Grappler Baki: A thorough analysis of the ultimate fighting manga

Grappler Baki - The charm and depth of the ultimate fighting anime

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

comics

■ Broadcast period

January 8, 2001 - July 9, 2001

■Broadcasting station

Broadcast: TV Tokyo

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 47

■Original Story

・Original work: Keisuke Itagaki

■ Director

・Director: Yuji Asada

■ Production

Freewill

■Works

©Keisuke Itagaki/FWD Inc.

■ Story

Baki Hanma is a boy with a well-trained body, who has been forced to undergo extreme training since he was a child. His only goal is to defeat his father, Yujiro Hanma, who is said to be the strongest creature on earth and has overwhelming strength.

■Explanation

This is an anime adaptation of the popular fighting manga that has been serialized in "Weekly Shonen Champion" since 1991 by Itagaki Keisuke. The TV anime version follows the chronological order of the original comic, with the story unfolding in the following order: childhood arc → underground arena arc → biggest tournament arc. This work was aired as "Grappler Baki", which depicts the childhood arc and the underground arena arc.

■Cast

・Baki Hanma/Masami Kikuchi・Yujiro Hanma/Kenji Nomura・Doppo Orochi/Mugito・Kaoru Hanayama/Masayuki Nakata・Retsu Kaioh/Kunihiko Yasui・Katsumi Orochi/Keiji Fujiwara・Jack Hammer/Koichi Sakaguchi・Gouki Shibukawa/Hiroshi Naka

■ Main staff

・Original story: Keisuke Itagaki・Planning: Dynamite Tommy・Director: Hitoshi Nanba, Katsuyoshi Yatabe・Series composition: Atsuhiro Tomioka・Character design, chief animation director: Futoshi Higashide, Naoyuki Ito・Art director: Seiko Akashi・Color design: Yuko Saito, Kazumi Hasegawa・Digital photography director: Shinichiro Tate・Editor: Masashi Furukawa JSE
・Sound Director: Hideo Takahashi ・Music: Project BAKI
・Supervisors: Masamichi Kaneko, Hisanori Terasawa, Jun Katsumata ・Producer: Hirotoshi Okura ・Co. Producer: Ittoku Murasaki ・Animation Producer: Kenjiro Kawahito ・Animation Production: Group TAC

■ Main Characters

Baki Hanma: He has a muscular body and many scars from actual combat. He continues to fight with the sole goal of surpassing his father, Yujiro Hanma.
・Yujiro Hanma Baki's father. Due to his devilish appearance and overwhelming fighting power, he is nicknamed "The Strongest on Earth" and "Ogre (Demon)".

■Subtitle

・1/The Stirring of Fate・2/The Writhing Ones・3/The Demonic Beast of Yasha Rock・4/Fangs and Bonds・5/The Warrior's Heart・6/The Chivalrous Stand・7/Gripping Attack!
8/Demon 9/Farewell 10/Battlefield 11/Gaia 12/Bite Mark 13/Challenge!
14/After the Dream 15/He 16/The Road to the Holy Land 17/Gathering 18/Cutting the Rope 19/Opponent 20/An Honorable Defeat 21/Killer Instinct 22/The Clash of Two Heroes!
・23/ God of War, God of Death ・24/ Devil's Reward ・25/ Start!
・26/Super A-class Reservoir・27/Final Target・28/The Ogre Descends・29/The Right to Fight Him・30/Master・31/The One to Surpass・32/The Reason I Can't Lose・33/Warrior vs. Chivalrous Man・34/Fighting Kids・35/Fangs・36/Ultimate! Orochi Style・37/All Together・38/Pro Wrestling Match!
・39/ Tragic Fist! ・40/ The Man Who Gave Up Tomorrow ・41/ Doppo Dances!
・42/The Successor ・43/The Master vs. the Monster ・44/The Final
45/Secret War 46/The Evolving Genius 47/The Final Showdown

■ Related works

・Grappler Baki (TV anime version)
・Grappler Baki: The Greatest Tournament (TV anime version)
・Baki (TV anime version)
・Baki Hanma (TV anime version)
・Baki: The Most Evil Death Row Convicts Special Anime

■ Review

"Baki the Grappler" is an anime series based on the fighting manga by Keisuke Itagaki, and is known for its intense fighting scenes and deep character portrayals. Broadcast on TV Tokyo in 2001, the series focuses on the childhood arc and the underground arena arc, and the story revolves around Baki Hanma's growth and his confrontation with his father, Yujiro Hanma.

The anime version of "Baki the Grappler" faithfully reproduces the powerful battle scenes from the original work, while further enhancing them with the expressiveness that only anime can provide. In particular, the team of Higashide Futoshi and Ito Naoyuki, who were in charge of character design and chief animation director, carefully depicted the details of Baki and Yujiro's muscle movements and facial expressions, maximizing the visual impact. Additionally, the sound effects and background music selected by sound director Takahashi Hideo are also important elements in increasing the tension of the battle scenes.

The story centers around Hanma Baki, a boy who has been forced to undergo harsh training since childhood and whose only goal in life is to surpass his father. His growth and fighting spirit resonates strongly with viewers and can be seen as a symbol of the effort and challenge to surpass one's limits. Meanwhile, his father, Hanma Yujiro, is known as the "strongest man on earth," and his overwhelming strength and cold-hearted personality are portrayed, highlighting his presence as Baki's role model.

The other characters are also unique and fascinating. Each character has their own story and plays an important role in influencing Baki's growth, such as Doppo Orochi's presence as a martial arts master, Retsu Kaioh's extraordinary fighting strength, and Jack Hammer's pride as a professional wrestler. By delving deeply into the backgrounds and thoughts of these characters, the series is not just a fighting anime, but also has depth as a human drama.

The anime version of the story follows the original chronological order, progressing from the childhood arc to the underground arena arc, and more clearly depicts Baki's growth. In particular, the underground arena arc depicts fights with various strong opponents, and beautifully expresses the evolution of Baki's fighting technique and mental strength. In addition, the subtitles of each episode are designed to symbolize the development of the story and the feelings of the characters, and are designed to attract the viewer's interest.

Furthermore, the anime version also includes original episodes not found in the original work, adding new perspectives and depth to the story. These episodes provide fresh surprises and excitement for fans of the original work, enhancing the anime's unique appeal.

■Recommendation

"Baki the Grappler" is a masterpiece of fighting anime, and is highly recommended for those who are interested in stories depicting fighting sports and fights with strong opponents. In particular, the theme of Baki's growth and confrontation with his father will deeply move and evoke empathy in viewers. In addition, the personalities and backgrounds of the characters are carefully drawn, so it can be enjoyed as a human drama.

To enjoy this work even more, we recommend reading the original manga as well. The original manga contains episodes and detailed backgrounds of characters that are not depicted in the anime version, allowing you to deepen your understanding of the story. There are also related works such as "Grappler Baki: The Greatest Tournament Arc," "Baki," "Hanma Baki," and "Baki: Most Evil Death Row Convicts SP Anime." By watching these works in order, you will be able to experience the world of Baki more deeply.

Furthermore, for those who are interested in martial arts and combat sports, one way to enjoy the show is to study the techniques and tactics used by the characters. In the anime version, the fighting styles and names of the techniques used by each character are clearly depicted, so viewers can deepen their knowledge of martial arts by learning them.

Overall, "Baki the Grappler" is a work that allows viewers to fully experience the charm and depth of fighting anime, and is sure to give viewers strong emotions and empathy. We urge you to experience this ultimate fighting anime.