Baki the Grappler (グラップラー刃牙 Gurappurā Baki) is a 2001 Japanese anime television series based on the manga of the same name written and illustaed by Keisuke Itagaki. It's serialized and published in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine. The first series in the Baki series started serializing from 1991 to 1999, with a total of 42 volumes.
It was produced by Group TAC, directed by Hitoshi Nanba, aired on TV Tokyo in Japan for 24 episodes from January 8, 2001 to June 25 of the same year. The anime was followed by a second season titled Baki the Grappler: Maximum Tournament, with it being directed by Katsuyoshi Yatabe, and aired from July 24, 2001 to December 25, 2001, consisting of 24 episodes. With the series in total bringing in 48 episodes.
In 2005, FUNimation Entertainment acquired the rights to the series and released the first season of the series from June 14, 2005 to March 21, 2006. They released the second season of the series from May 16, 2006 to February 27, 2007.
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Cast[]
| Image | Character | Seiyū | Dub Actor | Season(s). | Ep(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Characters | |||||
| Baki Hanma | Masami Kikuchi | Robert McCollum | 1-2 | ||
| Yūjirō Hanma | Kenji Nomura | Matthew Tompkins | 1-2 | ||
| Emi Akezawa | Yurika Hino | Wendy Powell | 1-2 | ||
| Secondary Characters | |||||
| Doppo Orochi | Mugihito | Greg Dulcie | 1-2 | ||
| Kiyosumi Katō | Takehiro Murozono | Troy Baker | 1-2 | ||
| Mitsunari Tokugawa | Naomi Kusumi | Douglass Burks | 1-2 | ||
| Izō Motobe | Masayuki Omoro | Jim Johnson | 1-2 | ||
| Kōshō Shinogi | Kaneto Shiozawa | Christopher Sabat | 1-2 | ||
| Ako Mayama (young) |
Aaron Dismuke (young) |
2 | |||
| Garry Strydum | Hidetoshi Nakamura | Mark Stoddard | 1-2 | ||
| Kaoru Hanayama | Masayuki Nakata | Kyle Hebert | 1-2 | ||
| Motoko Kumai (young) |
Aaron Dismuke (young) |
1 | |||
| Gōki Shibukawa | Hiroshi Naka | R. Bruce Elliott | 1-2 | ||
| Jack Hanma | Kōichi Sakaguchi | Daniel Penz | 2 | ||
| Kozue Matsumoto | Sachiko Kojima | Emily Hornsby | 1-2 | ||
| Kate Oxley | 2 | 38-47 | |||
| Detective Kido | Naomi Kusumi | Grant James | 1-2 | ||
| Kitazawa | Takuo Kawamura | Mike McFarland | 1 | ||
| Diane Neil / Jane |
Yurika Hino | Stephanie Young | 1-2 | ||
| Kanji Igari | Tōru Ōkawa | Brice Armstrong | 1-2 | ||
| Yū Amanai | Masayuki Nakata | Paul Taylor | 2 | ||
| Andreanov Garland | Eiji Yanagisawa | Daniel Penz | 2 | ||
| Yūko Maekawa (young) | |||||
| Vladimir | Aruno Tahara | Kyle Hebert | 1 | ||
| Recurring Characters | |||||
| Atsushi Suedō | Yoshikazu Nagano | Mike Murray | 1-2 | ||
| David Stroh | 2 | 25 | |||
| Kureha Shinogi | Mitsuru Miyamoto | Mark Lancaster | 1-2 | ||
| Yukie Maeda (young) |
Michael Pandolfo (young) |
2 | |||
| Hitoshi Kuriyagawa | Masayuki Omoro | R. Bruce Elliott | 1-2 | ||
| Kizaki | Jin Yamanoi | Phil Parsons | 1-2 | ||
| Yasha Ape | Eiji Yanagisawa | Bob Carter | 1-2 | ||
| Yuri Chakovsky | Masaya Takatsuka | Chris Rager | 1-2 | ||
| Steven Walters | 1 | 5 | |||
| Gaia / Nomura | Kōji Yusa | Chuck Huber | 1-2 | ||
| Natsuki Orochi (Doppo's Wife) |
Ako Mayama | Ashley Gonzales | 1-2 | ||
| Mount Shōhei Toba | Yū Shimaka | Christopher Sabat | 1-2 | ||
| Nina Chakovsky | Kiyomi Asai | Kate Oxley | 1-2 | ||
| Junichi Hanada | Toshitaka Shimizu | Chris Cason | 1 | 19 | |
| Mark Orvik | 2 | 25-43 | |||
| Matsuo | Kenichi Ono | Randy Tallman | 1-2 | ||
| Lorient Tracy | Toshitaka Shimizu | Troy Baker | 1-2 | ||
| Govek / Sir | Masaaki Tsukada | Ed Blaylock | 1-2 | ||
| Doctor | Yoshikazu Nagano | John Burgmeier | 1-2 | ||
| Kinuyo Matsumoto (Kozue's Mom) |
Yurika Hino | Lydia Mackay | 1 | ||
| Sanada | Dai Matsumoto | Paul Logsden | 1 | ||
| Kuraishi | Tōru Ōkawa | Daniel Penz | 1 | ||
| Reiichi Andō | Katsuhiro Kitagawa | Jim Johnson | 1 | ||
| Older Chiba Brother | Tomohiro Nishimura | Josh Martin | 1 | ||
| Copperhead | Shinichi Namiki | Troy Baker | 1 | ||
| Kurokawa | Eiji Yanagisawa | Bill Flynn | 1 | ||
| Takagi | Masayuki Nakata | Duncan Brannan | 1 | ||
| Gizo | ¿? | Jim Johnson | 1 | ||
| Katsumi Orochi | Keiji Fujiwara | Sonny Strait | 2 | ||
| Yūko Maekawa (young) |
Michael Pandolfo (young) |
2 | 39 | ||
| Retsu Kaioh | Kunihiko Yasui | Ed Blaylock | 2 | ||
| Zulu | Takuo Kawamura | Craig Dvorak | 2 | ||
| Kinryūzan | Kyle Hebert | 2 | |||
| Roland Gustaf | Eiji Yanagisawa | Andy Mullins | 2 | ||
| Akeno Watanabe (young) |
Lauren Goode (young) |
2 | 27 | ||
| Ian McGregor | Mitsuru Ogata | Bob Carter | 2 | 25, 28 | |
| Ben Scott | 2 | 34, 37 | |||
| Chiharu Shiba | Tomohiro Nishimura | Ron Gonzalez | 2 | ||
| Kōhei Hatanaka | Daisuke Hirakawa | Charles Baker | 2 | 28 | |
| Brad Jackson | 2 | 37 | |||
| Kengo Misaki | Jin Yamanoi | Bill Flynn | 2 | ||
| Suzumoto | Takehiro Murozono | Jeff Johnson | 2 | ||
| Narration | |||||
| Narrator | Masayuki Nakata | Bob Carter | 1-2 | ||
Episodic Characters[]
| Image | Character | Seiyū | Dub Actor | Ep(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Season | ||||
| Sensarak Dinoy | Yoshikazu Nagano | Bob Carter | 1 | |
| Jiro Shimizu | Atsushi Ii | Mark Stoddard | ||
| Naito | Masayuki Nakata | Phil Parsons | ||
| Dinoy's Trainer | Akimitsu Takase | Mike Murray | ||
| Maid | Kiyomi Asai | Kate Oxley | ||
| Coach ishimaru (Dumpy) |
Shinichi Namiki | Chris Forbis | 1-2, 5 | |
| Yajima | Katsuhiro Kitagawa | Brad Jackson | 2 | |
| Tommy | ¿? | Kyle Hebert | ||
| Julio Zère Quevas | Yoshikazu Nagano | Tyler Walker | 3 | |
| Bob Carter | 5 | |||
| Johnson | Toshitaka Shimizu | Bob Carter | 5 | |
| Sam | ¿? | Brad Jackson | ||
| Nakamura | Jeremy Inman | |||
| Yuri's Grandfather | Naomi Kusumi | Mark Stoddard | ||
| Hanayama's Mother | Mami Horikoshi | Lydia Mackay | 6 | |
| Detective | Eiji Yanagisawa | Randy Tallman | ||
| Fukuro DJ | Yoshikazu Nagano | Josh Martin | 6-7 | |
| Horitatsu | Kōichi Kitamura | Douglass Burks | 7 | |
| Ring Announcer | Takayuki Fujimoto | David Stroh | 8 | |
| Bob | ¿? | Paul Logsden | ||
| John Harlon | Takuo Kawamura | Jason Konopisos | ||
| Eiichi Ikezawa | Mitsuaki Madono | Kent Williams | ||
| George Harman | Takuo Kawamura | Daniel Penz | ||
| Kojushakin | Tsutomu Tsuji | |||
| Hikoichi Tanuma (Division Commander) |
Eiji Yanagisawa | Randy Tallman | 9 | |
| Masanobu Kobayashi (Hokkaido General) |
Rokurō Naya | Jim Johnson | ||
| Kanemoto | Tōru Ōkawa | Steven Walters | 12 | |
| Maa | ¿? | Ian Sinclair | ||
| Shūmei Kanō | Kenichi Ono | Kent Williams | 16 | |
| Dixon Tracie | Katsuhiro Kitagawa | Andy Mullins | ||
| Dixon's Butler | Eiji Yanagisawa | Justin Pate | ||
| Mai | Ryōko Aoyagi | Kate Oxley | 19 | |
| Chang | Shinichi Namiki | Brandon Bristow | ||
| Naito (Thug) |
Takuo Kawamura | Eric Vale | ||
| Takada | Yoshikazu Nagano | Daniel Penz | ||
| Referee | Jin Yamanoi | Jeff Inman | ||
| Rikigozan | Bill Jenkins | 20 | ||
| Yōichi Tatsumi | Masaya Takatsuka | Brandon Bristow | 21 | |
| Shigeru Akatsuka | ¿? | Lee Trull | ||
| Nurse | Jennifer Seman | 21 | ||
| Clarine Harp | 22 | |||
| Vale | Masayuki Nakata | Daniel Penz | 22 | |
| Yasuko | Kiyomi Asai | Jamie Marchi | 23-24 | |
| Yasuko's Father | ¿? | Kent Williams | ||
| Second Season | ||||
| Takeda | ¿? | Jonathan C. Osborne | 25 | |
| Shou | ¿? | Jeremy Inman | ||
| Dentoranee Jitpika | ¿? | Chad Cocuzza | ||
| Artemis Reagan | Shinya Hashimoto | Chris Rager | 25-26 | |
| Rob Robinson | Dai Matsumoto | Troy Baker | ||
| Sergei Taktarov | ¿? | Mike Murray | ||
| Robert Guerlain | ¿? | Josh Martin | 26 | |
| Takuji Kuriki | ¿? | David Stroh | ||
| Bill Riley | ¿? | Randy Tallman | 26-27 | |
| Yasha Jr. | ¿? | Bob Carter | ||
| Kohei Izumi | Yoshikazu Nagano | John Elliott | 26, 38 | |
| Bunnoshin Inagaki | Takuo Kawamura | Chance Munsterman | 27 | |
| Gustaf's Mother | Tomo Shigematsu | Jamie Marchi | ||
| Sergio Silva | Mizuki Saitō | Marcus Neely | 28 | |
| Jagatta Shaman | ¿? | Jeremy Inman | ||
| Chamoan | ¿? | Andy Mullins | ||
| Minoru Yamamoto | Yoshirō Matsumoto | John Elliott | 28-29 | |
| Mike Queen | Takuo Kawamura | Jeremy Inman | 28, 35 | |
| Oyakata Fujimaki | Eiji Yanagisawa | Bill Flynn | ||
| Moko Li | Yoshikazu Nagano | Andy Mullins | 28 | |
| Brandon Bristow | 37 | |||
| Otto | ¿? | Chris Cason | 29 | |
| Roger Harlon | Mitsuru Ogata | Jason Konopisos | 30, 35 | |
| Richard Filth | Masayuki Nakata | Bill Jenkins | 30, 47 | |
| Ed Blaylock | 37 | |||
| Ryu Kaioh | Mitsuru Ogata | Matthew Tompkins | 32 | |
| J. Paul Slavens | 42 | |||
| Yakichi Hanayama | ¿? | Michael Pandolfo | 33 | |
| Bayoh Hanayama | ¿? | Troy Baker | ||
| Johnny L. Donovan | Takashi Nagasako | Bill Jenkins | 34 | |
| Sam D'Amato | Mizuki Saitō | Kyle Hebert | ||
| Jamal | ¿? | Jeremy Inman | ||
| Davkolich | ¿? | Sonny Strait | 35 | |
| Makoev | Masaya Takatsuka | Mike McFarland | 35, 39 | |
| Bolsky | ¿? | Sonny Strait | 39 | |
| Dorian Kaiou | Christopher R. Sabat | |||
| Tom Harrison | Lee Trull | 40 | ||
| Dr. Buren | Shōto Kashii | Grant James | 40, 44 | |
| Kihei Mikoshiba | Kōichi Kitamura | Cole Brown | 41, 43 | |
| Bill | ¿? | Tyler Walker | 45 | |
| Sam Gary | Eiji Yanagisawa | Mike McFarland | 45-46 | |
| Biscuit Oliver | Yūsaku Yara | Markus Lloyd | 48 | |
| Richards | Shinpachi Tsuji | Kent Williams | ||
| Kikuchi | ¿? | Jerry Jewell | ||
| Charley | ¿? | Matt Cocuzza | ||
| Green Beret Commander | Tetsuya Sakai | Daniel Penz | ||
| Delta Force Commander | Masayuki Nakata | Brandon Bristow | ||
Additional Voices[]
Season One[]
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Season Two[]
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Trivia[]
- Two of the voice actors in this dub, Kyle Hebert (Hanayama) and Troy Baker (Kato), would later both star in the Netflix dub of the 2018 series a decade later after the release of this dub. Hebert plays one of the antagonists Spec while Baker would go on to play the main protagonist Baki Hanma.
- Kate Oxley replaces Emily Hornsby as Kozue Matsumoto from Episode 38 onwards.
- David Stroh fills in for Mike Murray as Atsushi Suedo in Episode 25, the Season 2 premiere.
- Chris Cason did Junichi Hanada's one line in Episode 19 before Mark Orvik replaced him from Episode 25 onwards.
- Ian McGregor's vocalizations are performed by Bob Carter in Episode 25 and 28, but his proper lines in Episode 34 and 37 were performed by Ben Scott.
- Tyler Walker does Julio Zale Quevas' vocals in Episode 3 but is replaced by Bob Carter in Episode 5.
- J. Paul Slavens replaces Matthew Tompkins as Ryuu Kaioh, Retsu Kaioh's master, in Episode 42 from Episode 32. It was likely because Tompkins had already been voicing Yujiro Hanma since earlier in the series and Yujiro had not had many lines in that earlier block of episodes.
- Episode 37 replaces some of the actors for the defeated contestants who face-off with Yujiro:
- Ed Blaylock replaces Bill Jenkins as Richard Filth, though Jenkins reprised his part for the epilogue in Episode 47.
- Brandon Bristow replaces Andy Mullins as Moko Li.
- Brad Jackson replaces Charles Baker as Kohei Hatanaka.
- One of the Hanayama enforcers restraining Baki is voiced by Brad Jackson in Episode 5 but is voiced in Episode 6 by David Trosko.
- Clarine Harp replaces Jennifer Seman as a nurse in Kureha's hospital in Episode 22 despite using the same footage from Episode 21.
See Also[]
External Links[]
- Baki the Grappler at the Internet Movie Database.
- Baki the Grappler (anime) on the Anime News Network's encyclopedia.
- Baki the Grappler: Maximum Tournament (anime) on the Anime News Network's encyclopedia.
- Baki the Grappler on Behind The Voice Actors.
- Baki the Grappler: Maximum Tournament on Behind The Voice Actors.