Manga launches physically/digitally in English in October
© Keisuke Itagaki
Kyodo Printing Co., Ltd.’s Kodama Tales Inc. subsidiary announced on Thursday that it is publishing Keisuke Itagaki’s Baki The Grappler manga worldwide in English in 24 volumes starting in October. Kyodo Printing will print the English physical versions in Japan.
The company also teased future titles from Asahi Shimbun Publications, Coamix, Daiwa Shobo, Hero’s Inc., Nihonbungeisha, Shodensha, and Shonengahosha.
Itagaki’s Baki The Grappler martial arts manga ran for 42 volumes in Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine from 1991 to 1999. The Baki sequel manga ran for 31 volumes from 1999 to 2005. Media Do releases the manga in English. After Baki, Itagaki published the 37-volume Hanma Baki manga in Weekly Shōnen Champion from 2005 to 2012. The first Baki-Dou manga, the overall fourth manga in the franchise, launched in Weekly Shōnen Champion in March 2014 and ended in April 2018 with 22 volumes. The manga is inspiring an upcoming anime.
A new Baki-Dou manga launched in Weekly Shōnen Champion in October 2018, and it ended in June 2023. (The new Baki-Dou manga uses different characters for “Baki” in the title from the previous Baki-Dou manga, although it retains the name “Baki-Dou.”)
The new anime of Itagaki’s Baki (New Grappler Baki: In Search of Our Strongest Hero) manga debuted its first season on Netflix in June 2018 inside Japan, and it ran for 26 episodes ending in December 2018. Netflix posted the first 13 episodes outside of Japan in December 2018, followed by the second half of the first season in March 2019.
The Baki: Dai Raitaisai-hen anime then debuted worldwide on Netflix with all episodes at once in June 2020. Baki Hanma is the third Baki series on Netflix, and a sequel to the Baki: Dai Raitaisai-hen series. The anime debuted worldwide on Netflix in September 2021 with all 12 episodes.
The second season of Baki Hanma debuted worldwide on Netflix in July 2023, with the “Tale of Pickle & The Pickle War Saga” story. The anime’s “The Father VS Son Saga” story debuted in August 2023.
Source: Press release
