This is the strongest Kengan Ashura episode and one of the weakest Baki episodes. While the interesting match-ups and novel character dynamics elevate Kengan, the lackluster fights and uninspired art and animation bring down the Baki half of this crossover. Still, more Baki is welcome, with there being no confirmation on the series return, and this crossover serves as effective marketing for the upcoming second part of Kengan Ashura's second season. As far as crossovers go, it's fine and fun enough to overlook its shortcomings.
The unexpected character match-ups are the most enticing part of this special. Rather than have characters who practice similar fighting styles face off to determine the better practitioner, this special wisely pits characters against each other based on their personalities and backgrounds. The loud and extroverted Yoroizuka Saw Paing faces off against the usually strong and silent Kaoru Hanayama. The genetically engineered Kure Raian faces off against the born weak and now roided-out Jack Hammer. And, of course, the last fight is between Tokita Ohma and the titular Baki Hanma.
This makes each fight feel like a conflict of identity rather than just an excuse to watch characters fire off their signature moves until one of them eventually passes out. Although that is more or less what the fights boil down to. This is a crossover special and is primarily a vehicle to deliver some fan service to the die-hard fans of both series who have been writing or imagining these fights since both shows rose to prominence. There's not much time for strategy or exploration of the various fighting styles when fights are filled to the brim with characters firing off their coolest attacks and espousing amusing or badass one-liners.
The best part of this crossover is how the supporting characters bounce off each other. For instance, Adam Dudley and Chiharu Shiba, the resident dumb-ass punks of each series, get into a metaphorical pissing match because they both have to take a piss and both think it'd be unmanly of them to get out of the other's way so the opposite can enter the bathroom first. Additionally, the iconic narrators take turns talking about characters and the events of the episode, and that's a fun touch. The VAs in both the sub and the English dub are critical in making these moments work, and the lack of overall dialogue makes each character's handful of lines feel punchier.
Regrettably, the animation is fairly slapdash in this special and doesn't match the spectacle of these characters duking it out. It also seems like Kengan Ashura characters cannot look interesting, or even good, in any art style. While he no longer looks like a character from a PS1 FMV cutscene, Tokita still has an incredibly bland design on par with a random thug that you'll encounter a million times in a side-scrolling beat-em-up. Other characters, like the professional wrestler Sekibayashi Jun and the bodybuilder Julius Reinhold, are similarly uncanny and don't seem to have any depth to their facial features. The music in this crossover is more middling than the art or animation, being less than good enough to be memorable but not so bad as to stick out during a given scene.
While it does make sense that this crossover would end with Baki's Yujiro Hanma appearing and demanding to fight the strongest people there, the appearance of Kengan Ashura's Kuroki Gensai is a stranger considering where that anime left off. The Kengan Annihilation Tournament is still ongoing in the Kengan anime, and Kuroki's stand-off with Yujiro implies that he's the strongest in that series. It'd be a bridge too far to say that this crossover spoiled the ending of the next batch of Kengan Ashura episodes, but Kuroki is now the safe money to win the tournament when it felt like it was anyone's game from watching the canon show.
While I wish I liked this crossover more, and especially wish it had the kinds of introspection about masculinity that make me adore the Baki franchise, I ultimately can't be too critical or upset with it. This was fun, and it's cool that it exists with how increasingly profits-focused anime production feels today. At the very least, if you're a fan of one franchise and looking for an excuse to check out the other, the Baki Hanma vs Kengan Ashura crossover special is a great starting point for either IP.
