In conjunction with the rebuilding of their company building, Akita Shoten is staging one of the company's signature works, the popular fighting manga series "Baki" by Keisuke Itagaki. The staging is based on the famous scene in which the main character, Baki Hanma, challenges his strongest father, Yujiro, in "The Strongest Parent-Child Fight in History." On the temporary fence surrounding the construction site where the building is to be demolished, a graphic has been posted stating, "The head office building has collapsed due to the strongest parent-child fight in history." and "We apologize for the inconvenience caused to the neighbors due to the construction work."
Akita Shoten temporarily moved its headquarters to Komagome in January this year due to the need to rebuild the building due to deterioration. The old building will be demolished in stages in preparation for the rebuild. A graphic featuring Baki apologizing to the neighborhood for the impact of the demolition work was released. "The aftereffects of the fierce battle between Hanma and his son have reached the real world," the company said, elevating the work into entertainment, aiming to transform the impact of the work into an enjoyable experience rather than a mere inconvenience.
President and CEO Tokuji Yamaguchi commented, "Due to its deterioration, we have decided to demolish the company building. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our neighbors. This is just my own interpretation, but imagine that on the other side of these walls was the ultimate father-son fight of the Hanma family. Perhaps it will make the bleak construction site a bit more enjoyable. But that's just my own interpretation. We apologize for the inconvenience for a while, so please bear with us."
Sawa Takashi, the company's managing director and the original person in charge of the "Baki" series, said, "A new manga! A new world! A new era! The energy to create is erupting in Baki and Yujiro's "The Greatest Father-son Fight on Earth." With that momentum, we will first demolish and smash our old building! Akita Shoten will also be reborn in a new era. We are very sorry to our neighbors, but we ask for your forgiveness for a while..." He spoke with passion for the work. The new building is scheduled to be completed in September 2027.
The "Baki" series is a fighting manga that depicts the battles between fighters such as underground arena champion Baki Hanma and Baki's father, Yujiro Hanma, who is also known as "the strongest creature on earth." The first part, "Grappler Baki," began in Weekly Shonen Champion in 1991, and the second part, "Baki," was serialized from 1999 to 2005, the third part, "Baki Hanma," from 2006 to 2012, the fourth part, "Baki-Dou," from 2014 to 2018, and the fifth part, "Baki-dou," from 2018 to 2023. The latest work, "Baki Rahen," has been serialized since August 2023. The total number of copies of the comic series has exceeded 100 million.
