Baki the Grappler

Baki Hanma fights a gang of 100 thugs; afterward, he is walked home by Detective Kido and his partner, who watched the fight. Baki then trains and thinks about what he should do to get stronger. Meanwhile, Kuriyagawa, the man who hired the thugs to fight Baki in order to test his strength, pays the gang's leader. Also, Baki watches a sparring match between Yuri Chakovsky, the international welterweight boxing champion, and Dinoy, Thailand's Muay Thai champion.

Baki spars with Yuri. Meanwhile, Kuriyagawa meets with Kaoru Hanayama, a gangster and renowned brawler, to set up a fight with Baki.

Baki meets his friend Reiichi Ando in the woods and stays with him. While there, Baki adopts some of Ando's training techniques, and he camps alone on Yasha Rock, hoping to fight with the Yasha Ape.

Baki Hanma fights a rematch with the Yasha Ape. After very hard fight, Baki eventually defeat the giant monster. Later he and Yasha Ape becomes a friends and Yasha Ape gives Baki his fang.

After returning home, Baki learns that Yuri will be fighting for the heavyweight title, so he visits Yuri at his gym. Meanwhile, Kuriyagawa tells Hanayama that he can't fight Baki until Baki has fought Yuri, but Hanayama has other plans. Before Yuri's title fight, he is attacked by Hanayama who defeats him and destroys his hand.

After being knocked down by Baki, Hanayama flies into a rage in his office. Afterward, he visits his sick mother in the hospital. Also, Baki visits Yuri and his sister, Nina in the hospital before his rematch with Hanayama.

Baki and Hanayama continue to fight, and Hanayama's tattoo is explained.

Baki's father, Yujiro Hanma, shows up after Baki's fight with Kaoru Hanayama. After the story of how Yujiro met Baki's mother is told, Yujiro and Hanayama fight.

Baki explains to his mother why he fights, visits Hanayama in the hospital, and trains. After a brief encounter with Yujiro, who killed the Yasha Ape, which made Baki angry since Yasha was Baki's friend after their fight, they decide that Baki and Yujiro will fight in one month. Baki then meets Captain Gerry Strydum, who tells him of a mercenary group in Hokkaido, and Baki decides to go there to defeat them.

Captured by the mercenaries as soon as he parachutes in, Baki must free himself and fight his way out against Nomura's jungle warfare team (Copperhead, Kuraishi, and the Chiba twin brothers, Sanada and Chiba). Meanwhile, an old friend warns Strydum of Gaia's fighting ability.