Baki Hanma Vs. Kengan Ashura is an anime crossover that only has a runtime of a little over an hour, but you’d hardly know it. Much like how Avengers: Infinity War was able to weave together countless subplots in its screen time, the latest special featuring the son of the Ogre and the champion of the Kengan Tournament has something for each character. With both brawling series set to return to Netflix in the future, the latest entry in both universes might be the pinnacle of Baki and Ohma’s careers.
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To start, the special wastes little time establishing the setting for the major crossover, imagining both series as taking place in the same universe. Thanks to a chance encounter between Ohma and Baki during their routine workouts, the organizers of the underground tournament and those who run the Kengan Tournament decide to have an exhibition with their strongest components. In its simplicity, the crossover finds its strength as there is plenty of meat on the bone with little trimming. Luckily, the main course has quite a few appetizers that help give each character their moment in the spotlight, routinely answering the question of which fighter is the strongest.
A Fighting Anime Fan’s Dream
For the main three fights of the battle, we start with Kengan Ashura’s Paing Yoroizuka taking on the Yakuza boss Kauro Hanayama, with the battle itself featuring two characters who could not be any different. As the follow-up, anime viewers get a match of two sides of the same coin of insanity in Kengan Ashura’s Raian Kura taking on the brother to Baki, Jack Hammer. Finally, the crossover ends with the main fight of the special as Baki Hanma defends his crown against Ohma Tokita. While not every fight has a definitive conclusion as to which fighter is strongest, they’re all great fun and live up to the fights of each respective series.
Luckily, there is plenty on the horizon for both franchises, as the second half of Kengan Ashura’s second season is arriving later this summer. Thanks to Baki Hanma standing as one of the most-watched anime series on Netflix, the son of the Ogre will return in Baki-Dou, an adaptation that will pit Yujiro’s son against a legendary figure from Japan’s past.
Want to see what the future holds for two of Netflix’s biggest anime series? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for all the latest updates on Baki Hanma and Kengan Ashura.
