Baki: Raw Power, Ridiculous Moments — A Realist’s Review of the Franchise
If you like your fights loud and gloriously over-the-top, then Baki is probably your jam. Keisuke Itagaki’s martial arts masterpiece has been a decades-long favorite, and its various anime adaptations are as wild as the manga itself. This review walks through what Baki is, which versions to watch, what it does brilliantly, where it stumbles, and why it still matters to fight-anime fans.
Which Baki is which
There are multiple anime adaptations:
- Grappler Baki (2001) — the early TV adaptation that introduced many to the series (two 24-episode cours in 2001). It’s old but worth a look for nostalgia and completeness.
- BAKI (2018–2020) — Netflix’s on-and-off ONA that adapts the “Most Evil Death Row Convicts” arc and the Raitai Tournament.
- Baki Hanma (2021–2023) — Netflix’s continuation focusing on the Hanma father/son mythology; released in 2021 with a second season in 2023. It’s the most recent full-length adaptation and the version most people talk about online.
All the modern Netflix versions (2018 onward) are easy to find on Netflix worldwide; the 2001 series appears on some services and home-video releases. If you’re new, the Netflix BAKI → BAKI (Raitai) → Baki Hanma is the order to watch.
| Series | IMDb Rating (approx) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Baki (2018-2020 series) | 6.8 / 10 | This is the overall rating for the entire “Baki” Netflix adaptation (39 episodes across 2 seasons) |
| Baki Hanma (2021-2023) | 7.3 / 10 | This covers the “Hanma” series overall (first & second cour) as listed on IMDb |
Baki is not subtle. A teenager trains like an absolute lunatic to surpass his father, the strongest creature on Earth by fighting the planet’s most dangerous humans. From there the show starts underground arenas, escaped death-row monsters, extreme tournaments, and fights that go beyond your expectations. If you want a tight plot with emotional through lines, Baki will frustrate you. If you want fight spectacle, inventive techniques, and escalating physical absurdity, it delivers in the right content for you. Critics and reviewers have long argued the series is “beautifully absurd” its storytelling logic is less about realism and more about creating maximal situations for grotesque combat. Characters in Baki are huge ideas wrapped in muscles. Baki himself is surprisingly bland as a protagonist (he’s often a vehicle for other fighters to demonstrate greatness), while the supporting cast from the stoic Asaemon executioners to monstrous rivals like Pickle steal the show. The father-son dynamic with Yujiro Hanma is the emotional spine, but most of the series’ pull comes from the gallery of opponents and their extreme philosophies of strength. Many readers praise Itagaki’s character designs and bizarre charisma; others wish for deeper, more sympathetic protagonists. This is where opinions split the most. The 2001 TV show looks very 2001 good for its era. The Netflix relaunch is… divisive. Many fans praise Netflix/TMS for faithfully adapting insane manga panels and staging ambitious set-pieces. Others complain about lazy motion techniques (slideshows, heavy motion blur and speed lines, or low-frame ‘animatic’ fights), especially in certain episodes where static frames and effects stand in for fluid animation. In short: you’ll see jaw-dropping keyframes and character art one minute, and cheap motion tricks the next. Expect glorious still-image shots that replicate Itagaki’s art, but don’t expect consistent buttery movement every fight. Baki’s vocal performances and soundtrack work hard to sell the insanity. Voice actors lend the bombast and the narration often functions like an exaggerated sports documentary voiceover, which matches the show’s tone. Big, dramatic music underscores the fights and helps keep spectacle feeling cinematic, even when the animation cuts corners. Most viewers agree the audio production tends to punch above the animation’s weight.
Watch if you:
- Love fight choreography, exaggerated physical spectacle, and over-the-top opponents.
- Enjoy manga-faithful visuals and don’t need perfect frame-by-frame animation.
- Like anthology-style arcs where every episode is a new confrontation.
Skip if you:
- Need emotionally complex protagonists or tightly consistent plot pacing.
- Are bothered by ultra-violence or scenes that lean into grotesque parody.
- Expect a mainstream superhero narrative; Baki plays by different rules.
Baki is a fever dream of combat. It’s not a “perfect” anime, but it’s unforgettable when it hits. The series is best enjoyed as an exercise in spectacle and absurdity rather than as a model of polished storytelling. If you’re curious about martial-arts anime that pushes anatomy, violence, and bravado to cartoonish extremes, Baki is required viewing. If you want something emotionally nuanced and consistently refined, look elsewhere.
Image Credit TMS Entertainment
