The Title Of The Strongest
Episode 8 of Baki part 3 sees the epic fight between Yujiro and Kaku get underway. Who will come out on top? As the gong is struck, the reverberating ring sounds across the arena as these two fighters start to trade blows. Yujiro hits the Sea Emperor with everything he’s got. However, Kaku matches his blows and the two fight across the battlefield using their different techniques they’ve mastered. As the fight reaches its climax, Yujiro takes off his shirt to reveal his back muscles show the face of a demon. Kaku’s blows no longer resemble his traditional fighting style either in the wake of this revelation and he starts swinging and flailing about wildly. The result sees Yujiro hit the old man on the ears and the blow is so strong that blood starts oozing out. Before he can nail the finishing blow however, the old man’s heart suddenly stops and he’s declared dead by old age. As his eyes gloss over, Yujiro just about maintains his composure, gritting his teeth through the disappointment, and walking away. Kaku meanwhile awakens backstage from his slumber, much to the surprise of everyone there. It turns out he faked his death in a bid to prevent certain death at the hands of Yujiro; a clever tactic to end the fight. On the back of this, the tournament comes to a close with the crowd leaving satisfied. Yujiro meanwhile, stands in the arena alone with all the lights subdued until Kaku arrives and deems him a worthy adversary, going on to call him Sea Emperor Hanma. Kaku watches him walk away and suggests they fight again in 100 years, with the two exchanging hearty chuckles and leaving with newfound respect for one another. With the tournament over, Baki begins training again by running through the woods, eventually coming face to face with Alai Jr who proposes they fight. Baki rejects his offer and walks away, leaving Alai Jr. determined to convince Baki one way or another to fight. That fight between Yujiro and Kaku certainly didn’t disappoint and this back and forth slobber knocker delivered a really good mix of tension and pulsating action. The scenes at the end involving the two acknowledging each other’s power and Kaku passing the torch to Yujiro is a nice touch and reinforces that idea about fighting bringing the best out of each other. Their battle is something that Yujiro needed to humble him slightly and although he still won, you can tell Kaku definitely gave him a run for his money. With the tournament now over, it looks like the series will slow down now and start to build the foundations toward that already green-lit fourth part. If the ending is anything to go by, it looks like there may just be one more fight in the pipeline before that happens!
