The legendary wrestling manga Kinnikuman received a brand-new anime from Netflix in celebration of its 45th anniversary, Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc. As the title implies, the new anime is set to adapt the Perfect Origin arc of the manga, the first story arc in Kinnikuman when it officially resumed serialization in 2011 after its original ending in 1987.

Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc could be one of the biggest anime of 2024, but that might not be the case in the West. While the new anime will feature some recap of the original series, it’s likely to be structured under the assumption that people are familiar with Kinnikuman, and that’s a problem for Western viewers since the original Kinnikuman series was never licensed in English.

That could make it hard for people to get invested in the new anime, so it makes sense to try and explain the story of the original series before the new anime starts.

Kinnikuman’s Early Days As A Superhero Parody

Kaiju Extermination arc, chapters 1-27

Yudetamago’s Kinnikuman stars Kinniku Suguru i.e. Kinnikuman, the bumbling manchild who serves as Japan’s primary superhero, much to the country’s annoyance. Kinnikuman was once the crown prince of Planet Kinniku, the planet that oversees justice and order in the galaxy, but when Kinnikuman’s family took a vacation to Earth, Kinnikuman was abandoned after his ugliness had him mistaken for a pig. The issue was resolved early on in the story, but even with that, Kinnikuman kept living on Earth and being seen as nothing but a fool.

The early parts of Kinnikuman were largely just a parody of superhero stories, the most blatant target being the Ultraman franchise. Kinnikuman would always get into fights with a random monster, usually his original archnemesis Kinkotsuman, and even when he would save the day, he would usually humiliate himself in some way. Rounding out Kinnikuman’s supporting cast during that time was Meat, a genius child sent from Planet Kinniku to assist Kinnikuman, Terryman, an American superhero and Kinnikuman’s best friend based on the professional wrestler Terry Funk, and Mari Nikaido, a local school teacher and Kinnikuman’s first love interest.

Kinnikuman’s First Transition Into Wrestling

20th Chojin Olympics arc, chapters 28-51

About half a year into the Kinnikuman manga’s run, Kinnikuman moved away from superhero stories and started focusing on wrestling, which would eventually become the primary focus of the series. Kinnikuman’s transition into a wrestling story began with the Chojin Olympics, an annual wrestling tournament to determine the strongest Chojin – heroes with superhuman abilities like Kinnikuman – in the world. Kinnikuman and Terryman were among the participants, as were eventual staples of the series like the kung fu master Ramenman and Robin Mask, a gentlemanly fighter and the reigning champion.

Through luck and surprising skill, Kinnikuman made it to the finals against Robin Mask, with Terryman losing earlier after being shot in the leg by Kinkotsuman. In a fit of rage brought on by being temporarily unmasked, Robin nearly killed Kinnikuman, but at that moment, Kinnikuman unlocked Burning Inner Strength, the ultimate power of Chojin, and defeated Robin Mask. With that, Kinnikuman was the official champion of the Chojin Olympics, and for the first time, Kinnikuman started to earn people’s respect.

Kinnikuman’s Character Grows Further In His American Tour Arc

American Tour arc, chapters 52-79

Following his victory in the Chojin Olympics, Kinnikuman visited America to compete in exhibition matches against some of their strongest Chojin. Kinnikuman’s first stop was Hawaii where to defeat the Hawaiian champion and master of reversals Jesse Maivia (based on Peter Maivia, the grandfather of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), Kinnikuman was taught the legendary 48 Finishing Moves by his newfound master and former Hawaiian champion Prince Kamehame. Kinnikuman would go on to defeat Jesse, and the 48 Finishing Moves would become staples of his fighting style for decades.

Later, Kinnikuman was mixed up in a conflict with the three premiere wrestling organizations in America, with Kinnikuman chosen as a representative for the diminutive World Supermen Association. The conflict escalated into a tag tournament between the three groups, and Kinnikuman fought with Terryman, now having a prosthetic leg, under the tag team The Machineguns. Kinnikuman and Terryman won the tournament, and they would frequently revive their team of The Machineguns in future installments of the franchise.

Kinnikuman’s Iconic Runback In The 21st Chojin Olympics

21st Chojin Olympics arc, chapters 90-121

After the end of the American Tour arc and a brief episodic arc that introduced Bibinba, Kinnikuman’s fiancé and primary love interest, it was time for the 21st Chojin Olympics. In addition to Ramenman’s return, the arc introduced new characters like Wolfman, a new Japanese Chojin who struck up a rivalry with Kinnikuman, Brocken Jr., a wrestler who invoked Nazi imagery and wanted to kill Ramenman to avenge his father before having a change of heart, and Warsman, a Soviet cyborg who brutally murders his opponents.

Kinnikuman made it to the finals against Warsman, the latter putting Ramenman in a coma during their fight, and it was revealed that Warsman was trained to be a killer by Robin Mask as a means of getting revenge against Kinnikuman. Naturally, Warsman gave Kinnikuman a tough fight, but soon enough, Kinnikuman defeated Warmsan with his now-iconic Kinniku Buster technique, based on the real pro wrestling move called Muscle Buster. Kinnikuman became the first back-to-back champion, and thanks to him, Robin and Warsman had a change of heart and became heroes.

Kinnikuman Finally Gets Serious With The Introduction Of The Devil Chojin

Seven Devil Chojin arc, chapters 122-159

Following the 21st Chojin Olympics, Kinnikuman fully transitioned into a wrestling story with the introduction of the seven Devil Chojin, evil Chojin trying to take over the world in the name of Satan. Kinnikuman and the Justice Chojin fought the Devil Chojin one by one with their new ally Mongolman, who was secretly Ramenman using a special mask to exit his coma, until they were only left with the powerful Buffaloman. After a hard fight, Kinnikuman not only defeated Buffaloman and saved the world, but Buffaloman, touched by Kinnikuman’s friendship, had a change of heart and joined the Justice Chojin.

Kinnikuman Kept The High Stakes Going With The Introduction Of Akuma Shogun

Golden Mask arc, chapters 160-208

Sometime after the defeat of the Seven Devil Chojin, their superiors, the Six Devil Knights, appeared and stole the mystical Golden Mask to weaken the power of all Justice Chojin. Kinnikuman and the few Justice Chojin who were unaffected, including Geronimo, a human who sought to ascend to being a Chojin, defeated the Devil Knights and eventually went up against Akuma Shogun, the leader of the Devil Chojin and the original owner of the Golden Mask. Akuma Shogun was Kinnikuman’s toughest opponent yet, but with his new finishing move, the Kinniku Driver, Kinnikuman defeated him and saved the world again.

Kinnikuman Introduced A Major Part Of Its Lore In The Dream Chojin Tag Tournament

Dream Chojin Tag arc, chapters 209-273

Following the defeat of Akuma Shogun, the Justice Chojin competed in the Dream Chojin Tag Tournament to determine the best tag team in the world, and tensions were heightened after Ashuraman and Sunshine, the surviving members of the Six Devil Knights, stole the physical embodiment of their friendship. Kinnikuman learned as much from his old teacher, Prince Kamehame, and after Kamehame donned the disguise of Kinnikuman Great, he and Kinnikuman joined the tournament as the Muscle Brothers.

Naturally, Ashuraman and Sunshine competed in the Dream Chojin Tag Tournament as the Stray Devil Combo, and in their fight against Terryman and Geronimo’s team, Kamehame sacrificed himself to save their lives. His friendship with Kinnikuman restored, Terryman honored Kamehame’s legacy by taking his place as Kinnikuman Great, with Kinnikuman none the wiser, and the two defeated the Stray Devil Combo and made Ashuraman have a change of heart.

In the finals, the Muscle Brothers went up against the Hell Missionaries, a tag team of Neptuneman and Big the Budo of the Perfect Chojin, the most ancient Chojin faction who wanted to rob all “inferior” Chojin of their masks. Kinnikuman learned the truth about Kamehame’s death during the fight, but he managed to reconcile with Terryman, and from there, Kinnikuman and Terryman defeated the Hell Missionaries as their original tag team, The Machineguns. Kinnikuman and Terryman saved the world from a potential invasion from the Perfect Chojin, and together, they restored the friendship of the Justice Chojin.

Kinnikuman’s Growth Concluded In His Final & Greatest Arc

Scramble for the Throne arc, chapters 274-387

After defeating the Hell Missionaries, Kinnikuman’s father decided that Kinnikuman had proven himself as a Chojin and planned to retire and make him king of Planet Kinniku. While most of the Chojin world welcomed this, the Five Evil Chojin Gods, who feared Kinnikuman’s power surpassing theirs, wanted to stop it at all costs. To that end, they discovered that Kinnikuman might be an imposter who was switched at birth with the real prince, so they each empowered one of five Chojin who could have been the true prince and initiated a tournament to decide the ruler of Planet Kinniku.

Kinnikuman fought with an ever-changing team of allies against the Five Fated Princes and even reunited with his long-lost brother Ataru, and he soon ended up in the finals against the last of the Fated Princes, Kinnikuman Super Phoenix. Kinnikuman’s final team of Robin Mask, Ramenman, Geronimo, and a reformed Neptuneman defeated everyone on Super Phoenix’s team until it was just Kinnikuman and Super Phoenix, and with the power of friendship and his Burning Inner Strength, Kinnikuman defeated Super Phoenix and earned his place as the king of Planet Kinniku.

Is Ultimate Muscle Necessary For The New Kinnikuman Anime?

Kinnikuman’s first official sequel

There’s an incredible amount of story in the Kinnikuman franchise to keep track of before the new anime starts, and that, of course, begs the question of where Ultimate Muscle fits into everything. While Ultimate Muscle was the first sequel to Kinnikuman and even had an arc that crossed over with the original series, Ultimate Muscle is rarely referenced in the Perfect Chojin arc beyond some callbacks, and some of the new lore outright contradicts it at various points. Taking all of that into account, Ultimate Muscle shouldn’t be necessary for watching the new Kinnikuman anime.

That idea doesn’t seem to hold in the most recent arc of Kinnikuman’s revival, though. The most recent arc reintroduces Chaos Avenir and the Time Chojin, two crucial elements of the second half of Ultimate Muscle, so it seems that Kinnikuman will eventually firmly reestablish Ultimate Muscle as canon. That won’t be an issue unless the new Kinnikuman anime gets to that point, of course, and with the quality of the series shown off in the trailers, it will hopefully find enough success to reach that point.