Keisuke Itagaki’s Baki the Grappler martial arts manga will get a stage play adaptation starting in December 2024. The play’s official accounts released a teaser visual featuring the protagonist, Baki Hanma, played by 29-year-old Yugo Sato (Inosuke Hashibira in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba stage play series). “I am sure that everyone involved in this play has thought about the pressure of physical preparation,” said Sato. “I believe that how far we can push ourselves physically and mentally until the day of the performance is the key that directly connects to the quality of the show. I am very much looking forward to seeing how we will express the world view depicted by Keisuke Itagaki-sensei with our bodies.”
Teaser visual
As the first installment of Itagaki’s long-running Baki manga series, Baki the Grappler was serialized in Akita Shoten’s Weekly Shonen Champion magazine for 380 chapters from 1991 to 1999. The following series released included Baki (1999-2005), Hanma Baki (2006-2012), Baki-Dou (2014-2018), Bakidou (2018-2023) and Baki Rahan (2023-ongoing) as sequels. As of May 2024, the total number of copies of the series printed exceeded 100 million.The story of Baki the Grappler takes place in the underground fighting arena beneath the Tokyo Dome, where martial artists from all over the world. Fascinated by the name of the strongest, they each gather in search of a true showdown which includes the reigning 17-year-old champion, Baki Hanma, and his rivals.Under the title BAKI THE GRAPPLER STAGE -The Underground Fighting Arena Arc-, the stage play is set to open at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo from December 4 to 8, 2024. Daisuke Tanaka (Sakigake! Otokojuku stage play) is attached to write and direct. After the pre-sales open between August 8 and 18, general ticket sales will begin on October 3.Check out the main cast visuals below:
Baki Hanma played by Yugo Sato
Kaozue Matsumoto played by Momoka Onishi
Katsumi Orochi played by Sho Higano
Kaoru Hanayama played by Haruto Sakuraba
Hideaki Kanou played by Takayuki Kohiruimaki
Doppo Orochi played by Kozo Takeda
Kaiou Retsu played by Riku Noma
Kiyosumi Kato played by Rita Aizawa
Gerry Strydum played by Zenitsu Hashimoto
Mitsunari Tokugawa played by Akira Tanaka
Sources: “BAKI THE GRAPPLER STAGE -The Underground Fighting Arena Arc-” official website / X (formerly Twitter), press release©️ Keisuke Itagaki (Akita Shoten) 1992 ©️ BAKI THE GRAPPLER STAGE Production Committee
