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There are a few minor spoilers in this review

The series is a continuation of the previous series “BAKI”. It starts where Baki wilfully makes his way into a maximum-security prison called the “Black Pentagon” to fight Oliva as a stepping stone to defeating his father, Yujiro Hanma.

Story (8/10)
I find some complaints that there was no Baki vs Yujiro in this season. First, to answer this, Baki was never just about Baki. If the story was only focused on Baki vs Yujiro, it would soon be repetitive and tedious. Baki series is known to be exceptional at building tension between two fighters. The more important the ... fight is to the story, the longer the build-up. For instance, the mantis fight introduces a technique that would later play an integral part in his future battles (beyond this season). His ability to mimic certain animals and their movements to perform techniques that cannot be attained by conventional methods. Hence, why the mantis saga is a good starting point to introduce this concept.

With each arc of this series, Itagaki focuses on different characters and their development. This time it’s about Oliva and his ideals and reasons for attaining strength. Often making comparisons to Baki as to what it means to be free or ‘unchained’. For instance, status, control, and worldly pleasures were major factors that made Oliva believe that he had complete freedom over anyone. However, it was also a dependency on these extraneous factors that made him rather ‘chained’. We begin to see this at the end of his fight with Guevara. However, it was explored even more when he develops as a character during the final fight of this season, especially when he decides to lay his ego low push himself to the limits.
One issue I find this season was the pacing in between the fights. I do not think that the explanations were bad by any means. However, there are times when there were repetitions that drag out the explanations even more than they should be.

The art style and animation (7/10)
The line art was exceptional, and the detail was exactly on point with the manga. The character designs were also a lot better, and the expressions were portrayed amazingly. When compared to the previous seasons, it was a massive upgrade. In terms of the animation, there was an improvement in this season. However, they implemented a ‘peaks over consistency’ approach for some fights. A drop in animation quality can be seen midway through but it makes up for it during the final fight. In my opinion, it would’ve been a better approach if they prioritised more consistent animation even if it meant a downgraded art style. However, I understand why they would choose this approach because Baki has a complex art style that is difficult to animate.

Overall (8/10)
This season was overall very good but some flaws need to be improved on. This season tops the previous seasons and I hope that the animation team continues to improve. Especially considering the upcoming arc is one of the best of Baki.

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.