Ultimate Muscle is the sequel to the manga Kinnikuman and stars Kid Muscle, the son of the old protagonist, a superhuman wrestler from Muscle Planet. Now following somewhat reluctantly in his father’s footsteps (he’s a bit of a coward, a glutton and an idiot…except when his friends are in trouble) him and other super wrestlers get in all sorts of insane wrestling matches with the scum of the wrestling universe. The fighting is crazy, the characters are crazier and the results are insane wrestling fun. Ultimate Muscle: Battle 24 continues the battle against the evil Demon Seeds who are trying to revive the evil General Terror. Unfortunately, the rings they’ve chosen; chunks of General Palast; are surrounded with energy that only ruthless or chaotic beings can cross. The Army of Idols, formed from former foes of the Muscle family form, but will their efforts be enough? Not to mention the really scary part is the way they have bits of Kid Muscle’s good friend and trainer Meat hostage…yes, pieces. The volume picks up as the battle between Turbinski and the evil Meltdown continues with Meat’s leg at stake!
Highlights
Turbinski has the ability to turn himself invisible and fight, which seemed hard to top until it was revealed that Meltdown had a “Superhuman Navigation System” installed. This device lets him tap in his destination and tells him right where to go to find Turbinski; like a little GPS. Kid Muscle, Terry and his friends can only watch as the match suddenly turns in Meltdown’s favor. The worst part is that the Navigation System can even hone in on Turbinski’s weak points and unhealed injuries from the grueling battles he’d been in previously. The drama also builds for Meat (limbless and headless but still carried around by Kid Muscle like a really pissed off twitchy doll) and Turbinski’s friendship; does he really resent him? If so, the bubbling liquid in the Pot of Demon summoning that can detect falsehoods will fry his arm to a crisp! It’s a crisis of faith and strength that takes things to the edge and beyond. In the next fight, a giant star shaped arena appears inside Goryokaku, the first Western style fortress ever constructed in Japan. There’s an interesting little history lesson about it as well; who says manga doesn’t teach you anything? The evil Tattooman waits inside for the next member of the Army of Idols, Barrierfreeman. He’s a composite being composed of two wrestlers, Georgioman and Nils, but Georgioman is a perverted old man wearing an adult diaper. What follows is a bizarre match that includes fart jokes, bra flinging, and Tattooman’s menagarie of killer windup dolls that shoot arrows, explode and have a taste for flesh! Can the two wrestlers really work together as one or is Gregorioman just too old and creepy to stand a chance?
Overall
This is the first volume of Ultimate Muscle I’ve read since viewing some of the first episodes on TV, but the over-the-top battles and crazy powers made it easy to get into it within the first chapter. I even found myself rooting for the disturbing old man; the characters are bizarre like not much else in manga. The closest comparison I can make is to Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo; you can never tell quite what’s going to happen next, but Ultimate Muscle also gives us a focused story; in this case it’s a real underdog story. Barrierfreeman in particular gives it all he’s got and it’s fun to watch the crazy wrestling. It makes it even more unpredictable though, when you realize all the villain designs were based on suggestions from fans. This is a manga where even the writer doesn’t always know what to expect next. I have to praise Nakai and Shimada (who created Ultimate Muscle under the pseudonym “Yudetamago” or “Boiled Egg”) for the creative artwork and moves; it’s my opinion that in some respects the comedy battle manga is actually harder work than the serious one with the constant need to create absurd techniques, and they do it splendidly. If I had one small complaint it’s that Kid Muscle doesn’t get to fight any matches this round; it’s all bouts with ex-villains, which is more interesting to people who’ve been following the series. As I said though, they characterize them well enough that you’ll soon find yourself rooting for them almost as much as you would Kid Muscle and his closer allies. The tournament is getting deadly; too many fighters have had to make the ultimate sacrifice and I’m itching to see where it leads. The combination of funny scenes, outlandish battles and expressive artwork makes Ultimate Muscle a winner every time.
ComicsOnline gives Ultimate Muscle: Battle 24 4.5 out of 5 detached wrestling coach limbs.
