Kozue Matsumoto

Kaiou Retsu

Baki Hanma

Kaoru Hanayama

Doppo Orochi

Gouki Shibukawa

Mitsunari Tokugawa

Yujiro Hanma

Katsumi Orochi

Hector Doyle

Dorian 

Spec

Ryuukou  Yanagi

Sikorsky 

Jack Hammer

Koushou Shinogi

Gaia Nomura

Izo Motobe

Kureha Shinogi

Kyosumi Katou

Chiharu Shiba

Atsushi Suedou

Mohammad Alai Jr

Kinuyo Matsumoto

Narrator

The protagonist, Baki Hanma, trains with an intense focus to become strong enough to surpass his father, Yujiro Hanma, the strongest fighter in the world. Five of the world's most violent and brutal death row inmates are gathering to face Baki. Their objective is to taste defeat -- their unmatched strength and skill have led them to grow bored of life itself, and they now seek out Baki in the hopes that he can overwhelm and utterly crush them. In this crisis, other underground martial art warriors gather to fight by Baki's side: Kaoru Hanayama, Gouki Shibukawa, Retsu Kaioh, and Doppo Orochi. An epic showdown between violent death row inmates and Baki and his friends begins!<br><br>

(Source: Netflix)

Five men, all considered some of the most violent and dangerous criminals in the world await death row. Each one locked in high-security prisons across several continents unbeknownst to each other and, as if by sheer coincidence, break out from their penitentiaries and head for Tokyo Japan. Their goal: to challenge the fighting champion of the underground Baki Hanma in the hopes of finally tasting defeat.

Baki is somewhat of an anomaly when talking about the series in depth. On the surface Baki comes across as the stereotypical shounen following a teenage boy training to become the world’s strongest fighter, a label currently held by his father Yujiro Hanma. However, when delving deeper into the story, Baki manages to encapsulate the concept of fighting and the themes that tie with such. The struggles, sacrifices and suffering felt when facing an almost unachievable goal, the unbridled enjoyment of experiencing your passion to the fullest and even the jaded, dreary perception that can set in when constantly at the pinnacle of one’s field of interest – all are just some of the core ideas the series is firmly rooted in and all remain prevalent in this adaptation of Baki.

This version is set shortly after the Maximum Tournament arc, acting as a direct continuation to the past TV adaptations of Baki almost 2 decades ago, but still serves a solid entry point for newcomers of the franchise. The first OP gives enough backstory on its own – Baki wins a fighting tournament and is crowned the world champion, but that title behaves more like a proverbial target on his back, attracting the group of convicts whose unmatched strength had led each to grow bored of life and now seek to challenge the young prodigy. This premise eventually leading to a showdown between the death row inmates and Baki alongside other underground martial artists prominent in past seasons; a 5-on-5 no holds barred match where fights are free to run amok between fighters anytime and anyplace, which would also soon involve various other characters in this battle between discipline and technique against sheer brutality and ability. It’s an arc that easily creates excitement and anticipation as to how such a story will play out, but the execution of this turns out to be a mixed bag depending on your expectations for the anime.

The plot for this arc, while it may seem grand on paper is actually fairly simplistic; progression and development are both dependent on fights between martial artists with at least one character gaining something from each encounter, from a newfound strategy to beat an opponent if they ever fight again to realizing weaknesses that keep themselves from becoming stronger. One would think this approach would make each fight more meaningful and hold more weight, except that when reflecting back most fights in this show came off forgettable and even sporadic, the latter being the result of very poor structure and pacing. Baki has a habit of introducing new characters and flashbacks at random points in the story, with some flashbacks being as long as 10 minutes in the middle of a match. It’s a habit that seriously disengages the viewer from the tension and unpredictability that this arc is founded upon, to an unpardonable extent with how often this is bound to happen. This kind of storyboarding is what constantly brings down my engrossment of the narrative here as it continues onward, meanwhile the eventual outcome of this arc is seriously underwhelming given how each of the five criminals are written off so unevenly. The lack of a succinct structure results in some antagonists being beaten in quick fashion in order to build towards the next arc of Baki and thus required bringing past characters back into the mix to do just that. Narratively, it looked to be full of ideas and potential develop but lacked a clear direction and framework to present the arc in a carefully planned and orderly manner.

The characterization in Baki is also lacklustre to an extent. Characters in Baki can often be considered embodiments of their chosen martial arts style, with the values and overarching philosophy of each forging the minds, bodies and souls of their practitioners. Through this understanding the show probably appears to be stacked with many distinct personalities to play with at the writer’s leisure, yet it remains difficult for many to leave a strong impression on the audience. Partly due to awkward plotting as stated earlier, but also most characters lack in enough focus and development to keep most characters important. The events are often made out as more vital than the characters taking part in such. This leads to not only a declining interest in the fights as the series continues, but also makes the majority of characters used here more likely to be lost in the shuffle and only used when convenient.

Baki as a whole has always been primarily about Baki Hanma, the protagonist, and his father Yujiro, the strongest creature on Earth both feared and respected by all. These two are constantly integral parts to the overall story as they should be, yet to witness so many side characters be treated so sparingly can be disheartening to say the least. However, my biggest problem with this adaptation when it comes to characters is with its handling of the main character Baki Hanma. This is a problem that I feel is more prominent to those who have followed the series from the beginning and have seen Baki grow from the hot-headed impulsive gifted brat to an exceptional fighter worthy of being called a champion. But in this arc, Baki appears…. different. Not only is his personality more laid-back but his train of thought and subsequent actions at times come off somewhat autistic. It’s a take on the character that I had never envisioned or pictured, not only acting as the cause for several awkward moments, but also frankly feeling like a betrayal of the character that I remembered watching and reading. Baki still receives his own development throughout this arc, moving from a reserved anxious style of fight to the spirited, confident attitude that made him such a force to be reckoned with. Except for when you find out this change and increase of strength is solely due to Baki losing his virginity.

I wish I was making that up.

If you were to read Baki in its manga counterpart, one of the first aspects that would catch your eye would be the art-style. There is a keen eye for detail in not only making each technique such a crucial part of the series, but in making the character designs such exaggerated portraits of strength in the human anatomy. A clear expression of weight and power through this absurdist aesthetic creates a strangely beautiful sense of art that further pushes Baki from the standard shounen manga series. However, if one were to watch this version of Baki, the visuals would easily be the first part that grabs your attention. But unfortunately, the visuals here are kind of trash. It is certainly an improvement from previous installments, but comparing it to the quality of its contemporaries, this has so many glaring issues. Designs have a habit of appearing out of perspective on different angles, animation for the most part is cheap and the juxtaposition of 2D and 3D animation is so god awful it is near impossible for viewers to take most fights seriously. It also doesn’t help that the fight choreography makes the battles come across more turn-based than a Pokémon game. For one of the most jarring experiences I have ever had for watching an anime. I’m honestly surprised how I can say a show with so many technical issues can still be tolerable, but here’s the crazy thing: I actually enjoyed the show.

Earlier I called Baki an anomaly, and this entry in the franchise is no different. Baki (2018) is honestly an insane show that should not be so enjoyable to watch, from both faults in production and writing. But here we are, with a series seemingly unbridled in taking action and martial arts to the irrational, all whilst taking itself absolutely seriously. This level of sincerity is almost palpable through every episode and makes it difficult not getting drawn into the bizarre logic of Baki, no matter how grating the lack of fluid animation and coherent writing may get. In this arc, Baki takes the leap of embracing its own ridiculousness to evolve into a genuine spectacle for the eyes that is hard to not take notice of, and with the finale acting as a teaser to a possible continuation of the story, I expect that the best of Baki is still yet to come.

Baki the Grappler was a bad manga, and Baki: The Netflix is a bad anime.

This is an odd pick on Netflix's part, because Baki 2018 begins several arcs into the manga. When I was reading the manga I got only a little way into the Maximum Tournament arc, so there's a bit of a gap for me in between what I read and the start of this anime adaptation. This does mean I can't review Baki: The Netflix as an adaptation...but that doesn't really matter, does it?

Out of all the various classic martial arts manga - Fist of the North Star and Hajime no Ippo being two examples - Baki the Grappler stands out as the worst on almost every level. This isn't a review of the manga, but the art is below average at best, and the mangaka does zero planning. At the start of the manga, Baki has already defeated almost all the strongest martial artists _in the world_ (the author has to backpedal from this of course).

The first season is perfectly fine. It introduces an intriguing cast of new villains: five death row inmates from around the world who break out of prison and converge on Tokyo, all seeking to "taste defeat". They engage in a sort of tournament without rules against five Baki veterans. Fights can happen anywhere, anytime, against anyone, and any tools and tactics are allowed.

This actually isn't new ground for Baki the Grappler, though the show tries to act like it is. The question of if modern martial arts are 'real' enough for a real fight and things like that has come up repeatedly in Baki, and this arc tackles that subject head-on. And I do mean 'tackle'. As in it clumsily charges at the subject, grabs it, kinda carries it along for a while, and then just sorta drops it.

Like I said, the first season is fine. It has all the usual Baki the Grappler flaws, but also all the usual strengths, and has that undefinable watchability/readability characteristic of manga of the era. The second season is where things fall off a fucking cliff. In terms of storytelling, Baki's mangaka has always been meandering and incompetent, but here he achieved a real triumph of shit.

He apparently got bored of this 5-on-5 tournament while also deciding that coming up with unique fighting styles and abilities for the five death row inmates was really hard, so he just starts picking them off. These five criminals, masters of surviving by any means necessary, become shocked by such esoteric techniques as 'kicking sand in your opponent's eyes', 'saying you're not going to do something and then doing it', and 'having a knife'. And the mangaka becomes incapable of writing actual fights, just quick, one-sided beatdowns.


But here's the thing: I lied a little just now. They're not "quick" one-sided beatdowns. They're SLOOOOOOOOW one-sided beatdowns. Each inmate gets into a fight and is smashed down over and over again, long past the point he's lost the fight, so outclassed he can't even attempt to fight back. This will go on for MULTIPLE EPISODES. Then the show moves on to the next guy and does it again. Sometimes the inmates loses but survives, so it gets to happen all over again.

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

Looking at things from a mechanical, craft perspective, this makes Baki 2018 perhaps the most sadistic anime I've ever watched. But because there's very little emotional engagement with the show, and because it's not _super_ gory, it doesn't come off as much more than tasteless.

And I didn't even mention the part where Baki gets a power-up from having sex. Yep. That's a thing that happens. Aside from being hilariously stupid, it also blends the Power of Friendship with classic manly macho machismo in a way that manages to combine the worst of both.

On the technical side...

The sound effects are strong and visceral, though sometimes a little poorly chosen. The music isn't particularly interesting, but something about it really fits the mood of the scenes and its application is well done.

Visually...Baki the manga looks really bad, and they don't do a good job of translating the character designs to the screen. The first OP is, without exaggeration, the least animated anime OP I have _ever_ seen. Out of the 90 seconds of credits, it has maybe, MAYBE ten seconds of animation. Everything else is just stills. It boggles the mind.

The show itself has very little flashy animation (and what it does have is burned in the most bizarre places) but I dislike flashy animation, so a lot of the fights are quite effectively realized. There are ALSO a lot of extended CGI fights, which look like garbage. If Baki 2018 was a CGI anime they'd look fine, but it's not so they look hideously out of place.

Despite all I've said, Baki: The Netflix is a pretty watchable show. If you've read through all this and still think you might enjoy it, then yes, you probably will. And as long as you feel bad about it, I'm okay with that.

Watchable violence fest, but plummets from enjoyably dumb to atrocious in the latter half.

I felt the need to write this review due to how conflicted Baki left me feeling.It starts out grabbing your attention very well with strong character introductions followed by a slew of good-great fights that put forward the best the show has as well as character interactions that made you want to see more of these characters...but then it forgets about any of those aspects when it becomes a muddled and mediocre mess of unlikable and uninteresting characters, boring fights and a titular character that hardly has the presence you would think that would present. I found it quite sad how something that showed such potential could let it all go to waste so easily. 
  
As I said it's not all bad, the show's first half shows what it really could have been if it kept up like it did all the way through, the character that best shows this off would likely be Dorian - a death row convict from the US. His character seems to have soaked up all the charm this series had to offer as the show was enjoyable anytime he was on screen, this was only further exemplified by how his past is revealed to us in pieces through himself and those around him in the fights he has which makes each one of them feel like they have some value. Now to get into the fights themselves which show the creativity and fun that the show can easily achieve when it really tries, with them always keeping you on edge and wondering what bizarre trick someone has up their sleeve next. This tends to make up for the weak and mostly stilted animation and jarring shift between ps2 era cgi and 2d visuals with just sheer entertainment value. He also showcases the character dynamics in the show at their best with how he plays off the characters in the Shin Shin Kai and the relationship he has with them. 

The main problem comes with anything after he's out of the picture; with one part Baki himself to blame(which I'll go into in a bit), one part the general handling of other characters and one part the pathetic lot of the other death row convicts. All of the other death row inmates lacked the sense of unpredictability and danger that Dorian provided, making them never feel like an urgent threat that had to be dismissed and gave way rather for basically any character the show wanted to just curb stomp them, which hardly worked to the show's favor when most of these characters just seem to appear out of thin air (though that's one point I concede might just be due to them being better shown during the previous arcs) which could've still been interesting if the fights themselves showed the level of imagination and spectacle based flux in the nature of the fight that made the fights in the show fun to watch, but alas they tended to just be tediously long one sided affairs that lacked any of that. 

The second half of the show really shows how weak Baki is as a character when it shifts the focus to him and immediately the show starts to suffer for it, he just comes off as a hollow unlikable husk of a person. The show never once provides a reason for you to get invested into him as the protagonist and hardly if ever helps you connect to him leaving you with hardly any attachment to the character making any moment which is supposed to make you feel something for him fall flat faster than the speed of light would allow. This problem is only exacerbated with the few ounces of development he does get; none of which feels earned or like an actual logical outcome, making it feel like it just did it in service of the plot rather than working in any meaningful way towards making him an actual character.

All of this is only further compounded with how most of the other characters are handled in the second half, with the show more insistent on constantly throwing new characters at you while hardly focusing on developing any of the existing ones, this creates a problem of ending up with a giant quantity of characters to juggle without any quality that makes these characters worth a damn. The show also feels like its constantly trying to build up to something either in each individual fight or arcs as a whole only to end up feeling like you've been hit with a wet blanket to the face once it's all over and you've gotten none of the promised payoff. 

I honestly really wanted to like this show with how promising it seemed to be and how it evoked a familiarity due to its fights reminding me of the much superior JJBA Part 2, unfortunately it became a dwindling mess after not long but if not for anything else I might still recommend the Dorian set of episodes by themselves but the show as a whole is just not worth the time invested into it.

Baki tries to grapple its way to success but just keeps slipping till it finally lets go by the end.;

Baki is in an odd position where Netflix promotes it as a good place to start for new viewers, but the series itself doesn't quite fit the bill. Baki is a manga and anime franchise that began in 1991 and continues to this day. It's also one of those shows that hasn't been effectively translated into English in the West. The manga's initial run was handled by a lesser manga business. Unfortunately, that company went bankrupt, and the collected volumes were never issued. The second run is now licenced to a new media business, but not the first. Funimation licenced the anime in the early 2000s, but it hasn't been renewed since then.

Interestingly, Netflix did not purchase the rights to Baki's first two seasons. It's either because they couldn't or didn't want to. I'm not sure, but it makes Baki a tough sell because new viewers will immediately understand they've stumbled into the middle of a much lengthier plot. There are numerous moments, dialogue, and flashbacks that help to illuminate this, but never enough to make one feel as though its enough. It doesn't help that our titular character doesn't get a single full fight in the first 13 episodes, despite the fact that the show is called Baki. Baki has the weird impression that the series has moved on from its protagonist.

Every episode introduces new characters as additional fighters of various martial arts. Baki encounters a girl who believes she will assist in the struggle. Villains don't die when there's a chance for them to die even when there are several chances, they just keep coming back thanks to some miracle revealed in a flashback to assist the plot progress. Characters are too similar and confusing, as are powers and combat techniques, and Baki becomes arrogant and believes he can face on the entire crew. There is no true linear plot to tie anything together. It's an entertaining programme for fans of fighting, martial arts, and bloodshed. However, this show does not have a consistent plot.

Taken at face value, this anime is similar to Dragon Ball Z. When you start to think about it, it's literally insane. The bad guys and good guys are ridiculous, and you never know who will win because of things like: the bad guy has a bomb in his chest and maims the other guy. Not to mention the fact that the good guys turn out to be a little sadistic as well.

Baki has the feel of a fighting game from an anime perspective. Given the problems in the show, it also has no right to be as interesting to watch as it is. The fighting itself, with little care for anything else, is the actual pull. There's a rough tale bringing it all together and pockets of characterization here and there, but the true appeal comes from the fighting itself. Baki is a lot of fun in that regard. Baki sacrifices storey nuance for an abundance of fighting, and if that's what you're looking for in an anime, you'll have a nice time...

Mainstream/Obvious with very good fights.

I'm gonna start off by stating the obvious; if you're looking for a good shonen with well-developed characters and a well-constructed story, Baki is not an anime you should watch. Most of it makes absolutely no sense; characters will lose enough blood to fill a pool, get shot in the kneecaps, receive 5 lethal doses of poison, and act like nothing happened. The characters have weak motives and constantly defy what logically should happen. That being said, this anime is so damn entertaining. There's just something about watching absurd, bloody fights between guys that more jacked than a Reddit mod's dick that is so entertaining you can't stop yourself from watching.

First, let me talk about the fights, because they're the only reason anyone in their right mind will watch this show. A quick note: the CGI fights are god awful. They look like shit, and caused my eyes physical pain. Thankfully there are a limited amount, and they disappear entirely as the season progresses. I will be referring only to the 2D hand-animated fights in this review. The fights in this show are goofy and nonsensical, but so entertaining. They're basically nothing but a few seconds of one character delivering a brutal attack, followed by an impossible recovery repeating in a cycle until one eventually wins. However, the animation is crisp and satisfying, and every time the fight changes momentum it gets more and more entertaining despite how predictable it is. The fighters are so retartedly strong and manly that you want them to continue getting up and beating the shit out of each other. Thankfully the show consists mostly of fights, and you are constantly provided with adrenaline roller coasters that inject an intense feeling of manliness straight into your weak anime baby brain. They defy logic; but that's exactly why they're so fun.

Secondly, I will talk about the characters. Fundamentally, they are straight-up bad. As I mentioned, they lack any convincing motivation and development throughout the entirety of the show. The only character who experiences any growth at all is Baki himself, and even then you have to watch the couple of seasons after this to see it. Thankfully, the character designs and rushed backstories are intriguing enough to make the fights (the reason you watch the show) worthwhile. They repeatedly defy logic to get strong and recover for no reason other than becuase the mangaka felt like it. Everyone has an over-the-top badass reason to be as strong as they are, making the clashes of beefy, manly wills really entertaining. The characters are poor, but good enough to allow the strong point of the show (the fights) to shine.

Lastly, I will talk about the plot. To get to the point, there is none. There's a horribly boring mini romance ark that I skipped to get to the fights faster. All it leads to is *SPOILER ALERT* Baki getting his dick wet and magically getting stronger to fight some bad guys in the following fight. While there is practically no plot, there's enough semblance of one to provide context for the characters to interact and fight with each other, which is all that's really needed. As is the case with the characters, the plot suffices just enough to allow the fights to exist while being enjoyable.

Before any pretentious anime snobs get upset at my high score, know that I am basing it strictly off of entertainment, unlike pretty much any other anime I've watched. That's because that's how it should be rated. It doesn't take itself seriously or try to be anything that it isn't. It's just ridiculously strong goofy and strong characters beating the shit out of each other with unmatched manliness and muscles. Think of it like an Adam Sandler movie; it's not meant to be good, it's meant to be enjoyed for the goofy mess that it is. As someone who normally watches anime on a deeper level, Baki was a nice breath of fresh air that allowed me to enjoy some fun fights without worrying about finding underlying themes or complex character motives. If you're like me and just want to enjoy an anime mindlessly every now and then, I highly recommend that you watch this goofy ahh anime.

Baki Series Watch Order

Grappler Baki: The Ultimate Fighter (1996)

Baki the Grappler (2001)

Baki: Most Evil Death Row Convicts Special Anime (2016)

Baki (2018)

Baki Hanma (2021)