List of Baki The Grappler Characters - Main

Main

• Baki Hanma (範馬 刃牙 Hanma Baki) Voiced by: Masami Kikuchi, Kappei Yamaguchi (OVA) - The main character, and son of Yuujiro Hanma. He has been training in martial arts since the age of three, and has trained under various teachers and coaches throughout his life. At the age of thirteen, he decided to take his training into his own hands and left the coaches to perform more intense training "in his father's footsteps". He later meets with his father and becomes disillusioned as to his father's true character, and afterwards, aims to defeat and kill him. His fighting style is called "Total Fighting" and includes techniques from many different martial arts. He fights Arudi Regan in round 1, Zool in round 2, Igari Kanji in round 3, and Retsu Kaioh in round 4 before facing his brother in round 5 which are the finals of the tournament. He eventually develops the ogre/demon face on his back when fighting his brother, but manages to suppress it. Unlike Yujiro, he chooses to control his killing intent and fight his battles fair and honorably no matter what the outcome. Many of Baki's unusual training methods often earn him the admiration of many of the fighters of the underground arena; for example, shadowboxing, or visualizing fighting an opponent, is a big part of Baki's regimen - sometimes, his visions take an almost corporeal form and given he can easily remember and replicate any technique he sees this gives him a huge edge over his opponents, as he can "fight" them and learn their weaknesses before actually fighting them. Baki has encounters with all the escaped convicts in the 'Search of Our Strongest Hero' series, has just defeated Biscuit Oliva, and is now faced with a new challenge against the prehistoric man Pickle. He is currently waiting for his fight with Pickle after Retsu and Katsumi are defeated. He had a shadow boxing visualization fight with a T-Rex prior to the Katsumi/Pickle fight. The outcome of the match between Baki and Pickle could be considered either way; Pickle was the one who was left standing with an incapacitated Baki, but had to use the "weapon" known as "technique" in order to bring him to such a state. As stated by the onlookers a "weapon" is a tool used by the "weak" against the "strong", which in this sense would make Baki the winner as per being stronger than Pickle. After his fight with Pickle, his father had a dinner cooked by him and likewise was invited to dine with him at Tokyo's best restaurant. When Baki asked why Yujiro killed Emi they began to have their final fight. Baki awakened the demon face not on his back but on his brain. He fought evenly with Yujiro until he passed out. He managed to land hits while down with his fighting spirit. Yujiro recognized him as his son and the only person who could give him a fight. Thereafter he made miso soup from Shadow Cooking, Baki mentioned it was salty and before Yujiro lied that it wasn't. Because he had to lie and couldn't make his lie into truth due to Baki spilling the soup for his father to save face, he declared Baki as Strongest on Earth. Baki himself gave Yujiro the victory because Yujiro managed to crush him temporarily, becoming unable to move, and Yujiro looking down on him as a result.

• Yujiro Hanma/The King/Ogre (範馬 勇次郎 Hanma Yujirō) Voiced by: Kenji Nomura - The father of Baki and Jack Hanma. He is often called "chijou saikyou no seibutsu" or "the strongest creature on earth", a reputation he has lived up to. A genius fighter he is known to have mastered all styles of unarmed combat. His repertoire apparently includes all of the well-known fighting styles (such as karate, boxing, taekwondo, judo, jujutsu, wrestling, street-fighting, and so on) as well as some more esoteric ones (such as the udonde or uzunde style, an actual system used in the Motobu-ryu of karate). He has been fighting on the battlefields, using only his bare hands, since the age of sixteen, when he fought against both American and Vietcong in the Vietnam War. Since then, it appears that he has obtained respect from the American forces even going so far as them declaring amnity towards him with each new president, and has begun fighting as a kind of mercenary for them. It is said that when he stopped fighting for survival but for pleasure the image of the demon's face appeared on his back. His many physical displays of sheer strength include: being struck by lightning with no effect on health, ripping a wooden table into two and then those two pieces together into quarters, cutting a glass table in half only using his finger as if it were a diamond, drinking a whole bottle of high grade Brandy in one gulp with no intoxication.

• Doppo Orochi (愚地 独歩 Orochi Doppo) Voiced by: Mugihito, Shōzō Iizuka (OVA) - A 10th dan karate grand master and head of the shinshinkai-kan (a karate style which seems to be inspired by the real-life style of kyokushin karate). One of the few people in the world able to stand toe-to-toe with Yujiro. He whips his students into shape by fighting them regularly, and practices all of his karate techniques at least one thousand times daily. A very devoted karate practitioner, and a mentor of Baki's. Also, the instructor of Katou and father of Katsumi. He fought Yujiro, who gouged his eye out and almost killed him, by stopping his heart. However, Doppo was revived by Kureha. In the Maximum Tournament, he fights Richard Phyllis in round 1 and Amanai Ryu in round 2 before facing another master, Goki Shibukawa, in round 3, which he loses after a brutal match. After that loss, he decides to close down his dojo and start his training all over again. He eventually fights the escaped American convict Dorian in the 'Search of Our Strongest Hero' manga series. Dorian manages to cut off Doppo's hand with a strange wire-cutting technique in which he uses a wire blade projected from a lighter. Doppo later avenges this loss when he, Katsumi, and Retsu track Dorian down. Shortly after this however, Dorian escapes from the hospital and uses an explosive that is implanted into his hand to blow off part of Doppo's face. Doppo later returns to have a battle with Muhammad Ali Jr.

He is apparently based on the real-life creator of Kyokushin karate, Sosai Masutatsu Oyama. They are very similar to each other: they both created forms of karate, they both gained notoriety by killing deadly animals, and they have similar appearances.

• Katsumi Orochi (愚地 克巳, Orochi Katsumi?) Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara - (Teenage) Yūko Maekawa - A 3rd dan, Doppo's son and current prodigy of Shinshinkai karate. He fights Roland Gustof in round 1 defeating him easily before fighting Hanayama Kaoru and fighting a more even round 2 using his sonic fists technique. In round 3 he loses miserably to Retsu Kaioh getting knocked out in 1 punch. Retsu was impressed that Katsumi could take one of his punches. A rematch in the 'Search of Our Strongest Hero' series is interrupted when the convict Dorian comes into the Shinshinkai building and attacks Katsumi. Katsumi also later trains the convict Doyle in Shinshinkai Karate. In the anime it is revealed that Doppo is actually Katsumi's adoptive father. The final moments of the anime show him washing up at Doppo's home. He has a fight with Pickle which he loses despite his new Mach Punch technique, and as a result he got his right arm torn off and several limbs broken. He is seen in hospital recovering from his wounds shortly after.

• Gouki Shibukawa (渋川 剛気 Shibukawa Gouki) - Voiced by: Hiroshi Naka - Master of Aikido. Is sixty years of age, and has trained since prior to World War II, in the "old days" of the martial arts. His art makes use of the martial arts principle of aiki, which uses the opponents' attacks against him. In the Maximum Tournament, he manages to make it all the way through to semi-finals, facing Roger Harlon in round 1 and Shinogi Koushou in round 2 before facing Doppo in round 3, losing to Jack Hammer in round 4. In his third match with Doppo, Goki is shown to act in an insane manner while fighting. He also states that he's killed many people. He later teams up with Baki to face the Japanese convict Yanagi Ryukou in the 'Search of Our Strongest Hero' series. He also has a friendly sparring match with Biscuit Oliva and another match with Mohammad Ali Jr. When not fighting, he's quite eccentric (as well as a bit senile) as he lives the day and fears nothing. Although in the series Goki is said to be a master of the old style of jujutsu, and when he fights Doppo it is said that he represents Jujitsu, most Goki's techniques looks like Aikido, and even Goki himself resembles the Aikido Master Gozo Shioda, founder of the Yoshinkan Aikido.

• Kaoru Hanayama (花山 薫 Hanayama Kaoru) - Voiced by: Masayuki Nakata (Teenage)Motoko Kumai - Nineteen-year-old yakuza leader and strongman. When his father died he was adopted by his uncle who saw great potential in him. His grip is so strong that if he grabs an opponent's arm he can usually cause it to explode from restricting the blood flow. He is also a street fighter and it is unknown if he has trained in martial art styles. He broke Yuri Chakosky's arm, thus ending his boxing career, but when they cross paths again they hold no grudge against each other, understanding each other's warrior spirit. He has memorable battles with Baki Hanma, Katsumi Orochi, and the infamous showdown with the convict Speck. Speck manages to place a handful of bullets into Hanayama's mouth and slam it shut, causing them to explode and create two large holes in Hanayama's mouth. Although Hanayama won the battle, he wears a facemask for most of the series. Later on, he is shown surgically treated. His code of honor is great as he chooses not to fall in battle even if it means his death; a family vow which has been held in a long tradition passed from generations. Even after 3 direct strikes from Katsumi, he still chose not to fall and chose to risk death. Katsumi even admitted that he lost his battle to him despite winning the match. He faces Bunnoshin Inagi in round 1, before losing to Orochi Katsumi in round 2. He is looked upon as an older brother figure to Baki. His act of pouring a drink over Emi's grave suggests a feeling of love, but it is not known. He reappears briefly in Baki: Son of Ogre, by having a strength test with Pickle in the streets, interrupted by Baki.

• Retsu Kaioh (烈 海王) - Voiced by: Kunihiko Yasui - Chinese Kung-Fu (referred to as "Kenpo" in Japanese) practitioner. Trained in China and became the heir to his Kung Fu style in his temple. He fights Sergei Taktarov in round 1, Mount Toba in round 2, and destroys Orochi Katsumi in round 3. He then makes it to the semi-finals of the Maximum Tournament and is pitted against Baki Hanma where Baki nearly kills him by breaking his neck. Despite his great knowledge in his style, there is one flaw in his system that Baki seems to possess. In the 'Search of Our Strongest Hero' saga, he has encounters with the British convict Hector Doyle and American convict Dorian. Retsu brings Baki to China to cure his poisoned body and have him fight in a Chinese Tournament. He reappears in Baki: Son of Ogre, during the Pickle saga, having a fight with the prehistoric man and losing it. He then gets his leg eaten by Pickle, as a "gift" for his victory. He later trains Katsumi so that he can become stronger before his fight with Pickle.

• Jack Hanma (or Jack Hammer) (ジャック・ハンマー) - Voiced by: Kōichi Sakaguchi - Baki's half brother who, like Baki, must follow the Hanma path. He's a pitfighter from Canada and the son of Yujiro and a Canadian soldier woman who Yujiro met in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Like Baki, he has since childhood wished to surpass his father Yujiro in strength and martial ability. His obsession to defeat his father led to extreme overtraining at various fighting gyms which led to the deterioration of his body. He claimed he will never be able to defeat his father with normal training. After his encounter with the Yujiro-inspired scientist, he received from him steroids to match his overtraining and gained immense power in the process. One of his main techniques is biting, and he can bite hard enough to easily crush wood with his teeth. He fights Sergio Silva in round 1, and Misaki Kengo in round 2 before beating the undefeated Andre Andov Garrand in round 3. In round 4 he fights Goki Shibukawa and he then fights Baki Hanma in the finals of the Maximum Tournament where he congratulates his brother for a well fought victory. Afterwards, he takes on his father and is soundly defeated. Makes an appearance in the 'Search of Our Strongest Hero' series and battles against the Russian convict Sikorsky and Mohammed Ali Jr. He is treated by Kureha Kosho by having his limbs extended, making Jack Hammer even bigger than when he fought in the Maximum Tournament. In the English dub, his name has been changed to Jak Xamma (pronounced "Zah-mah"). He reappears in Baki: Son of Ogre, in the military base where Pickle is captive, along with 7 other fighters (Doppo Orochi, Katsumi Orochi, Jyaku Kaiou, Retsu Kaiou, Kureha Shinogi, Gaia, Goki Shibukawa). He is currently fighting Pickle in the Korakuen area. First they do a "bite challenge", and Jack gets his jaw's flesh stripped off, leaving his teeth and muscles. It appears Jack has taken drugs once again, and he manages to hit Pickle many times while also getting his right ear bitten off. Then, he get a clean hit from Pickle with full power to the jaw, and get his jaw as well as his teeth and parts of his cranium broken. However, he choose to continue to fight, making Pickle run out of fear, but then Jack is K.O. once again, and tied to the flag of a building. Upon learning this, Jack has a mental breakdown. He is based on the legendary British professional wrestler Dynamite Kid.

• General Strydum (ゲリー・ストライダム?) - Voiced by: Hidetoshi Nakamura - A Captain and general in the US Army and Yujiro's companion and comrade-at-arms. Originally met Yujiro as an enemy in the Vietnam War, where he was nearly killed by him. He eventually developed an admiration for Yujiro, and now he travels, fighting with him on the battlefields across the world. He somewhat understands Yujiro's mentality and mentions that he is the only person to bring the United States to its knees. He is also a friend and mentor of Baki's, who keeps him up to date about Yujiro's whereabouts.

• Shinogi Koushou (昂昇 鎬, Shinogi Koushou?) - Voiced by: Kazuhiro Tanaka, Kaneto Shiozawa (OVA) - The younger brother of Kureha, and an expert in himo-kiri karate. He fights using a technique called cord cutting which involves cutting your opponents nerves so they can't move. He does this because he was over shadowed by his older brother, Kureha, who always came to his rescue when they were children. Shinogi fought Baki in season 1 and was knocked out. In the Maximum Tournament, he fights his brother in round 1 who gives up after seeing Shinogi's resilience. In Round 2, he fights Goki Shibukawa and though he breaks Goki's fake eye he still loses. Returns in the 'Search of Our Strongest Hero' series and fights against the convict Doyle. Doyle uses an explosive device in his chest to defeat Shinogi, and it is later shown that his older brother Kureha has been taking care of his burn wounds following the battle.

• Kureha Koushou (昂昇 紅葉, Koushou Kureha?) - Voiced by: Mitsuru Miyamoto - (Teenage)Yukie Maeda. The older brother of Shinogi, he is very narcissistic and trains to develop the perfect body through rigorous weight training and claims to have all the traits of several Olympic level athletes, the speed of a sprinter, the endurance of a marathon runner, the flexibility of an amateur wrestler and the reaction time and strength of a heavyweight boxer, yet he does not have any known formal training in a martial art like his younger brother. In the Maximum Tournament, he fighting style is listed as "Athlete". He is also a surgical genius able to do surgeries that normally take several hours in only 30 minutes, though he does not have a license. He fights Baki Hanma and is destroyed in combat by him after Baki meets the people that got screwed over by him. Ironically, he is saved by one of his victims when he needed a blood transfusion after his match with Baki. In the Maximum Tournament, he fights his younger brother Shinogi and though he destroys Shinogi he decides to give up to let his younger brother continue in the tournament. During that match, despite losing his eyesight when Shiogi severed two of his cords, he surgically fixed his nerves during his fight. He serves as tournament medic as the matches go on and tried to stop Jack Hammer from using any steroids only to be beaten by him. Later, he helps Jack Hanma develop new ways of getting stronger without the use of steroids.

• Kyosumi Katou (加藤清澄?) - Voiced by: Takehiro Murozono, Kazumi Tanaka (OVA) - A top student of Doppo orochi, who left the dojo after having enough of Doppo's "weak" training regime and trained around the world. He returns to Japan after finding out about the Underground tournaments. Katou's attitude is best described as arrogant, but usually being the butt of a joke; especially around Doppo, Katsumi, Tokugawa, and Baki. However, it is shown that he truly admires and cares for Doppo. He originally is supposed to fight Mike Gerald, but both of them are beaten senseless by a Giant Red Gorilla called Ghost Monkey. Their match is declared a no contest. Katou shows up in the 'Search of Our Strongest Hero' and fights against the convict Dorian in his secret underground hiding place. Katou has his face scarred horribly from a broken glass bottle and is announced "dead" upon his body being found by Retsu Kaioh in the Shinshinkai building. It is later revealed that Katou is alive.

• Atsushi Suedou (末堂厚?) - Voiced by: Yosikazu Nagano, Kōji Totani (OVA) - A 3rd dan Shinshinkai student, he fought Baki in a karate tournament, representing Doppo's Shinshinkai karate, and was defeated by Baki. His role is greatly downsized in the anime TV series. He is somewhat skilled, but he does not compete in the tournament. When Katou vandalized the Shinshinkai building, Suedo was one of many who tried to defeat him. Like the rest of his friends, he failed miserably. He later has a fight with Dorian in the Convicts saga, to avenge Katou's defeat, but he fails and is nearly killed by falling from a rollercoaster. He reappears in Son of Ogre, alive and well.

• Mitsunari Tokugawa (徳川 光成, Tokugawa Mitsunari?) - Voiced by: Naomi Kusumi, Naoki Tatsuta (OVA) - The tournament runner and owner of the underground arena. He is an old man of very small stature, possibly even being a dwarf. While not a fighter himself, he is very knowledgeable about the martial arts and can easily point out several fighting techniques, regardless of whether they are obscure or well-known. He has the final say in each and every one of the battles that take place in his arena. While he usually prefers to keep every fight in order, he will sometimes bend the rules if it means amplifying the fight in some way, even going so far as to threaten one of his own doctors with a knife when they tried to stop the fight between Baki and Jack. He is close personal friends with Doppo and Igari, as well as acquaintances (though not exactly friendly) with Yujiro. He is one of the few people to ever outsmart Yujiro. When Yujiro attempted to upset the balance of his tournament, he had his snipers, who he had secretly stationed around the arena, to shoot him with enough tranquilizer to put down a blue whale. This gives him the very rare achievement of being the only person who has ever knocked Yujiro unconscious. While it is unknown if Tokugawa was once a fighter himself in his early days, his odd antics and physical appearance make him more likely to be nothing more than an eccentric billionaire who prefers to watch fights instead of participating in them. His namesake is clearly based on Ieyasu Tokugawa and Mitsunari Ishida, the opposing commanders at the Battle of Sekigahara.

• Kozue Matsumoto (松本梢江, Matumoto Kozue?) Voiced by: Sachiko Kojima, Yumi Touma (OVA) - A girl from Baki's school, her mother is Baki's landlord. Her father fought and died in the Underground arena. She cares deeply for Baki, but denies when asked. She is dissilusioned by Baki's violent life as an Underground fighter and begs him several times to quit. Though she still disapproves, Kozue better understands Baki's resolve after visiting Emi's grave site. After Baki's first tournament match, he reveals that he cares for Kozue. She became his love interest in 'Search for Our Strongest Hero', and makes love with him just before his fight with Yanagi, allowing Baki to become a "full man". She became also the love interest of Ali Jr., and despite loving Baki, she develops a cheerful relationship with him. Kozue makes a brief appearance in the Son of Ogre series, after Baki's fight with Pickle. She walks Baki to school while reminiscing about Baki's fight with Ali Jr. In the final fight between Baki and Yujiro, Yujiro approves her of being Baki's lover and thanking her for making him strong.

• Izo Motobe (本部 以蔵, Motobe Izō?): Voiced by: Masayuki Omoro - An old Japanese jujutsu master, he is beaten in the first round by Kin Ryuzan, but continues to offer commentary for future fights and insight into various and often obscure techniques an example would be Baki's life like shadowboxing technique. He later appears again in the 'Search of Our Strongest Hero' manga, this time fighting against the convict Ryuuko Yanagi. He develops new techniques in order to fight Yujiro, but usually fails.