Summary
Bakiis one of the most captivating, heart-pounding, and absolutely absurdanimecentered on fighting. The series is set around the titular Baki as he looks to get strong enough to defeat his father in hand-to-hand combat. While most of the show is realistic, there are a few moments whereit throws logic out of the window.
These moments are insane to watch and also giveBakia lot of its character as a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It knows when to be realistic and when it can have a little fun, like whenBaki fights an imaginary praying mantis.
There are plenty of animes out there based on fighting, but they’re not likeBaki.To be a good comparison toBaki,a show needs to have two of three qualities: it needs to have agood martial arts base, it has tosupplement the fighting with humor, or,it has to have some of thebest fights ever animated.
10Wind Breaker
The High School BakiShouldBe Going To
Wind Breakerwas the breakout anime hit of the Spring 2024 season.It showcased great fights, amazing characters, and some of the quickest world-building any fighting anime has featured. It’s a great choice forBakifans becauseWind Breakeris about fights more than anything else. LikeBaki,each of the side characters inWind Breakerbrings something fun and interesting to the table. They all have their own design, their own general energy, but above all,each character has a unique fighting style designed to push the limits.
Main character Sakura is the type of person to head straight into battle, while his friend Suo is more likely to fight defensively, manipulating his opponent before they ever throw a punch.Wind Breaker’sfights and side characters are well animated,making it a worthy choice for someone who wants something likeBaki.
9Fire Force
Fired Up Fights With Booming Bass
Fire Forcemight not have all the realistic premises thatBakisometimes brings to the table, but the cores of both shows are the same. While Baki fights with his hands, Shinra fromFire Forcefights with his feet, using his innate power to defeat his enemies.LikeBaki, Fire Forceis at its best during its fights.Fights inFire Forceare incredibly well animated, featuring beautiful colors, booming audio, and lighting effects to get the most out of every encounter.
Bakifans will like thatFire Forcedoesn’t take itself too seriously either.Shinra is a pretty funny character in and of himself, but there are plenty of side characters in the show that are also great for a couple of laughs.Fire Forceis a great comparison toBakibecausethe series is easy to follow, has great fights, and plenty of humor to back it up.
8Record of Ragnarok
Tournament Style Fighting for the Fate of the World
Bakifeatures several tournament arcs across its series. Whether Baki is fighting in a tournament to save his own life in China, fighting convicted inmates who found their way to Japan, or fighting in the Underground Arena,he’s probably fighting in a tournament.Record of Ragnarokis aseries entirely set in a tournament, wasting no time on developing unnecessary characters or worlds.It’s straight to the point it what it wants to do and it accomplishes its goals well.
Record of Ragnarokfeatures two people fighting. That’s it. While the characters in the fights usually have some form of power, they usually end up fighting each other with their bare hands or a simple weapon.Record of Ragnarokmakes no claims to be an anime that will make you think. Instead,it offers some of the most brutal and most satisfying fights anyone can watch.
7Dragon Ball
Before He Became a Super Saiyan God, Goku Was a Martial Artist
Goku is a lot of things. He’s a dad, a grandfather, a Super Saiyan God, and more. Before all that,he was a martial artist, winning his fights through punches and kicks just likeBaki.While all ofDragon Ballcan be a worthy comparison toBaki,the earliest series is the closest comparison. The originalDragon Balldidn’t have as many techniques or forms like Ultra Instinct andinstead focused on hand-to-hand fights.
10 Best Dragon Ball Moments of Pure Rage
When Dragon Ball gets serious, its characters have been known to explode with fury. Whether for Saiyan or Earthling, rage can lead to immense power.
LikeBaki,Dragon Ballalso features a lot of tournament arcs thatput everything outside of fighting in the back seat.
Even the modernDragon Ballseries,Dragon Ball Super,features a fantastic tournament arc that fans ofBakiwould love. Like Baki, Goku is solelyfocused on getting stronger and is willing to fight whoever he can to do so.
6God of High School
Another High-Flying Fighting Tournament
God of High Schoolcan be seen as a mixture ofBakiandRecord of Ragnarok.It’s another great series focused on a tournament and is centered on great hand-to-hand combat. LikeRecord of Ragnarok,God of High Schoolfeatures characters with impressive abilities that supersede human limits.Jin Mori, the main character ofGod of High School,is one of the flashiest fighters in anime and is always able to put on a stellar performance. The series is also great because it doesn’t waste time on any useless plot points.
Instead, it focuses all of its energy on its amazing fight scenes. They’re well choreographed, feature enough realism forBakifans to appreciate, andhappen fast enough to keep anyone wanting more.God of High Schoolis an easy series to watch that would be an excellent choice for aBakiwatcherwho wants more fights with a little less reality.
5Megalo Box
Futuristic Fights Centered on Realism
Gearless Joe is the only man inMegalo Boxto fight without the assistance of any gear. He’s solely focused on getting better without the help of any machinery and doesn’t do a bad job of it. WhileBakican be seen as a light-hearted series with fun characters and hilarious moments,Megalo Boxis anything but.Megalo Boxis set in a brutal, unforgiving world that Gearless Joe, or the Stray Dog, is barely surviving in.It makes his fights intense, violent, and gripping through his sheer desperation to win.
Megalo Boxis the most serious comparison toBakiin tone. While their flavor might not be the same, they both feature a couple of key similarities. Both series have strong-willed protagonists, feature top-tier hand-to-hand combat, andare some of theeasiest watches in anime.
4One Punch Man
The Absurdity ofBakiin a Nutshell
One Punch Manis in a league of its own.It’s hilariously simple, using one of the most straightforward premises any anime has ever presented: what if someone could beat everyone with one punch? The series takes this awesome concept and runs with it, creating one ofthe greatest anime series of all time.It’s the one series that can compare toBakiin its sheer ridiculousness.No other shows can kick logic and reasoning to the curb quite as well asBakiandOne Punch Mancan.
Saitama, the main character ofOne Punch Man, got stronger through a simple workout regiment of 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10km run every day. Using this workout system, he’s seemingly become the strongest creature in existence, defeating whoever he needs to while barely lifting a finger. It’s that kind of logic-less hilarity that makesOne Punch Mana great show for anyBakifan to watch.
3Hajime no Ippo
The Grandfather of Fighting Anime
Hajime no Ippopaved the way for a lot of fighting anime.It wasn’t the first, but it’s certainly one of the best.Out of every anime series to compareBakitoo, this series might have the most serious fighting moves. Characters inHajime no Ippohave superhuman abilities, butBakicharacters have them too. WhileBakiis a series set in reality, characters like Katsumi Orochi have added imaginary joints to their bodies in order to get stronger,showing that adhering to reality isn’t a top priority in either series.
Hajime no Ippois much older than many otherBakicomparisons, giving this series an entirely different feel than a lot of other choices. It’s also a show that focuses on boxing more than any other martial art,making it a great choice for fans of boxing as well.
2Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf
A Worthy Comparison toBaki
Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolfis the fastest paced show that can be compared toBaki.It features so many great fights in quick succession that some fans online got overwhelmed and complained that there weretoo many fights.LikeBaki, Garoudenisn’t afraid ofusing legitimate martial arts moves and terms in its show.It also does a great job of breaking down each move and why it works, letting fans who aren’t familiar with the latest joint-locks in on the action.
Outside its comparison toBakithrough its realism,Garoudenis brutal.Characters don’t stop fighting until they’re physically incapable.Main character Juzo Fujimaki even gets knocked out at one point in the series and continues to fight through his subconscious alone.Garoudenis violent, it’s bloody, and above all else, it’s awesome.
1Kengan Ashura
While there are a lot of close comparisons toBaki,none are quite as good asKengan Ashura.It feels like the two series were designed to be watched together,and it’s hard to believe that anyone who likesBakiwouldn’t also like watching a few rounds ofKengan.The series are so similar, Netflix put together an event where the two characters fought each other in glorious combat.Ohma Tokita and Baki Hanma are two of the most dangerous characters, not only within their respective series, but in all of anime.
Netflix’s Hit Martial Arts Anime Comes Back With New Trailer That Confirms It’s Baki’s True Rival
Kengan Ashura has finally revealed a new trailer and an exact release date for season 2 part 2 which could be its final season.
Baki and Ohma both know what it means to have their backs against a wall. They’ve fought enemies stronger than them with nothing more than their fists on numerous occasions and can’t wait to do it again. In a world of people focused on money, control, and fame,BakiandKengan Ashurafeature two incredible characters who would sacrifice it all if it meant they could fight each other.
