Netflix has certainly been devoting a lot of effort to becoming a mover and shaker within the anime realm, both by housing classic anime and creating original anime content of its own. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steelball Run, Dandelion, Blue Box, and Sakamoto Days are only a few examples of franchises that have become exclusive to the streaming service. In a wild twist, one of the hardest-hitting, bone-breaking stories that have landed on the platform has released a new spin-off. Considering what kind of territory the story of Baki Hanma has explored in recent years, you might be surprised as to what material this side story covers.
Baki Gaiden Doppo – Hitori Nomi Kui Aruki has recently started in Japan, focusing on one of the strongest supporting characters in the Baki The Grappler franchise. Doppo, for those who don’t know, is a one-eyed master of karate, routinely suffering some grievous injuries while attempting to become the strongest brawler in his craft. Rather than focusing on a story that would see Doppo participate in life-or-death battles, the spin-off instead focuses on the one-eyed fighter visiting bars and restaurants to partake in food and drink before and after big battles. While the side story doesn’t see Baki creator Keisuke Itagaki taking the helm, manga artist Kenji Hamaoka. You can check out the first cover for the story below, though the spin-off has yet to confirm if it will hit stateside.
Earlier this year, Netflix brought back Baki Hanma via the brand new anime adaptation, Baki-Dou: The Invincible Samurai. Bringing back the legendary true-life figure, Musashi Miyamoto, the first batch of episodes was only the first part of this new anime from TMS Entertainment. Later this year, the second part of Baki’s return will arrive on the streaming service, as the mythic swordsman continues to fight against the many warriors that have become a part of the Hanmas’ lives.
One of the biggest events of the recent anime season was the death of Sea King Retsu, one of Baki’s strongest allies, who lost his life fighting against Miyamoto. Luckily, we here at ComicBook.com had the opportunity to chat with the creators of the anime to discuss the loss of the major supporting character. Specifically, director Toshiki Hirano and producer Kei Watabiki discussed the major series death.
“In the manga, Mr. Itagaki depicts this death in a ‘dry moment’, so it isn’t as tear-jerking, so it doesn’t feel as emotional. In animation, we didn’t want to make it as such, so we made it more emotional and tear-jerking. We utilized music and staging to make it feel more emotional, so seeing the audience respond to that feels good, and we appreciate that. We are giving our best effort, but for that episode, where this important character is passing, we especially did. The Japanese voice talent for the character, Rikiya Koyama, after he was done with ADR, that was a wrap for him!”
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