At New York Comic Con 2025, one of the world’s largest pop culture events, fans celebrated the 35th anniversary of Baki the Grappler, written and illustrated by Keisuke Itagaki, during Kyodo Printing Co., Ltd.‘s Kodama Tales Inc. special panel in Room 408 of the Javits Center. Bringing together the world of Baki like never before, the special panel, titled “Beyond Baki: Cosplay, Editing & New Challenges,” was MC’d by Seb Baik and included panelists Pierre Dubost, Sullivan Rouaud, Logan Chitwood, and Michael Lacerna, all of whom treated attendees to behind-the-scenes insights and exclusive announcements highlighting the core traits of the Baki franchise and its publisher: “strength, legacy, and artistry.”
The panel celebrated the upcoming 35th anniversary of the Baki series, which will mark its milestone year in 2026. Itagaki’s Baki the Grappler was initially serialized in Akita Shoten‘s shōnen manga magazine, Weekly Shōnen Champion, from September 1991 to 1999, and follows the story of Baki Hanma, a teenager who wants to become a mighty warrior like his father. After outgrowing the traditional combat training, Baki heads on a mission to follow in his father’s footsteps, training and leveling up his skills as he faces off against numerous powerful opponents in deadly, no-rules hand-to-hand combat–including going hand-to-hand with his father, who beats him without challenge, and results in Baki traveling the world to improve his martial arts skills.
Over 100 million copies of Baki are in circulation (at least to date), making it one of the world’s most influential and celebrated franchises.
Baki was initially licensed for an English-language release by Gutsoon! Entertainment, which published the manga’s first 46 chapters in the anthology magazine Raijin Comics from 2002 to 2004. While collected volumes were initially planned, they never reached North American audiences. So, in anticipation of Baki‘s upcoming 35th anniversary, Kodama Tales announced in May 2025 (via Business Wire) that it had licensed the series for a worldwide English release.
Watch the trailer released at NYCC below:
At NYCC, Kodama Tales revealed Baki‘s official anniversary logo for the first time in the U.S., giving fans a look at upcoming projects. The event included a trailer for the English-language release of the Baki the Grappler manga and announced the company’s other celebrations for the milestone year. Among the celebration plans are fresh anime adaptations and global initiatives honoring the series’ enduring impact.
Lacerna, editor of Baki, shared his initial reaction to learning that he would get to work on the manga’s English-language translation before reflecting on how the series has not only grown but also heavily influenced both the anime world and beyond. “It’s a huge honor to work on this title, knowing how much it means not only to everyone on this panel, but to you, the fans,” he said. “Coming from a fighting game background, it’s impossible not to see Baki’s influence everywhere, from anything involving underground arenas to unexpected places like a horse girl racing simulator.”
Chitwood, a world-renowned Yujiro Hanma cosplayer, shared how Baki changed his life, giving him an avenue to pursue his dreams in ways that mirror Baki’s resilience. He told attendees, “Baki, for me, is motivation. At first, it pushed me to hit the gym more, but over time, it became motivation and inspiration to change my life. There are so many characters people cosplay, but getting to embody Yujiro Hanma and have others recognize you as a character you love is incredible. Especially with Yujiro, I’ve been able to humanize him in my own way and bring my own style to the role.”
In addition to the Baki-related announcement, the panel also included announcements about Kodama’s upcoming titles, including Boichi‘s Sun-Ken Rock manga, as well as Yuzuko Hoshimi‘s MAGICA manga, both arriving in 2026.
Source: Press Release
Fans can follow all anniversary updates and announcements through the official accounts: Japanese @teambaki and English @teambaki_en, because in the world of Baki, the fight is far from over.
Stay tuned to The Beat for more coverage from NYCC ’25.
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