How do you feel?
Good. I can fight.
I see. How's your leg?
Can't say it's in good shape.
The swelling went down, but it's not completely healed.
I want to keep it safe until the finals.
The other fighters have seen Blast Core now,
but it's an advantage for us that it made a big impression.
They can't help but be wary of such a destructive move.
Even if you don't actually use it, you can still employ it in your strategy.
MUTEBA GIZENGA IWAMI HEAVY INDUSTRIES REP. FIGHTER
ACE IN THE HOLE
This is round three,
game two!
Fighters, enter the arena!
GAME TWO
In this corner, we have one of the favorites to become champion.
He's the man who beat Julius Reinhold, The Monster, in round two!
The Hercules of the Far East!
The King of Beasts!
With that superhuman physique, he attacks like a tiger!
Standing at 193 cm tall and weighing 193 kg,
his Kengan match record is 308 wins and two losses.
His total acquired assets
are 3,277,395,000,000 yen!
Representing Furumi Pharma,
it's the Wild Tiger,
Takeshi Wakatsuki!
Up next,
he's murderous, brutal, and cruel.
Destroying his opponent's vital spots is nothing to him!
He's a ruthless fighter who doesn't follow the rules!
A blind grim reaper who brings death in his wake!
This legendary mercenary has come today not for a match, but to do a job!
Standing at 199 cm tall and weighing 122 kg,
his Kengan match record is two wins and zero losses.
Representing Iwami Heavy Industries,
it's The Genocider,
Muteba Gizenga!
Now it's time to introduce our guest.
We've got fighter Jun Sekibayashi here with us today!
Yes, thank you for having me.
So this is how you are when you're out of character.
Can you tell us what we can expect from today's match?
Well, let's start with Wakatsuki.
His muscles are something special, after all.
Even his normal strikes carry tremendous power.
If he can land an attack, he'll gain control of the fight.
However, Muteba is the type to approach his fights very carefully.
He also has powerful moves, like Heart Jab and eye-gouging.
For Wakatsuki, it's about whether he can steer the fight into a striking match.
For Muteba, it's about whether he can attack without engaging Wakatsuki.
I think those are the factors that will decide the winner.
I see! A sharp analysis from an active fighter!
Sayaka, I'm an active fighter too…
You're unusually calm.
You're aware of how strong Wakatsuki is, aren't you?
Shut up, Baldie.
We're about to see something really fun.
They're two bulls ready to clash!
Which of them will join Ohma Tokita
and advance to the semifinals?
Take your positions!
Begin!
Wakatsuki, what are you doing?
SOUTHPAW STANCE
I see what's going on.
Wakatsuki…
It's your eye, isn't it?
Muteba didn't overlook what Wakatsuki was doing.
He counterattacks with Heart Jab!
However, Wakatsuki had read everything well.
He wasn't aiming for the target.
His attack hit!
Muteba rolls backwards to reduce the damage.
And yet…
That hit me hard!
In that instant,
Wakatsuki follows up with an attack.
It's just as Muteba expected.
His first Heart Jab was just a setup.
The real attack is the second one!
"There's no way he would try his main move twice in a row."
That assumption creates the opening to attack.
I see how it is.
Grappling?!
Eight years ago…
It looks like you've been utterly defeated by the Fang, Takeshi.
It doesn't matter how many times you lose.
As long as you win in the end, that's all that matters.
However, you can't win at this rate.
This Fang has the ability to invent moves
to counter his opponent's techniques on the spot.
You should assume that he's seen through your karate techniques already.
Once he's seen a move, it's never going to work on him again.
Yes, sir.
Two…
No, maybe three.
Assuming that you improve your karate skills,
you need at least two other aces in the hole.
Wakatsuki took his advice and created two aces in the hole.
The first was the most powerful striking move in the world, Blast Core.
And the other was grappling.
Grappling was a new world that he dove into when he was already over 30.
At first, he felt confused by how different it was from striking.
However,
his Herculean strength came in handy in this new field as well.
Eight years later, after endless amounts of training,
he had finished perfecting this new ace in the hole.
Wakatsuki is grappling?!
But all's well that ends well.
With a tight hold like that, it's no longer a matter of skill.
No one can escape Wakatsuki's strength.
This is bad… There's a huge gap in our strength.
My, oh my…
Oh, the Shenmen pressure point?
Now, the Yinglinquan pressure point.
With him being able to use an ancient Chinese assassination move like Heart Jab,
it would seem that Muteba has knowledge of Chinese medicine.
Muteba has escaped Wakatsuki's grasp!
That won't work on me.
I know those grappling moves are a decoy.
I've got no plans to engage with you.
I'm going to wear you down safely, little by little.
That's what you think.
He can't catch him!
Muteba keeps dodging like a matador!
Why's he using a new technique this far into the match?!
Wakatsuki?! Could it be…
How long are you going to keep this act up?
You have that big attack, right?
But I won't let it land.
Let's go.
So you went back to attacking.
Smart move.
He's attacking!
It's Wakatsuki at his best!
It's those vicious moves that earned him the name Wild Tiger!
RIGHT REVERSE JAB
BACKHAND
LEFT ROUNDHOUSE KICK
SPINNING BACKFIST
Even with my guard up, he dealt a lot of damage.
This tension is irresistible.
First, I focus on avoiding the attacks.
I learn his pattern.
My reaction was delayed!
He suppressed his sense of smell!
And I took away his hearing.
I had forgotten
what it's like to see!
Let's rewind.
That eye has the ability to supplement your sense of sight.
We haven't put it on any market yet.
It's a prototype.
Muteba, you'll be our first test subject.
And then, when the match began…
Infrared detection…
This'll come in handy on the battlefield.
Since they gave me a nice toy, I'll give them some good data.
They go back and forth.
They continue to attack and defend.
That was when it happened.
This guy… is aiming for my nose!
Very well. I'll let you have it.
And now, back to the present.
Now this is entertainment!
Right when he was on the brink!
BLAST CORE
I was a second too late.
Wakatsuki had lost the ability to see in his right eye.
It happened during his fight with Julius.
He switched to a southpaw stance so he could keep his left eye further back
and expand his field of vision even by a little.
He also used grappling moves to compensate for his blindness.
However, neither strategy worked.
Just then, at the last moment, he realized…
that Muteba was able to see!
What tipped him off was the direction of Muteba's gaze.
Muteba's attempts to try out his artificial eye are what gave him away.
The next strategy that Wakatsuki tried was to let his opponent attack first.
He defended his heart, which was most at risk,
and lured his opponent into targeting his right eye, neck, and liver,
so he could then counter.
He was certain that Muteba would try to aim for one of his vital spots.
Finally, there was Wakatsuki's muscle density, due to his Superman Syndrome,
and his tight muscle tension the moment Muteba attacked.
Without both of these, he would've been fatally wounded,
and the plan would have failed.
Of all places, he got my neck…
I died for a moment there.
At the very last moment, before he briefly lost consciousness,
Wakatsuki had pinned Muteba's right arm and prevented a fatal wound.
Oh, dear…
Looks like I'm the one who got careless.
It was me who deviated.
I was so afraid of that one big strike
that my instincts stopped me from attacking.
I couldn't finish him off,
but I destroyed his right arm.
Muteba's right arm in exchange for Wakatsuki's right ankle…
I'm not sure if that exchange was worth it or not…
Nice, Muteba!
I know you can win!
What a big turn of events!
We still don't know how this all is going to end!
Not being able to use one of his arms is huge.
But it's still hard to predict what that guy's going to do next.
Be careful, Wakatsuki!
Muteba isn't dead yet!
This is my only option!
I forfeit.
Huh?!
What did you say?!
F-Forfeit?
Did he just say "forfeit"?!
In a surprising turn of events, Muteba forfeits the match!
I g-get it!
This is part of his strategy too!
He's trying to catch him off guard! Right?!
Hey!
Hurry up and resume the fight!
Hey! What's the big idea?!
Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand.
But if I had to sum it up,
it's because you're a fighter,
and I'm a mercenary.
That's all.
This is how I do things.
We all had the wrong idea.
A fighter prioritizes winning.
However, a mercenary prioritizes survival.
Their values are complete opposites.
Muteba decided that continuing the fight was not worth the risk
and decided to forfeit instead.
Due to Muteba forfeiting,
-I made it over one big hurdle today. -The winner is… Takeshi Wakatsuki!
But will I be able to make it over two more?
Sorry, but I'm going to target every weakness I can.
If we face each other in the finals, that is…
Don't be mad.
I did my best.
You did your best?!
Where do you get the nerve?!
You stupid piece of shit!
Do you know how much I spent on you?!
How dare you just give up?!
Remember our contract?
In the event that I don't win, my only compensation will be my advance.
What?!
I haven't broken our contract.
Plus, I've done enough to earn my compensation.
Because of your alliance with Gandai,
your position within the Kengan Association is secure now.
That's a different matter!
How are you going to make this up to me?!
Huh?
What's this?
It's my direct number.
If anything comes up, call me.
I'll do a job for you for free, just once.
So long.
It was a fun assignment.
Looks like complaining pays off.
This card will come in handy.
Now then,
when should I use this bad boy?
GENSAI KUROKI MOTOR HEAD MOTORS REP. FIGHTER
REI MIKAZUCHI GOLD PLEASURE GROUP FIGHTER
Subtitle translation by: Arisa Nitta
It's assassin's fist vs. assassin's fist!
Will the tiger devour its foe, or will the elephant trample its enemy?
Behold The Lightning God!
Break through as fast as you can!
This is love!
Next episode: "Culmination."