The Same Studio That Built Netflix's Baki Era
TMS Entertainment, the studio behind the franchise's modern anime run, including Netflix's Baki and Baki Hanma, is handling animation production. That means the spinoff stays in the same hands that have animated Retsu Kaioh's fights in the main series since 2018, according to Japanese entertainment news outlet Oricon News.
The announcement teaser went up on TMS's official anime YouTube channel, and its bilingual title confirms the official English name: BAKI GAIDEN: KAIOH RETSU Doesn't Mind Getting Isekai'd. In Japanese, the manga runs under Baki Gaiden: Retsu Kaioh wa Isekai Tensei Shite mo Ikkō ni Kamawan, complete with the emphatic double stop at the end. Even the trailer's Japanese title works in that verbal tic, announcing the adaptation with an extra grunt of emphasis.
Beyond the studio, the announcement is light on details. No director, no cast, no broadcast window. For now, the news is simply that the anime exists and TMS is making it.
Retsu Kaioh's Second Life, Explained
In the main Baki continuity, Retsu Kaioh is a master of Chinese kenpo and a longtime fan favorite. His story appeared to end in Baki-Dou, the series' fourth part, where he died after a brutal duel with the revived swordsman Musashi Miyamoto. The spinoff picks up from that exact moment: Retsu snaps awake in a fantasy world and sets out to prove that Chinese martial arts is the strongest there too, taking on swords, magic, and massive otherworldly creatures with nothing but his fists.
The manga is written by Sai Ihara and drawn by Eiji Murai, with Baki creator Keisuke Itagaki credited for the original concept. It has run in Monthly Shōnen Champion, the monthly magazine from Japanese publisher Akita Shoten, since 2020, and has passed 2 million copies in circulation across print and digital.
It is also a genuine oddity in the Baki universe. The mainline series trades in bare-knuckle realism, or at least Itagaki's gloriously warped version of it. This spinoff drops one of its most disciplined fighters into full sword-and-sorcery territory and plays the collision straight.
Looking Ahead
There is no premiere date or release window yet; the announcement stops at the teaser and the studio credit. No cast or staff beyond TMS Entertainment have been named either, so the next reveal to watch for is a director and a lead voice for Retsu.
International streaming is also unconfirmed. Every prior TMS-produced Baki series has streamed on Netflix worldwide, but no distributor has been announced for this one.
As for the source manga, no English edition has been announced. In Japan, volume 17 ships on September 8, 2026, so the series will have plenty of material waiting whenever the anime lands.