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Ultimate Muscle

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|- ! colspan="2" style="background: #ccf; text-align: center;" | Movies |- | style="background: #e6e9ff;" colspan="2" | Kinnikuman Nisei (September 14, 2001)
Muscle Ninjin Competition! The Great Choujin War (July 20, 2002)

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Cover to Kinnikuman II #13. Back row L to R: Gazelleman, Checkmate; Middle row: Seiuchin, Kevin Mask; Front row: Terry the Kid, Kinniku Mantarou, Jade
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Cover to Kinnikuman II #13. Back row L to R: Gazelleman, Checkmate; Middle row: Seiuchin, Kevin Mask; Front row: Terry the Kid, Kinniku Mantarou, Jade

Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy, known in Japan as Kinnikuman Nisei (キン肉マンⅡ世), is a manga and anime series made by Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada under the pen name Yudetamago (Japanese for 'Boiled Egg'). It is the sequel to the hit manga Kinnikuman that they started in 1979. The toy line of Kinnikuman was released in North America as M.U.S.C.L.E. The name of "Ultimate Muscle" was chosen to connect the Americanized storyline of the M.U.S.C.L.E. toyline of the '80s into the anime.

Contents

Info

The story is about Mantaro Muscle a.k.a. Kid Muscle, the spoiled son of a superhero wrestler.

Kinnikuman Nisei was first published in the Japanese men's magazine "Weekly Playboy", aimed at the now grown-up fans of the original. Another manga aimed at children called "Kinnikuman Nisei: All Chōjin Dai-Shingeki" was published in V-Jump. The anime was first broadcast in Japan on TV Tokyo on January 1st, 2002 for 51 episodes until its cancellation on December 25th. Part of the reason the show lost viewers was the "Poison Pack" filler story arc that interrupted the Chojin World Grandprix. The anime was later broadcast in America on September 15, 2002 through 4Kids Entertainment on the Fox Box (now known as 4Kids TV). Remarkably, the anime was more popular in America than Japan and is one of the few anime that had a second season made especially for the American market. Although the series ended after that, the second season of Ultimate Muscle, titled Kinnikuman Second Generations ULTIMATE MUSCLE finally began airing in Japan on April 7, 2004 on TV Tokyo, but only 13 episodes were shown. (Its 1:00am timeslot losing many viewers.) The series resumed on January 4, 2006 as Kinnikuman Second Generations ULTIMATE MUSCLE 2 again at 1:00am. The manga is published in English by VIZ Media.

Mantaro Kinniku (also known as Kid Muscle in the English translations), comes from Muscle Planet. His family history is dedicated to wrestling. Mantaro's father, Suguru Kinniku (a.k.a. King Muscle), had entered almost every tournament to become a champion. But after 28 years of peace, the Seigi Choujins' (Muscle League) old time enemies regrouped and formed the dMp (Demon Manufacturing Plant) and crashed landed at Mount Fuji. (The dMp are a parody of wrestling faction known as the nWo. The dMp's T-shirts are virtually identical in basic design to those of what are now considered classic nWo shirts: the letters dMp in white and surrounded by a single line forming a white box.) Time and the years without evil to fight have taken their toll on the old Muscle League, who are overwhelmed by these youthful and well-trained fighters.

Realizing they've lost their edge, the Seigi Choujin reopen the Hercules Factory, the training school for superheroes, and begin training a new generation of heroes to take on the dMp. Although unwilling, Mantaro (Kid Muscle) is one of the young heroes who takes part and ultimately defeats his father to prove his worthiness to graduate. He and the other new Seigi Choujin fight and defeat several members of the dMp and meet Kevin Mask, who quits the organization after seeing that they're without honor. They also battle Sunshine and his pupils, who destroy the dMp after developing a rekindled respect for the fighting spirit of the Seigi Choujins.

Two last matches were held in Spring break in Maui, and the final where Mantaro and Scar Face (Eskara) teamed up for the trophy.

Later came the Chojin Olympics to see Mantaro to get his hands on the trophy if he wins. The competition was really hard for him. He won some practices being almost last. When he made it to the tournaments, first he jumped his was to the pinball, despite his dislike, he was banging and hitting himself everywhere, especially in his back when the pinball prevented Mantaro from winning. At last, Mantaro broke a pinball and another one headed for him, but he managed to break the last one and he finally made it to the Chojin Olympics, the Chairman was nervous that Mantaro has entered the Chojin Olympics.

The manga continues with a fight against the Demon Seed, a group of evil villains, after then a small back story for Robin Mask, and currently a Tag Team Tournament taking place in the past.

There are a total of 77 episodes of Ultimate Muscle, and 2 movies based on the TV series.

Characters

The Main Characters

Mantarō Kinniku (キン肉万太郎 Kinniku Mantarō) / Mantaro Muscle (Kid Muscle)
Seiyuu: Masaya Onosaka. Homeland: Planet Kinniku, Age: 14 (Choujin Olympics: 15, Ultimate Tag: 16), Height: 176cm, Weight: 83kg, Choujin Power: 930,000. The main character of the story. He is the 59th prince of Planet Kinniku and son the first Kinnikuman (Suguru Kinniku) and Bibinba. Raised during times of peace, he is a spoiled, cowardly, lazy teenager, much like his father was at the beginning of the first series except with more emphasis on cowardice and less on clumsiness. He usually start matches off in a cowardly state, only managing to get a few good moves in due to luck. However, when his friends are in trouble or his opponent is being dishonorable, he manages to reach the state of Kajiba no Kuso Chikara (Burning Inner Strength). When this happens, the Niku-Mark appears on his forehead and his strength, stamina, and technique increase many fold. Because Suguru had his records annuled years ago, Mantaro never knew how great a hero his father really was until he met Meat. Mantaro was named after Ultraman Taro (Ultraman + Taro/Kinniku + Mantaro). Mantaro's favorite wrestling move is his father's signature move, the Kinniku Buster (sometimes called the Butt Buster in the English dub, though it actually translates to Muscle Buster) which he won much of his wrestling matches with until he gains his own signature move, Muscle Millennium. Mantaro is rather lecherous and lusts after many girls, but his main love interest is Rinko Nikaido (Roxanne). His favorite food is galbi bowl (Cow and Rice), which he often sings about. Trademark Techniques: Kinniku Buster, Turn Over Kinniku Buster, Kinniku Driver, Muscle Millennium, Muscle G (Gravity), Iroha Hell Tour, Mantarou Air, Back Drop.
Kevin Mask (ケビン・マスク)
Seiyuu: Ryotaro Okiayu. Homeland: England, Age: 18 (Choujin Olympics: 19, Ultimate Tag: 20), Height: 218cm, Weight: 155kg, Choujin Power: 1,170,000. The son of English legend Robin Mask. The Spartan-like trainign his father put him through since childhood and the responsibilty of being the successor of the prestiged Robin Family was too much for him to bear, so he ran away from home and became a member of the dMp to rebel. While in training, his life was saved by Scarface. After seeing how dishonorable the dmp was, he walked out on them and became a sort of free agent Choujin. Kevin has his own version of the Kajiba no Kuso Chikara called Maelstrom Power. He later became a finalist in the Choujin Olympics, under the training of Chloe (secretly Warsman). Although he lost in the anime version, the original manga had Kevin win the Choujin championship in the final match against Mantaro. Afterwards, he and Robin Mask seemed to have entered a love/hate relationship. In the current storyline, Kevin has been erased from existence by two Evil Choujins who have gone back in time and killed Robin Mask, prompting Mantaro and the others to go back and return things to normal. The name Kevin Mask is a play on a major wrestling star Kevin Nash. Nicknames: The Impregnable Iron Calvary, The David Beckham of the Choujin World. Trademark Techniques: Big Ben Edge, OLAP, Tower Bridge, Provocation Toe Kick.
Terry the Kid (テリー・ザ・キッド) / Terry "The Grand" Kenyon
Seiyuu: Toshiyuki Morikawa. Height: 190cm, Weight: 86kg, Choujin Power: 1,050,000. Son of Texan super wrestler Terryman and Japanese reporter Natsuko Shōno. Terryman was best friends with Mantaro's father Suguru, and Terry the Kid believes Suguru stole the limelight away from Terryman. Because of this Kid has a complex against his father and Mantaro, but he soon learns the true power of friendship and changes his ways. He is initially assigned to Osaka after graduating from the Hercules Factory. He won almost half of the tournament, before he was severely hurt. Kid survives an operation after he is defeated by Scar Face (Eskara). In the Choujin Olympic qualifying round, he abandons the race to save a drowning boy (much like how his father once threw the qualifying round to save a dog), but he shows up later in the tournament as The Matenro's coach. During the Ultimate Choujin Tag arc, his complex returns and he teams up with Robin Mask instead of Mantarou. Despite the fact that they look almost identical (except for the K-mark on his forehead), possess similar behaviour patterns, and use the same techniques, Kid claims he is nothing like his father. Favorite Food: Peanuts and Popcorn. Nicknames: Wild Texas Stallion. Trademark Techniques: Calf Branding, Spinning Toe Hold, Texas Clover Hold.
Rinko Nikaidō (二階堂凛子 Nikaidō Rinko) / Roxanne
Seiyuu: Fumiko Orikasa. Birthdate: September 9. A girl that was adopted at infancy by Suguru's old girlfriend Mari Nikaido. Mantaro falls in love with her when he first meets her, though she doesn't always seem to return the sentiment. She refers to Mantaro as Manta. In the original manga she was a kogal, but in the anime she was portrayed as a regular high school student wrestling fan.
Seiuchin (セイウチン) / Wally Tusket
Seiyuu: Takumi Yamazaki (Ginzou Matsuo in first movie). Height: 193cm, Weight: 145kg, Choujin Power: 910,000. A big Irish walrus. His mother and sister Dorothy look very similar to him. Likes to eat fish. For some reason he (and his family) look up to Mantaro. He graduated second in his class and was initially assigned to protect Hokkaido. In The Ultimate Chojin Tag Teams, Neptuneman stunned everyone by choosing mild-mannered Seiuchin as his tag partner. Neptuneman had remembered the story of The Walrus and the Carpenter from his homeland and decided to train Seiuchin to bring out the untapped cold-blooded power in him. Trademark Techniques: STF, Ice Rock Driver.
Gazelleman (ガゼルマン) / Dik-Dik Van-Dik
Seiyuu: Yasunori Masutani. Height: 205cm, Weight: 136kg, Choujin Power: 1,000,000. A Tanzanian gazelle-type wrestler. He graduated top of his class and was given the esteemed assignment of protecting Tokyo, although later in the series he's portrayed as a comical loser who's always being clobbered by evil chojin. His dub name has occasionally frequently mentioned by X-Play's Adam Sessler, who finds the name humorous. Trademark Techniques: Antler Fist, Savannah Heat.
Jade (ジェイド) / Jeager
Seiyuu: Kenji Nojima. Height: 187cm, Weight: 93kg, Choujin Power: 950,000. Brocken Jr.'s German pupil, first introduced as a member of Generation EX. His nickname is "Berlin's Green Arrow", as he wears a green uniform and bicyclist's helmet. An orphan, he was raised by an eldery couple, who were subsequently slain by a trio of anti-superhuman thugs. This incident was what inspired Jade to seek Brocken's guidance in becoming a champion for those unable to defend themselves. (In the anime, he is later revealed to be Brocken's son, though this is not the case in the manga.) Jade's ultimate attack is Brocken's "The Red Rain of Pain" (a.k.a. "Red Rain of Berlin", a chop-like attack capable of cutting right through a superhuman's body). According to Brocken, it works on the principle of "cutting the flesh to cut the meat, cutting the meat to cut the bone, cutting the bone to cut the core". However, Jade's version differs from Brocken's in that Jade actually causes a blade to protrude from his hand before slashing, and his hand/arm is usually engulfed in flames before he delivers the attack. Jade's second favourite move is the "Beefcake Hammer", where he shifts behind the opponent, raises one of his (the opponent's) legs and crosses the opponent's arms around it before executing a leaping suplex. In a grueling concrete deathmatch, Jade is defeated by Scarface (Eskara/Mars) in Maui, Hawaii, and fails to enter the finals. Though Scarface twists off Jade's right arm, it is later reattached. He later participates in the Chojin Crown. Unfortunately, he suffers another defeat, this time to yet another dMp member in disguise (Ricardo).
Checkmate (チェック・メイト)
Seiyuu: Kouichi Toochika. Height: 221cm, Weight: 190-800kg, Choujin Power: 1,210,000. An Akugyo Chojin from Monaco trained by Sunshine. At first he is a sadist that is incabable of feeling pain, but after being bested by Mantaro, he turns over a new leaf and became a New Generation Seigi Chojin. His attacks are modelled after chess pieces for King, Knight, and Rook. He can fuse them and his normal form together in a technique known as Grand Slam. Trademark Techniques: Chess Piece Change, Stallion Style Honorable Driver, Centaurus Black Neigh.

Hercules Factory Year 1

Hercules Factory Drop-Outs

Generation EX (Hercules Factory Year 2)

dMp (Akugyo Chojin)

The Nightmares

No Respect (The Gruesome Threesome)

The Poison Six Pack (Anime Only)

These characters appeared only in the second movie and as filler in the TV anime.

Chojin Olympics: The Resurrection

Demon Seed

Legends (Original Muscle League)

The heroes from the previous Kinnikuman series, they have come forth to train the next generation of seigi chojin.

Others

Tournaments

Editing

A gag from Kinnikuman II #27 that lampoons the American censorship
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A gag from Kinnikuman II #27 that lampoons the American censorship

The Viz manga uses the English anime names and is edited to be more in line with the North American anime release, while keeping a T+ (for ages 16 and up) rating. In other words, Viz gets rid of the comical nudity by placing underwear on the characters. Some fans find these edits ridiculous, since the T+ rating is about eqivlent to an R rating, which have been known to get away with allowing nudity and because Viz has allowed nudity to appear in other manga they have published (such as Inu Yasha and Dragon Ball, which was published at a T rating for ages 13 and up).

Perhaps the most bizarre act of censorship was on the English language version of the anime by 4Kids Entertainment. All the characters with kanji on their foreheads (save Mantaro) had these kanji digitally erased. Yudetamago were told that it was done because Americans were afraid their children would write on their foreheads with markers, but in reality it was done to Americanize it. After the anime was cancelled in Japan, Fox Broadcasting Company ordered a second season made for the American market and ordered Toei Animation not to draw the offending forehead kanji. When this second season was later broadcast in Japan, many Japanese fans were confused or angered by the change.

American Anime Episode List

Season 1

Kid Muscle vs Addversarius Kid Muscle vs King Muscle Kid Muscle vs Cranky Doodle Craw Daddy 
Season 2
Hanzo vs Ninja Ned Kid Muscle vs Hanzo part 1 Kid Muscle vs Hanzo part 2 Dik Dik van Dik and Wally Tusket vs Monsieur Cheeks and Mr. French part 1 Dik Dik van Dik and Wally Tusket vs Monsieur Cheeks and Mr. French part 2 Kevin Mask vs Jagg-Ed

Season 3

Kid Muscle vs Ricardo part 1 Kid Muscle vs Ricardo part 2 Kid Muscle vs Ricardo part 3 Kid Muscle vs Ricardo part 4 Kevin Mask vs Comrade Turbinski part 1 Kevin Mask vs Comrade Turbinski part 2 King Muscle and Terryman vs Ramenman and Buffaloman Kid Muscle vs Kevin Mask part 1 Kid Muscle vs Kevin Mask part 2 Kid Muscle vs Kevin Mask part 3 Kid Muscle vs Kevin Mask part 4 Kid Muscle vs Kevin Mask part 5

External links

 

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