Hanma Baki is the third part of the Baki franchise and can also be considered the climax of the series. The story is about Baki Hanma, the protagonist of the story and his quest to one day defeat his father, Yujiro Hanma. Some people finding this aspect of the show ‘boring’; however, there are tons of similar shows that have an already established singular goal. Baki develops his fighting prowess by fighting stronger opponents throughout the series and the focal point of the story was never Baki vs Yujiro only. What is more important is the way in which the story develops until the final goal is reached. And this is something that Baki does very well. There is some good quality character development in the series such as the relationship progression between Yujiro and Baki as well as the development of other side characters like Katsumi. Furthermore, Baki has a lot of exaggerated concepts and can be termed ‘ridiculous’ and ‘absurd’. This is a strength of Baki because of the author Itagaki’s ability to cross the line of realism but not so far to the point that it feels unrealistic. Most concepts of Baki are drawn from real-world concepts and incorporated into the series using exaggeration, this makes almost every concept unique and entertaining. When it is combined with the art, the techniques/strikes feel very dynamic and impactful. It makes fights a lot more enjoyable.
If you enjoy badass fighting manga with a deep affection for martial arts, this series is at the top.