Baki the Grappler is popular for its never-ending gruesome fights for power. And also for its strong and assertive characters. No one sets fitness goals better than the men in Baki the Grappler. Whether it is Pickle’s caveman physique or Jack’s enviable height, each character stands out as sheer perfection.
Nothing quite stands out like Baki demon back. The god-like curves of the back muscles narrowing down into a smooth V as it meets their rock-solid waist have given many fans of the anime body goals. If you are an avid fan of this series and the famous demon back, let’s revisit some popular appearances of the demon back and find more about its origin.
The demon back is a special gift bestowed upon the men of the Hanma clan like Yujiro and Baki. By activating the demon back, the host flexes his back muscles until it takes the shape of an ominous demon’s face.
Once the demon face is activated, it unlocks a supernatural power within the fighter. This gives him unnatural strength, resistance, and endurance, more than any other fighter in the world.
At this stage, the fighter can survive any hit or blow from their opponent, no matter how strong they are, without retaining any noticeable damage. At the same time, the fighter with the demon back can exert unfathomable force on their opponents. This recovery would normally be almost impossible.
Who Has the Demon Back in Baki the Grappler?
The demon face is a special blessing only for the men in the Hanma clan. So far, only three men that we know of have the demon back.
1. Yuuichirou
Yuuichiro is the first possessor of the demon face back. He is not only the father of Yujiro but also the earliest link to the Hanma clan. Unlike his son Yujiro, he is never known to use his demon back power. After all, demon back is not a fighting skill. It is an unfair advantage for the Hanma men.
2. Yujiro
Yujiro is the strongest fighter in the world. He is the best-known user of the demon back superpower, and unlike his father, he does not shy away from using it. Yujiro thinks any weapon at your disposal is a fair weapon for a fight. His innate strength, along with the added advantage of a demon back, makes him the most fearsome fighter in the world.
3. Baki
Baki Hanma is the son of Yujiro Hanma and his only known son to have inherited the demon back gift from him. Baki also inherited the values of his grandfather Yuuichiro and did his best to avoid using the demon back.
The only times he activated his demon back were during his fight with half-brother Jack Hanma and his father Yujiro. But this was only when he had no other way to survive the fight.
Also, there is a slight difference in Baki’s demon back feature. Unlike his father and grandfather, who only have the demon face on his back, Baki has the demon-face features on his brain as well.
Why Does Jack Hanma Not Have the Demon Back?
Since the demon back is a gift to the men of the Hanma clan, it only makes sense that Yujiro’s other son and Baki’s half-brother Jack Hanma should also have it. As we have seen in the series, Jack does not have the demon face back.
He is also considered a lot weaker than Yujiro and Baki. He spent years under inhuman training, drug overdose, and several surgeries. This is due to his chronic inferiority complex and his constant need to prove his worth
It is still not clear if it was his drug abuse and training regimen that deprived him of the demon face back or if he did not inherit it from Yujiro.
Another string of theories suggests that Jack could not inherit the demon back gift because his mother had weaker genes. It seems Jack’s mother (Diane Neil) and her genes were not a good match for Yujiro Hanma.
And at the same time, Jack also inherited the majority of his genes from his mother. These two factors together stripped him of the demon-face back gift.
Does Pickle Have a Demon Back?
If you watch Pickle’s fighting scenes, you will find that his fighting stance resembles Yujiro’s demon back stance. And sometimes, his back muscles also tend to flex and come together to take the shape of a demon face.
While it was never confirmed if Pickle has a demon face back or not, there are a few theories that suggest Pickle is a part of the Hanma bloodline. Some believe that Pickle is the original Hanma and everybody else descended from him. There are quite a few examples proving this might be a possibility.
In that case, there will be no doubt that Pickle also has a demon back. When he takes that stance and his back muscles take the shape of the demon face, his body unleashes. An unfathomable amount of power and stamina releases, like Yujiro. At this stage, it becomes pretty impossible for anyone to defeat Pickle.
Fights Where the Demon Back Was Activated
Here are some fights where the demon face back was used by men of the Hanma clan.
Yujiro Vs Orochi
The first fight where we witness the demon face back on Yujiro is in his fight against Orochi Doppo. The fight took place in an underground arena where Orochi seemed to be doing pretty well at first. In the first half of the fight, he managed to dodge many strikes from Yujiro and came back stronger with at least five strikes on Yujiro’s chest.
The final straw happened when Hanma Baki entered the arena. An agitated Yujiro unleashed his demon back and almost knocked the life out of Orochi with every blow.
Yujiro Vs Kaku Kaiou
The fight between Yujiro and Kaku Kaiou was rather interesting. The best fighter in the world, Yujiro Hama, is second to none in power. And Kaku Kaiou stood tall with his century-long martial art experience.
At first, both the contenders were taking and throwing devastating blows. That is until Kaku Kaiou managed to annoy Yujiro enough for him to unleash his demon face back. From there on, it all went downhill for Kaku Kaiou. His eardrums ruptured and he was about to receive a life-ending blow from Yujiro when he faked his death to walk out alive.
Baki Vs Jack Hanma
Baki is not someone who will use his demon back power to win against another fighter. During the final match against Jack Hanma in the Maximus Tournament Saga, he was using it for the first time.
Both Jack and Baki had an equal footing in the fight. Jack had the advantage of his height, while Baki had the advantage of his natural strength. Both contenders managed to do some serious damage to each other in the first half.
Jack soon gained the upper hand and managed to crash Baki to the ground many times. This was when Baki unleashed his demon back, helping him get up from under Jack’s locked arms and overthrow him in a matter of seconds.
Baki Vs Yujiro
Baki had trained all his life to be as strong as his father Yujiro and defeat him someday. So it was no surprise that their fight turned out to be epic.
When the fight started, Baki was much weaker than Yujiro, but that was until his demon back was activated. After that, Baki bamboozled Yujiro. Baki lost in the end due to his injuries and exhaustion. Yujiro is forced to admit that he no longer is the strongest creature alive and that Baki is strong enough to claim that title after his father.
Baki was also seen gaining the demon face back during his fight with Oliva. It is not clear if he used it to defeat Oliva or to recover from his strikes.
Wrapping Up
The demon face back is one of the most interesting fight techniques in the entire Baki the Grappler series. The instant switch from a regular fighter susceptible to mortal injury to the devil himself is magnificent.
Apart from its impact on one’s fighting skills, the physical attributes associated with the demon face back are no less than a feast to one’s eyes. Every time the demon back marks its entry into the fight scene, you know it is time for one epic, unforgettable battle.
