The sequel to Netflix’s Baki Hanma is officially confirmed with the reveal of a Baki-Dou anime; here’s everything known about its story, release date, and where to watch it.
Over 2024’s Easter weekend, Japanese TV stations aired the conclusion to Baki Hanma with “the biggest father-son fight” between Baki and Yujiro. A major tease regarding the future of the Baki franchise was made beforehand and while there were many mundane possibilities, the best-case scenario came to pass. Unfortunately, things were quiet from there.
Though there was official confirmation of the series and the story is already printed in the Baki manga, there was still an air of mystery. That finally changed in September 2025 with an official first look at the series. Here’s everything that’s known regarding the Baki-Dou anime.
Is there going to be a Baki-Dou anime?
A Baki-Dou anime was confirmed to be in development on March 31, 2024.
The announcement of a sequel was made official alongside the series finale of Baki Hanma on Japanese television. Though Baki and Baki Hanma were both entirely exclusive to Netflix in most markets, the series was aired on linear television in Japan.
The reveal was made by TMS Entertainment, which confirmed that it will work on the Baki-Dou anime. TMS Entertainment is the studio that created the Baki and Baki Hanma anime series.
The reveal was made with a 30-second teaser trailer depicting animated frames from the Baki-Dou manga. It shows the “birth” of Miyamoto Musashi in the world of Baki and teases some other key details regarding the series and what it will encompass.
Is it the real Miyamoto Musashi in Baki-Dou?
The Miyamoto Musashi that appears in Baki-Dou is the “real” Miyamoto Musashi.
The history of Baki is odd. The series started as a fantastical portrayal of the martial arts then veers off into the wacky with a 13-year-old Baki fighting a yeti. Things whip back toward realism with the introduction of numerous cast members based on real-life combat athletes, before sprinting toward lunacy with cyborg convicts and frozen cavemen.
Things somehow get even wackier from there as Baki-Dou sees real-life samurai Miyamoto Musashi resurrected in modern times. This is achieved through a combination of science-fiction and literal wizardry, with his body being cloned and his soul being pulled out of the afterlife and implanted into his body. Much like with Pickle, the Underground Arena regulars catch wind of his existence and eagerly seek out a fight with him. Also like Pickle, the stakes of fighting a battle-hardened samurai are significantly higher than what Baki and company are used to.
Is the Baki-Dou anime on Netflix?
The Baki-Dou anime is confirmed to be airing exclusively through Netflix.
The series was officially revealed by TMS Entertainment in April 2024. But for a long while, there was no word on who would be distributing it. None of Netflix’s social media channels that cover Japanese-language media acknowledged the reveal. This suggested that the series may have been headed elsewhere.
In September 2025, TMS Entertainment released a reveal trailer for the Baki-Dou anime, confirming it will air on Netflix.
It’s unclear why there was any prolonged uncertainty regarding its home. It’s possible that TMS Entertainment shopped the Baki-Dou anime to other partners. Alternatively, given Netflix’s history of giving inaccurate information regarding the Baki series including the Baki VS Kengan Ashura reveal, it’s also possible that the streaming service just didn’t bother tweeting about it.
Regardless, the series will be available alongside its predecessors.
Baki-Dou anime release date information
The Baki-Dou anime will be released in 2026. While there was no word on the release date in the announcement trailer, the reveal trailer that landed in September 2025 gave an official release window.
It’s unknown how many episodes the Baki-Dou anime will be or whether the totality of the series will come out in 2026.
TMS Entertainment has averaged about one 13-episode “season” of anime per year since the start of Baki, though there was little rhyme or reason to how Netflix actually released them. While that suggested a 2025 release was possible, that didn’t come to pass.
It’s unclear when, exactly, the anime will arrive in 2026. An early 2026 release could be possible given TMS’s established release cadence with Baki. However, it’s also possible that it could be finished and then shelved, which is what happened with Baki Hanma Season 2 on Netflix.
Will Nomi no Sukune and the Sumo Arc be included in the Baki-Dou anime?
Baki-Dou is only set to run through the end of the Musashi Arc, which means Nomi no Sukune and the Sumo Arc will not be part of the anime. At least, not yet.
The description on the trailer from TMS Entertainment explicitly states that the series is only set to run through the end of the 2014 Baki-Dou series. This means that the anime will not include the 2018 Baki-Dou series.
Both the 2014 and the 2018 series in the Baki the Grappler franchise had the Anglicized title of “Baki-Dou,” but the names were written in kanji and katakana, respectively. This made their titles distinct in Japanese, though the difference doesn’t translate to other languages.
Though the first Baki-Dou anime won’t include Nomi no Sukune, it’s safe to assume its successor will. Regardless, fans have lots of epic fights to look forward to in Baki-Dou.
