“Baki Has Had a Big Influence on Combat Sports” – Baki Publisher’s Yuki Yokoi Says the Manga Inspired Real-World Fighters to Start Training

Keisuke Itagaki’s Baki has spent 35 years entertaining manga readers with extraordinary fighters, brutal martial arts battles, and exaggerated displays of physical strength. However, according to Yuki Yokoi, Director of Promotions at publisher AKITASHOTEN, the series’ influence extends beyond manga and anime. In a new anniversary interview, Yokoi suggested that Baki helped inspire people to pursue real-world combat sports, with some fighters beginning their training after reading the series. “Personally, I think it’s less that the world changed Baki and…