Ashita no Joe 2 (Movie)

Months after Tooru Rikiishi's death in the ring, Joe Yabuki returns to boxing, but the tragedy has left a wound no comeback can hide. He can still knock opponents down with body blows, yet when a clean strike to the face is needed, his fists refuse to obey. The weakness becomes impossible to ignore until Venezuelan boxer Carlos Rivera gives Joe an opponent capable of reigniting the part of him that wants to fight without fear.

Joe climbs toward the world stage through increasingly punishing battles, eventually earning a shot at undefeated champion José Mendoza. By then, the damage accumulated through years of fighting is becoming visible even outside the ring. Yoko Shiraki begs him to stop, but Joe has spent his life moving toward this one place. Against Mendoza, he enters a final contest where victory, pride, and the last of his strength become impossible to separate.