Baki The Grappler Producer Talks Next Anime Crossover

Baki The Grappler is prepping to celebrate its thirty-fifth anniversary, and in doing so, was more than willing to have one of the closest members of the manga’s creative team talk about the franchise. Yuki Yokoi, Assistant General Manager of the Business IP Department at Akita Shoten, recently chatted with us here at ComicBook.com to address the longevity of the series along with several different aspects of Baki Hanma. During our discussion, the topic of anime crossovers was broached, thanks to the previous Netflix release, Baki Hanma Vs. Kengan Ashura, and surprisingly, Yokoi already has plans in mind for the next anime crossover that Baki could participate in.

Yokoi revealed during our talk that he would love to see the Baki franchise cross over into the world of Garouden, another Netflix original anime that focuses on brutal battles. Here’s what the Akita Shoten Manager, and editor of Baki The Grappler, had to say, “Both Baki and Kengan Ashura are anime series produced as Netflix Originals, and Kengan Ashura’s creator, Yabako Sandrovich, is actually a fan of the Baki series. In addition, Sho Kobayashi, the editor in charge of Kengan Ashura, and I are close, and through that connection, this collaboration project came to life. I would definitely like to see similar collaborations happen again in the future, as long as the works have a natural connection and share a close creative relationship. Personally speaking—as simply a fan—since Itagaki-sensei worked on the manga adaptation of Garouden, which also exists as a Netflix Original, I’d love to see a crossover story between those worlds someday. But again, that’s just my own wish as a fan.”

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The Story of Garouden

Garouden: The Way of The Lone Wolf might have released its latest anime series on Netflix last year, but the franchise has had a long history in the medium. The franchise originally began in 1985 from creator Baku Yumemakura, with the story still continuing to this day decades later. The anime adaptation ran for eight episodes, and here’s how the streaming service describes the series: ” On the run from a past crime, Juzo Fujimaki is blackmailed into joining an illicit tournament and has to face top martial artists in deadly match-ups.” A second season has yet to be confirmed for this battle anime, but there certainly is plenty of material from the manga to draw from.

During our talk, Yokoi also hinted at the future of the Baki Hanma anime adaptation, stating that while Baki-Dou will release next year, more projects are being mulled over. “While nothing has been decided yet, we are currently discussing a variety of potential projects. We hope to prepare things that meet the expectations of all our fans.” Baki-Dou isn’t the final arc in the Baki The Grappler manga, so considering the popularity of the franchise, we would imagine that Netflix would be more than willing to return to this world.

What do you think of this potential future crossover for Baki The Grappler? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!