The Kaiju Extermination Arc is the first story arc for Kinnikuman. It features the comical adventures of Kinnikuman, considered by all to be a loser superhero, and his attempts to reap fame for his deeds. It isn't so much of an arc as it follows a Monster of the Week format. This arc's length is Chapters 1-27 in the manga and Episodes 1-6 in the original anime.
Summary
Kinnikuman, a loser, wannabe superhero, is visited by a little guy from space named Meat, who reveals that he is actually Prince Suguru of the Kinniku Clan. He was stranded on Earth as a baby when his father mistook him for a pig that got aboard the family spaceship. Meat takes Kinnikuman back to Planet Kinniku, but when it becomes apparent how weak and pathetic Kin is, King Kinniku has his son returned to Earth to train and become a better hero. What follows are a series of madcap misadventures, including meeting the American superhero Terryman, and fighting the schemes of the evil Kinkotsuman.
Tropes
- Anguished Declaration of Love: Terryman gives the enlarged and mind-controlled Natsuko one of these in Chapter 23.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Quite a few monsters, but Chapter 23 has Iwao turning Natsuko into a giant and letting her loose on Japan.
- Big Bad: Kinkotsuman, Kin's most recurring enemy.
- Boxing Episode: Chapter 24: "the Japanese Dream"
- Characterization Marches On: Terryman, one of the more kind-hearted heroes, starts off as a total jerk who's Only in It for the Money.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Readers more familiar with the action-packed wrestling matches of the later chapters might be surprised at how gag-centered this series was.
- Engineered Heroics:
- In the second chapter, Kin tries to arrange for a monster to attack a pop star so he can get some Rescue Romance.
- When appealing to a TV station to film his fight against Nessie, Kin "defeats" a monster which was actually a dummy set up by Meat.
- Monster of the Week
- Robotic Reveal: Ukon, the monster of the Roots Island mini-arc, turns out to have been a robot built by Kinkotsuman.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Quite a few stories ended with Kinnikuman getting nothing for his efforts.
- You Killed My Father: One monster attacks Kin because Kin killed his father. If that wasn't enough, the monster complains about being mocked for having a dad who lost to a loser like Kinnikuman!
