Being a lifelong admirer of anime’s most seasoned wrestler is challenging due to the Baki series’ 30-year existence and the sporadic backing from western media corporations. There have been three ongoing anime series based on Baki, including two spinoffs and several shorts. Many studios that produced the first anime versions have closed down, leaving fans to piece in the plot holes. The release of the second season of the third series is rapidly approaching. Therefore, it’s time to get everything for new viewers to know how to watch baki in order.
- Baki The Grappler (2001)
- Grappler Baki: The Ultimate Fighter (1994)
- Baki The Grappler Season 2: The Ultimate Tournament (2001)
- Baki: Most Evil Death Row Convicts Special Anime – Special Episode (2016)
- Baki (2018)
- Baki Season 2: The Great Raitai Tournament (2020)
- Hanma Baki: Son of Ogre (2021)
The Grappler Baki manga series, or Gurappur Baki as it’s called in Japan, was created by Keisuke Itagaki and is serialized in the Japanese magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Originally published in Weekly Shonen Champion, a shin manga magazine, it ran from 1991 to 1999 and was compiled by Akita Shoten into 42 tank volumes. In this narrative, we follow Baki Hanma, a young man, as he trains and competes in lethal, no-holds-barred hand-to-hand combat against various opponents.
We’ll review the recommended viewing sequence for the series concerning the canonical timeline. The first season of Baki the Grappler, often known as the Kid Saga/Underground Arena Saga (2001) The original anime series was shown from January 8th, 2001, through June 25th of the same year. Although true to the manga source material, the adaptation did not adhere to Itagaki’s chronological sequence and omitted a few chapters.
The show’s second season, again consisting of 24 episodes, premiered on July 23, 2001, and ran through December 24, 2001. Similar to the first season, it accurately adapted the manga, but not in its entirety and out of chronological sequence.
Although the events of the anime series take place before those of the older OVA, the two constitute an inseparable whole. The first OVA episode premiered on August 21, 1994. It lasted 45 minutes and adapted the first several volumes of the manga, some later used in the 2001 anime.
The second OVA, clocking in around 15 minutes, was released on December 6, 2016, as part of the limited edition of Baki-Dou volume 14. It was an adaptation of the same-named manga arc but from the second manga series, Baki. Actually, this was only the beginning of a whole new series!
A Netflix anime series based on the “Most Evil Death Row Convicts” arc debuted on June 25, 2018, and ran until December 16, 2018. It was revealed soon after the second OVA. Overall, there were 26 episodes in the adapted version.
Next up is Baki: Godlike Clash of the Kids Saga (2020) / Great Chinese Challenge Saga (2019). Season two of the Netflix program premiered on June 4, 2020, with only 13 episodes.
On September 30, 2021, Netflix premiered the first 12 episodes of the show’s third season. Baki goes to Arizona State Prison to challenge the infamous convict, Mr. Unchained, and earn the experience he needs to overcome his powerful father one day.
Three television series and two OVAs starring Baki have been broadcast. The OVAs are a fun historical artifact, but you can safely skip them as most of the events they cover are already covered in the main series. The Baki franchise has produced three shows: Baki the Grappler, Baki, and Baki Hanma. Each tells a different piece of the larger tale of Baki Hanma’s struggle to vanquish his father, Yujiro. Including which series may be skipped, here is a detailed timeline and recommendation for watching the Baki franchise.
The first two bouts from the Baki the Grappler manga are adapted into an anime special titled Baki: The Ultimate Fighter. A lot of it can be skipped through, but it’s worth your time if you just have a little bit of it. This version of Baki Hanma differs significantly from the one that has become popular with viewers. When depicted in media, Baki is often portrayed as solemn and severe, yet the version seen here couldn’t be more feisty and goofy. After the first arc of the manga, Keisuke Itagaki completely rethought Baki, and subsequent retellings have omitted his earlier incarnation.
With the 2001 debut of the first season of the Baki the Grappler anime, things finally got rolling. Funimation dubbed and released a small number of DVDs, but it has since disappeared from circulation. It can be seen in its entirety on pretty much any major video streaming site, so that’s a plus.
It’s based loosely on the manga of the same name, with a few key differences. In this version, the story arcs are presented in chronological order. Beginning with his early life and his first battle against Yujiro (described in the “Kid Baki” arc), the story follows Baki through his title reign in the Tokyo Dome Underground Arena. In the original manga, Baki is already the champion at the beginning, and the Kid Baki arc is a lengthy flashback. Some sequences that weren’t in the manga are included in the anime. These helped bridge the gap between the original Baki the Grappler series and the continuing New Grappler Baki comics.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Baki the Grappler brand, a new animated special wrapped out the series’ 15-year run in 2016. Some of the most important events from the first arc of the New Grappler Baki manga are shown in the film Baki: Most Evil Death Row Convicts. The eponymous death row inmates’ escape and their early conflicts with the major characters are featured. As a result, fans may safely disregard this special. Everything here has also been done in 2018’s Baki series, so it’s fascinating to view them in a new light.
The events of the New Grappler Baki manga are portrayed in the Baki series airing in 2018. A few days have passed after completing the Maximum Tournament in this sequel to Baki the Grappler. When compared to Baki the Grappler, Baki is a complete 180. Although several real-life martial artists were honored in Baki the Grappler, this film veers more toward the fantasy kung fu genre. With this, the series is set in motion to get crazier.
After the success of the 2018 anime Baki, a sequel, Baki Hanma, will be released in 2021. This is the next step after Baki’s planning.
Baki has attracted a massive following among Shounen anime watchers. As of 2018, there were 75 million copies in circulation, which clearly indicates how well-known and widely read the book is. There’s a lot of blood and gore in this anime, and you’ll learn a lot about the many martial arts and combat techniques that exist across the globe. Although there is some exaggeration in the anime, it is still enjoyable.
With grandiose displays of fistfights, bloodshed, and the protagonist’s drive to outdo his father and become the best fighter, Baki does a fantastic job of engrossing spectators. The animation is excellent; the story is gripping; the characters are entertaining but neither unique nor memorable. Shounen lovers will like it because of the abundance of action sequences and the relative lack of progress in the story. However, it’s likely to be met with disdain by those who aren’t Shounen fans.
Even yet, this group may appreciate the frequent use of psychological aspects and methods in battle. Enjoying the anime is time well spent. There are several examples of moral lessons learned via adversity. It also draws attention to certain philosophical notions of masculinity.
Q1. Is Baki home before or after Baki?
Ans. The Baki series continues with Baki Hanma. The story begins after Baki defeats Mohammad Alai Jr. and centers on his training for a bout with Yujiro, which involves encounters with Oliva and other characters.
Q2. Which Baki do I watch 1st?
Ans. The Saga of the Evilest Inmates on Death Row, Season 1 (2018) No, producer Mitsunari Tokugawa of an underground martial arts arena has warned Baki Hanma, the current world champion, that five aggressive death row escapees from throughout the globe are all going for Tokyo.
Q3. Is Baki a sequel to Baki the Grappler?
Ans. The Netflix Original series Baki Hanma continues the story begun in the martial arts anime Baki. Inspiration came from Keisuke Itagaki’s manga of the same name. 28-Mar-2022
Q4. Is Baki Hanma a remake of Baki?
Ans. All episodes of Baki, the fourth anime series based on the manga series, debuted on June 4, 2020. The series is based on the second tale. The show has received an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and an ONA (Original Net Animation). The release date for the fifth anime series based on the third manga series, Hanma Baki, is slated for the autumn of 2021.
