Tatsuya Kimura is starting to feel left out while his friends Ippo Makunouchi and Mamoru Takamura enjoy the glory of being champions in their respective weight classes. Kimura's own failure to become Japan's Junior Lightweight boxing champion gnaws at him. He is set to face the current champion Ryo Mashiba, and seeks training with Ippo's rival Ichirou Miyata who was previously defeated by Mashiba's crushing "Hitman" style of boxing. However, Mashiba is also determined to keep his championship title as he plans to aim for the World title soon and provide financial stability for his sister Kumi. Will Kimura's intense desire to showcase his boxing prowess be enough to surpass Mashiba's desperate desire to provide for Kumi?