Is the Baki Manga Over or Ongoing? Explained!
The story of Baki is told in five main works: Grappler Baki, published between 1991 and 1999 and compiled into forty-two volumes; Baki, published between 1999 and 2005, comprising thirty-one volumes; Hanma Baki, published between 2005 and 2012, comprising thirty-three volumes; Baki-Dou, published between 2014 and 2018 comprising 22 volumes; and Bakidou, published since October 4, 2018. In this article, we will tell you whether the Baki series is actually finished or if you can expect more content in the future.
Baki the Grappler is a series consisting of two main works – a multi-pat manga series and an anime series – and both of these works are still ongoing and are not finished. The manga series has been ongoing since October 1991 and has 146 volumes as of the time of writing (split into five works), while the anime series has been ongoing since August 21, 1994; several works have been produced as part of the Baki anime, like the manga. There is no foreseeable ending for any of these works as of the time of writing.
The rest of this article will focus on Baki the Grappler series’s publication and its aspects. We will go over the whole publication history and ultimately tell you whether the Baki the Grappler series is over or still ongoing so that you know how much material from this series you can expect.
The Baki the Grappler manga is still ongoing
The original manga series was published in the Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine between October 1991 and 1999 and was compiled into 42 bound volumes; this series features the “Champion,” “Kid,” and “Maximum Tournament” arcs. A deluxe edition of the series consisting of 24 volumes was released between 2007 and 2008.
The second series, which also appeared in the Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine, was published between 1999 and November 24, 2005. This series included the “Prisoners,” “Chinese Challenge,” and “Alai Junior” narrative arcs. It was ultimately compiled into 31 bound volumes.
Like all the others, the third series appeared in the Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine between December 1, 2005, and August 16, 2012, and was later compiled into 37 bound volumes. It includes a total of four arcs: “The Fortress of Oliva,” “The Prehistoric Menace,” “The Boxing of Retsu Kaiou,” and the final confrontation of Yujiro and Baki.
The fourth series in the franchise debuted in the Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine and was published between March 20, 2014, and April 5, 2018, and compiled into a total of twenty-two bound volumes. It features Miyamoto Musashi being challenged by various Baki characters after being resurrected in modern times.
The fifth and currently ongoing series began appearing in the Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine on October 4, 2018. It has the same title as the previous series, but with Baki’s name written in katakana rather than kanji, and features Nomi-no-Sukune.
So, to sum it up, the Baki manga series consists of the following works:
- Grappler Baki (42 volumes, 1991–1999)
- Baki (31 volumes, 1999–2005)
- Baki Hanma (37 volumes, 2005–2012)
- Baki-Dou (22 volumes, 2014–2018)
- Bakidou (14 volumes, 2018–ongoing)
Now, while the manga consists of five separate titles, it actually forms a single narrative unit and can be considered one large work. In that context, we can confirm that Grappler Baki, Baki, Baki Hanma, and Baki-Dou are officially over and that these four manga titles are done. On the other hand, Bakidou is still ongoing as of 2018, and the manga has currently, as of the time of writing, been collected into 14 volumes, with more to come in the future. So, what’s the rundown?
As of the time of writing this article, the Baki manga series is quite alive and well as a complete narrative unit. There are no signs of cancelation, and while the story is moving forward at a slower pace, there is no news about any cancelation or the series reaching its end as of this moment, which means that there is still a lot more of the manga to enjoy. To clarify once more, Baki is a work consisting of five separate titles, four of which are over, while one, Bakidou, is still ongoing and is a work that confirms that the series as a whole is not over.
The Baki anime series is also ongoing
Baki Hanma premiered on Netflix on September 30, 2021, with all twelve episodes being available for immediate streaming. Now, Baki Hanma is the third ONA season of the Baki anime and the third one to air on Netflix, after the two seasons of the Baki anime, which came out in 2018. Previously, two episodes of the Baki the Grappler anime aired in 2001.
The Baki anime’s structure is, as with the manga, rather complex, mostly because there are several adaptations but without a clear structure; the Netflix adaptations are standalone sequels to the original anime, but that is practically all that connects them. Let’s give an overview of the whole structure. This is everything that constitutes the anime franchise by release date:
- “Baki The Grappler: The Ultimate Fighter” (OVA, 1994)
- Baki the Grappler (anime series, 2001)
- “Baki: Most Evil Death Row Convicts Special Anime” (OVA, 2016)
- Baki (ONA series, 2018–2020)
- Baki Hanma – Son of Ogre (ONA series, 2021–ongoing)
Now, as you can observe yourselves, the 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 (which aired from 2018 to 2020, with 39 episodes in total), and its sequel ONA series which has 12 episodes in total and premiered on September 30, 2021.
Sadly, the release order doesn’t match the actual in-universe chronology of the franchise, which you can check in our article, but that’s really not the issue. What you do have to know here 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.
Everything we’ve said about the manga above can also be applied to the anime series. Although we haven’t received official confirmation of a new season of Baki (the third part of Hanma still hasn’t aired, though), the popularity of the manga and the initial anime adaptations make it almost a certain thing, so we can confirm that the anime is not over either and that we are going to see more of the anime in the future. We just don’t know when.
