| Yuuichirou Hanma | |
 | |
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Kanji Name | 範馬 勇一郎 |
| Kana Name | はんま ゆういちろう |
| First Appearance | |
| Anime | Son, Father and... |
| Manga | Son, Father and... |
| Information | |
| Origin | Japan |
| Age | Deceased |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Height | About 180 cm (5'11") |
| Fighting Style | Judo |
| Original Dub | Hidekatsu Shibata (2023) |
| Relations | Unnamed Wife/Lover Yuujirou Hanma (Son) Baki Hanma (Grandson) Jack Hanma (Grandson) |
| “ | You've really made my day... I'm glad that someone out there knows... Just how strong I really am. | ” |
– Yuuichirou talking to Doppo Orochi. | ||
Yuuichirou Hanma (範馬 勇一郎, Hanma Yūichirō) is the father of Yuujirou Hanma and grandfather of Jack Hanma and Baki Hanma. He is the only other person aside from Yuujirou to defeat the United States. He fought against the full military might of the US on a small island in the Okinawa territory during World War II, in which he single-handedly defeating 2,000 American soldiers using one technique.
He was called the "Oni" (オニ, Oni; literally: "devil") by the American soldiers.
Personality[]
Yuuichirou's personality is not extensively documented, but some characteristics can be inferred from observations by other characters and his behavior within the series. Mitsunari Tokugawa, a character within the narrative, describes Yuuichirou as contrasting sharply with Yuujirou, implying a potentially kinder nature. This interpretation is supported by his actions in aiding Baki in a fight against his father, much to Yuujirou's displeasure. Yuuichirou also exhibits a calm and carefree attitude, which may be perceived as one of the triggers for Yuujirou's harsh treatment of Baki.
Despite these qualities, Yuuichirou demonstrates a capacity for ruthlessness, as evidenced in the battle of Okinawa where he inflicted severe injuries on American soldiers (twisting necks and broken bones, for example). This violence is depicted in graphic detail within the series but is contextualized as a response to an invasion.
In the first chapter of "Baki Gaiden: Kenjin", Yuuichirou's willingness to lose prizefights for financial gain is explored. Doppo Orochi, another character, confronts him over this decision, interpreting it as a slight against Japanese martial arts. On the other hand, Yuuichirou is also glad that Doppo Orochi could understand his strength. This may indicate that even if he is humble, he still is proud of his immense strength. Nevertheless, Yuuichirou's actions are framed as more ethical than Yuujirou's, and he exhibits both humility and pride in his strength. These characterizations contribute to a complex portrayal that balances contradictory traits within his character.
Appearance[]
Yuuichirou is depicted as an imposing figure, characterized by his significant muscular build and exceptionally broad shoulders, to the extent that some observers within the narrative consider him inhuman. He usually sports an amused, even bored grin on his chiseled face, and his dark hair is typically styled in a simple ponytail. A common feature within the Hanma bloodline, Yuuichirou has the symbolic "demon" shape visible on his back muscles. Evidence of his grappling experience is seen in his cauliflower ears. His attire on the battlefield is minimal, often consisting of only a pair of simple drawstring shorts, without a shirt or footwear.
History[]
Past[]
While much of his past life prior World War II is largely unknown, Yuuichirou most famous feat is his one-man war against the entire military might of the United States.
During the later stage of World War II, Yuuichirou resides on a small island in the Okinawa region when the United States begin the assaults on the island. Yuuichirou managed to annihilate the entire platoon of American soldiers with bare hands, in addition of surviving heavy naval and aerial bombardment unscratched. This has reached the point that Major General James, the man in charge of the operation against Yuuichirou, requested the use of a nuclear bomb just to kill one man, as none of the conventional weaponry seems to have an effect on him.
Later, Yuuichirou unceremoniously boarded the US Navy flagship, the USS Iowa, and then proceeded to kill Major General James on board the battleship, throwing him with such immense power that his corpse pierced through the deck of the ship. Yuuichirou is then surrounded by over 2,000 crewmembers of Iowa who gathered around what remains of their commander's corpse. Despite this, Yuuichirou is unfazed by such an overwhelming number of enemies and guns aimed at him. Suddenly, Yuuichirou quickly grabs the leg of one of the US soldier, then proceed to spin the soldier's body around himself at such an incredible speed that he managed to deflect all bullets fired at him using the soldier's body as a shield. After all guns fell silent, Yuuichirou then throws the now-dead body of the soldier at a group of his comrades, instantly killing everyone who got hit by it. After witnessing the technique, the terrified American soldiers began to call Yuuichirou's technique the "Dress", as the technique made it appears as if Yuuichirou covered himself with a "dress". Yuuichirou is then correcting that the technique is actually called "Guise".
Regardless of which name this deadly technique is called, however, the now shaken American soldiers scampered away from Yuuichirou with great fear, jumping from the ship towards the ocean, realizing that the person who stood before them was the man behind the death of their superior, and that he is way too strong to be taken down by mere firearms.
With this astonishing feat, Yuuichirou became the first person to take on the full military might of the United States with only his bare hands and win. A feat that would not be repeated until around 20 years later when his son Yuujirou would went on to defeat the US military during the Vietnam war.
Baki Gaiden: Kenjin[]
Yuuichirou met a disappointed Doppo Orochi, who confronted him about throwing his match against the pro wrestler Rikigouzan. Unknown to Orochi, Yuuichirou threw the match to earn money. Orochi knew fully well that Yuuichirou is capable of blocking all incoming attacks and guessed that Yuuichirou took the attacks because he could and because his attacks were not even worthy of blocking. However, Orochi implied that Yuuichirou trampled the pride of Japanese martial arts by throwing his match against the pro wrestler. Yuuichirou, pleased by the fact that someone like Orochi knows his real capabilities, grabbed Orochi by his clothes. Orochi responded by nimbly getting out of the clothes Yuuichirou was grabbing on to, and kick him to the jaw, possibly breaking it. He then declared that he will set things straight with Rikigouzan, which would then also clear Yuuichirou's "loss" from the last match.
Hanma Baki[]
Strongest Father and Child Quarrel Saga[]
He appeared in the fight of Yuujirou Hanma against Baki Hanma as a spiritual apparition. He shows up near the end of Baki’s climactic fight against his father, with the sole purpose of cheering on his grandson. He also gives Yuujirou a hard time for having so much difficulty fighting against a kid less than half his age. His temporary visit is particularly jarring due to the series otherwise not containing any other explicitly supernatural elements. The interesting thing is that his presence seems to be so intimidating that even the inhumanly strong caveman Pickle can only tremble at the sight of him.
Abilities[]
The true depths of Yuuichirou's strength is still currently unknown, but those who've come across him suggest he is inhumanly strong. As such shown in the battle of Okinawa to be the only other man in the world besides his son to single-handedly defeat the USA during WWII. It is unknown if Yuuichirou is stronger than Yuujirou, but it is stated that he was the only man he never defeated (however there is currently no evidence of them having fought at all in the past). This is most likely due to Yuuichirou's death which occurred most likely when Yuujirou was quite young. This is exemplified by his shocked and fearful expression when his father's spirit appeared to support Baki.
Yuuichirou is only known to use one technique to defeat two thousand US soldiers on the battleship Iowa. Many of the soldiers call this technique "dress" only for Yuujirou to correct it by stating the real technique was really called "guise". The user uses his opponent as a human weapon like a "nunchaku" surrounding himself in a spiritual image that looks like a dress. The power behind his throws is powerful enough that he is able to kill just about anyone he hits instantly. Its power is so immense, that when Major General James was thrown into the deck of the battleship that could endure the force of a large bomb or battleship cannons, his corpse pierced through it. Furthermore, he can perform his variation of the technique so blindly fast that entire squadrons of soldiers can’t turn their guns fast enough to defend themselves against this truly gruesome move.
When Doppo Orochi started to fight him, he ends up possibly breaking Yuuichirou's jaw. This incident may hint that Yuuichirou might in fact be weaker than his son (Yuujirou endured Doppo's blows considerably more brutal than a kick to the jaw without being harmed). It could mean Yuuichirou simply let Doppo attack him as a way of testing Doppo's strength, given his glib and carefree behavior towards the latter before and after the fact. However, since it's hard to assess how strong Doppo was at this stage it's possible Yuuichirou is less durable than his son.
Techniques[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The character is presumably based on the real-life Japanese judoka and professional wrestler, Masahiko Kimura most notably regarding the episode with Rikigouzan (who is real-life Rikidouzan counterpart). To consider that Yuuichirou was based on Kimura, it is quite possible that Yuuichirou lost a prizefight on purpose to earn treatment fees for his ill wife.