Baki the Grappler (2001–2007) User Reviews

Fun first season trash second

[kchikwete · 7/10 · 1 April 2019]

I watched this one in order to gain a better understanding of the world of the Netfix 2018 one. The first season was good and fun dont take it seriously it was like Kenichi but more violent.Its the usual shounen get stronger become the strongest bla bla bla The main villian was introduced and plot presented become the strongest. Enjoyed all the fights and the animation and sound were bearable.

Season 2 began with the worst opening ive ever heard in an anime and i knew this was gonna pretty. A generic tournament arc began with more characters i didn't care about. They tried to rush squeeze in back stories but i stopped paying attention when one guys fight was shorter then his story. It was like they blew all the money on the first season and didnt know they had make a second season so they scraped some cash and tried to paste together a series. Animation dropped to like 20fps and they were just cuting too many corners. In one fight a guy gets punched so hard he turns into a gif and spins 3 times in the same spot before landing. This part I give 4/10

So just watch the the first season (avoid the 90s OVA) and read the manga for this part if you need to learn more.

Why are they not making more season?!?!!

[shezi-32795 · 10/10 · 23 July 2020]

One of the best animes out there. Wish they would have made another season for some closure

Required viewing for any fan of martial arts or any man in that case

[kingsofoldcomeback · 10/10 · 24 July 2018]

If you are looking at this you are probably familiar with this anime. Maybe you know there is also a manga which takes the blood and bone, bordering realistic theme of this universe, into even greater hype domains.

My favorite manga, my favorite anime, my favorite peace of literature, my favorite philosophical discourse about nature of being A MAN.

Its wonderful in so many ways, and it speaks on many levels. Be prepared to set new PR's and practice sardonic smile in front of a mirror. Be prepared to yell in Japanese for no reason whatsoever (sub > dub). Be prepared to look into the distance and remember ancient arrow catching techniques. Be prepared to start overeating and challenging animals to duels.

1000/10 Would watch again, and AM watching again. hahahah PS: there's a new season out, 2018 production. Its awesome!

BAKI A GREAT SHOW but not for all fans

[laucorn_god · 9/10 · 21 August 2007]

I for one love this Anime but going over 48 episodes it may drag out for some fans BUT in my eyes it only helps understand all the people who take part in the show.

Baki is a very interesting hero in this as he is a very troubled young warrior and his father takes the cake in evil bad a55 father awards.

I tell any fans of anime to check this out because it is well worth it but to clear things up this isn't the most blood gory anime out there and yes there is A LOT OF FIGHTING and blood but not on the same level as many other anime titles.

Baki is well worth watching and even though the ending may upset many fans there is always room for more Baki however they decide to go.

Not only the best anime. The best series that has ever been invented by man.

[illeri-01507 · 10/10 · 16 April 2021]

This is hands down the best series I have ever seen in my entire life, it's not even close. The likes of one piece, naruto, dragon ball, bleach, death note, etc. Can't match this. If you call yourself a real man you will undoubtedly love this. Almost every character in this series is driven by their love and passion of fighting and they share the same view of fighting in terms of value, but not in terms of styles. These characters are essentially normal human beings who loves to fight, but they amount to ludicrous feats that are way beyond the limitations of a human. It's also very inconsistent in a way. But this ridiculousness and inconsistency is the epitome of imagination, which is probably the biggest factor that makes this show so damn good to me. The brutality, which is way more apparent in the new netflix version is also a big plus to me. On top of this, there is so much more that makes this show as great as it is but it would be way too much to write about.

"Baki" - The ultimate fight Anime'?

[dee.reid · 10/10 · 9 February 2009]

I saw the two-season series collection DVD for "Baki the Grappler" at Best Buy and I knew I had to beg my mother to get it for me for Christmas. Alas, I was not disappointed Christmas Day when I got my wish. I eagerly popped in disc one and was blown away by several repeated kicks to the senses of what I see as the ultimate fight Anime'!

My friends and I are used to the likes of watching live-action martial arts movies, but so few martial arts fight Anime' features. I'm the only one of us who has dared to experience the intensity (and overall insanity, with occasional bits of surrealism thrown in for good measure) that is "Baki the Grappler." An adaptation of the Japanese Manga series created by Keisuke Itagaki, the show follows the long and brutal path of 13-year-old Baki Hanma to proclaim himself the best fighter in the world. It's a long, hard quest to be the best, since his father Yujiro Hanma already has that title and is pretty much the strongest living creature on the planet, although IMHO, he might as well as be The Devil Himself (you'll eventually see why).

It's obvious that Baki has a big chip on his shoulder, not only to prove to the world that he is the best, but he also has to prove it to himself, as well (lending the series an unpretentious emotional edge rare for this sort of thing). At such a young age, he's already pushed himself to the limit and beyond, both physically and mentally, to be the best fighter in the world. The series does a good job of tracking his maturation from a brash young street brawler to a seasoned and intelligent martial artist who has earned legions of respect from his fans as well as other legendary fighters.

The series at first begins like any action/crime thriller we've become so used to in the past. But about five episodes in, things suddenly change into a great new direction and never looks back. Also, some have made about comments about how there's no false drama or theatrics in this show. That's good, not bad. All we get here is straight-up action and nothing more, even though we grow to really like Baki, regardless of how deeply troubled he may be, and there are a few unexpectedly tragic moments during the series that does prove that even fighters have a heart.

Still, "Baki the Grappler" is first-rate fight Anime'. There's a wide variety of martial arts disciplines on display here, including boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Chinese gong-fu, Karate, Kickboxing, Judo, Jujutsu, Muay Thai, Russian SAMBO, Sumo, Tae Kwon Do, wrestling, and some good old-fashioned straight-up brawling. Needless to say, Baki is able to dish out beatings and take a few himself, and still walk right on into the next fight. It also goes without saying that Baki, and most of the fighters he battles with, are pretty much superhuman because their stamina and endurance during scenes of intense combat is nothing short of just that - superhuman. One of these battles includes Baki's mountain-top brawl with a giant ape that's probably the mutant offspring of King Kong and Bigfoot.

"Baki the Grappler" is up there with some of the greatest martial arts Anime' features from Japan, certainly one of the greatest animated martial arts features, period, for sure. Its two-season, 48-episode run may be pushing it for some tastes, but I guarantee you that you'll never be sleeping with so many repeated kicks to the head, and a few vague references to the martial arts philosophies of Bruce Lee, to keep you interested, and conscious.

Japanese heavy metal band Dir en Grey performs the opening theme song of each episode, "Child Prey."

10/10.

Punching and kicking for everyone

[jerepepe · 14 August 2021]

The question with Baki is quite simple, when you understand that any kind of feeling towards another person is expressed through being beaten down, the series is much more enjoyable.

I'm not going to lie to you, love Baki. I love their unbelievable fights, their physically impossible bodies, their completely random dialogues, those secret techniques that come out of nowhere just to increase epicity. It's excellent.

Baki (this series and the current one) is one of my favorite anime, for two reasons: Because it is the first anime I saw and because it does not mind being only a fighting series, and is proud in that sense.

the best martial arts anime of all time

[david_hernandez_06 · 10/10 · 28 January 2012]

If you are a martial arts fan you will love this anime because It's got lots of action and marital arts tournament and displays many style of fighting from the real world.

The story is a bit fast paced for my liking, I would've enjoyed it more if it had more episodes.

All episodes are really high quality and if you prefer to watch the series dubbed then I can tell you that the dubs are really good for this one.

The animation is good and art style too although a bit outdated since it was released in 2001.

It's my favorite anime from all time.

Manliness defined

[jameslevay · 9/10 · 7 July 2019]

Baki is my personal 2nd favorite anime behind JoJos Bizzare Adventure much like JoJo this series is over the top redicious but instead of focusing on the supernatural this series is more grounded in reality as in the fighters in this show use nothing but their muscles to achieve superhuman feats while still being humans no energy blasts or psychic ghosts here just brutal human on human bare knuckle brawls exadurated to the Max this not only makes it unique but very entertaining if you like manly anime like JoJo, Fist of the North Star, and Berserk or classic martial arts shonen like Dragonball z and Yuyu hakusho give this a watch you'll love it

Incredible, and well written

[yoloswagsam · 10/10 · 16 September 2023]

The animation and fight scenes are awesome, it's somewhat based in realism, but still very much has anime logic. This is the main appeal, and originally the main reason why I wanted to watch it, but right off the bat this is an incredibly well written, entertaining and emotional show. There's a shocking amount of depth, with baki being the only morally sound character at odds with and fighting a host of murderous and often lunatic fighters, and his own father, an unnaturally strong, skilled, near invincible man who kills for pleasure, fueled by his own ego- I loved the yasha ape plotline, with the surprisingly wholesome and emotional twist after the fight.

Most if not all characters are 3 dimensional, all with flaws, strengths, and motives. Some are weaker than others, sure, but they're all well written.

It's an incredibly deep and often political story, the type TV often avoids. And pretty much all of that messaging I personally agree with.

Overall, my personal new favorite anime, and probably one of my favorite shows in general.

The definition of unnecessary dialogue

[divg-57-800054 · 5/10 · 5 May 2019]

The premise is decent, but again another anime where a 17 years old kid is the stronger. Also the show tries to be clever in every moment speaking about different topics, but its extremely excessive, the same with the dialogues in flights, over explanation of their techniques and their histories they make the entire show boring. I can't keeping watching more episodes. Maybe for teen 14-18