Turnaround
Baki part 3 episode 2 begins with the next match starting, pitting Sea King Jo against Alai Jr. While preparing outside, Alai is approached by Kozue, Baki’s lover. He drops to his knees and promises to help as the fight begins. Alai Jr makes swift work of his foe, using his speed to win the round with ease. Two Sea Kings defeated back to back by foreign winners sees the crowd (and the remaining Sea Kings) desperate to make an example of whoever the next man is that’s going to step foot in the arena. That person happens to be Baki who’s matched up to Sea King Li, a man who happens to be the best poison hand in the country. A weakened Baki is clearly not at the top of his game when the match begins, and the poison he suffers at the hands of his strike, prompts him to suck it out of his cut and spit the blood on the ground. As the fight continues, Yujiro watches from the wings as Baki spews blood around the battlefield at the hands of a nasty poisoned strike. With steaming blood raining down from above, Baki lies motionless on his back. The tears from Kozue, who rushes to the battlefield to see him, spurs him on and manages to help negate the poison coursing through his veins – Baki is back! This time, Baki outdoes his opponent with a bone-crunching fist to the hand and another that knocks the Sea King down. It’s enough for him to be declared the winner as a small sliver of hope begins to materialize that he may win the tournament. After the fight, Baki thanks Kozue who calls him pathetic before throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly, which is where the episode ends. With Baki seemingly back to fighting ways and the poison negated from him, the rest of the season looks like it’s going to step it up a gear and deliver more fighting across the 13 episodes. With a fourth part already green-lit, it seems likely that this one will end on another cliffhanger but for now, the poison fight is a good introduction for our hero to get back to winning ways and may just show he’s got a fighting chance going forward.
