After a span of years with a restricted release, Baki the Grappler, the classic martial arts manga by Keisuke Itagaki, is finally getting a complete English release. Kodama Tales, the subsidiary publishing firm of Kyodo Printing Co., Ltd., will publish the Complete Edition, which brings together the entire series in 24 volumes. The date of publication is October 2025, and it will be physical and digital. Details on pre-ordering will follow shortly.
Baki the Grappler: A Martial Arts Manga Landmark Returns
Originally serialized between 1991 and 1999 in Weekly Shōnen Champion, Baki the Grappler established the groundwork for a franchise that would eventually exceed 100 million copies sold around the globe. Renowned for its brutal combat sequences and exaggerative character models, the series has been an iconic of the martial arts genre. Little of it has been available to English readers, though—that is, until now.
The new release will be translated by David Evelyn, with Rafael Zaiats lettering. This will be the first time the full series will officially appear in English. Although a portion of the manga—46 chapters—was previously released in Raijin Comics from 2002 through 2004, no complete version has ever been available to global readers.
More to Come from Kodama Tales
Kodama Tales also teased additional titles from other Japanese publishers such as Asahi Shimbun Publications, Coamix, Daiwa Shobo, HERO’S, Nihonbungeisha, Shodensha, and Shonengahosha. The new project will make international audiences access manga content on a wider scale with high-quality publications.
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The Baki series in Japan has had several sequels, and the popularity of the franchise continues, partly due to recent anime series. Netflix now features the most recent entry, Baki Hanma, which started a new season in 2023.
Martial arts and action-based fans will soon be able to follow the original tale from the start, as it was originally intended to be read.
