‘Baki’ Anime Watch Order: Including ‘Baki Hanma’ Season 2!
Martial arts manga and anime are not uncommon, but many of them usually incorporate different fantastic elements that make the plot more colorful. Except for some aspects, the ‘Baki‘ franchise is mostly a pure martial arts series, and we must admit that it is one of the best in that aspect. Keisuke Itagaki’s manga has been around since 1991, and in this article, we will give you the ‘Baki’ anime watch order.
The article is going to be divided into several sections. The first section will give you an overview of the proper watch order for the show, after which we will describe each aspect in more detail. Finally, we are going to answer some important questions about the series.
Editor’s Note: This article is regularly updated to provide you with the latest ‘Baki’ anime news.
How Many ‘Baki’ Seasons, episodes & OVA’s are there?
‘Baki’ franchise consists of two individual OVA episodes (1994 and 2016), the original anime series (two seasons, 48 episodes in total, which aired in 2001), a new ONA anime series under the name ‘Baki,’ which aired from 2018 to 2020, with 39 episodes in total. The latest entry to the franchise is ‘Baki Hanma’ ONA, currently ongoing with so far released 39 episodes in total.
‘Baki’ watch order at a glance
Baki itself is really not that difficult to follow. The only problem is that there is a lot of material, and not all of it has been released correctly. The following is the ‘Baki’ anime franchise in release date order.
- ‘Baki The Grappler: The Ultimate Fighter’ (1994)
- ‘Baki the Grappler’ (Season 1): ‘Kid Saga/Underground Arena Saga’ (2001)
- ‘Baki the Grappler’ (Season 2): ‘Maximum Tournament Saga’ (2001)
- ‘Baki: Most Evil Death Row Convicts Special Anime’ (2016)
- ‘Baki’ (Season 1): ‘Most Evil Death Row Convicts Saga’ (2018)
- ‘Baki’ (Season 2): ‘Great Chinese Challenge Saga/Godlike Clash of the Kids Saga’ (2020)
- ‘Baki Hanma’ – ‘Son of Ogre’ (2021)
- ‘Baki Hanma’ (Season 2) (2023 )
Do you need to watch ‘Baki’ anime in a specific order?
‘Baki’ should be watched in a specific order. There is a lot of material to cover, considering that release order is not necessarily the in-universe chronological order. But in general, by following the proper watch order, you’re going to get a better sense of the franchise, characters, and their development.
The answer to this question depends heavily on how you like to watch your anime. If you’re a fan of vintage anime, then watching ‘Baki the Grappler,’ the original anime series, is highly recommended, as it is truly a good anime, and it does reveal a lot of plot details.
When Netflix relaunched the series in 2018, ‘Baki’ was not marketed as a reboot but rather as a continuation of the original 2001 series. The plot is a continuation, but it is only loosely based on the original anime, and you don’t really have to watch one to follow the other.
So, if you like vintage anime and you want to get a complete idea of the series’ plot, you should watch the series in the watch order mentioned below, but if you don’t want to bother yourselves with that, you can just start from the 2018 series, and you won’t be missing out on anything.
What is the best way to watch ‘Baki’ anime?
The best way to watch ‘Baki’ anime is in chronological order. You can likewise watch in release date order, but this order doesn’t, sadly, match the actual in-universe chronology of the franchise, which is why we have composed this guide (see below) in the first place. What you have to know now is that all the animated material is part of the same canon anime universe and that the new ONA series are actually a continuation of the original anime series, although the plots are connected only loosely.
This doesn’t matter on a general level, as the ONA series doesn’t contradict the original anime in any way, making it easier to watch. Let us see the best and proper watching order for the ‘Baki’ franchise.
‘Baki’ anime the complete chronological watch order
This is the section in which we are going to explain how to watch the ‘Baki’ series in proper order, related to the in-universe chronology.
1. ‘Baki the Grappler’ (Season 1): ‘Kid Saga/Underground Arena Saga’ (2001)
The original anime series aired from January 8 to June 25, 2001. It was a faithful adaptation of the manga series, but it did not follow the chronological order of Itagaki’s manga, and some chapters were left unadapted.
2. ‘Baki the Grappler’ (Season 2): ‘Maximum Tournament Saga’ (2001)
A second 24-episode season was soon produced and aired from July 23 to December 24, 2001. It followed the same pattern as the first season by faithfully adapting the manga, but not all of it and not in chronological order.
3. ‘Baki The Grappler: The Ultimate Fighter’ (1994)
The first OVA episode aired on August 21, 1994, and forms an integral unit with the 2001 anime series, although the series’ plot precedes the plot of the older OVA. It lasted 45 minutes, and it adapted some of the initial volumes of the manga, some of which ended up being re-adapted in the 2001 anime.
4. ‘Baki: Most Evil Death Row Convicts Special Anime’ (2016)
The second OVA, with a runtime of 15 minutes, was included in the limited edition of the 14th volume of ‘Baki-Dou’ on December 6, 2016. It adapted the manga arc of the same name, but it was an arc from the second manga series, ‘Baki.’ As it turned out, this was a prelude to a new series.
5. ‘Baki’ (Season 1):’ Most Evil Death Row Convicts Saga’ (2018)
Not long after the second OVA, it was announced that the ‘Most Evil Death Row Convicts’ arc would be adapted as an anime series, which aired on Netflix from June 25 to December 16, 2018. The adaptation had a total of 26 episodes.
6. ‘Baki’ (Season 2): ‘Great Chinese Challenge Saga/Godlike Clash of the Kids Saga’ (2020)
A second season of the Netflix show, consisting of only 13 episodes, was released on June 4, 2020, on Netflix.
7. ‘Baki Hanma – Son of Ogre’ (2021)
A third season of the Netflix series, consisting of 12 episodes, was released on September 30, 2021. To gain the skills he needs to surpass his powerful father, Baki enters Arizona State Prison to take on the notorious inmate known as Mr. Unchained.
8. ‘Baki Hanma’ Season 2 (2023)
The second season of ‘Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre’ follows the adventures of Baki Hanma when an ancient caveman called ‘Pickle’ gets discovered frozen and is ultimately revived. Pickle has a hard time navigating the modern world. The series’ strongest characters have trouble navigating Pickle’s strength.
Will there be more ‘Baki’ anime?
The future of ‘Baki’ anime remains uncertain since season 2 was supposed to be the final season. There is no news at this moment, but we will certainly update you as soon as we have more information.
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