To start, we asked Hirano, who has been with the Baki franchise for years, about the difficulties in bringing the Son of the Ogre’s story to life. “We would have to look into the animation frame-by-frame, and the frames for manga and animation are so different. We had to make sure we could accommodate those differences, so if you are directing these scenes in manga, you can go vertically or horizontally. In anime, you don’t have that choice. We always have to think about the appropriate length of some sequences, as that can be very difficult to do, and the motion itself can be tough on its own.”
Talking Baki’s Fights
TMS/Netflix
We here at ComicBook.com couldn’t help but ask the anime director and TMS producer about their favorite fights from the Baki franchise, as there have been quite a few with the titular character and his friends. The pair wasted little time in narrowing down their favorite, “We love the ‘Father And Son War,’ as that is something very special and very intricate, which we adapted from the source material. We had to make sure that we animated it the right way to do it justice.” For those who don’t know, the “Father/Son War” pitted Baki against his wildly powerful father, Yujiro Hanma, with the former taking the victory. Now, Baki is considered the strongest creature walking the Earth, that is, until Musashi Miyamoto was resurrected in the latest season.
Speaking of Miyamoto, Hirano discussed the research that needed to be done to bring the legendary samurai to the anime medium, “This iteration of Musashi Miyamoto, he’s obviously Itagaki’s version of him, so he’s very different from what we know. Because he is from the area, we did some research about his background in bringing him to life.”
Saying Goodbye to The Sea King
tms/entertainment
Baki-Dou: The Invincible Samurai contained a moment that might have shocked many fans, as while many characters have received broken bones or lost limbs, not nearly as many have lost their lives. During the fight between the Sea King Retsu and Musashi, the former was killed in a display of Miyamoto’s power. In our interview, we couldn’t help but ask the director and the producer their thoughts on the character’s passing in the latest season.
“In the manga, Mr. Itagaki depicts this death in a ‘dry moment’ so it isn’t as tear-jerking, so it doesn’t feel as emotional. In animation, we didn’t want to make it as such, so we made it more emotional and tear-jerking. We utilized music and staging to make it feel more emotional, so seeing the audience respond to that feels good, and we appreciate that. We are giving our best effort, but for that episode, where this important character is passing, we especially did. The Japanese voice talent for the character, Rikiya Koyama, after he was done with ADR, that was a wrap for him! We had a special farewell and had a “Sea King” party for his last day.
Talking Baki Crossovers
tms/netflix
While Baki alone has become a big anime name for Netflix, many fans were thrown for a loop when it was announced that the Grappler’s world will be crossing over with that of Kengan Ashura’s. The meeting was a match made in heaven as both anime focus heavily on fighting, and could give each franchise’s combatants a unique new challenge. Thanks to Baki Hanma Vs. Kengan Ashura, we made sure to ask TMS producer Kei Watabiki about any future crossovers starring the Son of the Ogre.
“We don’t have any future crossovers that we are currently considering, but there is a lot in the Baki world that fans still don’t know about. We want to introduce Baki to those people who do not know the show. If there is another opportunity like Kengan Ashura, we would look to pursue it.”
Finally, the pair had a message for the fans watching the series, or learning of it for the first time. “Wherever you start from, Baki is a franchise you can enjoy. We hope that you continue to support and enjoy our show as long as possible. If I were to talk about Baki-Dou the series, I would recommend you watch the original Japanese version. The Japanese talent who voices Musashi Miyamoto, Naoya Uchida, is awesome. His performance of being this real samurai from centuries ago, how he behaves in this modern era, you really get that feeling.”
Baki-Dou: The Invincible Samurai is currently streaming on Netflix, with its second season set to debut later this year.
