Baki The Grappler Faces Surprise Hiatus

Baki The Grappler remains one of the longest-running manga series to this day thanks to creator Keisuke Itagaki’s love of the titular character. While fans are still waiting for Netflix to announce when the anime adaptation will make a comeback to the streaming service, there’s bad news regarding the current arc known as Baki Rahen. In a surprise reveal, the current manga series is taking a hiatus from its normal schedule for unrevealed reasons though there is good news for those who have been following the printed story of the son of the Ogre.

Baki Rahen, for those who don’t know, is setting the stage for Baki to fight against his brother Jack Hanma, a man who shares his sibling’s love of fighting but takes a far more twisted approach to meeting his goals. In a recent issue of Weekly Shonen Champion, the regular publication that has housed Baki The Grappler for years, it was revealed that the next chapter of the manga has been delayed. Luckily, the delay is a momentary one as the next installment will arrive on May 15th, once again bringing back the storyline that is setting the stage for a sibling rematch that has been years in the making.

[RELATED: Baki The Grappler Has a Live-Action Adaptation (And You Can Watch It Now)]

The Baki Controversy

Baki The Grappler made the news recently for quite the controversial reason, as Itagaki has never been shy about bringing modern day events into his manga. In the past, the mangaka has used major political figures such as Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Hilary Clinton, and more to both expand on this universe’s lore and also demonstrate the full power of the ogre known as Yujiro Hanma, Baki’s father.

In recent chapters, Yujiro gets a visit from current U.S. President Donald Trump and the controversial head of Tesla Elon Musk. In their encounter, Baki’s father isn’t quite thrilled to see the pair and expresses his displeasure in a way that is simply perfect for the ogre himself and makes sense for how Yujiro has met with politicians in the past. Despite Yujiro losing to his son in hand-to-hand combat, the Ogre is still nothing to sneeze at in the strength department these days.

Baki’s Anime Return

While Netflx has had some big movers and shakers in the anime department in recent years, the Baki franchise has been a dark horse for the platform in terms of overall ratings. The next entry of the anime adaptation, Baki Dou, has yet to reveal a release date but the source material is setting some big battles for the ogre’s son. Following Baki’s win over Yujiro, Japan sees a legendary fighter from the past, Musashi Miyamoto, to walk the Earth once again. Much like the caveman Pickle, Musashi adds a brand new challenge to Baki and his fighting friends in a way anime fans might not see coming.

Want to see what the future holds for the Ogre’s son? 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.

Via ANN