Baki the Grappler

Baki the Grappler
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Baki Hanma
グラップラー刃牙
(Gurappurā Baki)
GenreMartial arts[1]
Manga
Written byKeisuke Itagaki
Published byAkita Shoten
English publisher
ImprintShōnen Champion Comics
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Champion
English magazineRaijin Comics
DemographicShōnen
Original run1991 – present
Volumes149 (List of volumes)
Manga parts
  1. Grappler Baki (42 volumes)
  2. Baki (31 volumes)
  3. Baki Hanma (37 volumes)
  4. Baki-Dou (22 volumes)
  5. Bakidou (17 volumes)
  6. Baki Rahen
Original video animation
Directed byYuji Asada
Produced by
  • Chiaki Yasuda
  • Tsuneo Seto
Written byYoshihisa Araki
Music byTakahiro Saito
StudioKnack Productions
Licensed by
ReleasedAugust 21, 1994
Runtime45 minutes
Video game
Fighting Fury
DeveloperTomy
PublisherTomy, Midas Interactive
GenreFighting
PlatformPlayStation 2
Released
  • JP: October 12, 2000
  • UK: July 26, 2003
Anime television series
Directed by
Produced by
Written byAtsuhiro Tomioka
Music byProject Baki
StudioGroup TAC
Licensed by
Original networkTV Tokyo
English network
Original run January 8, 2001 – December 24, 2001
Episodes48 (List of episodes)
Original video animation
  • Baki: Most Evil Death Row Convicts
  • Special Anime
Directed byTeiichi Takiguchi
Produced byYu Kiyozono
Music byKenji Fujisawa
StudioTelecom Animation Film
ReleasedDecember 6, 2016
Runtime15 minutes
Original net animation
Baki
Directed byToshiki Hirano
Produced by
  • Kei Watahiki
  • Yuki Yokoi
  • Executive producer:
  • Tetsu Kojima
Written byTatsuhiko Urahata
Music byKenji Fujisawa
Studio
Licensed by
Released June 25, 2018 – June 4, 2020
Runtime24 minutes
Episodes39 (List of episodes)
Original net animation
Baki Hanma
Directed byToshiki Hirano
Music byKenji Fujisawa
StudioTMS Entertainment
Licensed byNetflix
Released September 30, 2021 – August 24, 2023
Runtime24 minutes
Episodes39 (List of episodes)
Anime
Baki-Dou
StudioTMS Entertainment
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Baki the Grappler (Japanese: グラップラー刃牙, Hepburn: Gurappurā Baki) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Keisuke Itagaki. It was originally serialized in the shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Champion from 1991 to 1999 and collected into 42 tankōbon volumes by Akita Shoten. The story follows teenager Baki Hanma as he trains and tests his fighting skills against a variety of different opponents in deadly, no-rules hand-to-hand combat.

The series was followed by five sequels in the same magazine; Baki (バキ, officially romanized as New Grappler Baki: In Search of Our Strongest Hero), which was serialized from 1999 to 2005 and collected into 31 volumes, Baki Hanma (範馬刃牙, Hanma Baki, officially romanized as Baki: Son of Ogre), which was serialized from 2005 to 2012 and collected into 37 volumes, Baki-Dou (刃牙道, Baki Dō, lit. "Baki's Style"), which was serialized from 2014 to 2018 and collected into 22 volumes, a fifth series, also named Bakidou (バキ道) but with Baki's name written in katakana instead of kanji, serialized from 2018 to 2023 and collected into 17 volumes, and Baki Rahen (刃牙らへん, Baki Rahen, lit. "Baki and Others"), serialized from 2023.

A 45-minute original video animation (OVA) was released in 1994. A 24-episode anime aired on TV Tokyo between January 8 and June 25, 2001, and was quickly followed by a second 24-episode series from July 22 to December 24, 2001. An original net animation (ONA) was released on Netflix between June 25 and September 24, 2018, followed by a second season that was released on June 4, 2020. A third series was released from September 30, 2021 to August 24, 2023, and anime adaptation of Baki-Dou has been announced. The OVA was the first to be licensed and released in North America, in 1998 by Central Park Media, followed by the original manga series in 2002 by Gutsoon! Entertainment (incomplete), and finally both anime series in 2005 by Funimation Entertainment. Media Do International began releasing the second manga series digitally in August 2018.

The Baki series is one of the best-selling manga series of all time, with over 100 million copies in circulation.

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