UPDATE March 28, 2022: Those looking for information about Netflix’s Baki Hanma Season 2 anime TV show should check out the newer article in the link to the left. The remainder of this article remains as published since the last update.
Netflix’s Baki Season 4 release date is scheduled for September 30, 2021, the end of the Summer 2021 anime season.
Netflix’s Baki Season 4 anime has officially been confirmed to be titled Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre. The new anime began streaming worldwide in September. On the Netflix U.S. website, it was simply listed as the Baki Hanma anime (see the link to watch the new episodes).
Note: This article uses the Netflix standard for counting the Baki anime seasons whereas by Japanese standards this season should be considered the third season. If you’re looking for info on the continuation of the Baki Hanma anime, please see our Baki Hanma Season 2 article.
The initial announcement about the anime was made by Weekly Shonen Champion magazine in early July 2021. The magazine also launched a new website to celebrate the Baki manga’s 30th anniversary.
The fourth season is a direct sequel to Baki: Dai Raitaisai-hen (Baki: The Centennial Tournament Saga) and it will begin adapting the Hanma Baki manga series.
The story will focus on Baki Hanma as he challenges his father, Yujiro Hanma, who is known as the Ogre in martial arts circles.
The first Baki Season 4 trailer was released in July 2021.
Here is some of the new Japanese voice cast members:
- Jun Guevara as voiced by Kenji Nojima
- Maria as voiced by Mami Koyama
- Iron Michael as voiced by Yasuhiro Mamiya
- Lips, Teeth, Tongue as voiced by Koichi Yamadera
- Bob McCarthy as voiced by Masashi Ebara
Netflix’s Baki Season 4 release date was announced by the second preview trailer that released at the beginning of September.
The first two seasons of the Baki anime were created by animation studio TMS Entertainment, which is known for other anime such as Detective Conan, Lupin III, ReLIFE, Megalo Box (Megalo Box Season 2 released in 2021), and the Fruits Basket reboot project (the Fruits Basket Season 3 anime finished but a 2022 Fruits Basket: The Story of Kyoko and Katsuya has been announced).
Most of the main staff will return for producing the Baki Season 4 anime, but there will be some changes.
The first two seasons were directed by Toshiki Hirano (Rayearth, Dangioh, and more). Fujio Suzuki (009-1, New Getter Robo) was the character designer.
Tatsuhiko Urahata (Tsuredure Children) wrote the scripts for the Baki anime. Kenji Fujisawa produced the music. Tetsu Kojima was the executive producer.
In addition to the main returning staff at TMS Entertainment there were two new additions. There was a second character designer named Shingo Ishikawa and a new art director named Masanori Nishiyama.
The Baki Season 4 OP (opening) theme song music “Unchained World” was performed by Generation from Exile Tribe, while the ending (ED) theme song music “Treasure Pleasure” will be performed by GRANRODEO.
Previous seasons have include music from GRANRODEO.
- Updated September 2, 2021: Baki Season 4 release date confirmed for September 2021. Number of episodes confirmed. Added new trailer.
- Updated August 10, 2021: Added Baki Season 4 OP/ED info.
- Updated July 8, 2021: Added Baki Season 4 trailer. Added new key visual.
- Updated July 6, 2021: Baki Season 4 release date confirmed for Fall 2021. Added key visual art.
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Updated October 27, 2020: Baki Season 4 release date time frame confirmed by Netflix!
This article provides everything that is known about Grappler Baki Season 4 (Baki: Son of Ogre) and all related news. As such, this article will be updated over time with news, rumors, and analysis. Meanwhile, let’s delve down into what is known for certain.
Baki: Son of Ogre release date on Netflix to include 12 episodes
In early September 2021, Netflix confirmed that the Baki: Son of Ogre release date was scheduled for September 30, 2021.
It was also announced that the fourth season will have 12 episodes in total. All of the new episodes will be released worldwide on Netflix.
The most dysfunctional father-son relationship of all time reaches its climax when Baki Hanma faces off against the Ogre himself in next year’s season of Keisuke Itagaki’s brutal fight series! pic.twitter.com/Y0mEC8PmS8
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) October 27, 2020
Netflix’s Baki: Son of Ogre anime is the Japanese Grappler Baki Season 3
Anime purists are probably wondering why this article is referring to Grappler Baki Season 4 when only Baki Season 3 has been confirmed to be in production.
The reason is that the Baki anime seasons are being labeled differently by Netflix when the anime is released internationally.
Netflix U.S. also sets up American audiences for binge-watching where an entire season is released at once. Often times a multi-part season will be split up into multiple cours for the international release.
A “cour” is a three-month unit of TV broadcasting usually composed of 11 to 13 episodes.
The first season of the Baki the Grappler anime was originally released on Netflix Japan as a two-cour season from June 25 through December 17, 2018. Therefore, since the first 26 episodes were considered a single season in Japan all of the upcoming anime will be enumerated differently in Japan.
Therefore, some English-speaking anime fans who follow the Japanese season numbering conventions may refer interchangeably to Baki: Son of Ogre as being Baki Season 3.
To add to the confusion, the first two seasons that adapted multiple story arcs was released back in 2001, which means that Netflix’s Baki: Son of Ogre could be considered the Japanese Baki Season 5 (or Baki Season 6 based on Netflix’s standards).
Henma Baki manga compared to the anime series
The story for the new Baki anime is based on the second part of the Gurappura Baki (Grappler Baki) manga created by writer and artist Keisuke Itagaki. Started in 1991, the overall Baki manga series has five parts already.
The first part was simply called Grappler Baki and it ran until 1999 and ended with 42 book volumes.
The first manga sequel, New Grappler Baki: In Search of Our Strongest Hero, ended in 2005 with Volume 31.
Manga Baki Part 3 was called Hanma Baki (Baki: Son of Ogre) and it ended in 2012 with Volume 37. Manga Baki Part 4 was called Baki-Dou (Baki: The Way) and it ended in 2018 with Volume 22.
Manga Baki Part 5, now called Baki Dou or Bakidou, began in October 2018 and it’s still ongoing in Weekly Shonen Champion magazine.
The first Baki manga series never received an official English translation but the New Grappler Baki manga is now available on Amazon and Comixology in English. It’s catching up to the anime series since the English translation is only up to New Grappler Baki Volume 28.
Unfortunately, that means the English Hanma Baki manga series hasn’t been released yet. For the other series, there are plenty of unofficial fan-made scanlation projects that are completed.
The two seasons of the Baki 2001 anime adapted the first 42 volumes of the first manga part. Anime fans who found the new anime confusing should probably dust off the prequel and watch it for the backstory and the Maximum Tournament story arc.
The 2018/2019 Baki anime season adapted almost 20 volumes of the “Most Evil Death Row Convicts” story arc of the New Grappler Baki manga, with Episodes 25 and 26 beginning the adaptation of the Great Chinese Challenge arc (Volumes 18 through 27).
The 2020 Baki: Dai Raitaisai-hen (Baki: The Centennial Tournament Saga) anime finished adapting both the Great Chinese Challenge saga and the Godlike Clash Of The Kids saga (Volumes 27 through 31).
The Baki Season 4 anime will be adapting the Baki: Son of Ogre manga series. The good news is that there is plenty of source material for Netflix to continue making anime episodes for years to come.
Considering the length of the Hanma Baki manga, it will probably take three cours to adapt — based on the anime’s pacing — which means it’ll be finished by Netflix’s Baki Season 6.
The best stopping point for Baki Season 4 Episode 12 is in Volume 10, the ending of the Great Prison Battle Saga. That means the Baki Season 5 anime will adapt the Wildman War – Pickle Wars Saga, which features a literal caveman.
The legendary grappler returns! Baki: Son of Ogre is coming soon. pic.twitter.com/xF3RsVIjEk
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) September 25, 2020
Baki Season 4 anime spoilers (plot summary/synopsis)
The Baki Season 4 anime puts Baki Hanma on the road to his final confrontation with his father, Yujiro Hanma, but first, he needs to become stronger. Baki chooses an extreme alternative method of training: purposefully being sent to prison!
Defying heavy security, Baki kidnaps the President of the United and when he’s arrested he requests to be sent to the same prison as “Mr. Unchained” Biscuit Oliver. Known as the strongest man in the USA, Oliver is the only prisoner in the Arizona prison who is technically free at the same time.
The U.S. government realized it was less expensive to pay off Oliver by paying for his extravagant housing demands in exchange for him agreeing to be in a prison. The strongest U.S. fighter is essentially a high-paid mercenary who lives in prison and goes after criminals that conventional police and military cannot apprehend or terminate.
Once in prison, Baki needs to get the attention of Oliver. Surrounded by prison guards armed with automatic rifles, what kind of spectacle will the martial artist create next?
Unfortunately, anime fans wanting to know how Baki defeats the prison guards will need to wait until the Baki Season 4 release date. Stay tuned!