While often overshadowed by flagship fighting series like Tekken and Virtua Fighter, Racjin‘s 2003 PS2 title Fighting Fury: Baki the Grappler offered a fun, if clunky adaptation of the popular martial arts franchise for fans. As both an admirer of the Baki series and retro gamer, I wanted to revisit this cult classic to see if it still packs a punch after nearly 20 years.
The Story So Far…Baki‘s Bloodstained Quest for Vengeance
For the uninitiated, the Baki manga series (and related anime adaptations) centers on its titular protagonist Baki Hanma, a teenager raised and trained from birth for the sole purpose of defeating his father Yujiro in mortal combat. Known as the "Ogre" for his demonic fighting skills and inhuman strength, the elder Hanma had previously killed Baki‘s mother in a display of his savage might.
Consumed by a burning desire to avenge his mother‘s death and surpass the man who sired him, Baki enters underground fighting tournaments throughout Japan and China, pushing his body to superhuman limits through intense training regimes. He crosses paths with hundreds of unique martial artists and assassins along the bloody road to confronting Yujiro as the series spans multiple serialized installments.
Baki aims to avenge his mother by defeating his tyrannical father Yujiro
While certainly not suited for younger audiences, the visceral appeal of watching Baki utilize techniques from Jujitsu, Kung Fu, Karate and more against increasingly outrageous foes captivated Japanese readers during its initial 1990s manga publication. An anime adaptation further boosted interest, making Baki Hanma a recognizable anti-hero figure across various media.
Bringing Baki‘s Brutality to the PlayStation 2
Seeking to capitalize on this success, publisher Racjin commissioned developer ELF to create a 3D fighting game exclusive for PlayStation 2. Released in 2003 as Fighting Fury: Baki the Grappler (Known simply as Baki the Grappler in Japan), the game adapts the key Maximum Tournament storyline from the manga, featuring fan favorite fighters realized in full polygonal models.
Fully 3D arenas and fighters marked a visual step up from 2D anime artwork
As a passionate retro gamer and fighting game fanatic who grew up in the midst of the genre’s late 90’s/early 2000’s boom period, I still have fond memories of days spent with iconic PS2 titles like Tekken 4 and Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution. So I couldn’t resist taking a nostalgic trip back to this era of primitive 3D visuals but intense 1v1 combat by booting up my dusty PlayStation 2 console for another bout with Baki and friends in Fighting Fury.
Breaking Down the Simple But Addictive Combat Mechanics
Booting up Fighting Fury instantly hit me with that nostalgic wave of PS2-era jankiness – somewhat stilted animations, low polygon models, textures that seem to pulse and warp.
Yet as soon as I jumped into battle with Baki against the first opponent – a nameless blackbelt karateka – the satisfying crunch of landing blows quickly drew me into the fast and relentless combat.
Each fighter utilizes a nearly identical movelist of punches, kicks, grabs and blocks that are enhanced by unique special attacks. These signature moves often hilarious homages to established characters’ feats in the manga, like the four Shinogi bros who can summon weaponry and environmental aids to overwhelm foes. While stripped down compared to deeper systems in Virtua Fighter or Tekken, the back-to-basics approach still makes Fighting Fury easy to pick-up for some quick sparring matches.
Basic Controls and Mechanics
| Move | PS2 Button |
|---|---|
| Punch | Square |
| Kick | Triangle |
| Throw | X |
| Block | R2 |
| Special 1 | Circle |
| Special 2 | L1 |
| Special 3 | R1 |
Fighting relies on just a few easily accessible buttons
Attacks drain a stamina meter that leaves fighters vulnerable when depleted, with stages featuring minimal environmental hazards beyond ring-outs. It lacks cinematic finishes, interactive elements or flashy effects beyond the 2D anime cutscenes between key story fights. Yet there’s an appealing purity to the stripped-down combat focused on spacing, timing and combos that still holds up reasonably well on a technical level.
Of course, Fighting Fury pales in scope and features compared to modern genre heavyweights like Tekken 7 or Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown. But as a PS2 release over 15 years ago for a niche manga license, I found the functional, back-to-basics gameplay surprisingly fun despite the lack of polish.
Step Into the Shoes of Baki’s Most Memorable Combatants
Where Fighting Fury unquestionably delivered for fans lies in its extensive playable cast capturing of fan-favorite characters from the first two manga story arcs. From the antiheroic protagonist Baki himself to his ally Kureha Shinogi and the towering American brute Jun Guevaru, recreating the fights and rivalries depicted on the comic page in full 3D proved an irresistible experience for manga devotees.
The colorful character select screen pulls fighters straight from the manga’s pages
I particularly enjoyed the assassination techniques available to the Shinogi clan, with Katou utilizing patented strangling skills, sibling Yuu Amanai flinging his chained sickles, and spear expert Reihou packing nearly 10 unique polearm attacks. Series favorite Pickle also recieved a playable debut, letting gamers harness the feral power of “Jurassic Pickle”, a primitive caveman cryogenically preserved since prehistoric eras thanks to his freakish toughness and regenerative abilities.
Though movesets remain largely similar across the roster, these quirky special attacks and outlandish character designs bursting with Nomura-esque belts and accessories captures the manga‘s endearingly bizarre qualities that set Baki apart from contemporaries.
Select Playable Characters
| Fighter | Style/Abilities | Signature Attacks |
|---|---|---|
| Baki Hanma | Mixed martial arts prodigy | Demon Back Form buffs strength |
| Kureha Shinogi | Expert swordsman | Quick iaijutsu sword strikes |
| Yujiro Hanma | Raw demonic power and speed | Taunting finger block |
| Jun Guevaru | Giant American pro wrestler | Charging clothesline tackle |
| Pickle | Primordial caveman physicality | Dinosaur-like biting |
Fan-favorites from manga storylines become playable brawlers
Seeing these eccentric personalities clash with full voice acting intact serves as an authentic adaptation for Baki aficionados that likely elicited its share of fist-pumping moments back in 2003.
Surmounting Fighting Fury’s Most Brutal Bosses
No great fighting game experience feels complete without memorable boss encounters that test the player’s skill. And Fighting Fury pulls no punches with its climatic showdowns against Baki’s murderous father Yujiro and Death Row convict Achzaro Jr.
After defeating all other Maximum Tournament contestants, Baki finally faces off against the looming final boss that is Yujiro Hanma. Right away, the Ogre demonstrates why he’s called the world’s strongest creature, shrugging off blows from Baki’s strongest techniques. He even regenerates health once defeated the first time, forcing players to face his overwhelming offensive anew. Toppling Yujiro to complete Baki’s quest requires perfect timing, spacing and quick pattern recognition.
The post-game Achzaro Jr. fight poses a similar overwhelming challenge, with the bloodthirsty prisoners savage attacks keeping constant pressure on. Only by observing patterns in his seemingly random assault to exploit brief openings can Baki fans hope to add another satisfying triumph to their completion list.
These tense encounters capture the nail-biting drama portrayed in climatic manga showdowns, pushing Fighting Fury’s mechanics to their limits. The rush of finally out-martial arting these brutal bosses after multiple failed attempts kept that classic difficulty high of old-school gaming alive.
Baki finally confronts his demonic father Yujiro in an epic clash
Does Baki’s PS2 Debut Still Pack a Punch?
Revisiting Fighting Fury in the modern era, its hard not to notice the technical shortcomings stemming from PS2 limitations that date the experience severely. Yet despite the dated graphics, limited game modes and janky animations, the nostalgic thrill of pitting my favorite manga martial artists against each other remained strong as ever.
Questions do remain regarding how much appeal this niche title holds for those unfamiliar with Baki‘s source material though, unlike the more mainstream manga adaptations found in anime fighting crossovers. But for long-time Hanma devotees, Fighting Fury encapsulates enough of that early 2000’s retro charm and familiar content to warrant dusting off a PS2.
At the least, going a few rounds with the Ogre and his demonic son Baki scratched that nostalgic itch for me to revisit a simpler era of 3D fighters. And seeing long-time favorites expertly adapted left me longing for a modern reboot that could smooth out the rough edges while expanding content with the series‘ newer Sagas. There‘s definitely room for a deeper, more polished Baki fighter packed with an even more outrageous roster down the line.