However, the execution of this hackneyed concept is what's extraordinary.
For starters, there are hardly any monologues or emotional flashbacks, and absolutely no cute, "funny" scenes of the main character being hit by a girl. Instead, each episode is filled with brutal, highly entertaining fights, most of them featuring the hero, Baki, getting the absolute piss beaten out of him.
Getting multiple bones shattered, having one's ankle exploded, one's eye nerves severed, being thrown out of a window on the third floor, swallowing glass, having one's mouth torn apart by a giant beast-ape, being hung execution-style by a rope, or having one's bloody, unconscious face repeatedly stomped by a fist or foot are all a part of a typical episode for Baki.
Most appropriately, there is almost a complete lack of "good" and "evil" in this series; every character (with the possible exception of Yujiro), even the most brutal and dirty, is shown to have a good, friendly, honorable side, and similarly, even Baki has a vicious, uncomprising part to his personality.
In a comical but oddly appropriate twist, Baki befriends the Yasha Ape whose eye he gouged out and which almost tore his mouth off, or Yakuza boss Hanayama, who almost killed him on several occasions.
In fact, he becomes friends with almost everyone he fights in the series, showing that these fights are simply the tool for him becoming better and stronger, not the product of his desire for violence.
Thus, on a pure entertainment level, the series is great; gritty fights featuring original attacks, unique fighting styles, and non-stop action mixed with a peculiar sense of humor.
With all that said, "Grappler Baki" works on a deeper level also.
While the show revolves around fighting, it's really a metaphor for the struggle and sacrifice anyone faces in achieving the absolute pinnacle in their field of interest.
Through Baki's non-stop training, fighting, and overzealous desire to improve at the risk of his own life, the hero is someone that a viewer can emphasize with, as he attains his ability more through practice and physical sacrifice than natural ability.
Despite all this, Baki is repeatedly beaten down by his invincible father Yujiro, the king of fighters. Thus, rather than being a simple story of a fighter's rise to the top, it's the story of a typical human giving everything to achieving his goals, succeeding, but ultimately, not being able to fulfill his greatest desire.
In addition to this, there are a number of refreshing "real" aspects for an action anime here, such as the lack of female fighters, and the "dirty tactics" (biting, eye-gouging, kicks to the groin, attacks from behind) that every single fighter utilizes, including Baki. (Once again obliterating the "good" and "evil" that so many animes rely upon)
Finally, another reason I love this series so dearly are the unforgettable characters; while Baki is a unique, macho badass in his own right, Orocho Doppi and Karou Hanayama are some of the most unique, likeable, and downright cool characters in any anime ever.
This can be extended to most of the characters on the show too; they all have their own quirks, sense of humor, fighting styles, and contrasting outlooks on life.
This feels a lot different than most animes, where there are essentially only two or three character prototypes which everyone is modeled upon.
Thus, Grappler Baki is not only a great series for anyone who enjoys fighting and combat, but anyone who wants to see something different and unexpected in an anime.
