The long-running Baki franchise is riding high with the back-to-back drops of Baki Hanma Seasons 2 and 3, but a new manga series is coming as well in Baki Rahen.
Many anime series end up out-pacing the manga they’re based on, necessitating new storylines that often radically split from their source material. This has been seen with series like FullMetal Alchemist and Naruto. That’s not the case with Baki, though. The first proper Baki anime series came out a decade after the launch of the manga, and New Grappler Baki was done 13 years before it was adapted into the series on Netflix.
While the latest anime wraps up with the release of Baki Hanma Season 3 and right after, a new manga series will begin. Here’s everything there is to know about Baki Rahen. Warning: spoilers ahead for Baki-Dou and Baki Hanma
What is the new Baki Rahen manga?
Baki Rahen is a new manga series in the Baki the Grappler franchise. It is set to continue the story after the conclusion of Baki-Dou.
There were two separate Baki-Dou series that brought Japanese fighting legends back to life to fight against the series’ mainstays. The first launched in 2014 and followed a resurrected Miyamoto Musashi on his quest to return martiality to the martial arts. 2018’s Baki-Dou series saw sumo wrestling creator Nomi No Sukune reincarnated and looking to reestablish sumo at the top of the fighting world.
A major plot point in the second Baki-Dou was the return of Jack Hanma. Jack suffered a string of devastating defeats across Baki Hanma and the first Baki-Dou. In the second series, he returned to the win column in stunning fashion. This set up the ending sequence of the series and laid the groundwork for Baki Rahen.
What is the new Baki manga about?
Despite the name, Baki Rahen is set to follow Jack Hanma. All signs point to him being set for a rematch with Pickle, though the series starts with him fighting a swordsman named Sabukyo Ichiro who appears in Baki-Dou and an earlier Baki spin-off.
Jack vs. Pickle was arguably the most gruesome fight in Baki Hanma. Yujiro’s least-favorite son puts in a good showing but effectively has the lower half of his face completely removed by the end. Jack responds by undergoing another round of bone-lengthening surgery, pushing his height close to eight feet tall. As is Baki tradition, what should have been a major spike in fighting prowess was instead followed by devastating defeat.
The next time Jack appears is in the second Baki-Dou series. After suffering these defeats he creates a new fighting style that blends striking with biting and gets a set of titanium dental implants. He defeats Nomi No Sukune, which presumably reestablishes him as a top fighter.
The new, taller Jack fights Izo Motobe with a fight against Miyamoto Musashi on the line. He once again suffers a brutal defeat and loses another set of teeth.
The implication at the end of Baki-Dou is that Jack is set for a rematch against Pickle. Pickle begins living in the sewers of Tokyo after the events of Baki Hanma, but has begun roaming around the surface. If Jack defeats Pickle, it will firmly cement him as one of the strongest fighters in the series.
When does Baki Rahen start?
The first chapter of Baki Rahen hits shelves on August 24, 2023. It launches alongside the release of the final part of the Baki Hanma anime.
Baki Rahen will be printed in Weekly Shonen Champion, the publication that has traditionally carried all the Baki manga series. As the name suggests, Weekly Shonen Champion is published weekly but Baki writer and artist Keisuke Itagaki has been taking regular breaks from work. It’s unclear what the series’ cadence will be moving forward.
