Baki Hanma Season 3 has officially wrapped and fans are now eagerly anticipating the release of Season 4, but that’s unlikely with Baki-Dou waiting for an anime adaptation.
UPDATE: A Baki-Dou anime has been officially confirmed, read our full story on Baki Hanma’s sequel.
Baki fans have had many brutally long waits over the years. Baki Hanma’s first season dropped in 2021 and it took almost six months to confirm that another one was coming. That was followed by more than a year of complete silence, which led many to question whether the show had been quietly canceled. Eventually, trailers started dropping and Netflix confirmed the release of Baki Hanma Seasons 2 and 3 launching almost back-to-back.
The question now is what’s next for the Baki anime. Will there be a Baki Hanma Season 4? Or is something else on the horizon? There are definite answers to these questions.
Will there be a Baki Hanma Season 4?
There will not be a Baki Hanma Season 4. This doesn’t mean that Baki’s journey is over, however.
The Baki Hanma series ends with the epic father-son brawl. From there, a new series entitled Baki-Dou begins. Effectively translated as “the Way of Baki,” Baki-Dou continued the series’ trend toward absurdity. The series is centered on legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi being brought to modern times through a combination of science and witchcraft.
The return of Musashi gives the main cast respite from crippling boredom following the fight between Baki and Yujiro. Baki-Dou ran from 2014 to 2018 and was followed by a different series also entitled Baki-Dou. While this might sound confusing, reading the Baki manga in order isn’t overly difficult.
Will there be a Baki-Dou anime?
It is unknown if there will be a Baki-Dou anime any time soon, but it is possible. Details regarding the deal between Netflix and Baki’s creator and publisher are unclear. It is unknown whether there is a deal in place to continue making Baki anime beyond the two now-completed series or if it is now up for renewal.
The response to Baki Hanma was strong enough that fans can have some confidence about the future. The series ranked in the top 10 most-watched non-English TV shows on Netflix after the release of the second season and stayed there through the launch of season three. It peaked at number two in this category.
Whether it comes from Netflix or not, there is a marked increase in interest surrounding Baki at this point. Netflix may be inclined to greenlight a Baki-Dou anime but even if it isn’t, another streaming service or TV network may be inclined to. The big question is whether the Baki team is willing to commit to a new deal quickly. The publisher and author haven’t historically been in a rush to get the series adapted, so suitors may have to pay up in order to get more Baki anime made.
When will the Baki-Dou anime get released?
It is unknown whether a Baki-Dou anime will be made but 2025 would likely be the earliest fans could hope for. The big X-factor in this is potential negotiations with Netflix and other prospective broadcasting partners. The animators behind the series have a defined cadence at this point.
If Netflix already has an agreement in place for Baki-Dou or comes to one quickly, early 2025 is a realistic possibility for its release date. After the end of Baki, the animation studio that created the series took three years to create three seasons of Baki Hanma. That makes 2025 a realistic release window for a Baki-Dou anime if an agreement comes together quickly, but that’s a big “if.”
