Baki Hanma is the strongest teenager in the world, but how tall, old, and strong is he really?
Anime as a whole struggles to consistently present characters both conceptually and aesthetically. The Baki the Grappler franchise is no different, with main character Baki Hanma in particular often looking, acting, and fighting very differently from scene to scene. Couple those struggles with the fact that Baki has quite literally grown up as the series has progressed, and it’s likely difficult to keep track of how he stacks up physically against other characters or real-life fighters.
With that in mind it’s worth going over the tale of the tape. Here’s the height, weight, and greatest achievements of Baki Hanma.
How tall is Baki Hanma?
Baki Hanma is 5’6” tall, or 168 cm.
Most Baki characters are realistic in terms of their height, with even monsters like Biscuit Oliver, Maximum Tournament-era Jack Hanma, Yujiro Hanma, and Kaoru Hanayama standing between 6’ and 6’4” tall. There are some outliers such as Mount Toba and upcoming antagonist Pickle, but they are relatively rare.
Still, Baki Hanma is actually meant to be of below average height. He checks in at just 5’6”, which was confirmed during the first season of the Baki Hanma: Son of Ogre anime where he gets a mugshot taken. Though he has technically grown throughout the series, starting at 5’3” during the childhood arc in Baki the Grappler, he’s around the height of 5’6″ by the time he becomes the Underground Arena Champion.
Baki is one of the shortest characters in the franchise. The only notable fighters who are definitively shorter than him are Gouki Shibukawa, Ryuko Yanagi, and Kaio Kaku.
How old is Baki Hanma?
Baki is 18 years old during the events of Baki Hanma.
Fans get to see Baki at various ages. During the childhood arc, Baki Hanma is just 13 years old. After the events of this arc, he travels to Brazil and stays there for at least two years before being told about the Underground Arena.
He is 17 years old at the start of the Underground Arena arc, where he fights the likes of Kosho Shinogi and Mount Toba with the events of Baki concluding within the following months. At an unknown point during Baki Hanma, he turns 18 years old. It is unclear when this happens and there is no acknowledgment or celebration of Baki turning 18.
How did Baki get so strong?
Baki Hanma is uniquely strong thanks to a combination of dedication and genetics.
While Yujiro Hanma is generally shown to live a life of luxury thanks to his fighting strength, Baki lives meagerly and dedicates his time to training. This training sees him cross paths with various martial arts masters and learn from them. Though Yujiro can seemingly imitate any fighting style just after seeing it, Baki is shown training and spending time with the likes of Doppo Orochi, Gouki Shibukawa, and Izou Motobe.
Alongside his intense training, Baki just has strong genetics. Despite the fact that Baki Hanma isn’t tall, “Hanma blood” is explicitly referenced to be the key to his rise. This manifests in parts of his body having a demonic appearance. The most notable example of this is the demonic back musculature shared by Baki, Yujiro, and Yuichiro Hanma.
