Ultimate Muscle

About Ultimate Muscle

Meet Ultimate Muscle (キン肉マンII世), an action, comedy and sci-fi anime by Toei Animation (2002). Here is the premise in a nutshell. The setup: 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 must 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. Voice work is led by Toshio Furukawa as Suguru Kinniku and Kenichi Ono as Ramenman. Think of it as a pick for viewers who like fast, high-impact fights. The run is 51 episodes in total, so you know what you are signing up for.

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. On the casting side, Toshio Furukawa voicing Suguru Kinniku gives the lead role a recognizable voice. Released in 2002, it competed with that season's other new series for attention.