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New Baki Martial Arts Anime Will Portray 'Death Row Convicts' Arc

This year's 44th issue of of Akita Shoten's Weekly Shonen Champion magazine revealed on Thursday that the new original anime DVD adaptation of Keisuke Itagaki's Baki manga will portray the "Most Evil Death Row Convicts" arc in the manga.

The arc is portrayed in the Baki manga, the second installment in the series, and features underground ring fighters in the no-rules combat environment of death row convicts. The anime will highlight five individuals from prisons around the world who "long to know defeat." The five individuals break out of their respective prisons and head to Japan.

The DVD will also contain a commentary by Itagaki, and animated portrayals of famous scenes in the manga.

The official website for the manga's 25th anniversary previously streamed a trailer for the anime.

The OAD will be bundled with a limited edition of Itagaki's 14th Baki-Dou manga volume on December 6.

Teiichi Takiguchi (The Garden of Sinners Part 4 director, character designer, animation director; Lupin III: Chi no Kokuin Eien no Mermaid director) is directing the anime at Telecom Animation Film, and he is also designing the characters. Toshiyuki Yamashita is serving as chief director, and Yoshitaka Nagaoka (Monogatari Series Second Season, Blassreiter) is unit director. Keiichiro Shimizu (My Little Monster, Ghost in the Shell: Arise) is the art director, and Tomoko Yamamoto (Strike Witches, Millennium Actress) is in charge of color design. Kenji Fujisawa (Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Boruto: Naruto the Movie) is composing the music. Naho Mitsuishi (O-jii-san no Lamp, Z/X Ignition) is director of photography.

Shoji Hata (The Empire of Corpses, One-Punch Man) is the sound director. Yoshihiro Kasahara (Orange, Aikatsu!) is the editor. Yu Kiyozono (Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, Lupin III: Part IV) is credited as producer, and TMS Entertainment is credited for planning production.

The original Baki The Grappler manga marks its 25th anniversary this year.

Itagaki's Baki The Grappler martial arts manga ran in Weekly Shonen Champion magazine from 1991 to 1999, followed by Baki from 1999 to 2005. Hanma Baki then ran in the same magazine from 2005 to 2012. Baki The Grappler has received several manga sequels, two television anime adaptations, and an original animation video.

The Baki-Dou sequel series launched in Weekly Shonen Champion in March 2014. Baki-Dou is the third sequel to Itagaki's original Grappler Baki manga.

Yukinao Yamauchi (Baki Gaiden - Scarface) launched Baki Gaiden: Kizuzura, a Baki The Grappler spinoff, in the inaugural issue of Bessatsu Shonen Champion magazine in 2012. Still another spinoff, Baki Gaiden: Kenjin, debuted in Champion Red magazine in 2013.

Source: Comic Natalie