I will preface this by saying this is not a conventional review. Rather, I will try to pick apart and analyze certain aspects of the series from a literary perspective. This will not be spoiler free, so if that is something that bothers you, I would suggest not reading this until having read the series, except if you are looking for a reason to take this ridiculous-looking series any more serious than you usually would.

___Grappler Baki_ __ is a series that manages to simultaneously indulge and show a deep appreciation of all the tropes and archetypes found in various martial-arts and shounen stories. Yet it still inspects these from a critical angle and a more realistic perspective in terms of evaluation and how it presents the inevitable consequences certain elements commonly normalized in media would have on the characters who are, against their choice, part of the narrative they are born into. I can't understate how impressive this feat is - managing to be a series where not a single chapter goes by without a fight of some sort, where characters have made it the sole purpose of their entire existence to experience a great fight, all the while critically analyzing the implications such circumstances would have on an individual's mental state and behaviour. It wholly embraces the contradictions which are inherent to life and the human condition via Baki who, over time, comes to terms with the deterministic nature of his existence, solely having been born to one day serve his father as a good opponent; pushing his body to the limit since the tender age of 3, all without any consent or even explanation. His father sees him as a vessel to further his own selfish need of one day being defeated and overcoming his boredom, whereas his mother, up until her final moments at least, always saw him as a means to please and, maybe even finally attain Hanma Yujiro's love. Baki all the while just craves the love and respect his parents should naturally give him, but he has to fight and put his life on the line constantly to even be considered - his path has been decided long before he was ever born, as evident with the symbolism in the Egyptian Pyramids, showcased during their final confrontation:

Coping with this fact is not easy - a plethora of things taken for granted in a normal household are alien to Baki. He only knows how to push his body to the limit, and the consequences of that become apparent quickly throughout the series. He has difficulty communicating on a substantial level unless it is physical; just like his father! The Hanma bloodline is referred to as cursed and poisonous numerous times in the narrative, and it definitely makes sense considering just what form the emotions of a Hanma take - Yujiro knows no other way than to brutally kill his wife Emi Akezawa, Baki's mother, and ironically he does it with a hug that breaks her spine. It's the most blatant moment in the story in terms of showcasing just how far removed a Hanma is from normal society

Even earlier, during Baki's fight with Gaia, a soldier who is suffering from MPD and is the amalgam of 24, vastly different personalities, it becomes apparent just how unnatural his proportions are for a 13 year old, a fact that is often taken for granted in manga that are considered ,,GAR''. It's quite intriguing how Itagaki manages to poke holes into the very same framework his own creation operates in, yet again without dismissing or dissociating from it, but rather accepting it head on and still making it work.

Itagaki is also rather cheeky in the way he utilizes iconography. Hanma Yujiro's whole thing is the demonic face that forms on his back when he gets serious. Ironically, it is this very back that his son Baki chases in his pursuit to gain his father's respect. This third installment of the series, Hanma Baki: Son of Ogre, acts as the ultimate conclusion to this dynamic, the final showdown between a father and the enemy he himself has created to one day take him down. The fight spans 62 chapters and could be considered a whole arc in and of itself. It's a marvellous display of passion, tranquility, feeling at home and how satisfying it can be to fulfill your purpose. It's one of the most natural and organic exchanges between two fictional characters I have seen. It starts by father and son having dinner together in a high class hotel. This very dinner becomes the point where one of the several layers this series has is being unraveled. Baki shows up in casual and loose clothing, very much to the displeasure of his father. Upon demanding an explanation for his appearance from his son, Baki dryly points out that his parents have never taught him proper etiquette. He is a novice in regards to social conduct and fitting in, which is perfectly rational considering his upbringing and mentality since his childhood. He expresses regret of this fact and provokes his father. As a reaction to this, Yujiro, for a brief moment, teaches Baki proper dinner etiquette and manners. This moment served as one of the key-scenes in making me realize the approach the series has to its themes and content.

After the dinner is concluded, father and son ready themselves for their fated fight. But instead of being a full-fledged serious start, the battle commences with Yujiro schooling Baki as if he were a toddler - slapping and spanking him as if scolding a child.

Their dynamic makes complete sense during the whole encounter; despite there being potential for it to end at any moment, instead it becomes a form of communication, in a twisted way a father catching up to his son's life and experiences. Several techniques and tricks Baki learns throughout the years culminate here and are polished to absolute perfection, showing his father just how much potential Baki harbors and how well of a man he has ended up becoming. This is what this whole story has been leading up to, the literal reason the main character was even conceived, and it sure delivers on that.
As a reaction to being knocked out by his son, even if just for the fraction of a second, Yujiro pats Baki in the middle of the fight to show him how proud he is. It's a touching, but ultimately painful moment as Baki has never received affection, as evident by him having a hard time accepting the gesture.

It becomes very apparent that Baki is only really himself and fulfilled when fighting against his father. The otherwise calm and collected Baki becomes an emotional mess, unable to process the overload of emotion and information he is receiving during the whole dialogue. He indulges in his primal urges of just letting loose and going with the flow, a thing he barely ever gets to do since, as he himself says, it would get normal people killed. The whole fight, each blow of which would be lethal to an ordinary man, is presented as a father playing with his son, the most genuine form of connection these two could ever conceivably have.

All of this is solely me looking at the dynamic between father and son and how it's used to lay bare a lot of hidden depth the story has been subtly building up over the 27 years of its run. To briefly address different, more minor aspect that is explored during the fight, I would point to the involvement of Pickle. For context, Pickle is a prehistoric human who lived during the cretaceous period, side-by-side with dinosaurs. He is a savage, more animal than human in behaviour and conduct, going as far as cannibalizing his opponents during fights. He notices the feud between father and son, and based on his instincts, joins the fray. He is made quick work of and disciplined by Baki via a punch. Said punch has deeper ramifications though - the living ancestor is taught to abstain from getting involved, it is clearly communicated not by words, but by way of physical exchange. Violence literally civilizes him.

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It's a small moment, really nothing more than a minute distraction during this monumental sequence, yet incredibly fascinating and bizarre. A persisting motif in Baki is the fact that fighting gives form to things, in a way, it helps people formulate themselves and serves as a rawer, purer exchange of hearts that manages to convey intent in a less filtered and compressed way. All in all The Grappler Baki, after hundreds upon hundreds of manga I've read, remains one of the most impressive and impactful series of the bunch. In part due to the meticulous, detailed choreography and otherworldy scenarios, but mainly for the way it dismantles and rebuilds the very foundations this whole story and others of its ilk are built upon. It's a massively ambitious undertaking, reminiscent of a lot of things that other series like Hunter x Hunter do with their framework. Itagaki manages to make these extraordinary, fundamentally removed characters engaging and functional in the setting, while still making us aware that these things are abnormal and twisted to the core. Baki is not a bad guy, even Yujiro to an extent can be a good person, but the nature of their genes/their blood is is inherently twisted - just like anything that harbors the potential for death and destruction