Ultimate Muscle

About Ultimate Muscle

Looking for background on Ultimate Muscle (キン肉マンII世)? This action, comedy and sci-fi series by Toei Animation (2002) starts out like this. In short: Kid Muscle (or Mantaro for short) is a bumbling, gross, and wimpy sort-of person. Unfortunately, he has been summoned to protect the earth from the evil dMp, a band of cheating wrestlers from outer space.

Another thread: Luckily he's not undertaking this task alone. Kid Muscle has to join the Muscle League, a group of wrestlers from outer space who are training themselves so they can defend the earth, and stop the dMp by achieving "Ultimate Muscle".

As an action title, fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. Suguru Kinniku (Toshio Furukawa) and Ramenman (Kenichi Ono) are two of the characters you will meet early. If you count yourself among viewers who like fast, high-impact fights, put it on your list. At 51 episodes in total, it is easy to plan a viewing schedule.

Production & Appeal

Animation is handled by Toei Animation, so the studio's house style defines how Ultimate Muscle looks and moves on screen. Within the action category, fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. With a 6.8/10 score, it is more of a niche pick than a universal crowd-pleaser. Voice casting, including Toshio Furukawa as Suguru Kinniku, adds to the appeal for fans who follow seiyuu. It aired in 2002, which makes it easy to place in the wider anime calendar.