To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Baki fighting manga series, an official character popularity poll was recently held, and the final results have now been announced. Most fans found the familiar faces at the top of the ranking fairly unsurprising.
However, several unexpected characters—and even a particularly unusual “presence”—also made it surprisingly high on the list. Joe William placed 10th, while “14 Kilograms of Sugar Water” somehow took 17th place, turning both results into popular topics of discussion among fans.
The top 10 in this year’s popularity poll are as follows:
1. Kaoru Hanayama
2. Musashi Miyamoto
3. Retsu Kaioh
4. Jack Hanma
5. Katsumi Orochi
6. Yujiro Hanma
7. Baki Hanma
8. Doppo Orochi
9. Izou Motobe
10. Joe William
See the complete ranking here.
Many fans agreed with Kaoru Hanayama taking the No. 1 spot. Some described him as “the kind of man other men aspire to be,” while others argued that he is one of the few characters in the series who has rarely, if ever, lost his stature. For those fans, his victory made perfect sense.
Musashi Miyamoto’s second-place finish also sparked discussion. One fan said they would personally put Musashi first and Hanayama second, calling both characters “unbelievably cool.” Others suggested that Musashi’s popularity may have been boosted by the anime adaptation.
As for third-place finisher Retsu Kaioh, some fans jokingly described him as the series’ “heroine.” Others noted that “Retsu Kaioh is still doing his best in another world,” referencing the premise of his fantasy spin-off manga.
One of the biggest surprises in the entire poll was Joe William placing 10th. Since he is hardly considered one of the series’ conventional fan-favorite characters, many people reacted to the result by asking, “Wait, who was Joe William again?” Only afterward did they remember the particularly memorable storyline in which he appeared.
Joe William appeared in Chapter 100 of Baki-Dou. The chapter reveals that a hospital examination found Yujiro Hanma’s testosterone level to be more than ten times that of an average man. It then concludes that, from Yujiro’s perspective, everyone other than himself is effectively the opposite sex. The scene subsequently shifts overseas, where a muscular, bearded man is being interviewed.
That man is Joe William, who was 48 years old at the time. He carried a painful secret: 16 years earlier, he had been sexually assaulted by Yujiro Hanma and forced to confront what the story describes as the “female” part within himself. Ever since then, he had repeatedly placed himself in dangerous situations, attempting to reject that side of himself while searching for his “male” side.
Some fans jokingly placed Joe William in the “women’s division,” while others suggested that reaching 10th place effectively made him one of the poll’s meme picks. These comments largely play on the adult storyline depicted in Baki, rather than representing a serious discussion of Joe William’s popularity as a character.
The other result that left fans laughing was “14 Kilograms of Sugar Water.” Despite not being a character at all, this memorable element from the Baki story placed 17th, beating several actual characters and prompting reactions such as, “Why is 14 kilograms of sugar water ranked 17th?”
Some fans reasoned that “Mr. 14 Kilograms of Sugar Water” once saved Baki’s life, so perhaps its high ranking was not entirely unreasonable. Others simply felt sorry for all the actual characters who finished below 17th place. With Joe William at No. 10 and 14 Kilograms of Sugar Water at No. 17, two highly unconventional contenders somehow entered the top 20 at the same time, leaving fans to ask, “What is even going on here?”
Overall, while the rankings of major characters such as Kaoru Hanayama, Musashi Miyamoto, and Retsu Kaioh naturally drew attention, the results fans seemed to enjoy discussing most were those of unusual entries such as Joe William and 14 Kilograms of Sugar Water.
Reactions from Japanese fans once again highlighted both the distinctive appeal of the Baki cast and the series’ unique internet meme culture. Some characters or objects may appear only in a particular storyline, but when the scene itself is memorable enough, they can earn a special place in fans’ minds that surpasses even that of more conventional characters.