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New Grappler Baki #1
バキ―New grappler Baki No.1
One by one the world's deadliest death row convicts come to Tokyo to get "a taste of defeat." Finally, they meet face to face in the underground martial arts arena!! With over 60 million copies printed, the BAKI series spans 4 completed series with a 5th on the way, all following Baki Hanma on his various quests to defeat his father. A new BAKI anime focused on this part of the epic will premiere on Netflix this year!
192 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 2000
205 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Keisuke Itagaki
269 books79 followersKeisuke Itagaki (板垣恵介; Itagaki Keisuke) is a Japanese mangaka, creator of the Baki The Grappler series. He is the father of Paru Itagaki.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
March 18, 2020
I've been in awe through the 31 volumes because of how beautiful most scenes are. Give a person a pen and tell them to draw what they like most for more than 10 years and get paid for it, with this author in particular we got tons and tons of muscular bodies in their kinetic glory, faces smashed against gravity (or punches), spectacular kicks to the groin, smiling old men covered in all sorts of scars, and many many awesome facial expressions.
Going through Baki!! I was reminded of jewels like Ichi The Killer and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run, so I had to binge read through it.
Story-wise is not what I would recommend, but who cares, Keisuke Itagaki's fighting scenes have more narrative than the Bible, and it kind of stays on the regular fiction side of sports manga.
Going through Baki!! I was reminded of jewels like Ichi The Killer and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run, so I had to binge read through it.
Story-wise is not what I would recommend, but who cares, Keisuke Itagaki's fighting scenes have more narrative than the Bible, and it kind of stays on the regular fiction side of sports manga.
June 2, 2021
My god the art is terrible 🙈🙈🙈🙈
July 14, 2021
Baki is the top martial artist after his victories in the arena under the Tokyo Dome. This new Baki series takes place after that. 5 dangerous convicts, from different nations, all escape their prisons, some after failed execution attempts. They all are coming to Tokyo for the same reason. They want to taste defeat. They all are missing the stimulus of being challenged. Each feel that the answer to their boredom is to challenge Baki.
Volume one is the introduction to each of the convicts as they begin the journeys to find the challenge they all crave.
Volume one is the introduction to each of the convicts as they begin the journeys to find the challenge they all crave.
August 21, 2018
Monkey are acting different, weather is changing and Nitro Glycerin is becoming crystallize all around the world. Material, living things, and even thought seemingly unrelated cause simultaneous and similar changes on the worldwide scale. A phenomenon is happening. Now Five Men whose strength and skills far more greater than an average man are is coming to Japan with a single goal, to taste defeat.
January 4, 2023
Fenomenal book series, the story isn't very well written but the gruesome/gory sequences of action make it worth it.
November 3, 2024
Man who hates this art? This volume was all about 5 death row inmates escaping from different countries to travel to Tokyo to taste defeat. Seemingly all on their own so it was all about the concept of Synchronicity. This is my first martial arts manga so let's carry on and Keep on Reading.
I have always loved comics, and I have I can. I love comics to bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and hope always to love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I just want to Keep on Reading.
I have always loved comics, and I have I can. I love comics to bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and hope always to love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I just want to Keep on Reading.
August 1, 2021
Lots of ripped dudes. Lots and LOTS of ripped dudes. So many ripped dudes that seem really strong
Read
March 27, 2025Logging as a stand-in for Vol. 1 through 31
July 19, 2021
'Baki Vol. 1' with story and art by Kisuke Itagaki is a manga about a seemingly amateur fighter and a group of killers heading his way.
Baki shows up at school with bruises all over. Meanwhile, a series of death row convicts are making impossible prison breaks. They seem to all be unstoppable killers. All are heading to Tokyo and express the same reason: A taste of defeat.
It definitely feels like a good preface for a massive series of fights. We get a small taste at the end of the manga. The art is fun and the violence is brutal and cartoonlike.
I received a review copy of this manga from Akita Publishing Co., Ltd, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.
Baki shows up at school with bruises all over. Meanwhile, a series of death row convicts are making impossible prison breaks. They seem to all be unstoppable killers. All are heading to Tokyo and express the same reason: A taste of defeat.
It definitely feels like a good preface for a massive series of fights. We get a small taste at the end of the manga. The art is fun and the violence is brutal and cartoonlike.
I received a review copy of this manga from Akita Publishing Co., Ltd, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.
February 20, 2020
3.75 Stars, but rounding up because I quite enjoyed this one and hope to keep enjoying it!
That said, this was mostly set up and I'm ready for some action! I really enjoyed how different the art style was from other manga I've read, but it was a bit weird to not spend much time learning about the title character. Mostly we follow what looks like will be challengers for some kind of upcoming even, maybe a tournament? I sure hope so. Looking forward to continuing to read this series.
And sidenote, I initially thought I was reading Baki (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), not New Grappler Baki. Oops! The learning never ends!
That said, this was mostly set up and I'm ready for some action! I really enjoyed how different the art style was from other manga I've read, but it was a bit weird to not spend much time learning about the title character. Mostly we follow what looks like will be challengers for some kind of upcoming even, maybe a tournament? I sure hope so. Looking forward to continuing to read this series.
And sidenote, I initially thought I was reading Baki (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), not New Grappler Baki. Oops! The learning never ends!
September 18, 2021
Judging a manga (as they can go for 30, 40 volumes when they are popular; or if you are "One Piece", forever) by just its first volume is a difficult thing. Sometimes the story starts amazingly but afterwards it deflates. The other way around happens too. However, a good start is always going to help in making a person interested in the story.
And here is where I am a little bit on the fence about this first volume of "Baki", a manga that has had an anime adaptation that can be found on a very popular streaming site. Because I would read a second volume if I had it right by my desk right now, but at the same time I felt this first volume was not particularly original or compelling to give it more than 2 stars. Because what Itagaki does here is just introduce all the bad guys that are going to fight our 'hero' breaking out from different facilities in a totally over-the-top and risible but at the same time too easily way, which gives a sense of repetition. How many incredible fighters can come back from death, kill like 200 million guards and go to Japan for a fighting tournament? Yes, there is a limit. At the same time it is easy to read and engaging enough that, as I said, I would start the second volume of the series right away to see where the story was going, while worrying that it actually was going to fall into a repetition pattern with almost close to zero character development.
The drawing style fits the story, even if a little bit over-the-top too and with a couple of characters that were a little bit difficult to differentiate (maybe because their behaviour, movements, were exactly the same). It is kind of ugly, but what you would expect for this kind of manga (the deaths are little bit messy, though).
If you like fighting manga, you will probably enjoy this (and you are not queasy, by the way).
5.5/10
(English translation)
*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy* (less)
And here is where I am a little bit on the fence about this first volume of "Baki", a manga that has had an anime adaptation that can be found on a very popular streaming site. Because I would read a second volume if I had it right by my desk right now, but at the same time I felt this first volume was not particularly original or compelling to give it more than 2 stars. Because what Itagaki does here is just introduce all the bad guys that are going to fight our 'hero' breaking out from different facilities in a totally over-the-top and risible but at the same time too easily way, which gives a sense of repetition. How many incredible fighters can come back from death, kill like 200 million guards and go to Japan for a fighting tournament? Yes, there is a limit. At the same time it is easy to read and engaging enough that, as I said, I would start the second volume of the series right away to see where the story was going, while worrying that it actually was going to fall into a repetition pattern with almost close to zero character development.
The drawing style fits the story, even if a little bit over-the-top too and with a couple of characters that were a little bit difficult to differentiate (maybe because their behaviour, movements, were exactly the same). It is kind of ugly, but what you would expect for this kind of manga (the deaths are little bit messy, though).
If you like fighting manga, you will probably enjoy this (and you are not queasy, by the way).
5.5/10
(English translation)
*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy* (less)
July 18, 2021
I knew about Baki and especially the original series before this continuation. I've never read the series though, even when I love sports series. Perhaps the reason is that the spirit of the series is so 1980s, even though the original and this are from the 1990s. Oh, how was shounen different then... Anyways, Baki is about Baki Hanma, a guy, who's a master at fighting. Everyone is afraid of him. In this first volume all these criminal fighters from around the world escape their prisons in order to taste defeat aka they supposedly want to get beaten by Baki. That's about it with the plot and content. A lot of blood and sweat is spread and people die. So, basically the series is very violent and looks like Street Fighter.
The art looks crude and something that fits well with the theme and style of the series. Baki looks weird though and Itagaki perhaps isn't the best when trying to draw a normal face. The muscles and all look very threatening and the blood and gore looks good, if you can really say that. There's hardly any fighting yet, so that would be awesome to see. Not everyone's cup of tea surely and somehow I have the feeling that we will mostly just see fighting instead of a real plot.
The art looks crude and something that fits well with the theme and style of the series. Baki looks weird though and Itagaki perhaps isn't the best when trying to draw a normal face. The muscles and all look very threatening and the blood and gore looks good, if you can really say that. There's hardly any fighting yet, so that would be awesome to see. Not everyone's cup of tea surely and somehow I have the feeling that we will mostly just see fighting instead of a real plot.
May 26, 2022
I watched the anime on Netflix before I decided to read it. The series is great on TV but it’s even better on paper. The first manga allowed for a easy introduction to all the characters and allowed you to understand the basis of where the series goes from here. I thought, for an opening, it was slow but I still felt the need to finish reading the first volume. It drew me to want to finish it but left me with a slight boredom by the end. I plan to finish the series though so I can’t say it was terrible.
September 28, 2024
To be honest, this was confusing. It claims to be the first volume, but as I was reading this, I felt like I had missed quite a bit of information. I had no idea why i was supposed to be immediately invested in Baki, and it felt like I was just thrown into the middle of his story. I don't think I will continue with this series, unfortunately. For those who are uncomfortable with gore, please keep in mind that this volume is full of it. I wasn't uncomfortable, but I know that a lot of people are.
July 24, 2019
Detailed art and a strong story
A juvenile delinquent is visited by an old man who warns that a fight is coming to Tokyo. Meanwhile inmates on deathrow around the world break out with one goal - they are headed to Tokyo to taste defeat. With both drama and action, this is a good set up for the series. The artwork is excellent, making the strength and power of these fighters come to life. This volume kept my interest both visually and with the narrative.
A juvenile delinquent is visited by an old man who warns that a fight is coming to Tokyo. Meanwhile inmates on deathrow around the world break out with one goal - they are headed to Tokyo to taste defeat. With both drama and action, this is a good set up for the series. The artwork is excellent, making the strength and power of these fighters come to life. This volume kept my interest both visually and with the narrative.
June 14, 2020
Truthfully i still not finished the first series, i only read until volume 22 or 23, but then i found this series which is the continuation of grapler baki. This series opened with synchronization, 5 people around the world wants to know defeat. Pretty interesting, but let see if the martial arts used in this series became too OP or not.
October 24, 2022
Good manga seen some of the anime.
This has some stuff the anime does not. More gore is one. Plus they add little bits of information. That help people understand the story on a slightly higher level. The manga is a lot of people getting their butts kicked in. Making it a fun read for anyone who likes fighting stories.
This has some stuff the anime does not. More gore is one. Plus they add little bits of information. That help people understand the story on a slightly higher level. The manga is a lot of people getting their butts kicked in. Making it a fun read for anyone who likes fighting stories.
August 19, 2020
Im not sure what I read
So over the top, filled with violence and nods to silence of the lambs. And an odd start to a series, but that's manga for you. Took a chance with this and was surprised by how much I liked it.
So over the top, filled with violence and nods to silence of the lambs. And an odd start to a series, but that's manga for you. Took a chance with this and was surprised by how much I liked it.
January 4, 2022
Some of the craziness stuff you'll read in a while
This first vol is fun in every way I don't want to spoil any of the things that happened in vol 1 all I'm going to say is just read it because you won't regret it you may not like it but you definitely won’t regret it.
This first vol is fun in every way I don't want to spoil any of the things that happened in vol 1 all I'm going to say is just read it because you won't regret it you may not like it but you definitely won’t regret it.
February 3, 2023
A great classic
Finally starting reading the Baki series. Loving it so far! quite a slow ish start and a short read for vol 1. Just meeting all the characters in this one. Very excited to read the rest though!
Finally starting reading the Baki series. Loving it so far! quite a slow ish start and a short read for vol 1. Just meeting all the characters in this one. Very excited to read the rest though!
September 22, 2018
Najgroźniejsi mordercy świata uciekają z mamra aby zmierzyć się z Bakim. Jakkolwiek ta fabuła nie byłaby głupia, to szykuje się niezła młócka bez żadnych reguł.
December 31, 2020
Really love the Grappler Baki series, definitely one of the best martial arts fighting mangas/anime! It’s not nearly as good as the first part but still pretty awesome 😻😁👌🥋
March 22, 2022
Great opening, definitely going to read more!
June 23, 2022
Simple, Fast paced, action packed and entertaining...Synchronicity...💪❤️
June 27, 2023
Primetime medicine for neon genesis evangelon
July 9, 2023
Manga to Anime!
Perfect origin of the Death-row inmates. Explains Synchronicity better than the Netflix show. Enjoy and leaves you wanting more! Not for kids.
Perfect origin of the Death-row inmates. Explains Synchronicity better than the Netflix show. Enjoy and leaves you wanting more! Not for kids.
May 28, 2024
Whoah what a start 🤩
June 18, 2024
Ngày trước mình sẽ nói rằng mình đã lãng phí thời gian một cách chính xác. Hnay thì không
February 3, 2025
Wonderful Read
I have always loved the anime, but the manga explains so much more. Its really my favorite of all. Can't beat Baki
I have always loved the anime, but the manga explains so much more. Its really my favorite of all. Can't beat Baki
November 8, 2025
Baki!!!
What a fun read! Baki has his hands full. The art style on point and the writing is entertaining and fun.
What a fun read! Baki has his hands full. The art style on point and the writing is entertaining and fun.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews