Shiladitya Ray
‘Baki’ is a popular anime series that airs on Netflix but first released in Japan in the summer of 2018. Based on a manga series of the same name by Keisuke Itagaki, ‘Baki’ follows a young man as he struggles to prove that he is the best in the field of competitive fighting. Season 1 of the show, which first made its way to viewers’ screens in Japan on June 25, 2018, adapted the “Most Evil Death Row Convicts Saga” arc of the second series of the manga. The 26-episode Season 1 is directed by Toshiki Hirano at TMS Entertainment, and the character designs and script of the show have been handled by Fujio Suzuki and Tatsuhiko Urahata, respectively.
‘Baki’ literally has no story at all and still, it manages to be the worldwide phenomenon that it is today. With that being said, the best part about this battle anime is that it is completely unpredictable. Unlike other fight shounen series where the protagonist usually ends up winning fights, the outcome of every single fight in ‘Baki‘ comes as a surprise. Speaking of the fights, what makes these so incredible is not just the amazing martial arts moves and the high production value of the show, but it’s the realistic sounds effects that match the brutally violent visuals. While anime like ‘Dragon Ball Z‘ and ‘Naruto‘ have their own brief tournament arcs here and there, ‘Baki’ in itself is nothing else but an insanely enjoyable Tournament Arc.
Baki Season 3 Release Date: When will it premiere?
‘Baki’ season 1 released on December 18, 2018. Earlier, in 2001, the Baki manga had been adapted into an anime series by TV Tokyo comprising two 24-episode seasons. Subsequently, this anime series went on to become a hit in other parts of the world, particularly in North America. After a hiatus of 15 years, Netflix acquired the license for the show in 2016, with the obvious aim of renewing the Baki franchise. Coupled with the fact that the Baki manga is still ongoing, and has touched 132 volumes, there never seemed to be no shortage of material for a second season. Hence, it was a foregone conclusion that Netflix would renew the show. And so it did exactly that in March, 2019, but not before releasing the original series in two parts.
Even though no official release date was announced, we believe Netflix will release Baki season 3 sometime in April, 2020. We will update this section as soon as we hear more.
Baki English Dub:
The English Dub of ‘Baki’ is available on Netflix.
Baki Plot: What is it about?
The plot of ‘Baki’ is about protagonist Baki Hanma, who is training with immense focus in his quest to surpass his mighty father Yujiro Hanma, who is the most fierce and strongest fighter in the world. As Baki trains to become the best, he has to face five of the world’s most violent death row inmates, who are fierce, brutal fighters in their own right. Owing to their seemingly unmatched strength and skill, the inmates are shown to have become bored with their challenge-less lives. Eager to put their strength and skill to the test, the inmates seek out Baki in the hopes that he will be able to defeat them.
As Baki gears up for the fight, which seems like one of the toughest he will ever have to face, a few other underground martial arts warriors get together to fight by Baki’s side. The show follows these two groups of warriors as they head up to and clash in an epic no-holds-barred fight.
In terms of reception, ‘Baki’ enjoys a decent rating of 6.8/10 on IMDb, but despite its rating, continues to be an immensely popular anime show in Japan, and also enjoys popularity among anime viewers across the world.
Baki Characters: Who is in it?
Baki Hanma
Baki Hanma, the son of the world’s best fighter Yuujirou Hanma, is the titular protagonist of the series. He has been training in martial arts under several different coaches and experts since the age of three. At the age of 13, he decides to train all by himself to make his training more intense and to become a better well-rounded fighter. This gives birth to his fighting style known as “Total Fighting” which is a blend of many different fight forms. He is known for his unusual training methods which include shadowboxing while imagining that his next opponent is actually with him. This allows him to anticipate every move of his opponent in the actual fight and also helps him spot their weaknesses much before the combat.
Kaoru Hanayama
Kaoru is a 15-year-old strongman who is known for his incredible grip strength. He can literally explode the arms of his opponents if he manages to get a good hold on them. He has more of a street fighting style and it is unknown if he has had any formal martial arts training. During a fight, he even broke Yuri Chakosky’s arm once and ended his boxing career. But when the two of them meet again, they hold known grudges against one another as they understand each other’s warrior spirit.
Doppo Orochi
Doppo is a well known Karate master who is one of the few people in the world known to be able to stand toe-to-toe with Yuujirou. He practices his Karate moves atleast 1000 times a day and keeps all of his students in shape by regularly fighting them. While fighting Yuujirou, he even ends up dying once but is revived Kureha.
Baki Trailer:
While we await news about ‘Baki’ Season 3, here’s the official trailer of the show to give you a glimpse of the insane action. If you haven’t seen the show yet head over to Netflix to catch all the episodes of the previous seasons
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