Amid the reliably gruesome and exciting action of Keisuke Itagaki's Baki, the initial confrontation of series antagonist Yuujiro Hanma and Muhammad Ali Jr. -- the fictional successor of the real-life heavyweight champion -- is a nonviolent and anticlimactic oddity. However, this strange anticlimax follows from its stranger origins -- a bizarre 1976 exhibition match between the real-life heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and the Japanese wrestler Muhammad Hussain Inoki (then Antonio Inoki).
While many anime feature real-life martial arts, Yuujiro and Ali Jr.'s confrontation in Baki draws from and satirizes this event, illustrating how Itagaki thoughtfully pokes fun at his real-life inspirations. In the anime, Ali Jr. meets Yuujiro, who has sought to test his technique. A lifelong friend of Ali Sr., Yuujiro wants to know if Ali Jr. has mastered his father's technique. They trade blows, and for a moment, Yuujiro appears satisfied with Ali Jr.'s attacks and defense. However, Yuujiro unexpectedly drops to the floor of the hotel room, declaring this to be his final test for Ali Jr.
Igari no Jutsu
While seemingly random in Baki, Yuujiro's surprise move references a 1976 exhibition match between Muhammad Ali, the then-reigning heavyweight boxing champion, and Antonio Inoki. Dubbed "The War of the Worlds," the match was meant to test the supremacy of wrestling vs. boxing. Even before its proper start, the match was controversial, as its special rules and exceptions were drafted and argued back and forth between Ali and Inoki's camps.
Wary of Ali's speed and knockout power, Inoki opted to attack Ali's legs with sweeps and kicks, landing up to 107 strikes. Although Inoki's kicks did severe damage to Ali's legs, the fight continued for 15 rounds. Ali blocked more kicks while Inoki kept to his conservative strategy; he stayed on his back, even while jeered at by the audience and taunted by Ali. While the result was arbitrarily officiated as a draw, few were satisfied, with the audience at the Budokan reportedly chanting "Money back!"
However, while the result was inconclusive, Inoki's kicks did such extensive damage to Ali's legs that there was a fear of amputation. While this did not come to pass, Ali's footwork was permanently affected as a result, hastening the end of his boxing career. In this context, the scene in Baki takes on a different light. While Yuujiro is obviously aware of the match and its outcome, how Ali Jr. approaches the situation illustrates just what he has learned from his father's legacy.
"All That's Left is to Leave"
Ali Jr. simply does what his father could not: walk away from a cheap and damaging trap. Yuujiro is confused, then enraged. Unlike Yuujiro, Ali Jr. is a sportsman; he has no interest in fights he cannot win by the rules of his sport. Technically, he is correct: in traditional boxing rules, an opponent refusing to stand has forfeited.
This highlights the difference between the two: while Yuujiro literally embodies violent transgression, Ali Jr. lives by the rules; like the gloves he wears, they protect him. Unlike his father Ali Sr., he's not willing to risk his technique by venturing outside their protection. And yet, while Ali Jr.'s sportsmanly approach to fighting lands him into trouble with more ruthless fighters, his masterful trolling provides a rare instance where Yuujiro Hanma appears at a complete loss.
This palpable confusion is aided not only by Baki's typically intricate and expressive art but also by the incredible voice acting of Akio Otsuka. In the Japanese-language version, Yuujiro's soft, nonplussed "huh" -- compared to his usual booming and intimidating voice -- provides a subtle and hilarious touch.
While the high level of attention to esoteric detail is uncommon among anime inspired by martial arts, Baki takes this to the next level. Viewers are expecting an epic battle between accomplished fighters, which they don't receive. Although unsatisfying, this deliberate anticlimax forces viewers to appreciate Igataki's stubbornly authentic approach in Baki -- an approach as committed to its own esoteric inspirations as its ultimate vision.
