Baki Hanma Reveals New Video Game (And It’s Coming To America)

Baki The Grappler is one of the longest-running anime franchises running today. First arriving in 1991 from creator Keisuke Itagaki, the hard-hitting series revels in its pure insanity. Baki himself has fought giant praying mantises, cavemen named Pickle, Mike Tyson, and many unbelievable characters on his journey to defeat his father, Yujiro Hanma. As anime fans wait to see when Baki will return to the small screen on Netflix, the franchise has revealed a new video game that is coming down the pike. While Baki The Grappler has had games land in Japan, this future entry is set to arrive in North America.

Baki Hanma: Blood Arena is set to arrive this September on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. While your mind might immediately think that this video game adaptation would be an arena fighter like so many other anime entries, you might be surprised to see the format for the game from Purple Tree. Having a structure similar to Nintendo’s Super Punch-Out, even the developers note as such in their description, “Enter the brutal world of Baki Hanma: Blood Arena, a thrilling 2D action game inspired by the Netflix anime phenomenon Baki. With gameplay reminiscent of the classic Super Punch-Out!!, this game blends precision, timing, and shonen-style flair to deliver a high-energy combat experience.”

What’s Next For Baki?

In March, 2024, Netflix announced that it was working on a new anime series to continue Baki’s story. Following the “Father Son War” that saw Baki finally defeating his father in hand-to-hand combat, many might have been left wondering where the series would go. Luckily, creator Keisuke Itagaki had plenty of ideas when it came to where he would take his brawling character next.

Baki-Dou, the name of the next series, sees a legendary Japanese figure, Musashi Miyamoto, brought back from the dead to take on the strongest warriors of the present. Since Baki is now considered the strongest being walking the planet Earth, it makes for an excellent follow-up to his fight against the Ogre. As has been the case with previous seasons, expect all of Baki’s roster to have a part to play in Musashi’s return to the land of the living.

The Baki Controversy

Baki The Grappler has never shied from controversy, especially when it comes to bringing real people into the mix. Most recently, American President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk appeared in the latest manga chapter, having a rather tense meeting with Baki’s father. Yujiro Hanma would routinely meet political figures in Baki’s history, including George Bush, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama, though this meeting might have been one of the most controversial to date. Baki Rahen is the latest series to feature this political minefield though its sure to not be the last.

Want to see how the son of the Ogre operates in the video game world? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Baki The Grappler and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.