Baki walks into a prison cell to learn from a man who could kill him, and the show treats this like the most logical thing a teenager could possibly do. Every fight is a conversation between two people who think violence is the only honest language, and the animation captures that desperation with a clarity the series hasn't had before. The pacing drags in stretches, but when two bodies collide in that ring, the show remembers exactly why you came.

Baki Hanma is an 18-year-old fighter set on one goal: becoming strong enough to surpass his father, Yujiro Hanma, the feared Ogre often called the strongest creature on Earth. Before facing Yujiro, Baki wants a sparring partner worthy of the task and settles on Biscuit Oliva, known as Mr. Unchained, the strongest man in the United States and said to rival his father. Oliva is held in Arizona's Black Pentagon, a prison for extremely dangerous criminals, so Baki arranges to get himself locked up there. Inside, Oliva is busy with an eccentric rival, Jun Guevaru, and Baki must endure harsh prison life among other extraordinary fighters while waiting for his chance. Expect a hard-hitting action and sports story where power is the only rule.