Baki Hanma – Season 2 Episode 27 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Taste of Dad

Episode 27 of Baki Hanma marks the end of Season 2 with the finale of the fight between Baki and Yujiro.

What are the carvings discovered by the archeologists?

The archeologists gasp as they see a pictorial representation of what looks like the Oni demon facing off against a smaller Oni, believed to be his son. Behind the big demon is a crowd of diverse people who appear to be his followers.

What ultimately determins the fight between Baki and Yujiro?

Yujiro holds Baki up by the head after rupturing his eardrums with the same strike. He briefs Baki about the actions he’s about to take. He draws out Baki’s hand and teaches Baki to make a fist, the symbol of strength. Baki recalls the first lesson in fighting his father ever taught him as he takes a stance.

The two put all their weight on the ball of their feet and lean in to deal devastating blows to each other’s faces with their fists, creating the most horrifying sounds of the night. The two use an approach very different from martial arts in that they neglect to protect their vital spots. Instead, they engage in a mindless duel to inflict the maximum damage possible.

What or who is the Oni?

Crawling through the crowd, we suddenly see many people from foreign countries stepping forward with tears in their eyes as they bow to the almighty ogre. Tokugawa recalls an Oni standing between the weak and hungry, and the strong soldiers. The Oni not only defending these weak people but also forces numerous great nations to recognize him as their equal.

They sought to appease him with extraordinary monetary rewards. The people watching him triumph over the world’s strongest nations worshipped him like a god and loved him like an angel. The ring surrounding the fight shrinks as everyone is drawn to the wildness emitted from these strikes, as father and son exchange a solid set of fists. 

The nation witnes this fight as it’s captured on cellphones and broadcast over television.

How do the final moments of the father-son fight unfold?

Yujiro stops attacking and lets Baki hammer away at his body as he holds his arms stretched out wide. Finding the right moment, Yujiros arms close on Baki, holding him in a hug. He begins to exert immense pressure as Baki feels several of his ribs crack. Bai thinks to himself about how amazing his dad is.

Yujiro takes a look and realizes every bone in Baki has been fractured. Several bones of the jaw, skull, nasal bone, collarbone, ribs, teeth and molars, eardrums, cervical vertebrae, and joints are all fractured, ruptured, or showing signs of serious inflammation. Baki shows signs of multiple subcutaneous bleeding, with all vital organs severely damaged. Taking account of all the damage sustained, Yujiro decides to leave Baki there and walk away.

How does Baki win the war despite losing the battle?

Just as Yujiro has his back turned on Baki, he feels a kick on the side of his face while Baki is still lying on the ground. He realizes that despite every bone, muscle, and organ in Baki’s body being broken, his fighting spirit still remains unbroken. Baki’s spirit emerges from his body, attempting to attack Yujiro. This heightens his respect for Baki.

He begins to make gestures as he slices through imaginary tofu. He also chops imaginary vegetables and cooks his specialty – miso soup with tofu. Baki summons every last bit of his energy to sit up and dine with his father in the middle of the crowd. The two sit down in perfect harmony. Baki takes a taste of the soup and claims it’s a little too salty, and Baki offers it to him to taste.

Just then, Baki sets it on the table and flips it over, enraging Yujiro. Baki claims he just saved his dad. Yujiro acknowledges and comes clean about the saltiness, agreeing that he lied. He realizes Baki saw the look of surprise on his face and flipped the table to save him.

Yujiro explains the essence of strength as having the power overwhelming enough to fulfill his most selfish desires in the world. Baki did that by making the strongest man on earth stand in the kitchen and cook for him. Yujiro concedes the title of strongest man in the world to Baki. Baki denies it, claiming victory belongs to the one standing looking down on his opponent, submitting the victory to Yujiro as he bows.

The Episode Review

The finale of Baki Hanma is one worth waiting for, as what started in the first series went on to span over three different series and finally comes to its finale. The mission of fighting his father to become the strongest man alive served as the cornerstone of every effort put in by Baki and finally materialized as he reached the pinnacle of his performance.

Over the last two episodes, Baki has seen a massive surge in his speed, reflexes, technique, and agility. The fight symbolically ends with Baki suffering a similar fate as his mother, but the young fighter’s body pulls him through to see another day.

The ending of the fight isn’t the end of the series. It is rather focused on the father-son relationship it attempts to build and remodel. Given Yujiro’s personality, to get him to acknowledge Baki for his strength, resilience, perseverance, adaptation and most of all his son steals the spotlight as he symbolically cooks for Baki and concedes the title.