DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

ANIME ActionGrappler Baki (TV)
ANIME ActionGrappler Baki: Saidai Tournament-hen
OVA ActionGrappler Baki
MANGA ActionNew Grappler Baki: In Search of Our Strongest Hero
MANGA ActionBaki Gaiden: Scarface
MANGA ActionBaki Gaiden: Kizuzura
MANGA ActionGrappler Baki Gaiden
NOVEL ActionYuuenchi: Baki Gaiden
MANGA DramaAshita no Joe
ONE SHOT ActionBaki Dangerous Zone
MANGA ActionGrappler Baki
MANGA ActionBaki Gaiden: GaiA

REVIEWS

• 

  LongJohnSteven

  100/100
  A Love Letter to Grappler Baki

  The following is, even more than it is a review, a message of respect and awe to the incredible manga “Grappler Baki”.

  The Review will be split into two main sections, Characterisation and Story and Motivation and Inspiration. The former of which will contain spoilers and the latter of which will be spoiler free, to act as a recommendation to those who have not yet read this amazing manga. Within these are many subsections, so these categories are very loose and only aim to add some structure to the review. The Review will focus on the original manga "Grappler Baki" as I believe it to be the strongest entry into the series. That being said, It will also contain spoilers for the entirety of the series.

  Before we begin, I would like to make something clear about this manga. Grappler Baki is, more than any other manga I’ve read, heavily aimed at a particular audience, that being young men. So if the points I make seem like stretches or leaps and you do not lie within that audience of young men, remember that the manga was written to sear the messages I talk about into the hearts of its target audience, and while you may still be able to enjoy it without fitting into that demographic, realise the raw emotions it evokes may be different for you.

  Let’s get into it.

  Characterisation and Story

  Masculinity in Grappler Baki

  Grappler Baki utterly oozes masculine energy. From the absurdly muscular bodies to the self-discipline of each character, every part of the story is soaked in masculinity. It’s not just the story either, it’s the whole world of Grappler Baki. So, you can imagine, then, the confusion, fear and helplessness of a young boy born into such a masculine world with no father to guide him to manhood. Despite all the epic battles and overplayed hype scenes, this is the true story of Grappler Baki. The story of a boy navigating the world around him to become a man.
  When I say “navigate”, I truly mean navigate. As a boy, Baki meets many different men, all with different values, ideals, and lives, and all with vastly different degrees and interpretations of masculinity. The offensive masculinity of Yujiro, Baki’s father. The illusory masculinity of Hanayama. The internal masculinity of Jack Hanma. The Insecure masculinity of Chiharu. These are all forces which Baki observes as a young man, and must navigate, absorbing the positive elements into his own morality and discarding all the toxic elements to build himself into a complete man, by the time he comes of age.

  I’m going to use this opportunity to dive into the different characters masculinity mentioned, not only to reinforce the argument I’ve made in the last paragraph but also in order to shed some light on how incredible the work done to differentiate these men’s masculinity and develop the manga’s themes was.

  Yujiro Hanma: As mentioned before, Yujiro demonstrates what I would call offensive masculinity. He has immense physical power, aggression, drive, and desire. To an outsider looking in, he may appear to be the most masculine character in the whole manga. However, where Yujiro falls as a man is to those closest to him. What is the point of the ability to snap a blade between finger and thumb if you have no family or loved ones to defend? This truly is the tragedy of Yujiro’s character. Despite being blessed with an offensive power to rival nations, his own emotional incompetence prevents his power from ever gaining an object to protect. Be it a family, a community or even a gang, the other men of the show have their power anchored at their loved ones, and the actions they take stem from this to (for the most part) secure this anchor. However, Yujiro is free from any tie of this nature, ultimately ensuring that he is only a weapon of destruction, and no creation can ever blossom where he walks.

  One particularly interesting point about Yujiro is the way in which others see him, be that other characters, the fans reading the manga, or even the mangaka himself. Despite him being, objectively, an archetypal villain with the expected murderous intent, love of mindless violence and lack of empathy, everyone seems to have a great deal of admiration and respect for the man. As far as most of the characters go, its fairly clear to see why they would feel this way. For the most part, Grappler Baki characters are striving to be the strongest, be it in their martial art or simply in dominating others. Yujiro represents the strongest, the position they strive for, and hence they naturally admire and respect him. Interestingly, no one demonstrates any jealously towards Yujiro. In the same way as you would not be jealous of a fictional character, other characters cannot be jealous of Yujiro, for he is such a cartoonish extreme of power that he appears to almost be a fictitious embodiment of power itself, and so appears to be a misguided point of comparison. Despite that, many characters aim for his mantel of “strongest creature alive,” which links into the regaining of self-belief I will discuss in the Grappler Baki as an Inspiration section.

  What I’ve just discussed is the majority of characters viewpoint on Yujiro, but interestingly, it is also the audiences. A quick google search, reading of a forum thread, or scroll through a YouTube comments section will find you the majority opinion, Yujiro is a respected, admired, and inspiring character to Grappler Baki fans. This is interesting, because unlike the characters in the manga, the average Grappler Baki fan is not (to my knowledge), an eager fighter who would effortlessly end the life of another if it would give them victory. This is, for modern humans, probably a healthy mindset to have, but yet why does watching another man slaughter others rile up sensible, well-adjusted people?
  To me, the answer to this question comes simply from the range of people who become obsessed with him. Fighters, non-fighters, men, women, really anyone. It’s an innate human instinct to respect Yujiro Hanma, simply because his hyper-masculinity is so enthralling. Of course, due to its offensive nature you, as a disconnected reader, miss its toxicity, or at least find it easier to overlook for his impressive offensive traits. However, a few characters, those closest to him, learn the full scope of the man and have to re-evaluate based upon this. One of these is Akezawa Emi, who I will discuss in the section Femininity in Grappler Baki. The other is, of course, Baki himself, who’s opinion of his father is so interesting I believe it deserves its own section, namely Filial Piety in Grappler Baki.

  Orochi Doppo: Doppo acts as somewhat of a foil to the offensive masculinity of Yujiro. With a wife who clearly adores him, a son who reveres him as to follow in his footsteps, thousands of disciples who hope to learn from the man’s wisdom, it is clear to see that Orochi Doppo most certainly has a community and a family that anchors him. To top this all off, the man is 56 years of age, a time when most men would be considering settling down and carefully planning their retirement. Yet despite this, he chooses to partaker in potentially deadly battles not infrequently, not for the sake of protecting his loved ones but for the sake of building his own personal glory. Not content with simply being known as “Tiger Slayer” or “Man-Eater Orochi” he must continue to fight in order to improve himself. While there is nothing wrong with striving to improve oneself, the community he holds in the balance in order to do so is nothing short of foolish.

  Interestingly, Doppo and Yujiro act as the opposing father figures to Baki, one his biological father and the other the man that guides him as a warrior. This is yet again a careful balance beam Baki must cross. Following too close to Yujiro would leave him alone, angry, and easily manipulated whereas following the path of Doppo would leave him unable to appreciate those around him. This is not the only familial foil pairing Baki walks between, as I will come to discuss.

  

  Hanayama Kaoru: I will be discussing Hanayama as he is when Baki first meets him, at age 15. Of course, he ages and matures alongside Baki, so where the manga is now this is no longer true. Hanayama is a man blessed by the gods. More so than any other Grappler Baki character, he was born into a body destined to be strong. Yet, when we first meet him, his mind does not match this body in the slightest, with characters even noting that he acts “like a one-year-old”. Nothing displays this more than his disregard for training, choosing instead to lean on his natural capabilities. This is in complete opposition to Baki’s birth brother, Jack Hanma.

  Jack Hanma: Jack is a man possessing immense will-power, a man desperately striving to become unimaginably strong so that he may be able to avenge his mother. We see this determination many times throughout the manga, his immense training regime, absurd diet, disregard for his own health and ballsy approach to fighting. In opposition to Hanayama though, his body does not initially represent all the effort he puts into it. Though it is due to his own action, he is a powerful mind trapped inside a weak body until he is able to overcome that through chemical enhancement.

  Hanayama Kaoru and Jack Hanma act as opposing brothers to Baki, much as Orochi and Yujiro act as fathers. Hanayama is the unbridled natural power the Hanma lineage will have laid upon Baki, and Jack is the absurd mentality one can have if thoughts of revenge and anger are what drives you, much as they drive Baki. Once again, Baki must delicately cross this tight rope, not letting his physical nature drive him to complacency nor his mental nature drive him to mediocrity.

  These two dichotomies are the most obvious and most opposed, but all throughout the series Baki’s morality is shaped by those around him, such that the man we observe at the manga’s current point in time is completely different to the boy to whom we are initially introduced. In my opinion, this is one of the most impressive demonstrations of character writing in the medium, as the way he is influenced feels very natural and, whilst tremendous, is something not separated from reality. While not related to the subject at hand, “tremendous but not separated from reality” perfectly sums up the Baki series. Whereas other typical “over the top” manga such as Dragon Ball, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, etc. are completely separated from anything the audience could ever witness in the real world, Grappler Baki and its characters tread the line to where they are familiar enough to appear human without feeling unknowable (with a few notable exceptions). Tragically, this character writing often goes overlooked, with a certain portion of the fanbase dismissing the manga as “poorly written with great action.” I hope that the few examples I have given here have started your mind working, and other examples of the great characters in the series, and how their ascendancy above Baki shapes him through the manga.

  One point to make is the complete lack of weak men on the series. In almost every case, if a man in frame for more than a few moments he’ll have bulbous forearms and calves the size of watermelons. Apart from making each character much more unique and interesting to look at, it conveys his point perfectly. Weak men are quickly forgotten. Strong men from thousands of years ago are remembered, revered, and in some strange cases, even included in the manga. Yet introduce a weak man and you could be standing in a phone-box with him without even noticing he was there. This would not work if Itagaki was not so masterful with his character writing. If every strong man in the series was generic and forgettable, you’d barely even notice that you’ve forgotten the weak as well. Yet each character is unique, interesting, awesome, and worth writing about. A few of these characters were mentioned before but in reality, each character is far deeper. This focus on strong men also makes the manga stand out, not only when compared to other manga but especially when compared to other shonen manga. On one side you have the battle-shonen, usually focussing on young boys, or the romance shonen, usually focusing on clueless pansies. In comparison, the mighty men of Grappler Baki stand out, and solely for positive reasons.

  

  In the end, these points all are vital to the quality of the manga. Were the characters whimsical and fearful this story could not occur. Were the characters poorly thought out or implemented the manga would fall to endless repetition. Were the characters well developed but all of the same ilk, the story of Baki’s masculinisation would simply cause him to become a second Yujiro. The men of Grappler Baki are iconic for a reason, and they are of class that deserves it.

  
  Femininity in Grappler Baki

  The women of Grappler Baki are a very interesting topic. For this review I will focus on Akezawa Emi, Baki’s mother, and Matsumoto Kozue, Baki’s lover, as these characters have by far the most screen-time of any female characters in the series, as well as completely embodying the purpose of women within Grappler Baki. This is a manga about masculinity, not femininity, and as such it would be off topic as well as outside Itagaki’s field of expertise as a man to discuss femininity. As such, women are included in the series in order to explore how masculinity interacts with femininity, given that is a key part of masculinity.

  To begin with, the romantic interactions of Kozue and Baki are incredibly unique in the series. They are not the manipulative, offensive interactions of Yujiro, nor the docile, homely marriage of Doppo. It is truly a young relationship, full of passion, sex, grandiose declarations, and discovery. This is vital to the message here, as the lack of experience or understanding in both of these characters means that more than we have a relationship between Baki and Kozue we have a relationship between the intense masculinity Baki has built as an individual with the femininity of Kozue. Before this relationship begins, Hanayama appears before both of them and asks Baki “do you desire this woman, or do you desire any woman you can get.” This is remarkably similar to what Yujiro tells him, in that his virginity is merely part of his remaining boyhood, and the only thing to gain from this relationship is to discard this needless innocence and become a stronger man for it. The irony is that the true action Baki takes in both of these situations proves him more masculine than either of the men who tried to guide him. Baki rejects both of these notions, choosing Kozue as his women not in some misguided attempt to become a man, or for the sake of taking a woman, but due to the strength of his feelings for the girl. As a response to this union, Baki becomes significantly physically stronger, immediately making fools of two foes with which he had previously struggled. This is not a subtle metaphor. The relationship between him and Kozue was more than anything the other two men had experienced, it was a true union between Baki and Kozue, between masculinity and femininity, with Baki using his masculine strength to protect Kozue from the assailants, and Kozue using her feminine strength to reinforce Baki’s spirit. Baki repeatedly refers to Kozue as his “back-up,” which initially seems strange, how could this small girl help Baki take down the monstrous men he is repeatedly faced with? But when Kozue is taken not as physical backup but as spiritual backup, reinforcing Baki’s resolve to the point of indomitability, it becomes a much more applicable message. Itagaki tells you to find your Kozue, to find your feminine counterpart who can reinforce you, perhaps not again dastardly foes with bulging biceps and yoked necks, but against the stresses and tribulations you face every day, and how that can turn insurmountable odds into a simple walk in the park. This is not immediately apparent to the two characters, as indeed it might not be to some readers. Some lines such as "the ultimate strength is nothing compared to the ultimate love" may be initially misguiding, misinterpreted as some hippie message to lay down arms and all love each other. In reality, Itagaki is talking about each as a goal, not as a means. As the two experience, the ultimate strength is necessary, without it neither Baki nor Kozue would be alive, let alone in a relationship, but to use this strength to obtain strength, prove strength, or protect one’s strength is meaningless. Kozue, Baki’s “ultimate love” provides him that reason, and as we see him completely change in response to this. Interestingly, the ultimate strength he previously strived for, that he has now become distracted from, was a direct result of the last woman in his life, his mother.

  

  Akezawa Emi was doomed from the start. As discussed earlier, the hypermasculinity of Hanma Yujiro is enthralling to all those distant from him, and so for a woman looking to escape her hypergamic marriage he is of course attractive. For such a man to then take you as, to her knowledge, a life-partner, of course her ego becomes inflated. The strongest creature on the planet chose her, thus making her the most feminine woman on the planet. But this narcissism is deeply vulnerable, inherently tied to the will of another (Yujiro). So, we now have a woman who has ascended far beyond the rank of her birth, pumped with self-confidence, both of which rely on her staying at Yujiro’s side. So then, when required to raise a child, she eagerly accepts. Yujiro’s will demand it, thus her does too. He then leaves her, giving the ultimatum that she raise a worthy opponent for him. As we have established, her ego is tied to Yujiro’s will, and thus is now tied to raising this opponent. But that’s just it, she has to raise an opponent. Not a son, not a man, simply an opponent for Yujiro. Effectively, her maternal desires have been completely brutalised by Yujiro’s will, and now love intended for her son simply becomes love for Yujiro, and her need to successfully create this opponent grows. At the age of 13, her creation is tested, and to great success, yet this does not fulfil her ego. Looking down into the broken face of her child, she realises her failure as a mother, and commits suicide by attempting to fight Yujiro. Emi’s character directly contrasts that of Kozue, where Kozue reinforced and protected her partner, Emi aims to create struggle. Where Kozue partners with Baki to improve the both of them, Emi partners with Yujiro to affirm that she is enough, ironically destroying herself in the process.

  

  It’s no coincidence that this section has contained just as much about Baki as it has about Women. As previously mentioned, femininity in Baki is merely a tool for character exploration, and for that it works perfectly. Through these two women we discover the effect Yujiro has on Baki and vice-versa. The toxic hypermasculinity of Yujiro’s leads to the creation and growth of Baki into a man who can protect both his mother and partner from said toxic masculinity. Thus, Yujiro is not evil, no more evil than predator that drives prey to evolve, he is simply a vital part of a cycle creating stronger and stronger men, and it was Emi’s misfortune to fall victim to that cycle.

  
  Filial piety in Grappler Baki

  “What is ‘filial’ nowadays refers to the ability to feed. Even dogs and horses can be fed. If one is not reverent, wherein lies the differences?” – Analects 2.7. In essence, Yujiro is not a man who needs feeding, or caring for at all. Even if he were a cripple, reliant on his family for care, Baki could never demonstrate filial piety through these means, were he lacking reverence. But when your father appears an ogre, the murderer of your mother and many others, how do demonstrate reverence for such a man. This is the moral question Baki is faced with, and as he ages we see his approach vastly change. As a young boy, Baki lacks respect for either parent. Yet as he ages, he begins to realise the error of this method of thinking. To me, the turning point is some time after his mother’s death. He realises that his mother was not deplorable, and the fact he spent 13 years of his life under this assumption was solely a detriment to both their lives. This is one of the most interesting debates Baki then goes through. Both his society and personal experience demand reverence of his father, which is something he feels he cannot give. It’s not till the very end of the second sequel manga “Hanma Baki” that we get our answer. Baki treats Yujiro with the respect his position above him as a father affords him. Never is this more evident than their dinner together, where Baki accepts all of his father’s advice, admitting his wisdom. He admits he must defeat him, but it is not out of revenge for his mother or a desire to remove his father from his life. It is because of the respect he holds for his father. Defeating him would answer Yujiro’s call for a worthy opponent of a son, as well as affirm Baki as a man in his father’s eyes. In other words, it would not only demonstrate his reverence for his father, but also reclaim the respect he believes his father did not afford him as a boy. This is another intensely interesting part of Baki’s masculinity that really helps round out his character and cement it as one of the most interesting characters in manga.

  

  This is a very extended plotline, with the way Baki views his father gradually evolving as the manga continues and he ages. The ability for these subtle changes to occur over a large timespan is strongly to the manga’s credit. No two chapters are alike, because each chapter slightly changes or affects a character in some way, meaning that you never get tired of seeing certain characters, as each character has their own path they are traversing alongside Baki’s.

  
  Nature in Grappler Baki

  To a new reader of Grappler Baki, especially one who’s fond of animals, the role nature plays might be a little disturbing. Be it a tiger, polar bear, cat or even a T-Rex, animals are challenges. To these men, the strongest men on the planet, a good fight is far too hard to come by, and so they turn to animals to provide a good battle. In fact, it is not just animals. When a young Baki is in need of a challenging fight, Strydum drops him into the middle of a forest, when he needs to drastically improve himself he is isolated atop a mountain. In other words, when the modern world is found lacking, the characters of Grappler Baki turn to the more ancient, natural world. Now while I don’t know the man, a certain level of detest towards modernity definitely comes across in Itagaki’s stories. It is then during these nature-based sequences that we really see the true characters he is portraying. When walking down the street, Baki seems terribly out of place, but when face to face with the Yasha ape it seems like a natural pairing. Now whether you chose to interpret this as a commentary on the modern man, emphasising the size of the gap between masculinity and the modern world, or simply another tool used to demonstrate the power of the characters is really up to you. However, it is undeniable that power and strength are presented as solely positive attributes, and the fact that these things are to be found when leaving modernity behind does, to me, act as a pretty strong rejection of the modern world. It does seem somewhat ironical for a manga, one of the most trendy and recent forms of popular media, to present such a message but I suppose in the battle against degeneracy one must use the weapons of enemy against them. In reality, I find it very impressive that he is able to convey such an extreme, overt view so subtly through choice of character and location, and whether or not you agree with his message I feel that is commendable.

  

  
  Character Design

  The character designs of Grappler Baki can be very off-putting to some people, and yes, many of the characters are really very ugly. However, if you can look past the many deformed, twisted, and callous facial features of the men within the series, you can see where the art truly shines. In a medium where well-muscled characters tend to look like amorphous blobs, with 12 packs and traps that connect with the glutes being not uncommon appearances, Itagaki demonstrates an incredible understanding of human anatomy, with all characters from the aesthetic child Baki to the mass monster that is Biscuit Olivia sporting physiques that, while not always being achievable by a human, represents what human musculature could actually look like, if maximised. This is essential to the story, as if the monstrous men were designed in such a way to cross over to being actual monsters the complete message of the manga would be lost. These are the men representing the peak of masculinity, and as such their bodies reflect that.

  

  I hope that in this first section of the review I have demonstrated the great breadth and depth of characterisation in Grappler Baki, and how this drastically changes the manga’s story and themes. That being said, the true wonder of Grappler Baki is the motivation it bestows onto its readers.

  Motivation and Inspiration

  Grappler Baki as an inspiration

  One interesting point about Grappler Baki is its fans. It’s not hard to look around the internet and see pictures of jacked dudes owing their physiques to the manga, men who built their entire back in the hopes of approaching the demon back of Hanma Yujiro and boys doing push-ups with Baki songs blasting in the background. Of course, it has its fair share of shut-in degenerates who read it, but I would say It likely has a higher number of fans that train hard than any other manga out there. Of course, correlation does not equal causation, but I do believe Baki does play a significant role in how hard all these men train.

  Firstly, Grappler Baki shows you the pinnacle. As I outlined in the “Character Design” section, Grappler Baki showcases the most aesthetic, desirable bodies in all of fiction. Alongside this, it shows incredibly fast men, exceptionally strong men, incredible fighters, etc. Whatever you may be training, Grappler Baki will likely show you the pinnacle of what is possible in that pursuit. One key aspect of training is of course the goal, and Grappler Baki presents goals so extreme that anything less than complete and utter commitment to them would not even give you the slightest chance of achieving them. And so, people do train, they read Grappler Baki, train immensely hard, and achieve incredible things.
  One immediate reply you may have goes something like “But Grappler Baki characters are completely unrealistic, what’s the point of a goal you can’t achieve”, and to me that completely embodies the fatalist mentality that modernity has fed some of us. By setting incredible goals that force your complete effort from you, you receive the maximum you are capable of. Setting an easy goal will lead to minor reward. But in order to set an incredible goal you need to genuinely believe, sincerely, that you can achieve it with enough work. This is, in my opinion, the most impressive thing Grappler Baki can do as a manga. Everyone knows the memes about Grappler Baki fans, the joke often being that a Grappler Baki fan will use any roundabout logic possible to justify the events of the story as being “realistic”, or “technically possible.” That is the magic of Grappler Baki. It returns a childlike innocence to people, shattering their preconceptions about what is and isn’t possible in the real world, breaking all these nihilistic and fatalist thoughts that weigh people down in the modern day, and giving them hope and determination that anything is possible. To your average person, the thought of being able to bite through a coconut or rip a chunk from a stack of playing cards with just finger and thumb, are ridiculous absurdities and showing them such a thing would likely convince them you’re performing a magic act. But to a Grappler Baki fan, these are routine tasks, and if asked to demonstrate such a thing, they would simply ask for time to train, because in their mind, anything is possible.

  

  While we’re on the topic, Grappler Baki’s rejection of negative aspects of modernity is as frequent as it is effective. One thing we’re seeing very frequently today is the idea of accepting weakness, both physical and mental. Of course, the statement of “both physical and mental” is redundant, as this suggests the two are separated, something that Grappler Baki strongly rejects. From conjuring giant praying mantis’ to changing one’s bone structure, the idea of mind-body dualism is constantly rejected by this manga, with the mind greatly affecting the body and the body greatly affecting the mind. So, you can only imagine then how the manga treats accepting weakness. In a world that shifts increasingly away from physicality, with the vast majority of humanity neglecting their body and letting it become a saggy, misshapen blob used to carry their brain, Itagaki fights back. A constant mantra in the manga is “strong is beautiful”, with Itagaki rejecting the way in which modern society treats their body as an object to be abused, understanding how the brain suffers from this, and cry’s out “strong is beautiful” over and over again, hoping to reverse at least a few souls before all our species descends into mediocrity and weakness.

  This truly is the most powerful part of Grappler Baki and why, if you have not done so already, you have to read this manga. Instead of simply presenting you with an exceptional story, this great story is used to constantly make you question your way of life, and demands you improve it if it is found lacking.

  
  Grappler Baki as a male power fantasy

  When consuming media, people will look for a character with which they can identify. For the degenerates prevalent in the anime community, this is usually a very meek, anxious, sexual, or otherwise reprehensible character. However, certain media will show you not a character similar to who you are, but a character which you wish to be. For young men, these are male power fantasies. While a good portion of the male identity is biological, an equal or even greater portion is cultural. This are not innate standards nature holds men too, instead, these are traditions, passed down via word of mouth or literature. However, in a modern world where cultural tradition becomes increasing diluted and world of mouth is often tossed aside as a useless medium, literature must now take the full burden of bringing the masculine identity to the coming generations. These are male power fantasies.
  This effectively sums up why Grappler Baki is so infatuated with masculinity. While it is the story of Baki’s journey to manhood, it is also a lighthouse, guiding other young men towards manhood. That is why its themes are so powerful and clear, they have to be to function as such a guide. It is not hard to see that a boy reading Grappler Baki (which I remind you, is the audience it is strongly marketed towards) would quickly begin developing very traditional masculine ideals. Now whether or not such a strongly influential piece of media is a good thing is perhaps debateable, but it is undeniable that the ability to convey such a complete set of an ideals through nothing but story is truly remarkable, and worthy of praise.

  

  
  Training in Grappler Baki

  Training is a vital part of Grappler Baki. From Jack training 30 hours a day, to Baki’s basement gym, in the world of Grappler Baki, you must train. Apart from the key benefits to this I’ve already discussed, what is really being shown here is that all capacity held by each fighter is already held within them. Training is enhancing and unlocking their innate power as a human, but the origination of that power can only be something already residing within them. The mind desires the body to change and the body changes, it is simply an enclosed system. Even in the case of Jack, who abuses anabolic steroids, the steroids merely allow for his training to reflect within his body, the desire, capability and will required to manifest a stronger Jack Hanma was already there. Its inclusion and emphasis is essential to the manga’s motivational capabilities. While it does not tell you that there lies a 7’11”, 443lbs beast within you, it tells you that there is greater capability to your body than what it can currently express, and the glory in striving to unlock that. In terms of MPP (motivation per page) few manga can even see Grappler Baki, for the lead it has is so great. The focus on training is so essential to this because in reality that is what you will likely force the motivation given to you by the manga towards.

  

  In truth, that is one of the main reasons I believe the later entries into the “Baki” series to be so inferior to their progenitor. As it continues, and the focus shifts from training to hype-spiralling and spectacle fighting, the characters become mythicised versions of themselves, and while still entertaining, you are reminded that you are simply reading a work of fiction, and these mythicised beings could never really walk the earth, regardless of what they do in between fights.

  Through this second section of the review, my intent has been to demonstrate the many ways that Grappler Baki extends beyond what is actually written within it, affecting all those who read it both deeply and drastically. One thing you may notice is that I am yet to mention any objective points about the quality of the manga, so before I conclude this review I will talk briefly about how superb the fight sequences of Grappler Baki are.

  
  The beauty of a fight sequence

  Grappler Baki is incredibly reliant on its fights, given that that is the main method through which it tells its stories. So, you can imagine then how essential it is for each and every fight sequence to be a wonder to watch, lest the manga become dull and repetitive, descending into mediocrity. This is one aspect Itagaki nails perfectly. One complaint many people have when it comes to action manga, myself included, is that it can often be difficult to understand what is actually happening, discern the positions each character takes and glean how they are moving between them. Given that there are so many combatants, all with different combat styles, this fear of mine was magnified going into Grappler Baki, and I feared fight sequences would be combinations of disconnected fight moves I would fail to understand. However, that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Each fight is drawn in such a way as to almost animate it, with each panel leading directly into the following one and the use of blurring, motion lines and impact effects to show to exactly how any one character is moving at any given moment.

  

  One key technique used to fully display the dynamic of any two characters in a panel is the way in which action and reaction are used to encompass the entirety of an action. When a blow occurs, you can use the foot placement and facial expressions of each party to know who is on the attack and gain an understanding of the level of force and intent in the strike. Then, by looking at the position of the characters body in comparison to their position in the last frame, you can see how their position as changed since the previous panel and using context clues about how the rest of their surroundings have moved to estimate the speed with which that happened. This leads you to understand the transfer of force their body movement would have caused, and then by seeing the movement of whatever striking limb has been used you can feel the weight of the strike, where that strike has been imparted, and how that strike should have effect either combatant. This is the “action” and the amount of information portrayed through it is impressive, but equally impressive is the exact same information (facial expression, foot placement, change in body position, limb movement) conveyed by the party being struck. This tells you a great deal about the forces imparted through the person’s body and how that may have affected them, which again reinforces the information you know about the delivered blow, but also gives great insight into the character of the one being struck. Of course, nothing I’ve described here is conscious thought, but you will subconsciously use all the detail included in each panel to create a complete picture of exactly what is happening at any given moment.

  

  One other point is a surprising adherence to physics through the action scenes. Inertia, air resistance, gravity and momentum are all considered for a character’s movement, making the motion feel much more natural and as a consequence, brutal.
  As cliche as it is to say, he really “brought each fight scene to life” and it was almost like you were simply watching the fight really occur in front of you. The same techniques he uses to create such clear motion in each fight also give each attack enormous momentum and impact. You can really understand just how powerful each attack is, almost feeling the rattle of each blow yourself. This is, of course, essential, as if two titans were to wail on each other with what felt to the reader like soft little love taps, the gravitas and spectacle of each fight would decrease drastically. Even if you don’t care one iota for the themes or message of this manga, I believe it is worth reading simply for how fantastically the fights can enthral you.

  Grappler Baki: An Overview

  This section will act as both a conclusion and a spoiler-free summary of the review. Grappler Baki is more than just spectacle fighting. It is, in broad terms, the story of a boy becoming a man. This story is told through some of the most subtle characterisation I have ever seen, creating a very natural story that you will struggle to not connect with. However, neither the fighting nor the story are the true masterful part of this manga, that title goes to the motivation with which it bestows upon its audience. Grappler Baki can genuinely drastically improve young men who choose to read it, as it acts as both a guide to finding your flaws as well as giving you the motivation to change them.

  I hope this review has been interesting if not informative and that you’ve paid some attention to the points I’ve tried to convey and not just scrolled down to the score (I see you there).

  Regardless, I’ve greatly enjoyed writing this, and hope my passion for this story has come across in writing.

  Continue on AniList

SIMILAR MANGAS YOU MAY LIKE

• MANGA

  ActionHajime no Ippo
• MANGA

  ActionKengan Ashura
• MANGA

  ActionKoukou Tekken-den Tough
• MANGA

  ActionAir Master
• MANGA

  ActionHokuto no Ken
• MANGA

  ActionAbyss Rage
• MANGA

  ActionKengan Ashura Zero
• MANGA

  ActionNERU: Bugei Dougyou
• MANGA

  SportsAnimal 1
• MANGA

  ActionSakigake!! Otokojuku
• MANGA

  ActionTokyo卍Revengers
• MANGA

  ActionGarouden