Joe returns broken in ways a knockout can't fix. The show doesn't pretend boxing saves him, it just gives him something to pour the wreckage into while the real damage sits underneath, patient and unflinching. By the final rounds, you're not watching a redemption story; you're watching a man try to outrun permanent hurt, and the show loves him too much to let him win that fight.

Shattered by the death of Rikiishi Toru, Yabuki Joe turns his back on the gym and starts wandering. On the road he crosses paths with Wolf Kanagushi and Goromaki Gondo, and these encounters stir up his fighting spirit again, bringing him back to the Tange Boxing Club. But a hidden flaw now holds him back: because his punch to Rikiishi's temple proved fatal, Joe cannot bring himself to strike an opponent there. To help him get past it, Shiraki Yoko invites Carlos Rivera, an uncrowned champion from Venezuela. The result is a dramatic sports story about a boxer trying to fight his way back from tragedy.