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Inside the secret to Baki the Grappler’s brutal longevity in manga and anime, with longtime publisher Akita Shoten exec Yuki Yokoi [Popverse Jump]
What 35 years of Baki the Grappler mean to one of the men behind the original manga.
In the world of fighting manga, few have the same kind of history of brutality and personal growth as Baki the Grappler. The series has been serialized for nearly 35 years, which is a remarkable achievement in any medium. Baki combines intense personal drama with brutal fighting and over-the-top stakes in a way that few can.
To celebrate the upcoming English release of Baki the Grappler, the manga that started it all, we spoke to Yuki Yokoi, assistant general manager of the business IP department at Akita Shoten. Yokoi has worked closely with Baki creator Keisuke Itagaki for many years and has been part of both the Baki manga and anime’s production teams. We spoke to him shortly after the NYCC 2025 panel, where Akita Shoten, the Japanese publisher of the Baki manga, confirmed that Baki the Grappler is getting an English release in
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