Ultimate Muscle, Volume 1

Kinnikuman Nisei #1

by Yudetamago

Kid Muscle isn't anybody's idea of a hero. Lazy and cowardly, he's more interested in snacking than fighting. But he's also the son of legendary intergalactic wrestler King Muscle - and when evil threatens the galaxy, the Kid's true muscles bulge through! An gang of evil wrestlers called the DMP is trashing the Earth, squashing innocent citizens and laughing at all effortsto stop their reign of terror. Obviously, Kid Muscle has only one choice: organize a wrestling gang of his own to destroy the DMP and set things right. But before they can take on the DMP, Kid Muscle and his new partners must prove their mettle by defeating the most renowned fighters in the known universe. For Kid Muscle, that means taking down the one wrestler he never wanted to face in the ring: dear old Dad!

Genres: Manga, Sports, Fantasy, Humor, Graphic Novels

200 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 1998

About the author

Yudetamago (ゆでたまご, "boiled egg") is the pseudonym of the duo Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada, creators of Kinnikuman.

Reviews

[Mark Huisjes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this as a kid. It took me a loooong time to notice I was reading the book backwards and start over.

[Palos Heights Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earth is now home to superstrong, wrestling aliens who live peacefully with humans. However, an evil organization of aliens (known as the DMP) is threatening earth's safety. It is up to the young generation of heroes, lead by Kid Muscle, to save the day. It is a very action orientated manga. It is filled with drama, fun characters, and humor. The main character begins as the weakest character. As the series goes on, he matures and I began to like him more. I would recommend it to people who like manga, enjoy wrestling, or who like over-dramatized stories. It was a very popular manga in Japan for awhile and is actually a sequel to a previous manga, Kinnikuman, that was never brought to the United States.

-Reviewed by Christina V.

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series is off to a great start! I've been watching the 4Kids dub of the anime and thought it would be fun to go back and read the original story. And I'll be honest, I'm surprised how much was changed, not just from the dub (which 4Kids is notorious for), but from manga to anime. This is a bit slower, a bit more serious in tone than the manic TV adaptation, but all the same, I'm enjoying it very much and I can't wait to see where the story takes us!