The Kinnikuman festival confirmed on Sunday that Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc anime is coming back with a 3rd season.
The upcoming season thrusts Kinnikuman, Buffaloman, and their comrades in the Seigi/Akuma (Justice/Devil) Allied Forces into an epic showdown against Nemesis and the formidable Perfect Large Numbers. Their battleground? The iconic ring set amidst the sweeping Tottori Sand Dunes, where alliances will be tested and rivalries ignited.
Crafted by the creative duo Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada, collectively known as Yudetamago, Kinnikuman is a vibrant Japanese manga series that burst onto the scene as a playful nod to Ultraman. Conceived during their high school days, it centers on Suguru Kinniku, a spirited superhero tasked with conquering a wrestling tournament to secure his rightful title as prince of Planet Kinniku.
The manga first graced the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1979 to 1987, captivating readers with its blend of humor and action. Toei Animation brought the story to life with a 137-episode anime that aired on Nippon Television from 1983 to 1986. In 2011, the series made a triumphant return in Shueisha’s online magazine Shū Play News, sparking a wave of spin-off manga, anime, video games, films, and a treasure trove of Kinnikuman-themed merchandise.
The saga continued with a sequel, Kinnikuman: The 2nd Generation (Kinnikuman II Sei, known as Ultimate Muscle abroad), serialized in Weekly Playboy from 1998 to 2004. Viz Media introduced it to North American audiences as Ultimate Muscle. This chapter spawned three distinct television series, broadcast on TV Tokyo in Japan and brought to North America by 4Kids Entertainment, expanding the franchise’s global reach.
With over 78 million copies in circulation by 2024, Kinnikuman ranks among Japan’s top-selling manga. Its cultural impact is undeniable, fueled by the anime’s popularity and iconic merchandise like Kinkeshi, a line of collectible figures known as M.U.S.C.L.E. in North America. The series also earned the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award for children’s manga in 1984.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original anime, Production I.G launched a new television series in 2024, adapting the 2011 revival manga. Airing from July to September 2024 on CBC and TBS’ Agaru Anime block, it was streamed globally on Netflix. A second season followed, captivating audiences from January to March 2025 on the same programming block.
