Anirban Bhattacharya
‘Baki’ is a popular sports anime franchise out there. Recently, in the previous year, the show sort of got a reboot and aired on streaming giant Netflix. The franchise has been around for quite some time now and has garnered a huge fan base. So, if you want to catch up on other anime that are similar in tone and style, then you have come to the right place. Here’s the list of best anime similar to ‘Baki’ that are our recommendations. You can watch several of these anime like ‘Baki’ on Netflix, Crunchyroll or Hulu. Don’t forget to mention your favourite pick in the comments.
10. Diamond no Ace (2013)
Do you like baseball? Well, if you do, then ‘Diamond no Ace’ is going to be a much entertaining anime. Even if you are just a fan of sports genre anime, the series is still pretty interesting. The protagonist of the anime series is Eijun Sawamura who loves to play baseball and is in the school team of his middle school. He has a naturally unusual pitching style but since he lacks control, he ends up throwing a stray ball, thus losing the final match in his middle school tournament. He, along with his teammates, vows to practice hard and make it into the national tournaments when they are in high school but then a scout approaches Eijun with a scholarship for Seidou High School, impressed by his unusual pitching style.
After encouragement from his friends, Eijun agrees to proceed with the scholarship. But when he starts going to Seidou, he finds himself among baseball players who have high skills. Eijun decides to practice hard and become the star player of his team, but he needs to hurry since the title can be grabbed by a fellow first-year by the name of Satoru Furuya.
9. Karate Baka Ichidai (1973)
Look, I know watching old anime might not be entertaining for many of you folks out there due to the poor quality of the animation but still if you like martial arts genre anime, then you can check ‘Karate Baka Ichidai’ out. This is not only an action intensive anime but it also educates the viewers about the art of Karate. The premise of the anime is really interesting and is the main reason I watched it. The protagonist is Ken Asuka, a failed Kamikaze pilot. He currently lives like a hooligan and uses his karate skills and violence to solve problems until he reads about swordsman Eiji Yoshikawa and resolves to live his life like the legend. He learns more about Karate and changes his outlook towards life. The plot for this anime comes from a manga which takes heavy inspirations from the life of a real karate master Yasunobu Oyama. The anime has a total of 47 episodes with each episode being around 24 minutes in length.
8. Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin (2010)
Did you watch ‘Prison School’? Did you enjoy the ecchi sadism and hot wardens? Then believe me this is exactly the opposite of that. This anime actually shows the true horror of life in prison. The anime is really good and is a must-watch for every anime lover. The anime takes place in Japan during the year 1955. The protagonist Mario Minakami arrives at Shounan Special Reform School along with 5 other teenagers. Serious criminal charges have resulted in their arrest. The boys end up sharing the same room where they meet Rokurouta Sakuragi who is older than them.
Rokurouta is a former boxer and the prison guard Ishihara has a grudge against him and thus inflicts brutal suffering and humiliation upon him and the others. The boys are also tortured and abused by the prison doctor Gisuke Sasaki. Though the situation seems completely hopeless, the boys try to stay together and promise to meet outside prison after their sentences are over. But what does life have in store for them? The series has a total of 26 episodes with each episode being around 22 minutes in length.
7. Air Master (2003)
Well, if you like ‘Baki’ because of the fighting, then ‘Air Master’ has got plenty of that in it. So, why not check it out? Also, if you are a fan of anime having a strong female protagonist then ‘Air Master’ can be something you might like. Like ‘Baki’ here, too, the protagonist is all about personal growth to become stronger. The protagonist of the anime is Aikawa Maki who is a high school student. Her street name is Air Master (hence the name of the anime) and she is reputed to be a highly exceptional street fighter. Thanks to her skills as a former gymnast, she is quite nimble and flexible, giving her an edge over her opponents. Maki is quite tall too (around 7 feet) and has the ability to seemingly fly through the air, hence the street name.
Over the course of the anime, we see Maki take on opponents after opponents as she beats them with violence and grace which makes her feel alive. The anime has a total of 27 episodes with each episode being around 24 minutes in length.
6. Koukou Tekken-den Tough (2002)
‘Koukou Tekken-den Tough’ is an Original Video Animation which came out in the year 2002 in the month of January. If after reading the title of the anime you find yourself wondering if the anime has anything to do with the popular fighting game by Namco, ‘Tekken’, then let me tell you that it does not. This is a separate anime based on a manga. It revolves around professional wrestling and Nanshin Shadow Style, which is a secret and deadly form of martial arts.
Years ago there was an underground match between fighters from these two styles to see which art was dominant and the Shadow style emerged as victorious. Now, in the current time period, the fighter who represented the pro wrestling side back then is out for revenge and wishes to eradicate the Nanshin Shadow Style in any way he can. Kiichi is the son of the previous victor of Nanshin Shadow Style and now it is his duty to defend the martial art form and stop it from getting eradicated.
5. Mutsu Enmei Ryuu Gaiden: Shura no Toki (2004)
‘Mutsu Enmei Ryuu Gaiden: Shura no Toki’ is a samurai anime. This anime is a peculiar one when you consider the samurai part since this samurai anime does not feature the main characters using a sword. Yes, no kidding! You may ask whether a samurai anime in which the protagonist does not brandish a sword is worth watching. Well, you be the judge of that since I found the show somewhat entertaining. The anime revolves around a form of martial art by the name of Mutsu Enmei Ryu. It is an unarmed style but allows the user to defeat multiple armed opponents with speed and strength.
The anime takes us through the lives of three generations of fighters who bear the name Mutsu. We see them take on the most powerful and fighters of their era. The fight scenes are good and interesting enough. We don’t see any over-the-top fantasy moves (I mean Kamehameha style). The show has a total of 26 episodes with each episode being around 23 minutes in length.
4. Tenjou Tenge (2004)
If you like action anime taking place in high school settings, then you are in luck since the anime ‘Tenjou Tenge’ is a high school action anime focusing on the theme of martial arts and fighting. Souichiro Nagi is the protagonist of the anime and he, along with his friend Bob Makihara want to become the topmost fighters among the entire student body of their high school. But their dream might be very difficult to achieve since they enter Toudou Academy which is a unique school.
The focus of the school is not much towards the academic section rather the school concentrates and works towards reviving the martial arts culture. Thus, naturally, the school is brimming with some of the best fighters. The duo is overwhelmed by the strength of upperclassmen Maya Natsumi and Masataka Takayanagi. But their encounter with their powerful seniors did not faze them as they became more determined to train hard and become the best fighters. The show has a total of 24 episodes with each episode being 23 minutes in length.
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3. Megalo Box (2018)
‘Megalo Box’ is one of the best boxing anime that have been released in recent times. The characters are great, the animation is visually appealing, the story is interesting, and the boxing is entertaining to watch. Yes, it is sort of a complete package if you are a boxing fan. The anime is sort of a modern re-imagining since there is some technology involved. The anime revolves around the sport of Megalo Box which is just boxing in which the fighters wear mechanical gears that enhance their speed and strength.
Junk Dog is an underground Megalo Box who earns his living by throwing off matches. But one day, the current Megalo Box champion steps into his ring and defeats him. He then tells him that if he wants to take revenge, he should work his way up to him. So, Junk Dog decides to participate in the Megalo Box tournament and fight under the name Joe. The unique thing about Joe is that he fights without any gear.
2. Hajime no Ippo (2000)
It doesn’t matter if you are a boxing fan or not, you just need to enjoy action anime to be entertained by ‘Hajime no Ippo’. The premise is simple and has been done to death countless times, but a stereotype is a stereotype because people like it. Though ‘Hajime no Ippo’ came out some 2 decades ago, I just watched it recently. The story is really nice and so are the characters. Makunouchi Ippo is the protagonist of the anime. He is weak and thus his classmates bully him and he has to run errands for them. Though he wants to change himself and become stronger, he never acts upon his desires.
One day, while Makunouchi Ippo’s classmates are bullying and beating him, a man by the name of Takamura Mamoru interferes and saves him. Takamura is a boxer and he saves Ippo and when the latter faints, he brings him to his boxing gym. Ippo wakes up and is awed by his new surroundings. Takamura pastes the photo of one of the bullies on a punching bag and asks Ippo to hit, to which the latter complies. This brings up new energy within Ippo who wants Takamura to train him. But Takamura thinks that Ippo is not yet ready for training and asks him to complete an impossible task within a week. Ippo works hard for himself and his mother to complete the task, thus starting his journey into the world of boxing.
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1. Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi (2006)
‘Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi’ is one of the funniest martial arts anime that I have ever seen. The show is really funny and will give you many chuckles. The fight scenes are great, though they might seem over-the-top at times. But that does not compromise the entertainment value. One of the best parts of these kinds of anime is the training phase. There’s plenty of training the protagonist goes through in this anime. They are both funny, interesting, and entertaining.
The protagonist is Kenichi Shirhama, who is pretty weak. Like Ippo, he is always bullied. Even after having a desire to change, he rather indulges in reading self-help books than trying his best to become stronger and better. Finally, one day, he musters up the courage and joins a Karate club. But one of the members does not want him there and gives him one week to prepare for a fight. If he loses, he will have to leave the club. He is close to losing hope again when he meets the beautiful Miu who takes him to a dojo by the name of Ryouzanpaku. There, after receiving some initial training from the masters, he is able to defeat the bully at the Karate club. Kenichi then finally decides to join Ryouzanpaku for good and train under the different masters present there. But will he be able to bear the harshest of the harsh training methods to become the mightiest disciple?
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