“Baki the Grappler” is an action-oriented martial arts manga and anime series created by Keisuke Itagaki and originally published in the 1991 Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine. The manga follows the exploits of Baki Hanma, a talented martial arts specialist. teenager whose ultimate goal is to defeat his father Yujiro, “the strongest creature on earth”. Since the conclusion of the original manga series, “Baki the Grappler” has spawned four series of sequels. The most recent of them, “Baki Dou”, began publishing in 2018 (via Anime News Network).
The series received its first anime adaptation with a 45-minute OVA (original video animation) released in 1994, followed by a 24-episode series in 2001 (via Baki Wiki). Most recently, Netflix began releasing adaptations in 2018 under the simple name “Baki.” The third and most recent season of this adaptation, titled “The Big Raitai Tournament,” was released in 2020. Now fans are wondering when they will get to see Season 4.
What’s the release date for Baki season 4?
Fortunately, Netflix has decided to continue adapting the series with a new entry. Season 4 of “Baki” is called “Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre” and is expected to launch on Netflix in the near future. However, it is unclear if it will be released as a new season of Netflix’s existing “Baki” series or if it will be considered a full series. Regardless, the official trailer for this sequel was released in September 2020. However, no official release date has been given for the new series. Therefore, there is no definitive release date yet.
That said, the Netflix teaser says the series will be “available soon.” This has led most major sources, such as IMDb, to predict that “Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre” will be released in 2021. Although Netflix has not released an official or specific release date, the estimate for 2021 is fair. Assuming all goes well, fans have a good chance of returning to the world of “Baki” very soon.
Who will be part of the cast of Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre?
As of yet, there has been no official announcement regarding the cast of “Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre.” With that said, fans can expect to hear the regular cast making a comeback on this series. In the Netflix series “Baki,” actor Nobunaga Shimazaki plays Baki, while Tôru Furuya acts as the narrator. Actors Troy Baker and Kirk Thornton performed the same roles in the English version (via IMDb). The same pattern can be expected to apply to important characters like Retsu (Rikiya Koyama / Kaiji Tang) and Kozue (Sora Amamiya / Cherami Leigh).
The missing element in this situation will be the new characters in the series. Without having made any casting announcements, it is impossible to determine who will join the “Baki” fighters, whose numbers continue to grow. Unfortunately, fans won’t be able to find out who the show’s new cast is until netflix releases it.
What will be the theme of Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre?
Following the “Great Ratai Tournament” arc, “Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre” should be a faithful adaptation of its namesake. Third manga series of the “Baki” lineage, “Hanma Baki: Son of Ogre” continues the story of Baki training and facing new opponents to prepare to face his father in hand-to-hand combat. Assuming the series stays true to this plot, the main story arcs will include Baki’s fights with characters like Biscuit Olivia and the prehistoric caveman, Pickle.
But that only scratches the surface, as even minor characters in Baki’s universe are entitled to their own crucial bows and fight sequences. Retsu’s character development, for example, will likely continue in “Son of Ogre.” However, as always, it’s impossible to say for sure what this series will look like until Netflix streams it. Until then, fans can satisfy their appetite for “Baki” by rewatching previous seasons of the anime or even delving into the manga.
