Anime is challenging to describe in a word. The zany world of shonen, shounen, and more has given us gifts like One Piece, Naruto, Noragami, Bleach, Dragon Ball Z, and more.
Some animes are so outlandish that you must see them to believe them. After all, who can forget the gravity and physics-defying boobs seen in High School of the Dead?
But that’s not the only eyebrow-raising thing seen in anime. Recently, social media has been in an uproar over Barack Obama’s appearance in the Baki Hanma anime. The former President of the United States didn’t star or lend his voice to the character of Barack Ozma. But the likeness to him in the series has made everyone lose their minds.
Baki Hanma anime brought Barack Obama in its second season. However, the former US President wasn’t called by his actual name. Instead, in the anime, he is called Barack Ozma. So it’s a different interpretation. He meets Baki’s father, Yuji Hanma, and tells him that the US won’t interfere in his activities because he wants to preserve their friendship. This portrayal has divided the internet, as many feel that a political figure shouldn’t be shown disrespectfully.
Barack Obama’s Anime Debut in Baki Anime Explained
Baki Hanma is a popular anime that is currently adapting the final arc in the Baki The Grappler manga. The anime and manga follow a boy of the titular name who wants to become the strongest fighter worldwide. He wants to become strong to defeat Yuujirou Hanma, his father and the man that holds the title of the strongest fighter globally.
This anime has two seasons and is currently airing the second one. In the latest season, viewers were surprised to see a familiar face- former US President Barack Obama. However, the character wasn’t the actual Barack Obama. Instead, he was called Barack Ozma. He meets Yujiro Hanma and talks with him.
In the English dub, actor Bill Butts voices Ozma. But Ozma or Obama isn’t the only US President to appear in the anime. Previously, former US President George W. Bush also showed up in the series, and Baki found himself going to jail due to him. Apart from the two US Presidents, Baki Hanma anime included other historical figures like Che Guevara and Mike Tyson.
Here’s how the meeting between Barack Ozma and Yuji Hanma goes:
Ozma visits Yuji Hanma and mentions to the most muscular man in the world that it is his first time going anywhere without security since he became President. Yuji isn’t bothered by Ozma’s arrival and sits so casually that it can be seen as disrespectful. The US President tells Baki’s father that the US won’t interfere in Yuji’s actions because he wants to preserve his friendship with the strongest man on the planet.
The internet has reacted to the appearance of the former US President in various ways. Some were stoked to see the portrayal and the reference, while others were upset about how Obama or Ozma was shown.
They think the anime showed him without a spine and someone who essentially submitted to Yuji Hanma. As per them, a political figure shouldn’t be depicted this disrespectfully.
The Baki Hanma season 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.
What are your thoughts about this portrayal of Barack Obama or Ozma in Baki Hanma?
Was it too caricaturish? Did it make sense in the context of the anime? Would you like other former US Presidents to show up in Baki Hanma?
Let us know in the comments below.
