For the Itagaki family, anime and manga run in the family. Keisuke Itagaki has spent decades telling the tale of Baki Hanma, one of the hardest-hitting characters in anime history, as he fights his father, and other threats, around the world. Keeping up with the manga tradition, Keisuke’s daughter Paru Itagaki got to work on stories of her own. Beastars is in its final season on Netflix and the streaming service is aiming to celebrate the Itagakis’ anime franchises with a special crossover. Get ready Baki and Beastars’ fans, because fireworks are about to go off.
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As part of the “Netflix 10th Anniversary Celebration” in Japan, the streaming service is bringing together both Keisuke Itagaki and Paru Itagaki to have a discussion about their resepective works. Taking place on September 5th, this occasion marks a decade of the platform being in Japan, if you are confused what the tenth anniversary is in reference to. While this isn’t a confirmation that these two unlikely worlds will be clashing, it should be interesting to see what father and daughter have to say in regards to each of their respective anime franchises. Luckily, both series are still going strong on Netflix, though Baki and Beastars share a common fact in that anime fans don’t know the precise dates that both will return.
The Itagaki Anime Empire
To start, Keisuke Itagaki’s Baki Hanma has been a big mover and shaker for Netflix, becoming one of the most watched anime for the streaming service. Following the “Father Son War,” Baki did what many thought was impossible in finally defeating his father Yujiro, aka the Ogre. Now that his main goal has been accomplished and Baki is the new “strongest creature on Earth,” the anime is planning to return by throwing a mythical real-life figure at the protagonist. As of the writing of this article, no news has been released regarding Baki’s new season release date.
As for Beastars, the first half of the anime’s final season landed earlier this year, with the second half slated to arrive in 2026. Since the conclusion of Legosi’s tale, Paru returned in a spin-off dubbed Beast Complex, and another of her franchises is set to receive an anime adaptation. Sanda, aka a series focusing on a heavy-hitting Santa Claus, lands this October and makes for quite a different story from what we’ve seen from Keisuke’s daughter to date.
While an official anime featuring Legosi fighting Baki might not be in the cards, the Hanma clan has fought another anime franchise. Baki Hanma Vs. Kengan Ashura saw the two universes collide in a special film that took the heroes and villains of both series, pitting them against one another in the ring. Currently available to stream on Netflix, fingers crossed that the streaming service creates more wild crossovers in the future.
Want to see how the Itagakis will collide in the future? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Beastars and Baki, and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
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