Submarine Wars Arc

Submarine Wars Arc
Information
Volumes	46-49, (4 Volumes)
Manga Rounds	415-440, (25 Chapters)
Anime Rounds	25-26 (New Challenger), 1-3 (Rising), (5 Episodes)
Chronology
Previous	After the War Arc (Manga) Battle of Hawk Arc (Anime)
Next	Comic Show Arc

The Submarine Wars Arc is the twenty-second story arc in the series and the first in the Rising Saga.

For Makunouchi Ippo's fourth JBC featherweight title defence, the "Ryukyu Warrior" challenger, Shimabukuro Iwao claims to have a way to destroy Ippo's Dempsey Roll and wishes to prove he is a true son of the sea as Ippo is also one as well.

Summary

Itagaki's Comeback Match and The Itagaki Household

Ippo meeting the Itagaki family.

At the Kōrakuen Hall, Itagaki wins his comeback match against Baraki Haseo by a round one knockout and as a celebration, invites Ippo to his house for dinner where his family is holding the celebration. Upon arrival, Ippo is surprised to see Itagaki's home being worse than his, which Itagaki mentions that he quit college for boxing and hoped to earn money with his fists. Ippo meets Itagaki's sister, Nanako, who is a fan of Ippo like her brother, and meets Itagaki's father and mother. The entire Itagaki family tells bad puns throughout the course of the meal. Afterwards, Ippo tells Aoki and Kimura, which Takamura overhears the conversation. Not wanting to lose in anything, decides to challenge the father in an exchange of bad puns. Takamura however, reports back to the Kamogawa gym and reveals that he had lost.

The Reason A Promise Was Turned Down

Yagi announcing everyone's matches.

The next morning Ippo is being interviewed by reporters about his future, however, Ippo bores the reporters with no noteworthy answers. Yagi announces their upcoming matches as the year's Champion Carnival approaches. He announces Takamura's first WBC junior middleweight title defence, Aoki's JBC lightweight title match, the first round of Itagaki's East Japan Rookie King Tournament match, and Ippo's fourth HBC featherweight title defence. Aoki, thinking he misheard, gets confirmed by Yagi that despite Aoki being ranked fifth recently, he went up to the first ranking after something happening to the first to fourth rankers, as if Aoki put a curse on them. Everyone becomes fired up for their matches and they begin to train.

Miyata demanding an answer from ippo as to why he turned down his match requests.

Later that day, Ippo after having finished training, leaves the gym and while wondering what his goal is, comes across Miyata. With rage, Miyata grabs Ippo by the collar and demands an answer as to why Ippo has been ignoring his match requests, assuming that Ippo thinks the OPBF title is not good enough and that the gap is still wide. Ippo pushes Miyata in confusion and, after hearing that Miyata issued an offer request to the gym many times and got ignored, Ippo's shocked reaction makes Miyata realise that Ippo did not know either. Wanting to know that reason Kamogawa did not tell Ippo about this, Ippo enters the Kamogawa gym and demands an answer, not wanting to run away from his goal. Kamogawa answers that while him and Miyata has gotten stronger because of their rivalry, Miyata reversed the gap between them by a big amount, comparing their individual abilities and weapons to be in Miyata's favour. When Ippo argues that he wants to fight Miyata not fearing the outcome and not caring if he loses the Japanese title, Yagi suggests to get strong enough to satisfy Kamogawa. Ippo doubts that he can continue winning and that now would be the best time to fight Miyata in his best shape. Kamogawa, disappointed that Ippo believes that he is at his peak, smacks Ippo's face and deems a fight with Miyata to be a dream within a dream. Ippo leaves, wanting Kamogawa to promise him that when he gets stronger, to allow him to fight Miyata.

Kamogawa mentions to Yagi that he knows by experience that having a rival is something special, which is why he could not tell him that the Dempsey Roll he worked hard on is his fatal weakness against Miyata. Kamogawa also notes that every time Ippo defends his title, opponents will be seeking to stop the Dempsey Roll and will reveal more secrets of it, and if Ippo can overcome it, he will naturally meet with Miyata.

Ryūkyū Warrior from Okinawa - Shimabukuro Iwao

Fujii and Mari interviewing Shimabukuro.

Ippo begins to seek out a way to polish his Dempsey Roll to be strong enough to beat anyone, theorising that he should increase the speed to make his opponents unable to get away. At his home, Umezawa shows Ippo a newspaper article of "Ryūkyū Warrior" Shimabukuro Iwao claiming that he will destroy the Dempsey Roll. In Okinawa, Fujii and Mari where they meet the coach of the Mensore Okinawa Seaside Gym and worryingly witnesses Shimabukuro staying underwater for thirteen minutes. With the reporters curious about the headline on the newspaper, it is revealed that the coach was the one who said that Shimabukuro would destroy the Dempsey Roll to get noticed nationally. Shimabukuro however, has no strategy, but with his strong neck, will take on the technique in an exchange of blows, making their match a battle of endurance. Reading the news article, Kamogawa predicts that if Ippo's Dempsey Roll were to be defeated, it would be a more serious loss than when he lost to Date Eiji, as the greatest blow to him is losing the thing he relies on.

Later, Kamogawa and Yago shows Ippo and the others a video of last year's Class A Tournament, consisting of Shimabukuro fighting and defeating Okita Keigo. It is revealed that Shimabukuro could take Okita's Corkscrew Blow and that his boxing is similar to Ippo's. Ippo discovers that Shimabukuro is the first opponent he will face that is shorter than him and the first where the opponent's best range is close-range. Aoki then watches a video of the lightweight JBC champion with Takamura, who, after watching, simply states that Aoki will lose. In Okinawa, Shimabukuro expresses his joy to his coach in fighting against a man who is, like him, a man of the sea.

===A Challenge Sent to the Modern Boxing World===

Ippo training for his Dempsey Roll's speed and power.

At the Kamogawa gym, Kamogawa reveals to Ippo that Shimabukuro lost in a match after his opponent avoided him for four rounds in the West Japan Rookie King Tournament. Ippo realises that he can not do what his opponent did, however, he believes step-in and hand speed to be the key to catch Shimabukuro. When Ippo showed Kamogawa a sped up Dempsey Roll, Kamogawa tells him to forget it, as the technique is light due to the increased speed taking place of power. While Kamogawa acknowledges the idea of increasing the speed, he tells Ippo that his greatest weapon is power, advising Ippo to prepare himself for training to increase the Dempsey Roll's speed and power. That night, Kamogawa discusses the Dempsey Roll with Yagi about the technique's strengthening will also strengthen it's weakness to counters and that after acquiring the Dempsey Roll, Ippo had decreased his usage of jabs, as if he is going against the current boxing world. Kamogawa wishes to have Ippo continue walking a reverse path and believes that they are sending a challenge to the modern boxing world. At the Kawahara gym, Miyata speaks to his father about the Dempsey Roll's weakness to his counter, expecting that Ippo will change the Dempsey Roll. Starting the next day, Kamogawa has Ippo undergo basic training to increase the Dempsey Roll's power, with Takamura noticing that Ippo is not acting like a champion, but a challenger.

Shimabukuro visiting Ippo's home.

Ippo's training earns him a swollen big toe that makes him have to wear bigger shoes. After completing an intense training menu. Ippo spars with Aoki and is unable to attack for the spar session. Kamogawa mentions to Takamura how he is concentrating on Ippo's blood to turn him into a pure-blooded in-fighter as he can't see him as anything but an in-fighter, deeming the match as not having the belt on the line, but to see who is the greatest in-fighter in the nation. Later, Shimabukuro goes to the Makunouchi Fishing Boat, where he meets Ippo and Umezawa. Shimabukuro requests to see the ocean with Ippo. They arrive to Tokyo Bay and Shimabukuro becomes disappointed of the quality of the ocean, claiming Ippo to not be a man of the sea. As Shimabukuro leaves depressed, he stops himself when Hiroko asks him if he wants dinner. Shimabukuro begins sniffing Hiroko and asks if she is a woman of the sea. Shimabukuro then regains a new respect for Ippo, deeming him a man of the sea and becomes pumped about their seaman battle. He then asks Ippo how long he can hold his breath underwater, as he will take Ippo to the bottom of the sea when they fight.

Training Results

As both boxers train, Ippo gets instructed to not come by the gym for a while nor exercise for a week as his muscles are at his limits. After having trouble carrying the customers belongings at the fishing boat, Ippo goes to the swimming pool at the Swimming Club, where Kumi watches him in order to make sure he doesn't exercise as requested by Aoki. Itagaki and Nanako also arrives. with Nanako and Kumi having a heated conversation about a relationship with Ippo. Ippo continues going to the pool for a couple days, realising that he can stay underwater longer than he could before. After a week of rest, Ippo returns to the Kamogawa gym and begins to do mitt-training with Kamogawa.