Kodama Tales, a subsidiary of Kyodo Printing, has announced the upcoming global release of the Complete Edition of Baki the Grappler manga, marking the martial arts series’ first official English release. The 24-volume series, originally published by Akita Publishing, is set to go on sale worldwide in October 2025. Pre-order details will be shared at a later date.
Originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Champion, Baki the Grappler is the first installment in Keisuke Itagaki’s long-running Baki series. As of May 2024, the franchise has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. The series has multiple sequels, titled Baki, Baki Hanma, and Baki-Dou, all of which ran in the same magazine. The 5th series, also titled Baki-Dou (but romanized differently), started in October 2018. Baki-Dou also has an upcoming anime.
While select Baki titles have previously appeared in English in limited formats, including the digital-only release of the second series (New Grappler Baki), this marks the first complete and officially licensed English-language release of the original Baki the Grappler series.
Kodama Tales, headquartered in Santa Monica, California, was founded with the mission of delivering curated Japanese manga to global readers while preserving the authenticity and quality of the original works. The company’s print editions will be produced in Japan by Kyodo Printing, a firm with over 120 years of experience and known for printing Weekly Shonen Jump, the magazine that introduced global titles such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto.
In addition to Baki the Grappler, Kodama has confirmed future releases from a wide range of respected Japanese publishers, including Asahi Shimbun Publications, Coamix, Daiwa Shobo, HERO’S, Nihonbungeisha, Shodensha, and Shonengahosha.
Further updates on pre-orders and exclusive release details will be announced via Kodama’s official website.
Source: Press Release
© Keisuke Itagaki (Akita Shoten)
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