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Baki-Dou anime confirmed: All release date, story details

baki-dou title art

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 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 with the official announcement of the next Baki anime series.

Though the series is announced and the story is already printed in the Baki manga, there’s still a fair bit that’s uncertain. Here’s everything that’s known, and everything that’s unclear, 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.

As expected, there is no Baki Hanma Season 3 or 4. 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.

baki dou miyamoto musashi
Miyamoto Musashi in the Baki-Dou manga.

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 not confirmed to be airing on Netflix.

Though the series was officially revealed by TMS Entertainment, there’s no word on where it will be watched. None of Netflix’s social media channels that cover Japanese-language programming, anime, or animated series acknowledged the reveal. This suggests that the series could be airing elsewhere or isn’t committed to arriving on Netflix.

Where it will land is unclear. The Baki anime series from 2018 wasn’t initially ordered by Netflix. Instead, it was produced by TMS Entertainment and picked up by Netflix after. This technicality allowed the first season of the anime to be given a DVD release in Western markets, while season two of Baki and all of Baki Hanma both remain online-only.

The series may be made by TMS Entertainment and wind up back on Netflix, but this isn’t guaranteed. It could also be shopped around to other broadcast partners, ranging from competing streaming services like Prime Video to linear television networks like Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.

Given Netflix’s history of giving inaccurate information regarding the Baki series, most recently seen with the Baki VS Kengan Ashura reveal, it’s also possible that the streaming service just didn’t bother tweeting about it. But for now, fans will have to wait to find out where it airs.

Baki-Dou anime release date information

There is no word on when the Baki-Dou anime may come out. No release date or estimated release window was given for the series in its teaser trailer. The teaser trailer was exclusively comprised of animated frames from the manga, which suggests it is not in an advanced state of production.

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 might suggest a late-2024 release is possible, the upcoming Baki VS Kengan Ashura film might push that timetable back.

Fans may be able to watch the Baki-Dou anime in 2025, though this is an optimistic projection. There’s still no official word on when it will come out and it’s 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.

baki dou nomi no sukune
Nomi no Sukune II is central to the second Baki-Dou series.

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, which was made up of the Sumo Arc.

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. When that will come out is even less certain than what will happen with the Musashi Arc, however.

Written by Steven Rondina X Twitter Logo

Steven Rondina has been playing video games since he was a toddler and appreciates every genre out there. He has earned the platinum trophy in every Soulsborne game, is regularly Master Ball-ranked on the competitive Pokemon ladder, and has spent thousands of hours missing shots on Dust 2. His work has previously been featured by Bleacher Report and The Washington Post, and he was an Assistant Editor at WIN.gg. You can follow him on Twitter / X at @srondina.

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