Some great, some not so great. Popularity isn't always the biggest attribute and almost never means something is better, and Kinnikuman here is prime example.
History:
Created by Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada (Yudetamago), Kinnikuman serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump during the years of 1979 to 1987.
Originally Kinnikuman was created as a parody of Ultraman (Japanese equivalent to Superman), and so Kinnikuman was very clumsy in the beginning but soon started focusing on professional wrestling.
Kinnikuman would wrestle parodies of various other superheroes, which actually became quite amusing.
One of the cooler things you don't see nowadays is the fan's character designs actually being used.
Toei animated the anime adaption of the manga which aired on Japan NTV and Animax. It spanned a total of 137 episodes, with not much filler! It began on April 3rd, 1983 and ended on October 1st, 1986.
It spawned a total of seven movies, which is pretty decent. The manga itself consisted of 37 volumes, which was pretty long for the time.
Kinnikuman: Scramble for the Throne was also animated by Toei and ended at 46 episodes.
It began on October 6th, 1991 and ended on September 27th, 1992.
The series:
The actual series is rather entertaining, though there isn't an English dub. As that may be, some video games were released here in the States. The main character Kinnikuman had to eat garlic for his powers. Once the garlic meter on his forehead was filled, he'd become a giant!
Kinnikuman as it turns out is the missing prince of Kinniku, a distant planet. His real name is Suguru Kinniku. He's a klutz, but he's an incredible fighter/wrestler. He's widely known for being the greatest superhero in the universe!
I don't want to give the plot away too much but,
for Kinnikuman to enter the thrown, he has to enter a tournament and fight all sorts of wacky villains!
A sequel?
Many of you may be familiar with the sequel to this series. Kinnikuman II! Or in America, "Ultimate Muscle"! It was serialized in the Japanese men's magazine Weekly Playboy, aimed at the now adult fans of the original series. The manga has a few editions to itself, which are still running in Japan.
This guy is a boss:
