After the conclusion of Baki Hanma, legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi is set to be the next big bad of the Baki franchise.
Baki was originally similar to anime series like Rurouni Kenshin. While it follows a fictional character capable of doing fantastical things, much of the supporting cast was based on real-life people like pro wrestler Antonio Inoki, karate master Masatatsu Oyama, bodybuilder Sergio Oliva, and boxer Muhammad Ali. The introduction of Pickle to the series might have fans thinking that Baki is getting away from that, but this isn’t the case.
A character based on real-life samurai legend Miyamoto Musashi will be the subject of the next Baki Hanma anime series. Here are all the key details about him, and what happens to him.
Warning: Major spoilers ahead regarding Baki Hanma Season 3 and Baki-Dou
Is Miyamoto Musashi in Baki Hanma?
Miyamoto Musashi is the primary antagonist of 2014’s Baki-Dou series, which stars Baki Hanma. He is briefly referenced in the first season, but doesn’t actually appear and likely won’t be a part of Baki Hanma Season 3.
The Musashi character is modeled after the 17th-century samurai and author of The Book of Five Rings. While there are hundreds of heroic characters that are inspired by or based on Musashi, Baki’s iteration is unique in that he is one of the series’ most powerful villains.
At the start of Baki-Dou, it’s revealed that Tokyo Dome Underground Arena owner Mitsunari Tokugawa has a secret underground research lab. Scientists under his employ unearth the body of Musashi and work on cloning him. Though they successfully replicate his body, it remains soulless until Tokugawa’s sister uses occult powers to pull his spirit out of the ether and put it back in his body.
While the initial reaction to Musashi’s resurrection is a mix of curiosity and excitement, things change quickly. Though he’s imagined to be a wisened martial arts master, it’s shown that Musashi reveled in the fame and luxury that came in the 1600s through his proficiency in killing. His plan is to do exactly the same thing in modern times.
How do Musashi’s swords work in Baki?
Musashi’s swords are manifested through the same kind of imagination power that Baki Hanma has.
Musashi proves to be a more advanced user of some of the fantastical techniques used by Baki. While the titular character can imagine opponents and fight them to prepare for the real thing, Musashi takes this a step further. Other people are able to actually feel what he is imagining, and he routinely imagines what it would be like to kill those around him.
He does this casually on some occasions but can also consciously project this on opponents during fights. There’s one sequence where he uses this ability on an opponent to make them feel like they’d been cut in half, then delivers a real kick to the face while they’re reeling on the ground. It is implied that he is developing a way to use this power to produce a real cutting effect, which is seen during his fight with Yujiro Hanma.
Alongside this, Musashi also uses actual swords on multiple occasions. He remains extremely deadly with them, even though he’s also formidable unarmed.
Is Musashi as strong as Yujiro or Baki?
Musashi is about as strong as Baki and Yujiro. He is firmly cemented as one of the strongest characters in the series, but it’s not entirely clear how he stacks up against the Hanma family.
The power of Musashi was best demonstrated by the fact that he was the first character to defeat Pickle. Pickle was firmly established as one of the top fighters after defeating Baki, Jack, Katsumi Orochi, and Kaio Retsu during his introductory arc. Musashi defeated him with little difficulty and remains the only person with a win over him as of the end of 2018’s Baki-Dou manga.
