{{Infobox animanga/Video | type = TV series | director = | producer = {{ubl|Hiroyoshi Ōkura|Kenjirō Kawando|Executive producer:|Dynamite Tommy}} | writer = Atsuhiro Tomioka | music = Project Baki | studio = Group TAC | licensee = | network = TV Tokyo | network_en = | first = January 8, 2001 | last = December 24, 2001 | episodes = 48 | episode_list = List of Baki the Grappler episodes }} , known as Baki the Grappler''' in North America, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Keisuke Itagaki. It was originally serialized in the shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Champion from 1991 to 1999 and collected into 42 tankōbon volumes by Akita Shoten. The story follows teenager Baki Hanma as he trains and tests his fighting skills against a variety of different opponents in deadly, no rules hand-to-hand combat. The series was followed by four sequels in the same magazine; , which was serialized from 1999 to 2005 and collected into 31 volumes, , which was serialized from 2005 to 2012 and collected into 37 volumes, , which was serialized from 2014 to 2018 and collected into 22 volumes, and a fifth series, also named but with Baki's name written in katakana instead of kanji, began on October 4, 2018. A 45-minute original video animation (OVA) was released in 1994. A 24-episode anime aired on TV Tokyo between January 8 and June 25, 2001, and was quickly followed by a second 24-episode series from July 22 to December 24, 2001. An original net animation (ONA) was released on Netflix between June 25 and September 24, 2018, followed by a second season that was released on June 4, 2020. The third season was released on September 30, 2021. A fourth season has been announced . The OVA was the first to be licensed and released in North America, in 1998 by Central Park Media, followed by the original manga series in 2002 by Gutsoon! Entertainment (incomplete), and finally both anime series in 2005 by Funimation Entertainment. Media Do International began releasing the second manga series digitally in August 2018. The Baki series is one of the best-selling manga of all time, with over 85 million copies in circulation. Plot Baki Hanma is raised by his wealthy mother, Emi Akezawa, who also funds his training in the hopes that he can be a powerful warrior like his father, Yujiro Hanma.