The Way to Fight

The film opens in the Tokyo Dome in the 1990s on the eve of a highly anticipated match between two Osaka fighters, Kazuyoshi Tamai and Takeshi Hamada. Their long history and unresolved tension foreshadow a battle that will test them both. The narration hints at a shared past that will drive the upcoming confrontation.

In 1970s Osaka, Kazuyoshi earns a reputation as the toughest street fighter at Naniwa West High School. He fights to cope with a troubled home life, living with his senile grandmother and drifting through the streets with Toshio and Ritsuko. His fierce focus on fighting masks deeper needs, and he rarely looks beyond the next challenge.

Toshio, shy and insecure, secretly loves Ritsuko, who in turn loves Kazuyoshi. Kazuyoshi only has eyes for fighting, using it as his primary form of expression. The love triangle adds emotional complexity to the brutal street world.

Takeshi Hamada arrives as a rival fighter from another high school and immediately makes his presence felt by taking down Kazuyoshi's gang. The encounter establishes Takeshi as an equal, setting the stage for their eventual rivalry.

Kurata, a young karate master who had previously humiliated Takeshi, takes him under his wing. Through intense training, Takeshi learns to channel his aggression and gains discipline. A bond forms as Takeshi and Kurata share a path toward controlled power.

Toshio is assaulted by a patron in the decrepit restaurant where he and Kazuyoshi work part-time. In a moment of unleashed anger, he stabs the patron. He later gathers the courage to confess his feelings to Ritsuko, only to be met with rejection.

Ritsuko is urged by her mother to study hard and leave Osaka, making a future outside the city likely. This pressure quiets any plans to date Kazuyoshi, fueling his sense of distance from her.

When Kazuyoshi and Takeshi finally cross paths as young men, they agree that street fighting is not enough. They pivot to professional fighting sports, with Kazuyoshi becoming a bantamweight boxer and Takeshi pursuing shoot-style professional wrestling.

Both men rise through their respective fields, reaching championship status and earning recognition for their skills. Their championships symbolize the success they achieved by embracing their training and rival ethos.

Their paths widen beyond Osaka as they become well-known champions, each carving a formidable career and leaving their mark on their sports. Yet their past remains a haunting backdrop to every triumph.

By the mid-to-late 1990s, both fighters stand as champions in their disciplines and prepare to settle the old score. The looming Tokyo Dome showdown represents the culmination of a lifetime of choices.

The film closes with the two legends moving toward the fight, their shared history and separate paths converging into a single, destiny-bound moment. The past they built together shapes the future they are about to face.