recovers, she predicts he will do the same kind of punches and his body will continue to suffer. Takamura believes that all athletes in every sports are ticking time bombs and hope the bomb never goes off, and if they want to complain about the pain or that it is tough, they should just quit. Yamaguchi notes that if he strengthens his back and legs, he can throw those punches without any pain. Hearing Aoki, Itagaki, and Kimura say that if he does that, no one in the country would be able to defeat his Dempsey Roll, Kamogawa thinks that any more matches within the country is meaningless, so it is time to think about his next step. While Ippo and Kumi walks to the former's house, Kumi asks Ippo why he started boxing, as she thinks he isn't suited for it because he is always kind and gentle, and that him becoming champion is enough. Ippo claims that it isn't enough, as he started boxing to become strong. While Ippo believes he is stronger physically now, he still hasn't caught up to a certain someone whose power isn't just physical, but the strength to live.

When Ippo and Kumi arrives to the house, Ippo soon passes out, and Hiroko puts him to bed with a wet towel over his head. Kumi and Hiroko comment about how they get worried about Mashiba and Ippo respectively. Kumi notices a family photo that has a young Ippo and his father, Kazuo, and Hiroko notes how Ippo has always been shy and relied on his father, who was probably more suited to be a boxer than Ippo. Kumi states how no matter how much she worries about Ippo, he will never stop boxing. Hiroko asks her if she wants him to stop, since she has to worry about her brother and Ippo. Hiroko adds that no matter what anyone says, Ippo will never stop boxing, as he is more stubborn than anyone, not wanting to quit or take the easy way out. Hiroko grabs Ippo's fishing cap and tells Kumi about how it is one of Ippo's unforgettable memories.

Hiroko and Kazuo.

Hiroko and a young Ippo is at the port when Kazuo arrives with his new boat as well as his own fishing cap. Kazuo tells Hiroko that he will be done as a fisherman after his next trip to be able to be at home more and train Ippo, planning to open up a fishing ship store as he can't see himself being an office worker. Kazuo heads off for his last trip for a week, where a rough storm is about to form. Later at the house, while Ippo is excited that his father will be at home more after his trip, Hiroko is worried more than usual, as the storm must be worse at the sea. At the sea, Kazuo and his crew have to board a life boat as their boat is about to sink. However, the fisherman, Sakuma has his legs stuck under a heavy container. Kazuo stays on the boat to move the container off his legs and gives him a life jacket. While Sakuma was able to get off the boat, Kazuo was unable to in time, and is left on the sinking boat as a wave separates him from the rest of the crew. Kazuo vows to himself that he will make it home, screaming Ippo's name.

Hiroko at Kazuo's funeral.

A week later, the search crew decides to end the search after being unable to find Kazuo, only able to find the shipwreck. Ippo, Hiroko, and Sakuma was saddened by the news, and a funeral was held at the Makunouchi home. The fishermen tells Hiroko how Kazuo was a heroic man and the pride of all fishermen in Japan. When they left, they mention how Hiroko is a strong woman as she didn't show any grief or tears. Everyday afterwards, Ippo would sit at the port waiting for Kazuo to come back, as he believes he will keep his promise of coming back, while Hiroko cries as she looks at the family photo of Ippo and Kazuo. One night, Ippo comes back to the house soaked, with Kazuo's fishing cap in his hand, saying that his father came back home. Hiroko hugs Ippo, believing that they will live through this together. Later, Hiroko gets her captain license and tells the fishermen that she will be heading out on the boat with Ippo while wearing Kazuo's cap. The fishermen go with them as they became worried. Hiroko and Ippo excitedly begins their boating business.

Back in the present, Hiroko tells Kumi how it felt like Kazuo came home when she saw Ippo with his cap. Hiroko notices that it has gotten late and plans to call a taxi for Kumi. Kumi claims that she will be fine alone, but Hiroko looks outside and tells her not to, as there is a strange man outside. Kumi claims that it is her brother. Kumi leaves and mentions to Mashiba that they should visit their parents' graves tomorrow. Kumi thinks that Ippo's mother and father are strong, and believes that she has figured out what Ippo is aiming for.

Trivia

• "The Owari Dragon Arc" (尾張の竜編), name was taken from Best Bout book Makunouchi Ippo VS. Sawamura Ryūhei.