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| THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- This anime already was a 10 for me, but with this episode it grew epicer than epic. |
| Hell yes. I was planning to give this anime a 9, but after this episode... Definitely a 10. This episode was god damn sad, and the whole atmosphere in this anime is. EPIC |
Flowlance said: Hell yes. I was planning to give this anime a 9, but after this episode... Definitely a 10. My thoughts exactly. I've changed my rating also. And I would probably enjoy th episode more if I hadn't been spoiled already. BTW, the ironic part is that Rikishi would have won much earlier if he hadn't stopped his uppercut when the gong rang. |
| Whoa, I didn't see that coming! goral said: BTW, the ironic part is that Rikishi would have won much earlier if he hadn't stopped his uppercut when the gong rang. That doesn't matter at all imo. Finishing the punch (and finishing the fight) after the round ended would not be satisfactory for Rikishi: he is a boxer after all. |
Mitsuhashi_Takashi said: What are you living for? This is your life, live for the sake of it! Screw what everyone else things! If they get in your way, just blow them away! |
| Dam didn't expect Rikiishi to die ;_; Now Joe will never be able to have a rematch with him :( |
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| ... |
| the official MAL hall of fame/cursed comments is now open for business - you are welcome to PM me any potential quotes to include |
| I am lost. Literally. I will miss Rikiishi as a man, he's gone. ... |
| That handshake... was destined to not happen. |
| Oh God this is so cruel. That match was absolutely savage. A real man's world. Even in death he smiles. RIP Rikiishi Tohru. |
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."  |
| rip Rikishi :( |
| huh |
| This was a fantastic episode. They really nailed the tone of everything. |
| I was really shocked by this episode. I thought Rikiishi was going to be Joe's final opponent or something so his death came as a total shock. Poor Joe, Rikiishi was pretty much his reason for living at this point. Gonna miss his cool attitude and smile. |
| I was already spoiled because I knew that they held a real funreal in japan when it happend in the manga, but I expected it to happen towards the end of this anime and not this early... The way Rikiishi died and how the reporters delivered the message - It was so realistic and well written! I can understand why this manga/anime inspired so many people. I'm so curious what will happen next, because now there's no goal in sight and I know that there are still 30 + 50 episodes left. The reason why Joe is boxing after all is pretty much gone. |
ChytharoFeb 26, 2016 6:41 PM
| I got spoiled on Rikiishi's death on the LoGH discussion board a while ago, random and douche move... though I really didn't expect it to be this "early" I mean we still got a decent amount of eps left atleast on season 1 of this anime, really wonder where the story will take us next. |
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| I'm just here to pay my last respects to a real man. Fantastic episode, indeed. We will never forget the man and boxer, Rikiishi Tooru. |
iTrombeMar 23, 2016 1:41 PM
| I'm so lucky I didn't get spoiled for this. I was totally shocked! I thought for sure they would get to have a re-match someday. I wonder what the rest of the show will be about. What goal will Joe have now? |
| That lucky punch and that unlucky fall on the rope killed Rikiishi, wtf. Joe lost the fight and his goal. |
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| Wow,I'm speechless, that was easily one of the most powerful anime episodes I've ever seen. Rikiishi wasn't just a man of determination and honor, he was also a very important, if not not the most imporant person for Joe. The influence their rivalry had on Joes personality change cannot be dismissed. The moment Joe admitted his loss and wanted to shake hands with him showed how far he came since episode one. And now the person who's mainly responsible for this is gone, I wonder how this will affect Joes development from here on. At this point it's almost safe to say for me, this show is a masterpiece. R.I.P. Rikiishi Toru you died without a regret in the world and with a smile on your face. |
One Piece episode 914 & 915 & 1027 were a mistake and 957 brought the salvation - FMmatron |
| I honestly quite expected it after the weird hit he got in the previous episode, but fuck it hurt anyways, that was a tragic ending to the match, at least Rikiishi ended his life with a victory against his rival Joe. Rest in piece Rikiishi, you're a legend. |
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| Rikiishi, you're not dead. You are immortal. |
| I'm so shocked these sudden deaths are the real thing they hit you harder than puberty, I really Wanna pay my respects to Rikishi the legend, I was 100% sure they would have a rematch when Joe climbs the divisions and no to forget that song they played in the ending of every episode effect Was gigantic I'm literally in tears now Rikkshi I used to hate you I used to despise you but in the end you were legend rest in peace the legend of Japan Rikishi Tooru. |
 I actually clapped. The fight had everything: strategizing, brawling, back-and-forth bouts, suspenseful staredowns, and that final punch that ended it all. The finished storyline between Joe and Rikiishi that seemed at first to put the rivalry to rest for the moment. The highlighted moment during the 6th match where Rikiishi feel down strangely, which was brilliantly forgotten until it was referred back to. The slow build up to the reveal. The music suddenly cutting short upon the reveal, where it took everyone, especially Joe, a long pause to really understand the news. The whole scene where Joe was looking into Rikiishi's face in silence. The final scene where Joe wanted to look at Rikiishi's face again, and the screen zoomed out to show the two fighters in their own world. Everything was on point. This is Osamu Dezaki at full power. This is Ashita no Joe at its finest. I'm not sure what else to say. |
ShockedSep 27, 2017 4:52 PM
| Absolutely sublime episode. I knew this was coming since the fight had been spoiled for me but this still hit me very hard. Everything in this episode was perfect; the moments of long silence, the expressions of despair on Joe and Yohko, the dialogues of each character and the sheer power of their voice actors, and the final scene where the screen zoomed out as Joe stared at Rikiishi. He died with a smile on his face, what a legend. |
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| manliest episode coming from the manliest anime I haver seen in my life (so far). |
| :v |
| I'm speechless. i was also spoiled on Rikiishi's death, despite that, his death still left me in a shock. So this particular event is the reason behind Joe's gloomy moments from season 2. i can see how this is gonna be the turning point for Joe's character development. Last sequence of the episode was magnificent. "A parentless, nameless, homeless boxer.. has bitten off his chains! Yeah, Yeah!" |
| I'm totally speechless. Oh my goddess of god. I am at my highest point of surprise. This episode has made me feel many emotions. I do not know how I would describe Toru Rikiishi as a character, amazing how he says goodbye to the show in this episode, leaving a very good memory. The man more man among men. Honorable and nobly until the death. |
| As many others have alluded to, although I knew this was coming, expectation did little to dull the shock of seeing it unfold. A magnificent conclusion to the rivalry between Joe and Rikiishi. |
| Out of many character deaths that I've seen in old ass anime of this Era this has been the most impactful one. For Joe he was the main goal. An eternal, undefeated rival. |
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| I can't stop crying. This anime is such a masterpiece, from character interactions to unique dialogues, not to mention the storytelling. R.I.P Rikiishi Tooru 6/5 |
| "Life is too bitter, so coffee, at least should be sweet..." - Hikigaya Hachiman (Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatte Iru) |
| dang Rikiishi died. at least he got to die while officially beating joe |
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twoego said: I goddamn DESPISE Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru for spoiling Rikiishi's death to me, why did that anime have such a goddamn important spoiler?! That's seriously unfair. same, was pretty mad when i watched run with the wind still enjoyed this episode alot |
| The morning sun rises upon the hearts of men! ;_; |
| No matter how many times I watch this show, this episode....gets me every time. |
| Rikiishi's death hit so hard for me, and especially at the end when the ED started playing I just started crying like a baby. I've watched it like last week and I can't stop thinking about it. |
| Joe, Joe Forever.... |
| Farewell Rikiishi, the man, the myth, the legend. |
 "I'll be done soon. If you wait nicely, I'll buy you some sweetbread." said Lawrence.- I'll thank you not to treat me like a child. "Oh, you don't want any?" - I do. |
| Hooolly Molly, Rikiishi dying after defeating Joe, now that's a shocker. And Joe's reaction after hearing the news was crazy. |
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| RIP Rikishi, a beautiful anime this is. A lot of modern shounen are inspired from this anime and specifically the scenes in this episode. Dragon Ball is one that comes straight to mind when one of the main character dies in the original series when they're kids. |
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 That was so sad. Joe lost his rival and his friend. One of the saddest moments in Hajime no Ippo was when At the time I thought it was an original storyline but it was clearly influenced by this and not nearly as powerful. Fuck the dipshits who thought it would be a good idea to spoil Rikishi's death. Why do some of the best anime have the worst episode preview spoilers? I purposely change tabs when they come on but I don't close it until they end in case there's a post-credits scene. My eye only skimmed the word "death" upon closing the tab but it was enough to know what would happen this episode. |
| I hate that the episode preview from the last episode spoiled this episode, but I’m still very shocked. Wow. |
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n6ah said: I hate that the episode preview from the last episode spoiled this episode Yeah, that bugged me too and I tried to understand why they did that. Maybe it was about maximising viewership, the previews are always like tabloid newspaper headlines. But maybe it's also because "spoiler culture" was not a thing there and then. |
| Glad I wasn't spoiled, didn't even watch previews. This was very impressive also because I had thought of the possibility of the match being too much for Rikishi, but I didn't believe they'd go so far as to kill him off. Especially losing weight by dehydration, that's extremely dangerous. So they gave us plenty of hints before and during the match, but nothing so conclusive that it would have lessened the shock. |
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