Every arc in all Baki the Grappler manga series, with chapters

The Baki manga has a number of compelling stories, but fans wanting to read a specific arc shouldn’t just start opening up random chapters.

Baki has been going on for over 30 years and while there are iconic fights and characters aplenty, it’s not an easy series to navigate. There are six different Baki manga series, not counting its many different spin-offs. The series is also far away from having a complete anime adaptation.

Newcomers to the series are well-served by finding out when the major arcs take place in the manga before searching around for moments they’re interested in looking up.

All Baki arcs in order with chapters, through Baki Rahen in 2025

The Baki franchise is divided across six separate and three anime series, with most of those series being subdivided into arcs. These specifically highlight a tournament, character, or fight and often segue directly into the next arc.

Here is every arc in the Baki manga thus far:

• Baki the Grappler- The Underground Arena (chapters 1-72)
• Baki the Grappler- Kid Baki (chapters 73-180)
• Baki the Grappler- The Maximum Tournament (chapters 181-371)
• Baki- The Most Vicious Death Row Inmates (chapters 1-158)
• Baki- The Raitai Tournament (chapters 159-241)
• Baki- The Sons of Gods Clash (chapters 242-276)
• Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre- Real Shadow Boxing (chapters 1-15)
• Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre- The Super Prison Battle Arc (chapters 16-79)
• Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre- The Pickle War Arc (chapters 80-181)
• Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre- The Warrior’s Battle Arc (chapters 182-241)
• Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre- The Greatest Father and Son Fight Arc (chapters 242-312)
• Baki-Dou 2014- The Musashi Arc (chapters 1-198)
• Baki-Dou 2018- The Sumo Tournament Arc (chapters 1-98)
• Baki-Dou 2018- The Ancient Sumo Arc (chapters 99-151)
• Baki Rahen- The Jack Hanma Arc (chapters 1-present)

All Baki the Grappler arcs

Baki the Grappler is effectively broken up into three parts, first introducing a 17-year-old Baki Hanma. It then swings back wildly for a deep dive into his childhood that reveals how he found his way into the Tokyo Dome Underground Arena. From there, it fleshes out the cast with the Maximum Tournament, introducing most of the secondary characters in the series.

The Underground Arena arc (chapters 1-72)

Baki Hanma, a goofball martial arts savant, is introduced through the lens of a karate tournament. It’s then revealed that he’s the champion of a secret underground fighting circuit in Tokyo, and that he’s the son of a fearsome fighter who has a standing relationship with the United States government.

The Kid Baki arc (chapters 73-180)

The series has an extended flashback into Baki’s early teens, showing his life before the Underground Arena. This includes an abusive mother pressuring him into becoming a fighter who can stand against Yujiro in a fight that will take place at an appointed time. Baki tutelage from various fighters around the world ranging from elite boxers to supersoldiers in preparation for this. The arc concludes with Baki discovering and forcing his way into the Underground Arena.

The Maximum Tournament arc (chapters 181-371)

The story returns to the modern day with Underground Arena owner Mitsunari Tokugawa putting together a massive tournament with fighters from around the world. While Baki stands as the champion, he needs to beat both fighters from his past and new faces including Kaio Retsu, Gouki Shibukawa, and Chiharu Shiba.

Alongside the many fights that take place during Baki the Grappler’s Maximum Tournament, it features a short mini-arc entitled the Secret War in Vietnam. The Secret War in Vietnam arc runs across Baki the Grappler manga from chapter 347 through 355. It shows a teenage Yujiro Hanma “defeated America” during the Vietnam War.

All New Grappler Baki arcs

The Baki the Grappler manga wraps with the Maximum Tournament but the New Grappler Baki manga starting days after the tournament’s conclusion. A group of escaped convicts descends upon Tokyo, which sees the cast take their skills out of the Underground Arena and into the streets. From there, Baki finds himself in a storied Chinese martial arts tournament with his life on the line. He then has an extracurricular fight with one of the other competitors from the tournament.

The Most Vicious Death Row Inmates arc (chapters 1-158)

Five death row inmates escape from prisons and inexplicably head to Tokyo to “taste defeat” in true no-holds-barred combat. The Underground Arena fighters look to oblige them, resulting in a series of brutal fights. Weapons are freely used but many of these convicts have “dark martial arts” that they’ve mastered. As all this plays out, the relationship between Baki and Kozue deepens after they commit to each other during the Maximum Tournament.

The Raitai Tournament arc (chapters 159-241)

After fighting some of the death row inmates, Baki is seemingly dying. The cure, according to Kaio Retsu, can be found in a Chinese martial arts tournament held once each century. Baki, Yujiro, and the son of legendary boxer Mohammad Alai are among the entrants. Things go off the rails when another competitor, the 140-year-old Kaio Kaku, becomes frustrated over the performance of his fellow Chinese competitors.

The Sons of Gods Clash arc (chapters 242-276)

Baki Hanma is challenged by Mohammad Alai Jr to a fight. Despite taking place in a manga entitled “Baki,” Alai Jr effectively becomes the main character in this arc. He seeks to familiarize himself with the Underground Arena by fighting some of its top competitors. He has great success with this, until he doesn’t.

All Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre arcs

New Grappler Baki concludes with Baki challenging Yujiro to a rematch and Yujiro accepting his challenge. Similar to the Kid Baki arc, he seeks to challenge himself and improve his skills with the help of fighters from around the globe. This starts with Biscuit Oliva and ends with a lengthy exploration of Baki’s past and motivations. And also a fight with Chiharu Shiba.

The Real Shadow Boxing arc (chapters 1-15)

Baki has long had the ability to practice fighting against imagined versions of his opponents, and that’s taken to an extreme. Baki conjures up the image of a human-sized praying mantis and throws down.

The Super Prison Battle Arc (chapters 16-79)

Baki wants to find an opponent who can match Yujiro Hanma’s physical strength and the only candidate is Biscuit Oliva. The trouble is that Oliva lives most of his life in the maximum security Arizona State Prison. Baki finds himself in the frustrating position of waiting for a turn to face Oliva behind another fighter, pirate-turned-revolutionary Jun Guevaru.

The Pickle War Arc (chapters 80-181)

A caveman from the cretaceous period is discovered frozen in a block of ice. He is thawed and brought to a military base in Japan, with Underground Arena fighters sneaking in for the chance to see someone that was reportedly strong enough to fight dinosaurs. Despite being primitive, Pickle has a strict honor code where he won’t eat anything that he didn’t fight and kill himself. When Pickle’s handlers struggle to find animals willing to fight Pickle, the fighters offer themselves up.

The Warrior’s Battle arc (chapters 182-241)

This arc in the Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre manga shuffles together a number of different stories. The primary story throughout is Kaio Retsu taking up boxing after his fight with Pickle, with the pugilists exceeding his expectations. Mixed in throughout are other stories centered on characters ranging from Baki to Doppo Orochi to Gerry Strydum.

The Greatest Father and Son Fight Arc (chapters 242-312)

After plenty of teases, Yujiro and Baki finally come to blows in “the greatest father and son fight.” The fight proves to be epic in scope, attracting the attention of both other former opponents of Baki and Yujiro, as well as random people around the world. Both fighters showcase new techniques and the backstories of both men are expanded.

All Baki-Dou 2014 arcs

Rather than being divided up into multiple stories, Baki-Dou 2014 has one largely cohesive story that centers around Miyamoto Musashi. While the samurai from the 1600s is often portrayed and regarded as a heroic figure, it’s often forgotten that his fame is rooted in his ability to kill people.

The only person who realizes this is Izou Motobe. The aged martial arts expert perplexingly declares that he needs to protect all the other Underground Arena fighters, including Yujiro Hanma. When this is met with resistance, he looks to prove that he is up to the task.

All Baki-Dou 2018 arcs

The second Baki-Dou series has two distinct arcs. Both are centered around sumo wrestling, with the modern-day sport being highlighted in the first part. The second follows a pair of fighters whose names and skills lie in sumo’s ancient roots.

The Sumo Tournament Arc (chapters 1-98)

A successor to legendary sumo wrestler Nomi No Sukune is crowned after he crushes coal into a diamond with his bare hands. The new Nomi No Sukune seeks to reestablish ancient sumo wrestling as a martial art, with the first step in this process being to assert ancient sumo’s superiority to modern-day grand sumo.

Believing that the Underground Arena fighters are more akin to ancient sumo wrestlers, Nomi No Sukune enlists their help in a contest

The Ancient Sumo Arc (chapters 99-151)

After the sumo tournament wraps, the story focuses entirely on Nomi No Sukune. He tests his limits against some of the series’ top fighters to mixed results. As part of this, a successor to another ancient sumo wrestler appears.

All Baki Rahen arcs

Baki Rahen sees the series put Baki on the back burner once again. Instead, Jack Hanma comes to the fore in a series that expands on his backstory. Similar to Nomi No Sukune, he’s looking to prove the strength of his martial art. Instead of reviving ancient sumo, however, he invents his own style: Goudou, the art of biting.

What are the best arcs in the Baki series?

The Maximum Tournament and Pickle War arcs are widely regarded as the best in the history of the Baki franchise.

Baki is a “fighting” manga, so it’s fitting that the most beloved arcs in the series are jam-packed with fights. The Maximum Tournament in the Baki the Grappler manga introduced a number of characters and had some surprising twists, which were complemented in the manga by some of the series’ most detailed splash pages.

Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre’s Pickle War arc dialed the series’ absurdity up to the maximum. From its caveman main character to characters powering up by imagining they have more bones, much of the arc is downright ludicrous. It still stays far away from qualifying as comedy thanks to the utter brutality of the fights.

Which Baki manga arcs have been adapted into anime?

All arcs in the Baki the Grappler, New Grappler Baki, and Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre manga have been adapted into anime. Neither Baki-Dou, nor Baki Rahen, have received an anime adaptation. TMS Entertainment confirmed that a Baki-Dou anime is in the works and that it will adapt the 2014 manga series that follows Miyamoto Musashi.

All three arcs from Baki the Grappler are included in the 2001 anime. However, the Baki the Grappler anime presents the arcs in chronological order and includes a number of changes to the story. This includes omitting some fights and adjusting others to be less brutal.

Meanwhile, the Baki and Baki Hanma series are very faithful to the manga. While some filler elements and cutaways are removed in Baki Hanma, fans can watch the anime instead of reading the manga without missing out on much.