The martial arts anime Baki combines steely muscles with intense action. However, understanding the plot requires watching several series in the correct order.
Few anime exude as much masculinity as Baki. The story revolves around Baki Hanma, the titular protagonist and son of the world’s strongest fighter, Yujiro Hanma. His life goal is to surpass his father, for which he trains rigorously every day. Along his journey, he encounters numerous powerful fighters who must be defeated.
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The chronological Watch Order of Baki
The Baki manga has been running since 1991 and comprises over 140 volumes, with more than 85 million copies printed. Since 1994, there has been an anime continuously expanding with new series. The Watch Order of the anime saga is not necessarily complex but may be somewhat confusing for beginners.
The art style has changed several times over the years, but all series ultimately follow the manga source by Keisuke Itagaki. It’s best to watch Baki in chronological order, starting from the respective release years. The sequence is as follows:
- Grappler Baki (OVA, 1994)
- Grappler Baki (Series, 2001)
- Baki-dō (OVA, 2016)
- Baki (Series, 2018)
- Baki Hanma (Series, 2021)
Baki: Where to stream the martial arts anime?
Unfortunately, the martial arts anime is only sporadically available on legal streaming platforms. The two latest installments, Baki (2018) and Baki Hanma (2021), can be watched on Netflix. However, the older parts, which delve into the backstory of the young protagonist, are not included in the streaming offerings.
The series Grappler Baki and the continuation Baki-dō could theoretically be acquired on DVD or Blu-ray. Currently, they are not available on Amazon or other online retailers. Instead, the anime has been uploaded to YouTube, where you can even watch it with English synchronization.