Episode 4 (Season 2)

Moving Towards the World
Episode Information
Previous	To the Promised Place
Episode	Season 2 #4
Next	The World's Power
Japanese Title	世界への胎動
Romanized Title	Sekai e no Taidō
Arc	Bloody Cross Arc Revenge Arc
Manga	Round 325 (p.6-19) Round 326 (p.1-19)
Air dates
Japanese	January 27, 2009
Music
Opening	Hekireki
Ending	8AM

Moving Towards the World is Round 4 of the Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger anime, which is the adaptation of Jōji Morikawa's Hajime no Ippo series.

Summary

After Miyata downs Gregory with a Jolt Counter, Miyata goes to a neutral corner as the referee starts the count. Miyata hopes for Gregory to not get up since he can even raise his arms nor move his legs. Ippo is amazed by the Cross Counter Miyata threw with his entire body weight behind it, thinking that if he made a single mistake, he would have been seriously injured. Miyata's father is impressed by Miyata's Jolt Counter, noting how that is the only punch that could overcome the Bloody Cross. Miyata is shocked as Gregory starts getting up at the count of eight. Gregory starts to put up a fighting pose, but he falls back down. The referee signals that the match is over, resulting in Miyata becoming the new OPBF featherweight champion. As Mr. Sakaguchi leaves the ringside with Gregory still down, Miyata's seconds enter the ring and Miyata's father catches Miyata as was about to fall forward. Miyata asks his father if he was watching, and the father answers that he was, adding that his son was splendid. Kida gives Miyata the OPBF featherweight champion belt, and he puts it on. Miyata believes that he can hold his head up now, pumping his right fist into the air in celebration. Takamura hits Ippo, who looked mesmerised. Kimura asks Ippo how it feels to have his rival pass him, but Ippo claims that he isn't his rival. Ippo believes that Miyata not only has filled the gap between them, but has gone suddenly way past him and remembers that he always thought of Miyata as his goal. Miyata feels as if he can now face Ippo with pride, and is ready whenever he is to fight in the pro ring.

In Miyata's waiting room, Miyata's father makes the reporters leave as they were asking a lot of questions to Miyata. Before he leaves the room, Fujii informs Miyata and his seconds that Mr. Sakaguchi left the Kōrakuen Hall alone while complaining that Gregory's commercial value has dried up. As Miyata and his seconds walk away from their waiting room, they come across Gregory by himself. Gregory asks Miyata how he was able to withstand everything, knowing that he punches aren't light. Gregory wishes to know what was holding him up during their match, as he is on the verge of losing his confidence. Miyata answers that he was just being stubborn, shocking Gregory, thinking that he must be the most stubborn man alive. Gregory mentions that the answer was so simple and obvious that it makes sense, planning to tell everyone in his home country how stubborn the Japanese can be. Gregory warns Miyata that Mr. Sakaguchi may send out more boxers his way for revenge. Miyata tells him that he won't lose and give up the belt he got from him. Pleased with Miyata's words, Gregory takes off his hat and places it on Miyata's head before walking away and telling the champion goodbye. Miyata thinks of how he is in a position comparable to Ippo, and until the day they fight again, he plans to not hand over the title to anyone and face the best in Japan as the OPBF champion. While walking away from the venue, the Kamogawa gym boxers talk about Miyata victory and how Ippo, Aoki, and Kimura feels fired up after watching the match. Takamura tells them that boxers without upcoming matches need to settle down, as he is up next. At the Monthly Boxing Fan, Fujii thinks that the boxing world is at the boiling point as he looks at articles of Ippo's first JBC title defence match victory against Sanada, Miyata's OPBF title match victory against Gregory, and Takamura's victory against the junior middleweight second world ranker. Fujii thinks it will get more heated in the future due to the upcoming WBA world featherweight title match between world champion Ricardo and challenger Date.

At the Kamogawa gym, Mari shows the boxers the Monthly Boxing Fan magazine that reveals Date's upcoming WBA world featherweight title match against Ricardo. Ippo believes that Date will win no matter who he fight because he is so strong. Mari wonders if Ippo can really say that knowing who his opponent is. Ippo is shocked when he reads Ricardo's record and that he is undefeated. Aoki mentions that Ricardo is a big Mexican hero, as even people who don't know president's name in Mexico knows who Ricardo is. Kimura notes that Date is also one of Ricardo's sixty-two wins. Ippo is worried about Date going up against the super champion who defended his world title seventeen times. Takamura claims that the world titles that Japan acknowledges are the WBA and WBC, and if Date avoided Ricardo and went for the WBC title, his chances might be better, however, he purposely went after the WBA champion that he'd already lost to once before. Takamura thinks that Date was actually chasing after Ricardo ever since he lost to him seven years ago. Kimura notes that Date is already thirty, so this is probably his last chance. Takamura states that it might seem like Date is at a disadvantage, but Date must think he can win. Takamura adds that Date has gotten stronger since his match against Ippo, building his skills, and strengthening his confidence. Ippo is excited that the man who defeated him will be the world champion. Ippo wonders what the strongest man in the world is like. Kamogawa enters the gym and asks Ippo if he wants to find out firsthand, as Ricardo will be arriving to Japan soon and is requesting a sparring partner. As Kamogawa reveals that Ricardo is requesting to spar against the JBC featherweight champion, Ippo realises that that means him. Kamogawa claims that he doesn't expect Ippo to even put on a good showing, but it'd be good for him to see what world class boxers are like firsthand. Ippo states that he will do it, wanting to find out how he would do against Ricardo if he fights him seriously.

Anime-Manga Differences

See also: Anime-Manga Differences

• The anime adds a scene of Mr. Sakaguchi walking away from the ringside alone.
• In the manga, Miyata visited Gregory in his waiting room. In the anime, Miyata and his seconds comes across Gregory after they leave his waiting room.
• In the manga, when Gregory gave Miyata his hat, he stylishly flung it into the air and it landed on Miyata's head. In the anime, he takes his hat off and places it on Miyata's head.
• In the manga, the Monthly Boxing Fan magazine shown was the seventh issue. In the anime, it was the sixth issue.
• The cover of the Monthly Boxing Fan magazine shown is different in the anime.
• Some of the pages of the Monthly Boxing Fan magazine shown are shown in the anime.
• The anime slightly expands Takamura's fight against the unnamed boxer ranked second in the world.
• The anime removed dialogue from Mari and other unnamed reporters at the Monthly Boxing Fan.
• The anime adds a flashback of Ippo's title match against Date.
• In the anime, the Monthly Boxing Fan article about the upcoming match between Date and Ricardo had more details along with a picture of both boxers.

Credits

Characters are named as they appear in the credits.

Role	English Name	Japanese	Rōmaji
Ippo Makunouchi	Kōhei Kiyasu	喜安 浩平	Kiyasu Kōhei
Mamoru Takamura	Rikiya Koyama	小山 力也	Koyama Rikiya
Masaru Aoki	Wataru Takagi	高木 渉	Takagi Wataru
Tatsuya Kimura	Keiji Fujiwara	藤原 啓治	Fujiwara Keiji
Ichirō Miyata	Tomokazu Seki	関 智一	Seki Tomokazu
Miyata's Father	Unshō Ishizuka	石塚 運昇	Ishizuka Unshō
Arnie Gregory	Takaya Kuroda	黒田 崇矢	Kuroda Takaya
Sakaguchi	Minoru Inaba	稲葉 実	Inaba Minoru
Coach Kamogawa	Kenji Utsumi	内海 賢二	Utsumi Kenji
Minoru Fujii	Ken'ichi Ono	小野 健一	Ono Ken'ichi
Mari Īmura	Emi Shinohara	篠原 恵美	Shinohara Emi
Kida	Tōru Ōkawa	大川 透	Ōkawa Tōru
Eiji Date	Masaki Aizawa	相沢 正輝	Aizawa Masaki
Live Announcer	Jin Horikawa	堀川 仁	Horikawa Jin
OPBF Referee	Masayuki Katō	加藤 将之	Katō Masayuki
Domestic Match Referee	Hisashi Izumi	いずみ 尚	Izumi Hisashi
Domestic Match Ring Announcer	Akimitsu Takase	高瀬 右光	Takase Akimitsu

Episode Credits

Role	English Name	Japanese	Rōmaji
Screenplay	Kazuyuki Fudeyasu	ふでやす かずゆき	Fudeyasu Kazuyuki
Storyboard	Jun Shishido	宍戸 淳	Shishido Jun
Director	Hisato Shimoda	下田 久人	Shimoda Hisato
Animation Director	Jang Kil-yong Kim Dong-jun