Completion
Episode 12 of Baki part 3 begins with Alai Jr guided toward the arena as the onlooking crowd cheer. Only, it’s not Baki waiting for him there – it’s Yujiro. After talking about Baki’s fighting power, Yujiro steps aside and lets the fight begin between Baki and Alai Jr. It’s barely a contest in truth, as Alai Jr is knocked down by a stiff punch to the jaw, followed by Baki proceeding to pummel the boxer until his Father Mohammad Alai arrives and strikes Baki with a legendary punch. With Alai Jr down and out, Baki turns his attention to Yujiro and requests a fight in the foreseeable future. As the shocked crowd watch, Yujiro walks away after grinning while Baki does the same, preparing himself for the fight ahead. Alai Jr meanwhile is beside himself, weeping after his loss in the hallway. As he does, Kozue sees him on his knees and proceeds to throw her arms around him in comfort. Although the fight is set to go ahead, for now Baki and Oroci talk together and discuss the fact they’ve never fought. Not long after, Baki’s comments about being okay with being the second strongest fighter is something that sees his character start to grow and as the episode closes out, Baki and Yujiro both train in their own way. To be honest, episode 12 feels like a conclusive chapter to this third part and something that rounds out the tournament with a fight between Alai Jr and Baki. In truth, it actually felt a little anticlimactic with the way it goes down and certainly underwhelming compared to some of the earlier fights we’ve been graced with. Despite that though, Baki has been an enjoyable thrill ride and with the finale up next, it looks like that’s going to be used to prepare for what’s to come in part 4.
