AKITASHOTEN is celebrating the 35th anniversary of Keisuke Itagaki’s BAKI manga series with a new illustration from Itagaki and a special commemorative animation video featuring the new original theme song “BAKI MENTAL” by POCYOMKIN, RUDEBWOY FACE, and TAKE-M. The “BAKI MENTAL” song was produced by maeshima soshi, and it will release digitally on February 4.
POCYOMKIN, RUDEBWOY FACE, and TAKE-M also shared the following comments:
POCYOMKIN:
“Congratulations on the 35th anniversary! BAKI is a true bible that continues to influence countless rappers. This time, I had the honor of creating a track that’s pure BAKI, down to the bone marrow. I packed the lyrics with everything fans know and love – familiar phrases, iconic scenes, and the full spirit of the BAKI universe. The result is, in hip-hop terms, the ultimate form of ‘boasting’ – an absolute banger. Every being in the universe should listen to this!!!
RUDEBWOY FACE:
“‘BAKI MENTAL’
I’m truly proud to have been involved in creating music for such a legendary work! I wish I could go back and tell my younger self—the kid who got fired up reading the manga—about this moment, haha. I want to express my deepest gratitude to POCYOMKIN for giving me this valuable opportunity to be part of the 35th anniversary song, and to everyone who loves Baki—I send you all my greatest love and thanks.”
TAKE-M:
“For us Japanese boys who once practiced the ‘Sanchin’ stance on swaying trains, tried to create a vacuum between our hands and a bowling ball, and struck pull cords with hands imagined as flowing liquid, BAKI is not something as mild as a ‘textbook.’ It is a bible etched into our blood. It is the greatest honor to be able to take part in the theme song for this beloved BAKI series’ milestone 35th anniversary project. Congratulations from the bottom of my heart!!”
BAKI-DOU: The Invincible Samurai, the latest anime for the franchise, will premiere on February 26 on Netflix.
The staff of the anime includes:
- Director: Toshiki Hirano
- Series Composition: Tatsuhiko Urahata
- Character Design: Shingo Ishikawa
- Prop Design: Yasuhiro Moriki, Masahiro Sugiyama
- Art Direction: Seiko Akashi, Sachiko Kigasawa
- Background Art Seiko Akashi
- Color Design: Hiromi Miyawaki
- Director of Photography: Tatsuo Noguchi
- Editing: Yuriko Sano
- Sound Director: Yasuyuki Urakami
- Sound Production: AUDIO PLANNING U
- Sounds Effects: Masahiro Shoji (Fizz Sound Creation)
- Music: Kenji Fujisawa (Team-MAX）
- Animation Production: TMS Entertainment
- Production: BAKI-DOU Production Committee
The cast of the anime includes:
- Baki Hanma: Nobunaga Shimazaki
- Yujiro Hanma: Akio Otsuka
- Musashi Miyamoto: Naoya Uchida
- Sea King Retsu: Rikiya Koyama
- Kaoru Hanayama: Takuya Eguchi
- Doppo Orochi: Takayuki Sugo
- Katsumi Orochi: Yoshihisa Kawahara
- Goki Shibukawa: Bin Shimada
- Jack Hammer: Kenta Miyake
- John Horner: Tetsuo Kanao
- Hitoshi Nonomura: Jin Domon
- Sea Emperor Kaku: Kenichi Ogata
- Chiharu Shiba: Tatsuhisa Suzuki
- Kureha Shinogi: Ken Narita
- Gaia: Ayumu Murase
- Narration: Toru Furuya
Before the premiere of BAKI-DOU, Final Weapon had the chance to learn more about what’s in store for Baki’s next chapter by interviewing Yuki Yokoi, the Assistant General Manager of the Business IP Department at AKITASHOTEN. Yokoi has worked closely with the Baki title and its creator, Keisuke Itagaki, and 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the franchise. Our interview delves into these topics, along with Yokoi’s experience working with Itagaki, the outlook on the Baki franchise from the Japanese fandom, Baki 35th anniversary plans, and much more.
