Tomorrow's Joe 2

After inadvertently killing Toru Rikiishi in the ring, Joe Yabuki finds himself aimlessly wandering the city at night, when he comes across a fight between Wolf Kanagushi.

aired Oct 13, 1980

After a long absence, Joe returns to Tange Gym where he is welcomed with open arms. He pays his respect at Rikiishi’s grave and swears to return to the ring.

aired Oct 20, 1980

Joe proves his comeback K.O. victory is no fluke. With his powerful punches, Joe sends his opponents to the hospital one after another. The rival boxing club owners see Joe as a serious threat and band together to get rid of him.

aired Oct 27, 1980

Joe, a fledgling boxer, is unfairly matched up against Tiger Ozaki, the National Bantamweight Champion. Despite the odds, Joe sees it as an opportunity to instantly climb to the top and is confident he can defeat Tiger Ozaki.

aired Nov 3, 1980

After a humiliating defeat against Tiger Ozaki, Joe agrees to another bout despite Danpei’s protests. Under Tiger Ozaki’s guidance, Ryu Harajima, Joe’s opponent takes advantage of Joe’s weakness in the ring.

aired Nov 10, 1980

Despite learning his inability to strike his opponent in the temple is psychological, Joe is undeterred and trains for his upcoming fight against Koji Nango. Joe climbs into the ring while Carlos Rivera, the world’s No. 6 bantamweight boxer from Venezuela

aired Nov 17, 1980

Without a club willing to organize a bout against him, Joe’s career seems over for certain. Even Danpei says, “Joe Yabuki, the boxer is dead” and urges him to retire. Unable to accept his career may be over, Joe is at a loss.

aired Nov 24, 1980

Danpei closes the gym and disappears to make Joe realize that his career is over. However, Joe refuses to give up boxing and continues to train. He catches Carlos Rivera’s second match on TV and realizes what he saw during Carlos’ first match was no trick

aired Dec 1, 1980

Joe is slowly released from the ghost of Toru Rikiishi during his heated spar against Carlos. After realizing Joe can punch his opponent’s temple again, Danpei reopens the gym and the two go see Carlos’s bout.

aired Dec 8, 1980

It’s Christmas and the mood is merry in the slums. Snow begins to fall, as Carlos and Joe’s fire burn quietly inside of them. In the snow-covered park, Joe challenges Carlos to a fight to settle who is best. However, Carlos has another plan.

aired Dec 15, 1980

As the New Year’s Eve bell counts down the passing year, Joe and Carlos’ bout kick off with the sound of the boxing bell. Joe and Carlos put on a heated and breathtaking fight. However, Joe is unable to land his forte, the cross-counter.

aired Dec 22, 1980

Joe loses consciousness after being hit with Carlos’ powerful uppercut. However, he refuses to go down without spending every last ounce of his strength. Carlos’ “invincible punch” mercilessly rains down on Joe.

aired Dec 29, 1980

With Joe’s bout against Carlos now over, Joe, Danpei and the people from the neighborhood are busy organizing Nishi’s retirement party. However, unbeknownst to everyone, Nishi was struggling to accept that he could no longer physically box.

aired Jan 5, 1981

Joe visits the Shiraki Gym to pick up his prize money. There, he learns the World Champion had defeated Carlos. Joe also learns Carlos had become incapacitated as a boxer and that he was to blame.

aired Jan 12, 1981

Without a boxing club willing to organize a bout against Joe, Danpei visits Yoko for help. However, instead of organizing a bout against a Japanese boxer, she chooses Usman Somkit, the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation’s No. 5 boxer from Thailand.

aired Jan 19, 1981

With a lightening fast victory against Usman Somkit, all eyes are back on Joe. Meanwhile, Joe finally gets the opportunity to watch the gut-wrenching bout between Carlos and Jose Mendoza, the World Bantamweight Champion.

aired Jan 26, 1981

Joe steps onto the gym scale and makes an unwelcome discovery. Meanwhile, Kanto TV has announced their exclusive broadcasting rights to all of Joe’s bouts in Japan. At the announcement party, Joe notices an unlikely man standing amongst the crowd.

aired Feb 2, 1981

Joe is eager to take on Yongbi Kim, the OPBF Bantamweight Champion, but according to Danpei, Kim is avoiding Joe because he’s afraid of him. When in fact, Kim is eager to take on Joe, as well. Danpei has his reasons to want to avoid.

aired Feb 9, 1981

With Joe and Kim’s OPBF Championship match now confirmed, Yoko sends Suga to South Korea to find out Kim’s mysterious past, while Kim’s manager secretly gathers information about Joe. Joe and Danpei watch Kim’s exhibition match against a boxer.

aired Feb 16, 1981

Despite the OPBF Championship title match being three weeks away, Joe is struggling to lose weight. Desperate to lose weight, he turns the gym into a dangerously hot sauna. After almost passing out, Danpei urges Joe to stop his dangerous weight loss.

aired Feb 23, 1981

With Danpei vehemently against Joe’s dangerous weight loss, Joe leaves the Tange Gym. He visits the Shiraki Gym and locks himself up in the very same room where Toru Rikiishi once starved himself, so he could fight Joe.

aired Mar 2, 1981

After a grueling weight loss regimen, Joe finally loses enough weight to stay in the bantamweight class. However, during the official weigh-in, Joe discovers he is actually over the weight limit and that Danpei had altered the scale back at the gym.

aired Mar 9, 1981

With the final weigh-in now over, Danpei brings Joe to a restaurant so he can enjoy a small meal before his match. Kim, who happened to come to the same restaurant, asks Joe if he could join him.

aired Mar 16, 1981

Kim’s manager confidently predicts Kim’s victory during the pre-fight press interview. Danpei and Nishi encourage Joe in the locker room, but Joe is not his usual self. Unsurprisingly, Kim dominates the fight and Joe can only defend himself.

aired Mar 23, 1981

Joe has fought beyond his limit, yet he refuses to go down. Unable to comprehend how Joe can continue to fight, Kim slowly becomes unhinged and resorts to using his deadly technique known as Chom-Chom.

aired Mar 30, 1981

With is victory over Kim, Joe is now the OPBF Champion. His next goal is to defeat Jose Mendoza, the World Bantamweight Champion who crushed Carlos. Then one day, Joe learns about a Japanese boxer, who once fought Jose and decides to pay him a visit.

aired Apr 6, 1981

Joe happens to run into Wolf Kanagushi, a former boxer at a pachinko parlor. He is relieved to learn that Wolf is now working as a trainer at a boxing gym, and is no longer a Yakuza muscleman. Wolf tells Joe about the financial struggles the gym is facing

aired Apr 13, 1981

As the OPBF Champion, Joe’s first title defense match has been confirmed in Hawaii. Not wanting to go all the way to Hawaii, Joe is reluctant about the fight, but quickly changes his mind when he learns Jose is also having a bout in Hawaii.

aired Apr 20, 1981

Knowing Jose is watching from the ringside, Joe predicts a two round K.O. victory. However, Joe quickly realizes that defeating his Hawaiian challenger will be harder than he originally thought.

aired Apr 27, 1981

After successfully defending his title, Joe is eager to challenge Jose more than ever. Then one day, Yoko invites Joe to spend some time with Jose and his family on a horse ranch. Joe finally gets an opportunity to question Jose.

aired May 4, 1981

As the OPBF Champion and world champion hopeful, it seems everyone wants a piece of Joe now. Meanwhile, the new Tange Gym that’s been under construction is finally complete and Danpei accepts several new aspiring boxers as apprentices.

aired May 11, 1981

Jose, the WBC World Champion must fight Harold Gomez, the WBA World Champion in a unification bout to determine the true World Bantamweight Champion. Meanwhile, Joe, the OPBF Champion and now the World’s No. 5 boxer, must defeat Leon Smiley.

aired May 18, 1981

Leon dominates the fight and Joe is on defense. However, Leon’s underhanded tactics light a fire inside Joe and the fight quickly becomes a fierce and tightly contested battle. With no knockout punch from either side, the winner is determined by points.

aired May 25, 1981

Jose, the WBC World Champion and Gomez, the WBA World Champion will fight head to head to determine the true World Bantamweight Champion. Joe, who has won his right to challenge the winner of the unification bout, flies to Las Vegas to see Jose and Gomez’

aired Jun 1, 1981

Yoko, who feels Joe has lost his wildness within, offers to give up her exclusive rights to Jose’s fights in Japan, under the condition that Joe fights one last bout before his title match against Jose.

aired Jun 8, 1981

Harimau, a wild beast-like man who grew up deep in the Malaysian jungle has been confirmed as Joe’s challenger. Yoko brings Harimau to the Tange Club to introduce him to Joe, but Joe reiterates his displeasure about having to fight.

aired Jun 15, 1981