The following contains spoilers for the 3rd installment in the Baki franchise, Hanma Baki (Also known as Baki: Son of Ogre)
The third installment of the Baki franchise, Hanma Baki (also known as Baki: Son of Ogre), has some of the most brilliant fights in not just Baki, but manga in general. The bouts in Hanma Baki focus on exciting match-ups and strong conceptual centers, with Keisuke Itagaki's amazing art and genius fight choreography being added bonuses. Here are some of the best and most brilliant fights in Hanma Baki.
Katsumi Orochi vs Pickle
Katsumi Orochi's fight against Pickle is a celebration of Katsumi's progression as a character. He undergoes intense training leading up to the fight and is given guidance by Retsu and Kaku Kaioh. In this moment, because of his intense training and guidance from Retsu and Kaku Kaioh, Katsumi is able to take the knowledge they passed onto him and evolve the art of Karate in its "501st year."
The battle itself is downright inspirational. Katsumi uses "image training" to fool his body into believing it has more joints than it actually does, increasing the speed of his Mach Punch. This punch breaks the sound barrier, and knocks Pickle down for the first time in his career. Unfortunately, Katsumi pays the price, as the technique is a double-edge sword that destroys his limbs.
Despite Katsumi's efforts, Pickle recovers from the damage and bites Katsumi's mangled arm off. He then cries in front of Katsumi's unconscious body in a show of respect. He may have lost the battle, but Katsumi earned the respect of Pickle and the entire Baki-verse.
Baki vs "Mr. Unchained" Biscuit Oliva
When Baki insults Biscuit "Mr. Unchained" Oliva by calling him "Mr. Chained," he's promptly met with a fist that puts him through a wall. From there, Baki and Oliva show off some of their signature techniques, including an unblockable punch from Baki that's nearly impossible for a human to recognize and appropriately react to due to its speed. But the most impressive technique might be Oliva compacting his body into a ball of perfect, hardened muscle, granting him an impenetrable defense. From this form, Oliva launches an attack in which he opens up the ball and "swallows" his opponent whole, crushing them with his massive frame.
Baki and Oliva decide to settle their quarrel in a test of strength that ends with Baki toppling Oliva with a decisive headbutt, scoring a win over the strongest man in America.
Baki vs Pickle
The prehistoric warrior Pickle's final bout in Hanma Baki is with the man himself. This fight comes down to the techniques, deemed "weapons" by Retsu and Haneyama, that Baki has honed against the one that Pickle has honed: his enhanced strength and physiology forged in the era of the dinosaur. It's here that Baki demonstrates how far his image training has come, as he shifts from traditional animal based forms, to ones that he developed himself. He is so adept at this point that his fists can even emulate and manifest specters of the dinosaurs that Pickle once did battle with in prehistoric times. Pickle, frightened by Baki's techniques and stunned that such a small creature could produce such immense power, almost succumbs to Baki, but wins by using a martial arts technique to score a decisive counter.
This is officially a win for Pickle, but a loss thematically. Technique and the martial arts are weapons designed for the weak to bridge the gap between them and the strong, the strong being Pickle. Him instinctually using a technique to win is an indirect acknowledgment of Baki conquering Pickle's strength and thus his pride. Essentially, Pickle's martial art was raw strength, and his use of actual martial arts is equivalent to drawing a weapon, which, to Pickle, may as well be cheating. Despite winning, Pickle leaves the arena in shame to sulk on the roof. But Baki later greets him and promises that the two will have a rematch, much to Pickle's delight as he finally finds a playmate in Baki.
Baki Hanma vs Yujiro Hanma
The confrontation between Baki and Yujiro is special. The battle spans 60-odd chapters, and is more than just a fight. It isn't just a final battle between a hero and a villain, but one pitting the World's Strongest Son against the World's Strongest Father. At one point, Doppo Orochi describes the brutal fight as a father and son bonding together, almost as if the two were playing catch in the backyard. This idea is no better represented than by the genuine smile on Yujiro Hanma's face for the entire fight, as he finally finds an opponent that he can unleash his full strength against in the form of his own son.
The amount of techniques thrown in this fight are staggering, including one that involves Yujiro wielding Baki's body as though it were a nunchuck, swinging him violently and repeatedly against a car. Baki survives by masterfully dodging or breaking pieces of the car before impact, dampening the impact of each blow. He even manages to grab pieces of the car as he is swung and creates a little figurine for Yujiro. After many chapters of technical fighting between the two, the battle is decided by a test of strength and a series of dual exchanges with Yujiro coming out on top.
Following the fight, Yujiro uses his own image techniques to prepare an imaginary meal for Baki. Baki tells him that the food is too salty and flips the table over, to which an enraged Yujiro catches the imaginary table and bowls that go flying. Regaining his composure, Yujiro admits that the food was in fact too salty, stunned by the fact that Baki was able to drag him into the illusion, thus suffering a mental defeat.
Despite Baki losing the physical contest, Yujiro acknowledges Baki's strength as comparable to his own, conceding that he no longer stands alone as the Strongest in the World.