Netflix Releases First Trailer for Epic ‘Baki Hanma vs. Kengan Ashura’ Crossover Anime, Premiering in June!
As anime and manga fans will know, the Baki series is one of the best-known and most popular martial arts manga and anime series of all time, right next to Hajime no Ippo and Kengan Ashura (we’re not counting Dragon Ball since it has a fantasy element to it). While Baki‘s style might not be to everyone’s liking, the series is popular, and, in fact, the series has been ongoing since 1991, with six different titles as of the time of writing. The current manga story, Baki Rahen, has been published since 2023.
On the other hand, as we have said, Kengan Ashura is also a cult classic martial arts series. It is written by Yabako Sandrovich and illustrated by Daromeon, who are currently working on the sequel manga, Kengan Omega, which started in 2019; the original Kengan Ashura manga ran from 2012 to 2018 and consists of 27 volumes in total. Like Baki, Kengan Ashura has been adapted in anime format, with 36 episodes as of the time of writing. Both series are produced by Netflix and the streaming service will bring us an epic crossover next month!
This is not an unnatural thing, as Netflix is streaming and producing both series at this time, with the second part of Kengan Ashura‘s Season 2 coming out later this year, while a new Baki series, Baki-Dou, has also been announced. But, before either of these two works arrives, Netflix will treat us to a very special crossover event that will show us a clash between Baki and Kengan Ashura. The crossover event is going to be titled Baki Hanma vs. Kengan Ashura and Netflix has just released the first official trailer:
The trailer confirms that the special crossover event is arriving on June 6, 2024, on the streaming service, and we have finally been able to get a proper glimpse at what we can expect from the series. The official synopsis for the series reveals the following:
The hugely popular martial arts manga series “Baki,” published in Akita Shoten’s “Weekly Shonen Champion” and written by Keisuke Itagaki, has sold over 85 million copies. It tells the stories of various fighters, centered on the epic life-and-death clash between protagonist Baki Hanma and his father Yujiro Hanma, the “strongest creature in the world.” The battle action manga “KENGAN ASHURA,” written by Yabako Sandrovich and illustrated by Daromeon, is published on the comics website Ura Sunday and the comics app MangaONE. It begins when humble office worker Kazuo Yamashita encounters mysterious martial artist Ohma Tokita and gets wrapped up in the “Kengan” matches, in which corporations settle business disputes by betting large sums on seasoned fighters. This unlikely alliance between underground fighting organizations brings together two titans of martial arts manga as the dream collaboration between “Baki” and “Kengan Ashura” finally becomes a reality! Iconic badasses from both series clash in extreme and unpredictable matchups so thrilling they’re sure to get your blood pumping! Become witness to a legend!
This is certainly exciting, and the special crossover will definitely be a great addition to the streaming service. We are, of course, going to follow this story, so be sure to keep following us for all the news and updates related to both series!
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