Garouden is penned by Keisuke Itagaki, of Grappler Baki fame. Like Baki, it is a series about jaw-dropping, brutal fights between unique, realistic characters one wants to learn more about, all told with many helpings of humor and self-deprecation.

Unlike Baki, the manga is largely based on the best-selling action books, from a different author, and follow a very different story arc and approach towards combat. The fighting is vastly more realistic. In fact, of every manga and anime I've seen, it's the closest to legitimate mixed martial arts.

The grapplers are shown as mostly dominating the pure strikers, and the submission specialists eat the karatekas for breakfast, but both karatekas and wrestlers alike have to adapt new techniques to improve and defeat their many rivals.

It's neat watching a master karateka learn armbars and a sprawl, or a big, beefy wrestler employing the high kick.

Beyond simply the action, the manga is remarkable for its style. The main hero, Tanba Bunshichi, is, without a doubt, one of the coolest characters I have ever come across in any medium.

From his clothes, to his facial design, to his body posture, his charisma leaps off of the very page one is holding. His always calm demeanor is contrasted against his psychotic obsession for fighting, and a complete lack of regard for social convention.

Throughout the series, he will, upon finding a powerful fighter, either pursue them, or fight them on the spot. Most of the other characters, from the arrogant, cruel Great Tatsumi, (modeled on the great Antonio Inoki) a legendary wrestler who has become a powerful tycoon, to the ruthless, mysterious Fujimaki Jyouzo, who attacks capable fighters on the streets with no warning, and cripples them, are also captivating and interesting.

The series has a number of plot arcs, many highly unconventional for a simple action series, from Crybaby Sakura's quest to finally cry (he has no eyes), to Fujimaki's desire for redemption and his lost lady love, to the rivalry between the FAW pro wrestlers and Shozan Matsuo's Hokushin-style karate dojos, to Tanba's desire to smash every fighter standing in his way.

If you enjoy fighting, action, unconventional characters, or gripping storylines, you have to check out this classic.