Keisuke Itagaki’s Baki Rahen manga is going on a brief hiatus. Fans will have to wait a little longer for the next installment as the series takes a break. Here’s what we know:
The Hiatus Details
The combined 21st and 22nd issue of Akita Shoten’s Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine revealed that Baki Rahen will be on hiatus. The manga will return in the magazine’s 24th issue, scheduled for release on May 15, 2025. Notably, the manga was also absent from the 21st and 22nd issue.
What is Baki Rahen?
Baki Rahen is the most recent manga in Keisuke Itagaki’s Baki the Grappler series. It launched in Weekly Shōnen Champion in August 2023. As of April 8, 2025, Akita Shoten has published the manga’s fourth compiled book volume.
The Legacy of Baki the Grappler
Keisuke Itagaki’s original Baki the Grappler martial arts manga was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine from 1991 to 1999, spanning 42 volumes. The Baki sequel manga continued the story for 31 volumes, running from 1999 to 2005.
Following Baki, Itagaki released the 37-volume Hanma Baki manga in Weekly Shōnen Champion from 2005 to 2012. The first Baki-Dou manga, the fourth installment in the overall franchise, was launched in March 2014 and concluded in April 2018 with 22 volumes. This part of the saga is also inspiring an upcoming anime adaptation.
A new Baki-Dou manga launched in Weekly Shōnen Champion in October 2018 and ended in June 2023. This new Baki-Dou uses different characters for “Baki” in the title compared to the previous Baki-Dou manga, but the name “Baki-Dou” remains the same.
Baki on Netflix
The Baki series has also gained popularity through its anime adaptations, particularly on Netflix.
- The new anime of Itagaki’s Baki (New Grappler Baki: In Search of Our Strongest Hero) debuted its first season on Netflix in Japan in June 2018. It ran for 26 episodes, concluding in December 2018. Netflix released the first 13 episodes outside Japan in December 2018, followed by the second half of the first season in March 2019.
- The Baki: Dai Raitaisai-hen anime then premiered worldwide on Netflix with all episodes available at once in June 2020.
- Baki Hanma is the third Baki series on Netflix and a sequel to Baki: Dai Raitaisai-hen. The anime premiered globally on Netflix in September 2021 with all 12 episodes. The second season of Baki Hanma was released on Netflix in two parts in 2023: “Tale of Pickle & The Pickle War Saga” in July, and “The Father VS Son Saga” in August.
