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Anime

Anime Lists

20 Anime Series To Watch If You Liked Netflix’s Baki

BY

LOUIS KEMNER

AND

DANIEL KURLAND

UPDATED OCT 15, 2023

For those who enjoyed the wild fights and focus on martial arts in Netflix’s Baki, here are 10 other anime
series worth checking out.

Split Images of Baki, Kinikkuman, Record of Ragnarok, Tokyo Revengers and One Punch Man

An adaptation of Keisuke Itagaki’s Baki the Grappler manga and a continuation of the 2001 series by
Group TAC, Netflix’s Baki debuted its second season on June 4, 2020. While the first season of the
streaming service’s anime covered the “Most Evil Death Row Convicts” arc, a brutal saga that saw five
high-profile criminals head to Japan in hope of tasting defeat, the second season revolves around a
Chinese martial arts tournament that attracts the world’s strongest fighters.

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Baki is a brutal martial arts anime that does not pull any punches when it comes to its fight scenes.
Although there are very few series quite like it, other anime do exist that should be able to scratch the
itch left by Netflix’s series.

Updated on October 11th, 2023 by Louis Kemner: This list of excellent combat anime like Baki has been
updated to adhere to CBR’s current publication standards and includes five more great shows like Baki
for fans to dig into.

RELATED:

20 Anime To Watch If You Like One-Punch Man

Tokyo Revengers

Tokyo Revengers is, on many surface levels, an action shonen anime like Baki, though these two series
also have some intriguing differences. Both of them involve grounded, intense fistfights and brutal
rivalries, though in the case of Tokyo Revengers, the dandere lead Takemichi Hanagaki is all about peace,
not violence.

Takemichi must time travel from 2017 to 2005 so he can change the past and make sure his friend Hina
Tachibana isn’t killed because of gang violence. Takemichi is now 14 again, and he must find a way to
survive the world of delinquent combat and gangs to create an all-new timeline. He can hardly throw a
punch, but he must still fight.

19

Dragon Ball Z

The classic Dragon Ball Z anime is more of what made the original Dragon Ball so much fun. Author Akira
Toriyama’s imagination was on full blast with the original DBZ manga, leading to one of the best
action/adventure shonen anime series a fan of Baki could ask for.

After a point, DBZ was far more fanciful than an anime like Baki could ever be, but it still featured plenty
of exciting martial arts and high-octane action scenes. This is the story of the adult Son Goku as he takes
on bigger and nastier threats than ever, from the legendary villain Frieza to Perfect Cell and much more.

18

Hajime No Ippo

Hajime no Ippo stands as one of the most long-running and popular sports/martial arts franchises of all
time. The original manga launched in 1989 and is still running at 138 volumes and counting, while the
anime boasts over 100 episodes across three different series.

Hajime no Ippo is a combat anime like Baki that stars Ippo Makenouchi as he strives to learn the ways of
boxing and stand up for himself. He used to be some bullied kid living in obscurity, but now he is a rising
star who will fight his way to the top as a relatable, scrappy underdog for the ages.

17

Tomorrow’s Joe
The protagonist of tomorrow’s joe with boxing gloves

Tomorrow’s Joe is one of many classic boxing anime series that should appeal greatly to fans of series
like Baki. The story of Tomorrow’s Joe follows the namesake hero Joe Yabuki, who begins the story as an
aimless wanderer who eventually finds himself in the world of boxing. He’s also got a rival to overcome,
Toru Rikiishi.

The story only gets more brutal and complex from there, with Joe Yabuki facing his own demons both in
the boxing ring and in his own mind. He still fears what’s to come, but if he can take on his greatest
enemies and win, he may carve out a path to the top.

16

Samurai Champloo

Even if Samurai Champloo focuses more on swordplay and anachronistic hip-hop music, it’s still a fine
pick for anyone looking for an anime like Baki in spirit. Samurai Champloo features a pair of rough
antiheroes named Mugen and Jin, who agree to escort the teenage Fuu to find her lost father.

This anime is about the journey, not the destination, and takes viewers on a fevered dream of a journey
involving spur-of-the-moment action, bizarre humor, and modern elements like beatboxing and baseball
matches in 19th-century Japan. It’s a charmingly irreverent series where action, attitude, and imagination
are at the fore.

15

The God Of High School

The God of High School is the perfect mix of extremes that leans into more grounded martial arts from a
series like Baki, but also occasionally leans more into hyperbolized shonen combat staples that populate
something like Dragon Ball Z.

The anime revolves around a mysterious competition held between all of the strongest high school
students, with the dedicated Jin Mori as the optimistic protagonist. The God of High School is at its best
when it showcases eclectic styles of real martial arts among the many different fighters and there’s
genuine strategy incorporated into the matches.

RELATED:

The Best Seinen Anime

Kinnikuman

Kinnikuman, also known as Ultimate Muscle outside of Japan, has decades of history to pull from, and
it’s a hilarious hybrid of suspenseful action and ridiculous fighting stereotypes. The anime essentially
boils down to a heightened take on wrestling matches, which makes it loosely similar to Baki as a sort of
hard-hitting sports anime.

However, a larger battle between the forces of good and evil play out behind the scenes. Kinnikuman’s
humor isn’t for everyone, but the unique character designs stand out and the cliffhangers during fights
are actually satisfying. It doesn’t take itself nearly as seriously as Netflix’s Baki, but that’s not always a
bad thing with a fighting anime.

13

Megalo Box

Ashita no Joe is a foundational boxing series that’s been around since the 1960s and has experienced
some inspired revisions through the years. Its most recent adaptation, Megalo Box, transports the boxing
property into a dystopian future with steampunk elements incorporated into the boxing elements.

Megalo Box is exceptional when it comes to its intimate, hard-hitting matches, making it a fine anime like
Baki, but it also digs into the psychological and physical toll of a sport like boxing. The anime’s second
season becomes even more reflective on this front and it’s a mature take on combat that’s interested in
far more than just entertaining fights.

12

Record Of Ragnarok

Anime is so versatile because fighting series can feature two scrappy nobodies who have a grudge to
resolve, or they just as easily can look at seismic confrontations between powerful Gods for the fate of
the universe.

Record of Ragnarok falls somewhere in between these extremes as the Gods decide to rule over the fate
of humanity, yet they attempt to balance the scales by putting the power in the hands of unlikely
humans who must utilize godly weapons for their cause. Record of Ragnarok is pure excess, but the
aggressive characters and their powerful nature bring Baki to mind.
RELATED:

20 Anime To Watch If You Like KonoSuba

11

Air Master

The bulk of the anime looked at here focus on strong, masculine characters, many of which have
exaggerated physiques that emphasize the aggressive nature of combat. Air Master is a breath of fresh
air in this sense because it features just as much combat as Netflix’s Baki, but it stars a female
protagonist, Maki Aikawa, a 16 year-old gymnast who trades her precise exercises for brutal street fights.

Air Master is such a satisfying series because it readily subverts genre expectations, just like how Maki’s
many opponents initially dismiss her based on her gender.

10

Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple

Blending martial arts with a lot of comedy, Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple is a highly entertaining shonen
anime that spawned 50 episodes back in the 2000s. Centering around a bullied high schooler, Kenichi,
who decides to join a dojo run by the grandfather of a fellow student, the anime dives deep into the
protagonist’s training while also featuring a lot of over-the-top battles.

As the anime ended its run before fully covering the manga, Kenichi is still very much in his infancy as a
martial artist, although the series does allow the hero to go up against various tough opponents.

Fist Of The North Star

Rightfully hailed as a classic, Fist of the North Star’s influence can be seen in almost every martial arts
anime. Set in a post-apocalyptic world akin to the one found in Mad Max, Hokuto no Ken follows
Kenshiro, a martial artist who knows exactly where to strike someone to cause them to lose body parts
in graphic (and glorious) fashion.
Fist of the North Star’s original anime aired during the 1980s and, naturally, has dated animation; that
said, the writing and characters are still generally great. TMS Entertainment’s five-movie series, Fist of
the North Star: The Legends of the True Savior, is also worth checking out.

One-Punch Man

Fans of anime like Baki might branch out a little into the world of comedy and approach martial arts in a
refreshing way. One-Punch Man’s hero, the caped Saitama, is no scrappy underdog due to his
immeasurable power, but he still faces relatable challenges during his rise as a superhero.

Saitama can win any high-voltage fight with one punch, but conquering his inner demons won’t be so
easy. While he’s clobbering villains and upstart antiheroes on the outside, Saitama will contend with
profound boredom and the burning desire for true meaning in his life. His cyborg sidekick, Genos, is
equally compelling and gets into plenty of great fights on his own.

Charge! Men’s Private School

While Baki cannot accurately be called a high school anime, the setting does feature occasionally during
the series. Conversely, Sakigake!! Otokojuku takes place almost entirely within Otokojuku, a private
school defined by a military mindset. In this school of delinquents, the pecking order is decided through
manly and unforgiving fights.

Like Baki, Sakigake!! Otokojuku takes a lot of pride in basing its action on real schools of martial arts.
Along with just being entertaining, both anime deliver expertly choreographed fight sequences that walk
the line between absurdity and authenticity.

Drifters

Set in a strange and fantastical land where famous historical figures are drafted to engage in a war pitting
the Drifters versus the Ends, Drifters is a blood-soaked action series like no other. After tasting death,
Toyohisa Shimazu embarks on an unexpected adventure that sees him aligning with Nobunaga Oda and
going up against a particularly insane Jeanne d’Arc, among others.
Similar to Baki, Drifters revolves around characters seeking to outdo each other in battles to the death.
While the focus is on weapons rather than hand-to-hand combat, Drifters’ actions scenes are just as
exciting as the ones found in Netflix’s anime.

RELATED:

10 Anime That Feel Like Western Cartoons

Tenjho Tenge

Generally, Baki’s characters are driven by a desire to be the strongest in the world. That is why they
engage in (mostly) no-holds-barred contests that will definitely shorten their lives, if not end them.
Tenjho Tenge basically has the same premise, albeit on a much smaller scale.

Nagi and Bob Makihara want to be the best fighters at Toudou Academy, a high school dedicated to
martial arts. The pair quickly realize they are outmatched by their peers, which only serves to motivate
them even more.

Yu Yu Hakusho

Based on the manga by Yoshihiro Togashi, the author behind Hunter x Hunter, Yu Yu Hakusho is a classic
shonen anime about a delinquent turned spirit detective and the many demons that he meets. Following
an initial season that introduces the story’s key characters and the basics of this universe’s lore, the
second season revolves around the Dark Tournament, an unforgiven underground contest driven by
greed and survival.

The Dark Tournament saga is a contender for the best tournament arc in anime history and is a must-
watch for Baki fans. Season 3 is also excellent.

Basilisk

In Basilisk, the Iga and Kouga clans have nearly always hated each other. Following a brief period of
peace, they end up once again at odds when they both lay claim to being the next in line for the
shogun’s seat.
Naturally, the only way to solve such a conundrum is to engage in a deadly battle royale pitting ten
members of both clans against each other. Stuck in the middle of this feud are the in-love Kennosuke
Kouga and Oboro Iga.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has become something of a cultural phenomenon, and it deserves all the
attention it has been shown. Split into parts centering around different generations of the Joestar
lineage, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure arguably hits its stride in its third chapter, Stardust Crusaders. That said,
it is decent from the start.

While not as violent as Baki, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s battles tend to be grueling physical and mental
encounters, with most revolving around mind games. The larger-than-life characters, solid writing, and
great animation are just three other reasons to check this series out.

Kengan Ashura

Also available on Netflix, Kengan Ashura is an obvious pick for fans of Baki. While the style of animation
takes some getting used to, Kengan Ashura hits the ground running in every other department. In this
universe, business deals are decided through underground battles, with each company having its own
representative. For Baki fans, this basically means Kengan Ashura takes place in Shobun Ron’s backstory.

The majority of the anime revolves around the Kengan Annihilation Tournament, a competition to
determine the new chairman of the association that sets up these bouts. Kengan Ashura pits martial
artists, wrestlers, deadly serial killers, and all sorts of fighters in tightly choreographed and vicious
battles. It is rarely easy to watch, but the anime is never anything less than entertaining.

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About The Authors

Louis Kemner

(6536 Articles Published)

Louis Kemner has been a fan of Japanese animation since 1997, when he discovered Pokemon and
Dragon Ball Z in elementary school. Now he’s a bigger anime/manga fan than ever, and is ready to share
what he knows with readers worldwide. He graduated high school in 2009 and received his Bachelor’s in
creative writing from UMKC in 2013, then put his skills to work in 2019 with CBR.com. He’s always
looking for a wonderful new anime to watch or manga series to read.

Daniel Kurland

(2574 Articles Published)

Daniel Kurland is a freelance writer, comedian, and critic, who lives in the cultural mosaic that is
Brooklyn, New York. Daniel’s work can be read on ScreenRant, Splitsider, Bloody Disgusting, Den of Geek,
and across the Internet. Daniel recently completed work on a noir anthology graphic novel titled, “Sylvia
Plath’s The Bell Noir: A Rag of Bizarre Noir and Hard Boiled Tales” and he’s currently toiling away on his
first novel. Daniel’s extra musings can be found @DanielKurlansky on Twitter.

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