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Apr 29, 2009 5:32 PM
#1

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Apr 2007
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THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
----------------------------------------
What an end. I really wasn't expecting something like that when I first started this series, especially this early since there's a lot of episodes left. I knew Kazuya was in an accident the second they showed the ambulance siren and scene onlookers last episode but I originally held out hope that it would be something like a recoverable injury. But each scene afterwards just kept dashing that hope until they finally announced he was gone.

I was really bothered about Kazuya's parents though. I found it odd that they were so oblivious almost the whole time. They went to the baseball game especially to cheer on their own son so when his name wasn't announced and he never took to the field, they didn't try to look into it at all? Even in the taxi on the way to the hospital they were focused on the game their son wasn't even in. I would think that alarm bells would've been ringing in their heads at least when Tatsuya came to pick them up.

Other than that minor problem the episode was great. It looks like things will get interesting from here on out with what looks like Tatsuya going to have a big role to fill.

...even a saint needs a soldier to do the dirty work.
Jun 30, 2009 1:34 PM
#2

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Nov 2007
377
What a plot twist
Jul 9, 2009 5:47 AM
#3

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Jul 2008
4227
No more Kazuya makes me extremely sad, and watching Tatsuya throughout the last couple of episodes was even harder. I think this is the biggest impacting character death that I have experienced since I'm so attached to the trio of childhood friends.
Jul 10, 2009 5:17 AM
#4

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Nov 2007
53
I agree with tainteddonut about the parents. That was just weird.

Kazuya's death is unexpected. I thought it was just an injury that'll prevent him from playing baseball again. I didn't think he was dead until they showed the burning incense.
Dec 7, 2009 8:10 PM
#5

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May 2008
603
Unexpected? really? They were dropping hints everywhere, as far back as when Minami was trying to predict Kazuya's fortune and she got an Ace of Spades.
Jan 9, 2010 3:16 PM
#6

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Sep 2008
346
Omfg, I cant believe he really died. And yeah, the parents are retarded, but then again they have been so the entire show.
Jun 2, 2010 11:06 AM
#7

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Jul 2009
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I was kinda expecting something bad from that Ace of Spades thing, but not this... the show had ways to go, but, since Kazuya died so early in the show, I only see Tatsuya in the ace spot.
Jun 22, 2010 8:47 PM
#8
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Jul 2008
5
Ok so I was watching with my brother and I had just finished episode 24 and apparently I have watched too much anime because I told him that Kazuya was going to get hit by a car and die in the next episode because that's always how the story goes, if there are two friends or fre-nimies after the same love interest and no other possible love interest is introduced in a drama then one of the character always either dies or gets crippled. I was spot on and I must say I am proud of myself...However the drawback is that now I find that the series might be a little bit predictable for my taste. I will contend that this anime is a classic and that if you haven't watched much anime, or much classic anime it seems to be a good find if you can stand the slow pace. Newer animes would have killed him like 10 episodes ago lolz
Feb 25, 2011 11:43 PM
#9

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Dec 2009
1761
This was pretty unexpected.
I really disregarded all the warning signs and even in the episode when it showed the ambulance, I didn't see it coming until the end.
So the news of Kazuya's death really caught me unguarded. I wonder how this is going to turn out.
Jun 8, 2011 2:50 AM

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Sep 2008
7062
Wow he died... and only 1/4th through the series too.
What is going to happen now; Tatsuya going to live for his brother and later on down the road someone will tell him to live for his own, but he finds that he always had the same dream.
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Jul 21, 2011 8:05 PM

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Aug 2009
157
I wasn't expecting this too!

I'm really sad about Kazuya...
Aug 4, 2011 9:01 PM

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Jun 2010
328
This is the first time that I cried even if the characters are not crying

and oh, I have no idea that the ace of spades signifies death so I nreally didn't expect him dying
May 13, 2012 8:04 PM
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Aug 2007
468
Same, I had no idea about what that ace of spades meant. I did think something bad had happened in the previous episode after they spent a long time showing something as meaningless as Tatsuya's journey to the school, and then the sirens pretty much confirmed it.

Still, I was hoping it was just something like a broken arm with lasting effects that'd stop his baseball career, and that that was why Tatsuya was so distraught... was hoping it was anything but death until they 100% confirmed it...

Damn.. cried a little bit, especially Tatsuya's last lines in this episode...

I really wish the show had waited a bit more before killing him though.. but I'm looking forward to seeing more of this..


Edit:
Having thought about it a bit more last night, I guess the biggest foreshadowing for me (before ep25) were the ominous lyrics used in the OP (which is a really catchy song btw) and the fact that I had already watched Cross Game.

Also. A big shout out to Harada. He is such a good guy... the type of person who would be the greatest friend to have..
RaiteiMay 14, 2012 4:57 AM
Aug 2, 2012 1:38 AM

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May 2011
311
Well I expected something bad did happen but I thought at the most he was gonna be in a coma, but... died? Damn, it's a shame.

Yeah it was stupid about the parents not wondering where Kazuya was, but I knew early on that his parents were naive, and oblivious to things. Shoot they even forget Tatsuya sometimes... like choosing Tatsuya instead of Kazuya as a model for the wedding photo shoot. Plus it was during the times where cell phones didn't exist.

Oct 26, 2014 11:15 AM

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Sep 2012
2159
What a plot twist, I almost forgot that I've seen it in
before.
CareBearAug 23, 2020 10:55 PM
Apr 18, 2015 9:26 PM

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Aug 2014
5132
Dammmmmmn. I like that this series isn't afraid to kill characters so early in the series. They reacted in a very realistic way, it was handled very well.
Jun 10, 2015 11:57 PM

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Jan 2015
51
My eyes got watery when Minami got out of the Taxi. Very glad I discovered this anime, it's easily become one of my favorites. The rest of the series is going to be so strange without Kazuya, I imagine Tatsuya's going to become really dedicated to improving himself to honor Kazuya.
Aug 10, 2015 1:11 AM

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Jul 2008
10993
Well I think we know how the rest of this series will go but still...
Aug 21, 2015 1:45 AM
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Nov 2014
26586
Masterpiece episode, the writing here is just exceptional. The atmosphere, the eerie yet chilling feel.... I'm speechless, I didn't expect Kacchan to kick the bucket so early in the series. I feel so bad for Tatsuya, losing his little bro and arguably the person that kept him motivated to do something and not slacking full time like he used to. It's truly a big lost to the series and I'm gonna miss Kacchan.
Feb 3, 2016 3:45 PM

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Jun 2015
3466
I kinda expected this to happen for the last 10 episodes. Damn you Cross Game for existing. And not only because of some hints you can find here and there, but the already unsustainable relationship between those three. Even if the triangle was handled well for the major part, ep. 24 portrayed how there was no possible continuation for it.
Mar 23, 2016 6:22 AM
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Nov 2015
1056
tainteddonut said:
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
----------------------------------------
What an end. I really wasn't expecting something like that when I first started this series, especially this early since there's a lot of episodes left. I knew Kazuya was in an accident the second they showed the ambulance siren and scene onlookers last episode but I originally held out hope that it would be something like a recoverable injury. But each scene afterwards just kept dashing that hope until they finally announced he was gone.

I was really bothered about Kazuya's parents though. I found it odd that they were so oblivious almost the whole time. They went to the baseball game especially to cheer on their own son so when his name wasn't announced and he never took to the field, they didn't try to look into it at all? Even in the taxi on the way to the hospital they were focused on the game their son wasn't even in. I would think that alarm bells would've been ringing in their heads at least when Tatsuya came to pick them up.

Other than that minor problem the episode was great. It looks like things will get interesting from here on out with what looks like Tatsuya going to have a big role to fill.


This is absolutely like Kircheis from LOtGH. They died and haunted the leads till the end.
Jul 13, 2016 7:05 PM

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Jan 2013
11047
Fantastic episode depicting the shock.
Jan 12, 2017 7:26 AM

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Jul 2015
447
Ah, what a depressing episode, it's really harder to watch Tatsuya in this last 2 episodes. Kazuya's death is really handled well.

Oh damn it now, the trio has been reduced to two and now, it's the time for Tatsuya to shine

But still, a character's death after 26 episodes is kinda unexpected.
Usually, a character will die in early episode.

5/5 for this episode though
Jul 3, 2017 3:46 PM

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Aug 2015
209
I predicted it but still I really wished till the end that he wasn't dead. I was praying for an injury. But then again I understad why he died. It was clear that the triangle couldn't continue. Still I guess Tacchan will follow in Kacchan steps and become a pitcher. And chase after the dream for him. Probably going to realise on the way that he has to live for himself. But that's just a guess.
Aug 3, 2017 4:06 PM
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Jun 2015
51
damn...it was hard not to cry
Oct 9, 2017 2:50 PM

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Jun 2008
3915
Another anime where I knew ahead a time about one of the main characters going to die but it still effected me (Clannad: After Story being the first). I almost cried.
What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

Dec 18, 2017 7:21 AM

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Jul 2016
361
Wait, WHAT, KACCHAN??!!
Kacchan death was so unexpected, just when the brothers' rivalry was just intensifying and both were determined to compete for Minami Kacchan dies... This just went from a fierce brothers' competition into a tragic love story so far. I'm really curious to watch what will happen from here on. It's true that I like Tacchan more than Kacchan for sure, but I liked Kazuya's motivations and the way he acted as well.
What a really depressing turnaround but this might spice the story a little bit and now I really want to see how Tacchan and Minami will react after this sudden and tragic loss.

This story keeps surprising me.
Futari wa Milky Holmes was a mistake
Yoshii did nothing wrong

Oct 1, 2018 11:42 AM

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Nov 2016
347
So that was the ace of spades mean in that moment. Kinda depressing, just when the love triangle set was in motion, everyone was determined, and then this happen. Tatsuya will need to fill a great hole in the story, this should probably start his way to baseball, but really a death of a major protagonist , I was expecting something like an incurable injury not this... I am looking forward to see the developing of this.
Oct 17, 2018 3:59 PM

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Sep 2011
2632
I can't believe this actually happened, I mean, after building up the suspense so much, I knew that he had to be dead, but this was still hard. I can't imagine the pain his family is going through, especially Tacchan. I don't like him, but losing someone you love is hard enough, and he lost the person who was the closest to him, maybe the most precious one since he was even holding back his feelings for his sake, not that this was the right thing to do in this case, but this doesn't even matter anymore.

He lost his twin, the person he shared his life with up to this point. If Kacchan were alive, he could surpass him someday, but now that he's gone, he will forever be undefeated, and unattainable. I still find it hard to believe, up to this point this was so silly, and lighthearted that I never expected it to kill one of its main characters. I wonder to where we go from here.
Nov 3, 2018 1:03 PM
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Feb 2015
16
Already expected something like that although i have hoped that there's chance he is alive but damn. feels....
--Pascal--Nov 3, 2018 1:08 PM
Dec 12, 2018 6:54 PM
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Aug 2018
1240
Damn, I expected him to be involved in some serious accident that would prevent him from playing baseball for some time, but I didn't expect this.

Although I had a feeling that it would be something severe since Tatsuya didn't simply say that Kazuya was hospitalized for a broken leg or something like that.

But it's strange that there wasn't a single tear shed? I would have expected them to bawl their eyes out.

And I didn't expect this anime to turn this way. Up until now, it was way more cheerful than something like Cross Game, where they hit you with the sledgehammer in the first episode.
tr25a3Dec 12, 2018 7:01 PM
Apr 10, 2019 3:56 PM

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Feb 2013
21
omg this is very sad :(
Apr 11, 2019 11:28 AM

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Mar 2015
319
It should have been Minami instead, Then everyone would have ended up happy. She is very replaceable. Kazuya was not. RIP
Apr 11, 2019 4:41 PM

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Feb 2013
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lona_catee said:
It should have been Minami instead, Then everyone would have ended up happy. She is very replaceable. Kazuya was not. RIP



keep watching and you change your mind
minami is not replaceable and the death of Kacchan will help the story alot
Apr 15, 2019 12:25 PM

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Nov 2016
31877
All the previous episodes and how the story was paced in general make a lot of sense in retrospect. Kazuya going to Koushien wasn't meant to be.

And here I was hoping he might suffer an injury and would go for it in two years again or that Tatsuya would fulfill the promise in his stead. Just thinking about how hard he worked just to end up like this, too damn sad ;_; It still didn't look like that he regreted his last action.

Episode was really marvelously done overall, even tho I thought the faces could've been a bit more expressive, but then again, the emotionless or shock frozen expressions worked too.

One Piece episode 914 & 915 & 1027 were a mistake and 957 brought the salvation - FMmatron


Apr 25, 2019 1:21 AM

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May 2011
479
yellowbuds said:
I have no idea that the ace of spades signifies death


It apparently signifies bad luck specifically, it said something like that at the end of the episode when they might explain jargon or cultural differences.

Also, can people stop spoiling other series? Not only the author's other manga, but LoTGH too? Another series was mentioned too, although no specifics... still, why should comments be a minefield of spoilers?
SeyfertApr 25, 2019 1:33 AM
May 6, 2019 11:19 PM

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Oct 2015
4138
Seyfert said:
yellowbuds said:
I have no idea that the ace of spades signifies death


It apparently signifies bad luck specifically, it said something like that at the end of the episode when they might explain jargon or cultural differences.

Also, can people stop spoiling other series? Not only the author's other manga, but LoTGH too? Another series was mentioned too, although no specifics... still, why should comments be a minefield of spoilers?
I agree. I really hate it, now I have to expect it and the impact won't be the same when I do watch those shows. Even this plot point was spoiled for me, people sure don't like being cryptic about these sort of things
Jun 23, 2019 5:14 AM

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Jul 2016
48
I'm glad he's dead, he was so proud of himself that he never thought about Minami's feelings. mariage proposal lol, that's not how love works.
He wasn't a bad guy but hey we need character developpement, not that frustrating love triangle for years. Kazuya never had a chance against Tatsuya anyway.
KudoJun 23, 2019 5:21 AM
Jan 9, 2020 10:47 AM
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Dec 2019
1
damn i didn't know that the ace of spades thingy meant death or sumn so i was oblivious as fuck. i actually didn't like kazuya and was hoping they'd kill him off but i didn't expect that they were gonna push thru with it.



the subtle foreshadowing was done nicely too. i was actually hoping that he just got an injury he could never recover from till the bitter end but when they showed the incense sticks it all just hit me. it will be weird without kazuya but im excited to see how this series does till the last episode.


and tatsuya's road to becoming the ace !
Feb 24, 2020 8:56 PM

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Apr 2014
21
Kudo said:
I'm glad he's dead, he was so proud of himself that he never thought about Minami's feelings. mariage proposal lol, that's not how love works.
He wasn't a bad guy but hey we need character developpement, not that frustrating love triangle for years. Kazuya never had a chance against Tatsuya anyway.

me too, I don't understand how people feel but i will never be sad for this selfish character.
Aug 3, 2020 1:57 PM

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Jul 2015
9999
Expected him to have some massive injury preventing him to play..can't believe he really died.. ...just because he tried to save some kid running onto the street and got hit by a vehicle....rest in peace Kazuya...
Man Tatsuya is probably devastated right now, I hope he can overcome this and let go and more importantly not blame himself for all his regrets...

Jan 25, 2021 9:16 AM
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Feb 2016
151
-Rayan- said:
Kudo said:
I'm glad he's dead, he was so proud of himself that he never thought about Minami's feelings. mariage proposal lol, that's not how love works.
He wasn't a bad guy but hey we need character developpement, not that frustrating love triangle for years. Kazuya never had a chance against Tatsuya anyway.

me too, I don't understand how people feel but i will never be sad for this selfish character.


Damn, that's petty. Because a teenager was being a bit selfish it means he deserves death.

Feb 11, 2021 4:33 AM

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Apr 2014
21
EmperorKaido said:
-Rayan- said:

me too, I don't understand how people feel but i will never be sad for this selfish character.


Damn, that's petty. Because a teenager was being a bit selfish it means he deserves death.


No one said that but removing him from story was good idea.
And he was not a bit selfish, he was completely selfish, until the story became about his stupid selfish promise.
Mar 1, 2021 12:02 PM
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Apr 2016
13217
-Rayan- said:
EmperorKaido said:


Damn, that's petty. Because a teenager was being a bit selfish it means he deserves death.


No one said that but removing him from story was good idea.
And he was not a bit selfish, he was completely selfish, until the story became about his stupid selfish promise.
Which is why it felt so contrived to me — feels as if he existed just to be removed for the sake of Tatsuya's progress.
Jul 20, 2021 9:24 AM

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Jan 2018
3815
Goddammit, the Ace of Spades aka the Death card didn't have to mean LITERAL death! I didn't like Kazuya much but his death was uncalled for.

Tatsuya might've seemed stone cold at the start but he was actually devastated. From now on things will get even harder. I'm guessing he will quit the boxing club and join his baseball club. Except now he'll have some big shoes to fill. He didn't join the club when Kazuya was still alive, so I wouldn't be surprised if the club members bullies Tatsuya saying things like, "oh you've come to replace Kazuya now?" in a negative manner. This news is going to hit everyone hard.

I despise the preview music. These last 2 episodes had serious themes but the same cheery music played over this. Ik this is a nitpick but even silence could've worked if they couldn't find a more appropriate tune.

EGOIST said:
Seyfert said:
Also, can people stop spoiling other series? Not only the author's other manga, but LoTGH too? Another series was mentioned too, although no specifics... still, why should comments be a minefield of spoilers?
I agree. I really hate it, now I have to expect it and the impact won't be the same when I do watch those shows. Even this plot point was spoiled for me, people sure don't like being cryptic about these sort of things
Yeah, I got spoiled about 2 different series I haven't yet watched due to these uncensored spoilers casually written. People could've used bbcode to hide the spoilers
But no one did. Very disappointing.
0451Jul 20, 2021 9:30 AM
Aug 23, 2021 12:08 AM
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Jan 2020
54
why did no one cry.. immediate reaction to new that devastating would be dropping to the floor and balling your eyes out. I get their reaction in some respect bud not one person cried????
Apr 15, 2022 3:43 PM

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Feb 2019
773
"He has no major injuries-

He just got hit in the wrong place-

and now he doesn't move...

Not anymore."

What heartbreaking, perfect, and simple words. Delivered perfectly by Mitsuya Yuuji. I just want to remember that.

The most heartbreaking words I've heard in anime. If I hadn't been shadow spoiled accidentally seeing a post or something I really would have never seen it coming. He isn't written like a character that's going to die, he's getting development right up til the end. It's too realistic, a boy with real feelings, desires, and changes of character to happen and grow and who has grown and it's gone just like that.
TeirayoApr 15, 2022 3:58 PM
No watch list sig cuz "You watch anime in 3 days or 3 months! Such is the proper way!"
Sep 3, 2022 11:27 PM

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Jun 2022
249
That was sad but they are taking it pretty well.
Feb 28, 2023 9:02 PM
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Mar 2016
11
Well, the series continuous as last episode, same feeling and scenario.

I read some comments questioning the way on how the characters are taking the dead of Kacchan because they doesn't cried not even a bit, in my opinion, they're taking this on the best way that they can. The last scene of Tatsuya on the bed of his recently deceased brother was really heartbreaking.

The only thing of all this event his that finally Tatsuya is going to have a big development.
Mar 6, 2023 7:49 AM

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May 2019
2014
Well, it's rather hard to believe that everyone is kinda silent, not giving any reaction or shedding tears for his death. The doctor's words also don't make any sense at all. There must be a major injury small or big in order to take his life. He is kinda a plot device just like Rikkishi's death in Ashita no Joe to give the main character a huge boost in development. 
                                                                   


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