Mangaka Keisuke Itagaki became quite popular thanks to the success of his work, Baki the Grappler. This title has been widely spread across the anime and manga community. His intricate and stellar art style, along with his fantastic writing, makes this story spectacular. Itagaki is mainly known for his intense attention to detail, jabbering fight dialogue, brutal fights, and monstrous facial expressions, which has made him almost a living legend among his fans.
Baki is considered more of a mature shōnen anime due to the intensity of the topics it traces through. Fans of Baki are pretty aware of the series but have little to no information about the Mangaka Keisuke Itagaki. The reason behind this is simply that the author respects his privacy. However, this peculiar fact about a Special Edition of Baki the Grappler manga caught fans and even the publishing company off-guard as they weren’t expecting that from a shōnen title.
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Why did the Baki “S-x Edition” Manga get banned?
Contrary to popular belief, the most explicit scene in the manga of Baki wasn’t a brutal fight or gory injury. Rather, it was the Baki’s first time making love with Kozue. Considering Baki is a more mature shōnen, s-x scenes aren’t out of the box to be included in the plot. However, the intensity of the said ordeal was so erotic that Weekly Shōnen Champion decided to ban this 84-pages worth of love.
This version of the manga was called the “S-x Edition.” The publishers couldn’t get it on the shōnen track, so they moved it to the seinen line. This edition of the manga doesn’t have any official reprint or translation. As Itagaki is known for his highly detailed and exaggerated portrayal of scenes, this version of the manga was no different. Fans really appreciated his intricate take on lovemaking, while the anime adaptation toned it down, disappointing the viewers.
What happens in the Baki, and how did it influence Weekly Shonen Champion to ban the “S-x Edition” manga?
Baki’s plot revolves around the protagonist, Baki Hanma who was taken care of and raised by his rich and obsessive mother, Emi Akezawa. She wanted his son to become a mighty fighter like her husband and gradually started sponsoring his training. Baki gets bored of the traditional methods of training and leaves everything to embark on the path involving ruthless training that his dad did. Along his journey, he comes across a plethora of powerful fighters. Baki eventually challenges his father and loses the battle without his dad even breaking a sweat.
With that being said, it is understandable how Baki revolves around the hardcore shōnen genre. It portrays the protagonist, who seeks power and trains himself to achieve his goals. Just like any other shōnen anime, the premises are similar. That’s why, when the Mangaka dropped such an erotic version for a seemingly normal shōnen title, Weekly Shōnen Champion was left with no option other than banning it.
Source: CBR
