46 years is a long time for anything to last. Few franchises have endeared themselves over the decades and remain culturally relevant, but one classic Shonen Jump manga series has remained popular since its creation in 1979. Kinnikuman is one of the premier wrestling-comedy manga from Shonen Jump, featuring a mixture of sci-fi elements and hardcore wrestling moves. The series is better known in the United States as the M.U.S.C.L.E. collectible erasers from the 1980s, or Ultimate Musclesthe English dub version of the Kinnikuman anime of the early 2000s. The original Kinnikuman manga ran for eight years on Weekly Shonen Jump, created by Yudetamago, a pseudonym for writer Takashi Shimada and artist Yoshinori Nakai.
The duo returned to the franchise several decades later, releasing new chapters in 2011. They have continued working on the series to this day. The official Yudetamago X (formerly Twitter) account has officially stated that the Kinnikuman manga has reached an important sales milestone. The manga has now officially sold 85 million copies worldwide, making it one of the highest-selling manga series in the world. Yudetamago thanks fans for their support with a new image that’s a collage of various characters from the franchise, with Japanese text in front confirming the sale milestone.
Everything to Know About Kinnikuman
Kinnikuman features the exploits of Prince Kinnikuman, a warrior from an alien planet. The prince was ridiculed for his clumsy personality and being a useless Chojin, a term used to describe superhumans in the series. However, he was able to prove himself by competing in wrestling tournaments against other superhumans across the galaxy, including some evil ones! The 2011 follow-up manga, labeled the Perfect Origin Arc, continues Prince Kinnikuman’s adventures after earning his crown as the new King of his planet and seemingly bringing peace to Earth. Unfortunately, that peace was short-lived as different factions of Chojin began infighting, leading Kinnikuman to come out of retirement to stop new evil Chojin from ravaging the planet.
Production I.G. began producing a new anime adaptation of the Perfect Origin Arc in 2024, with Netflix licensing the series for worldwide release on its streaming platform. Despite a lukewarm reception on the popular anime/manga ranking site MyAnimeList, something one of the creators responded to on social media, Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc proved popular enough in Japan and on Netflix to earn a second and third season renewal. The first two seasons ran for eleven episodes, with the second season finishing its run on March 30th, 2025. During the Kinnikuman Chōjin Festival of 2025, it was announced that Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc will get a third season. A new poster for Season 3 was shared, featuring lead protagonist Kinnikuman flexing his muscles in front of a collage of scenes from the anime. The Season 3 poster is very similar to the Season 2 announcement poster, which was later superseded by a newer poster shared in November 2024.
The franchise remains popular thanks to its unique brand of comedy and its sincere display of wrestling. The original manga is inherently silly, with Prince Kinnikuman being a goofy and ridiculous protagonist to follow. But the franchise wins people over with its over-the-top wrestling action and unique character designs. Every character, including the weak ones, has bulging muscles, which were all the rage back in the 80s. Kinnikuman continues to gain new fans globally, reaching its well-deserved 85 million copies milestone after 46 years in publication. Here’s to the next 46!
Happy about Kinnikuman’s sales milestone? Is the franchise still M.U.S.C.L.E. to you? Comment below to share your thoughts and feelings!
