Suguru Kinniku

Suguru Kinniku is tall and very muscular, with a classic wrestling build.

He usually wears wrestling trunks, wristbands, and boots.

When meeting someone special, like Mari Nikaido, he tries to dress up in a flashy suit.

He always enters matches wearing extra fancy costumes.

He has a unique face: a crest like Ultra Seven, a "meat" (肉) symbol on his forehead, no eyebrows, a pig-like nose, and thick lips.

Most people think he looks quite strange or even funny, so they sometimes call him "ugly" or "pig."

But his face is actually a mask.

Underneath is said to be a very handsome face, and only a few people have ever seen it.

There are strict rules: if a family member of the Kinniku royal line has their face seen by others, they must end their life.

He has thick black hair under his mask.

A special golden KIN mark is on his left hip, showing that he is from the royal family.

The mask has cool features, like showing his energy by the "meat" symbol lighting up or fading and even a removable part called the Kinniku Cutter.

Suguru Kinniku is a bit timid and sometimes gets scared easily.

If an enemy looks really strong, he sometimes tries to run away or even begs for his life.

He loves to joke around, act silly, and sometimes tries too hard to look cool.

He sometimes says the wrong thing and upsets his friends by mistake.

He can even pick up extra problems just because people trick him.

He likes girls (this is shown even more in the anime).

Despite his flaws, Suguru is very kind.

He never leaves someone in trouble behind and always stands up for his friends.

He never gives up, even when he is losing badly.

After becoming king, he becomes more mature and thinks more about other people’s feelings.

His kindness helped change many tough guys in the story and even made enemies become friends.

He is humble and never shows off, no matter how strong he gets.

People describe him as "shy."

He loves beef bowls (especially with no sauce), cocoa, and potato snacks, but hates milk.

He can cook, but is not very good at it.

Beethoven's "Für Elise" makes him dance uncontrollably, but he doesn’t know much about other classic music.

Suguru Kinniku is the main character of the manga "Kinnikuman" and also appears in "Kinnikuman Nisei."

He was born a prince of the Kinniku royal family on the Kinniku Planet—the strongest hero family in the universe.

But as a baby, he was accidentally mistaken for a pig and thrown out of his spaceship, drifting to Earth.

He grew up on Earth facing lots of hardship but became tough.

Even though he was strong looking, people didn't take him seriously because he was clumsy and silly.

Everyone called him a fool or a pig, and even monsters didn’t want to fight him.

Suguru fights using a mix of power and wrestling skills.

He is a balanced fighter who learned from Prince Kamehame, a powerful master.

His special moves include the Kinniku Buster, Kinniku Driver, Super Muscle Lock, Furin Kazan, and Muscle Spark.

His friend Alexandria Meat says his most beautiful move is actually the Back Drop.

He can also use strong farts to escape from weird places.

He can shoot beams like Kinniku Beam and Kinniku Flash, but his versions are pretty weak and almost never hurt anyone.

In his early comic days, eating garlic would transform him into a giant, like a superhero, and he could even fly (but much slower than others).

His mask has lots of functions: it can block super loud sounds, the forehead symbol shows energy, and it has a special cutter.

• Kinniku Mayumi: Suguru's father who accidentally sent him to Earth. Sometimes praises Suguru but also treats him harshly when he messes up.
• Kinniku Sayuri: Suguru's mother, who adores him and cooks him beef bowls.
• Kinniku Ataru: Suguru's older brother, who appears in disguise during the Royal Throne arc to help him.
• Kinniku Tatsunori: Suguru's grandfather (deceased), who left him the spirit of justice.
• Kinniku Sadaharu: Suguru's great-uncle who becomes the strong villain Nemesis.
• Kinniku Mantaro: Suguru's son and the main character of "Kinnikuman Nisei." Suguru spoiled him and he doesn’t always respect his dad.
• Hormone Bibinba: The main heroine and Suguru’s fiancée in the original manga.
• Alexandria Meat: Suguru's loyal manager and helper, always supporting him.
• Terryman: Suguru's closest friend and tag team partner, together they form "The Machines."
• Prince Kamehame: His master and sometimes tag team partner as Kinniku Great.
• Mari Nikaido: Suguru’s first crush.
• Kinkotsuman and Iwao: His (kind of) rivals or comedic enemies.

Suguru is the self-proclaimed president of the "All Japan Beef Bowl Lovers Association."

He likes cocoa, potato snacks, and hates milk.

He can’t cook very well.

If he doesn't eat garlic regularly, he gets weak (but this changed later in the story).

He has won many wrestling titles: Superhuman Heavyweight, Superhuman Olympic Champion (1979, 1980), Hawaii Heavyweight, Kamehame's 100 Moves, Kinniku Planet Throne, U.S. Tag Champion, and more.

• "No need for pushing!"
• "It doesn't matter what a person or superhuman looks like! It's what's inside that counts!"
• "It doesn't matter if I suffer... what hurts me is when my friends are hurt!!"
• "There's nothing to forgive..."

From Zero to Hero

Suguru started as a nobody on Earth, a laughingstock even among monsters.

But everything changed when he joined the Superhuman Olympics and beat the powerful Robin Mask.

After learning from his master Prince Kamehame, he got even better at wrestling.

He made more friends and faced many tough rivals.

No matter how strong his enemies got, Suguru never gave up and always found a way to win, even when the odds were impossible.

People started calling him the "Miracle Comeback Fighter" because he could win in hopeless situations.

Royal Throne Arc

Suguru finally became the leader of all the good superhumans after defeating many enemies.

But when he tried to become King, he met new powerful foes—the Evil Gods.

They sealed away his strongest power: the "Miracle Comeback Strength."

With the help of his friends and brother Ataru, Suguru learned to win using his own power.

He faced his biggest rival ever, Kinniku Man Super Phoenix, and won the throne match, becoming the 58th King.

Later Story and Growth

After the throne battle, Suguru gave his trusted friend Alexandria Meat an important job and went back to his planet.

When a new force of enemies (the Perfect Superhuman Corps) appeared and threatened all justice fighters, Suguru returned to Earth once again.

He nursed his old partner Terryman back to health and bravely faced the new threat.

In the anime introductions, his growth is clear:

• At first, he was clumsy, tripping all the time.
• Later, he beats up bad guys.
• By the last openings, he is shown as a cool, reliable hero, cheered by everyone.

Mask and Secret Identity

His strange face is actually a super high-tech mask his father picked by mistake.

The forehead's "meat" symbol shows how much energy he has left.

If his real face is seen, he must end his life—that's the law of his royal family.

He sometimes lost his mask or almost changed it for a new one out of embarrassment.

The top part can be removed as a weapon (Kinniku Cutter).

There's also a face guard for extra protection.

The ears help block loud sounds, and the mask color once appeared green (from a different family by mistake).

In "Kinnikuman Nisei"

When he grows older, Suguru is 54 years old.

He suffers from health problems because of past tough battles and his hard job as King.

He looks much older and weaker than before and can't use his best moves anymore, but he still has his fighting spirit.

He tries his best to support his son Mantaro, who often fails to understand how great his dad really was.

Later, Suguru gets a bit stronger again and helps his son and friends when they need him most.

He never really gets the respect he deserves from Mantaro, but other heroes and new friends know the truth of his awesome history.

Suguru even faces Mantaro in a match to teach him a lesson and to send him on his own adventures.

He recovers some of his old muscles and shows up to cheer for his son during big matches.

The author says old Suguru is based on Giant Baba, a real-life wrestling legend.