Ultimate Muscle
Encyclopedia
Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy, known in Japan
as (also written as 筋肉人II世 or 金肉人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 1980s into the anime. Bandai also produced intermittently distributed toy tie-ins during the initial run of Ultimate Muscle.
(Nakai Yoshinori and Takashi Shimada) while they were still in high school.
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 II-Sei: All Chōjin Dai Shingeki was published in V-Jump
. The anime was first broadcast in Japan on TV Tokyo
on January 1, 2002 for 51 episodes until its cancellation on December 25. The anime was broadcast in the United States in 2002 on the Fox Box (now known as 4Kids TV
). The anime was more popular in the United States than Japan and is one of the few anime that had a second season made especially for the American market. Although the series ended afterward, the second season of Ultimate Muscle, titled Kinnikuman Second Generations Ultimate Muscle began airing in Japan on April 7, 2004 on TV Tokyo, but only 13 episodes were shown. The series resumed on January 4, 2006 as Kinnikuman Second Generations Ultimate Muscle 2. There are a total of 77 episodes of Ultimate Muscle and two movies based on the TV series. According to the forward for volume 25 of the manga, the 4Kids version of Kinnikuman Nisei aired in Japan, too.
The manga began being published in English
by VIZ Media
in December 2003. It was originally published in Japan by Shueisha
.
(Demon Manufacturing Plant, although this is never mentioned in the English dub. There, it is simply referred to as Destruction, Mayhem & Pain) and crashed landed at Mount Fuji
. 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 that they have lost their edge, the Seigi Chojin 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 lack 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.
The manga continues with the New Generation Replacement Tournament, Mantaro's challenge to master his inherited potential (referred to as "Kajiba no Kuso Chikara" or "Burning Inner Strength", also called "The Fire"), the return of the Chojin Olympics, a fight against a group of evil villains called the Demon Seed, a small back story for Robin Mask and currently a Tag Team Tournament taking place in the past. While the manga opens as a fairly lighthearted and humorous (if violent) story, the later arcs - the No Respect and Demon Seed sagas in particular - take on a significantly darker flair, frequently dealing with issues of severe psychological trauma.
began toning down the editing of the manga in issue 14, preserving the clothed erections but still removing any nudity or harsh profanity. By issue 16, all illustrated censorship stopped, as the issue contained multiple erections and a multitude of female breasts.
The most extensive act of censorship
and editing 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. Even all writing, text, and characters in both Japanese and English are all digitally removed throughout the show. 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. This second season was later broadcast in Japan.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as (also written as 筋肉人II世 or 金肉人II世), is a manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series made by Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Yudetamago
Yudetamago
is the pen name of the Japanese manga artists duo consisting of story writer Takashi Shimada and artist Yoshinori Nakai. They are best known for the popular manga Kinnikuman, Ultimate Muscle , and Tatakae!! Ramenman...
(Japanese for 'Boiled Egg'). It is the sequel to the hit manga Kinnikuman
Kinnikuman
is a manga created by the duo of Yudetamago , which is composed of Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada. The manga was published in Shueisha's Weekly Jump, and received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga in 1985...
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 1980s into the anime. Bandai also produced intermittently distributed toy tie-ins during the initial run of Ultimate Muscle.
History
The manga was created in 1979 by anime artistic team YudetamagoYudetamago
is the pen name of the Japanese manga artists duo consisting of story writer Takashi Shimada and artist Yoshinori Nakai. They are best known for the popular manga Kinnikuman, Ultimate Muscle , and Tatakae!! Ramenman...
(Nakai Yoshinori and Takashi Shimada) while they were still in high school.
Kinnikuman Nisei was first published in the Japanese men's magazine Weekly Playboy
Weekly Playboy
also known as or WPB is a Japanese weekly magazine published by Shueisha since 1966.This magazine is not a regional edition of the American Playboy magazine; the Japanese edition of that magazine was published as Monthly Playboy by Shueisha until its cancellation in January 2009.-People in...
, aimed at the now grown-up fans of the original. Another manga aimed at children called Kinnikuman II-Sei: All Chōjin Dai Shingeki was published in V-Jump
V-Jump
is a Japanese magazine about new manga and video games based on popular manga. The magazine's first debut was in 1993 by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines.- History :...
. The anime was first broadcast in Japan on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
on January 1, 2002 for 51 episodes until its cancellation on December 25. The anime was broadcast in the United States in 2002 on the Fox Box (now known as 4Kids TV
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment is an American film and television production company in bankruptcy since April 2011. It is known for English-dubbing Japanese anime and specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States...
). The anime was more popular in the United States than Japan and is one of the few anime that had a second season made especially for the American market. Although the series ended afterward, the second season of Ultimate Muscle, titled Kinnikuman Second Generations Ultimate Muscle began airing in Japan on April 7, 2004 on TV Tokyo, but only 13 episodes were shown. The series resumed on January 4, 2006 as Kinnikuman Second Generations Ultimate Muscle 2. There are a total of 77 episodes of Ultimate Muscle and two movies based on the TV series. According to the forward for volume 25 of the manga, the 4Kids version of Kinnikuman Nisei aired in Japan, too.
The manga began being published in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by VIZ Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
in December 2003. It was originally published in Japan by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
.
Plot
The story is about Mantaro Muscle a.k.a. Kid Muscle (Mantaro Kinniku in the Japanese version), the spoiled son of the superhero wrestler King Muscle (Kinnikuman in the Japanese version). Mantaro comes from Muscle Planet. His family history is dedicated to wrestling. Mantaro's father, Suguru Muscle (a.k.a. Kinnikuman/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 dMpDMP
DMP may refer to:In science and technology:* Data management plan, generally submitted as part of research grant proposals* Dess-Martin periodinane, a chemical reagent used to oxidise alcohols...
(Demon Manufacturing Plant, although this is never mentioned in the English dub. There, it is simply referred to as Destruction, Mayhem & Pain) and crashed landed at Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji
is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...
. 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 that they have lost their edge, the Seigi Chojin 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 lack 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.
The manga continues with the New Generation Replacement Tournament, Mantaro's challenge to master his inherited potential (referred to as "Kajiba no Kuso Chikara" or "Burning Inner Strength", also called "The Fire"), the return of the Chojin Olympics, a fight against a group of evil villains called the Demon Seed, a small back story for Robin Mask and currently a Tag Team Tournament taking place in the past. While the manga opens as a fairly lighthearted and humorous (if violent) story, the later arcs - the No Respect and Demon Seed sagas in particular - take on a significantly darker flair, frequently dealing with issues of severe psychological trauma.
Theme songs
- Kinnikuman Nisei (2002)
- Opening Themes: "HUSTLE MUSCLE" by Yougo Kouno
- Closing Themes: "Ai no Muscle" (eps. 1-26) by The Permanents and "Koi no My Chop !!" (eps. 27-51) by Yumena Yokosuka
- Kinnikuman Nisei: Ultimate Muscle (2004)
- Opening Themes: "Believe" by The NaB's
- Closing Themes: "Akairo Dansuhooru (The Red Dance Hall)" by SuiSuiSui can refer to:* Sui or mizu, 水, meaning "Water" in Japanese, one of the elements in the Japanese system of five elements and representing the fluid, flowing, formless things in the world....
- Kinnikuman Nisei: Ultimate Muscle 2 (2006)
- Opening Themes: "Trust yourself" by Takatori Hideaki
- Closing Themes: "Chikai no Tsuki" by Kagrra
New Generation Replacement Tournament
After being fed up with four of the New Generation (Kid Muscle, Terry Kenyon, Wally Tusket and Dik Dik Van Dik... a.k.a. Team AHO) slacking off, chairman Vance McMadd created a tournament where they would have to fight four rookies (Jeager, Scarface, Road Rage and Hydrazoa... a.k.a. Generation EX) for the right to be stationed in Japan. If all combatants from either side were eliminated, the other side would win, even if they did not make it to the finals. All of Team AHO was defeated in the first round except for Kid Muscle. Kid Muscle would make it to the finals against Scarface (now revealed to be Mars, part of the dMp) and win to keep himself and his friends stationed in Japan.Chojin Olympics/Chojin Crown
The tournament which Kid Muscle reluctantly participates in. After going along with the obstacles (most of which were created to try and eliminate him), he qualified. The tournament featured Kid Muscle against Kevin Mask in the finals. Their fathers had faced each other in the finals many years before, Kid's father being the winner of that encounter. The outcome of the match has a bit of controversy surrounding it. In the original manga, Kevin Mask won the Chojin Crown. However, the anime had Kid Muscle come out as the victor due to the fact this was the last episode of the anime and it wanted to end with Kid Muscle winning.Editing
The Viz manga uses the English anime names and was initially edited to be more in line with the North American anime release, while keeping a T+ (for ages 16 and up) rating. Viz got rid of the comical nudity by placing underwear or swimsuits on the characters and redrew any erections. Viz MediaVIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
began toning down the editing of the manga in issue 14, preserving the clothed erections but still removing any nudity or harsh profanity. By issue 16, all illustrated censorship stopped, as the issue contained multiple erections and a multitude of female breasts.
The most extensive act of censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
and editing was on the English language version of the anime by 4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment is an American film and television production company in bankruptcy since April 2011. It is known for English-dubbing Japanese anime and specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States...
. All the characters with kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
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. Even all writing, text, and characters in both Japanese and English are all digitally removed throughout the show. After the anime was cancelled in Japan, Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
ordered a second season made for the American market and ordered Toei Animation
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
not to draw the offending forehead kanji. This second season was later broadcast in Japan.
DVD release
FUNimation Entertainment is the main DVD license for 4Kids dub of Ultimate Muscle. It released only the first four episodes of the edited TV version. No further official DVD sets were released, though a second DVD set compiling episodes 5-9 was announced. The second DVD set's production has not been confirmed.External links
- FoxBox Ultimate Muscle site from 2004
- Kinnikuman: Nisei Toei homepage (in Japanese)
- Kinnikuman: Nisei Toei homepage (in Japanese, 2002)
- Kinnikuman: Nisei Toei homepage (in Japanese, 2006)
- Kinnikuman Nisei: Ultimate Muscle 2 TV Tokyo homepage (in Japanese, 2006)
- Ultimate Muscle NES game