Kinnikuman 348

With a little bit of motivation and care, Suguru has finally demonstrated his Perfect Muscle Spark to take down the threat of the parasitic Satan Cross! But though one Team Phoenix member is down, his problems are just beginning...

Chapter 348: Scramble for the Kinniku Throne (75): Stairway to Hell!!

67.
Announcer: Kinnikuman has used up all of his power due to waging his new special-technique, the Perfect Muscle Spark, running out of energy and collapsing---!!

68.
Robin: Kinnikuman, are you alright?
Suguru: Wh…what can I say happened…
Suguru: I’ve been performing in a number of heroic death-matches against Buffaloman, Akuma Shogun and Neptuneman in the past but……this is the first time in a match that I’ve felt tired to the point that my legs and lower parts aren’t able to stand like this after a battle…
Robin: You’ve had a refreshed facial expression after a match until now for sure…this is the first that I’ve seen Kinnikuman’s face without aspiration.
(TN: Just a weird thought: “aspiration” is “haki” in Japanese, which is in some ways similar to the infamous “haki” matter in One Piece at this point)

69.
S. Cross: Ki…Kinnikuman’s having energy after th…the match is thanks to his great power that’s his Burning Inner Strength…
Ramen: Parasite Satan Cross is still stubbornly talking even at death’s door--!!
S. Cross: Bu…but, you can’t do anything…with that great power even now sealed away…at…the Great Evil Temple…Kikikiki…
S. Cross: Ke—kekeke~~~~!!
Announcer: Just before his death, parasite Satan Cross has burst into laughter on his deathbed while vomiting a large quantity of blood from his blood----!!

70.
Announcer: Kinnikuman has been bathed with this blood, changing his silver Defend Suit to crimson----!!
S. Cross: Guhe!!
Ramen: He’s finally dead…
Ashura: He was surely a Choujin that was like a tenacious mass…
(TN: I really wish I could say he was more like a “tenacious tumor” but it didn’t really feel correct with the translation)
Phoenix: Everyone on Team Kinnikuman: I praise you for just picking up your first win from our team, which had not known a loss at all in our battles with Team Big Body and Team Soldier until now.
Phoenix: But your compensation for this was great as well!

71.
Phoenix: Can Kinnikuman, the leader of Team Kinnikuman, fight in the bloody battles within Osaka Castle that start from here as is?
Robin: Gu…Gumu—
Phoenix: We shall be going to Osaka Castle one step ahead, praying for Kinnikuman’s miraculous come-back.

72.
Announcer: Team Phoenix’s chairs are descending underground----!!
Phoenix: This subterranean tunnel is a tunnel exclusively for Team Phoenix, being our shortcut linking us straight from Osaka Castle Hall to Osaka Castle.
Phoenix: We’ll be going to Osaka Caslte one step ahead waiting for all of you to come.
Robin: Hold on---!!
Phoenix: Don’t worry: a special subterranean tunnel has been prepared for all of you too…but it’s a terrible tunnel that can’t merely be passed through…(HA—HAHA--)
Phoenix: HA—HAHAHA

73.
Robin: Damn, we were late!!
Robin: Ooh, something is coming to face us!!
Robin: Is…isn’t this a personal computer!?

74.
Ramen: What exactly is the meaning of this computer?
Voice: Team Kinnikuman: that computer is a circumstantial lifeline to go through the underground labyrinth that continues to Osaka Castle for all of you from here.
Robin: The Evil Gods of Strength, Flight, Brutality and Technique, who possessed the four Fated Princes already defeated----!!
Robin: Ooh, look!!
Robin: A stairway has appeared in the canvas!!

75.
Ramen: Ooh: characters are being cast into the computer.
Ramen: Descend into the square window that has emerged in the ring!!
Computer: DESCEND INTO THE SQUARE WINDOW THAT HAS EMERGED IN THE RING!!
Ramen: This window is the entrance to the underground tunnel that runs to the castle tower of Osaka Castle---!!
Geronimo: My heart is beating fast for whatever barriers are awaiting us!!
Robin: Well, shall we go down to hell as well?
Robin: I…I’m sorry…
Meat: Prince, please do your best: I can’t go with anymore but…
(TN: Well at least Meat is paying the consequence for rushing into the Satan Cross fight)

76.
Robin: Oh, there’s just one section in the chest of Kinnikuman’s Defend Suit that became white!!
S. Teacher: Kinnikuman—you really should have struck a finisher on me---!!
Robin: Let’s go, Kinnikuman.
S. Teacher: Hold on---!!
Ashura: What’s wrong, Samson Teacher: how could your expression change!?
S. Teacher: Did you see Kinnikuman’s chest section: with that, it will be impossible for Kinnikuman to clear the underground tunnel of hell set up by Phoenix.
Ashura: Samson Teacher, please wait here: I’ll help Kinnikuman!

77.
Announcer: Well, this powerful formation, which has added Ashuraman to Team Kinnikuman, has descended to the subterranean tunnel, heading to the inside of Osaka Castle where Team Phoenix waits!!
Caption: OSAKA CASTLE: CASTLE TOWER—

78.
Narrator; At that moment, Team Phoenix took the shortcut passing through the underground and promptly entered Osaka Castle triumphant, unlike Team Kinnikuman.
(TN: Yeah…with an audience already in there)
Phoenix: So, shall we watch the state of Kinnikuman’s group in the Hell Tunnel?
Phoenix: Hoho—run, run, straight into hell………

79.
Phoenix: From here, all of you have two barriers awaiting you. However, you can’t simply breakthrough these barriers. Why; because they’re barriers constructed by the four Evil Gods of Strength, Flight, Brutality and Technique.
Phoenix: First is the 1st Barrier…
Phoenix: ……The Rook-Corner Labyrinth!!
(TN: The name of the area with "rook" refers to the chess piece known as the rook, also known in Japanese as "hisha". For those who need a reminder, the rook only is allowed to move horizontally and vertically in a chessboard, which sort of explains how people typically moves in a maze)

80.
Suguru: WHAT IS THIS GIANT LABYRINTH!?
Geronimo: This is the first time I’ve seen a maze complicated to this complexity.

81.
Robin: Ge! The Four Evil Gods!!
“Evil God”: Kuhahahaha: all of you of Team Kinnikuman: if you don’t break through this Rook-Corner Labyrinth within 15 minutes, a large quantity of water will flow in and all of you will die.
Geronimo: What do we do everyone?
Ramen: They’ve done this labyrinth challenge for us, but at any rate it’s to trap us to get killed. If there’s a hell for going and a hell for coming back, there isn’t any other way to take this match.
Ramen: Since it’s exactly 3:00 P.M. now, we’ll take it if we don’t get through here by 3:15.
Ramen: Right! Let’s go!!
Geronimo: It’s a branch: what do we do!?

82.
Ramen: We can only go with intuition: the right--!!
Ramen: Now the left!!
Geronimo: And next?
Ramen: Right once more!!
Ramen: Left!! Left!!
Ramen: Amazing: we’ve come to the No. 15 Block already. This is unexpected: we may be able to break through this 1st Barrier easily.

83.
Phoenix: Who else could go through skillfully this far…it’s from here that they’ll know the terror of the Rook-Corner Labyrinth.
Ramen: We’ve been running over 10 minutes already since earlier, and yet we haven’t escaped out of this labyrinth yet.
Robin: Since around when we surpassed the No. 100 Block, the numbers that are still being written on the wall have become smaller.
Ramen: Ge—the No. 1 Block yet again!!
Geronimo: Wh…what: we’ve been just going around in circles to the same place?
Robin: Ten minutes have already passed: in just a bit more a large-volume of water will flow into the labyrinth and we’ll…
Phoenix: Ha—hahaha!!

84.
Suguru: Everyone, listen to me a bit: I’ve been making a memo of each how many times we’ve turned left, turned right, gone straight and reverse within the route to No. 100 Block that we had advanced to since earlier.
Suguru: The result is I’ve realized there has been a pattern to this maze.
Geronimo: A pattern?
Suguru: In this maze, first we go to the right 6 steps, continue straight for 10 steps, go to the left 8 steps, back 3 steps, finally, we go to the right 7 steps. If we go forth and repeat this pattern, then I’m certain we’ll escape.
Ramen: Alright, I’ll input into this pocket computer the data made by Kinnikuman.
(TN: Wait…that’s a pocket computer!?)
Ramen: Right 6 steps…straight 10 steps…

85.
Ramen: Last right 7!!
Ramen: There it is—this is a route map from the entrance to the exit of this Rook-Corner Labyrinth!!

86.
(SCRAMBLE FOR THE KINNIKU THRONE ARC)
SPECIAL VTR LXIV (XXXXXXIV)
KINNIKUMAN’S DEFEND SUIT DYED WITH THE BLOOD OF SATAN CROSS

TN: First of all, while it isn't the literal perfect translation of the chapter title (which probably would just be "The Stairs to Hell", I just had to make it "Stairway to Hell"...because somehow it's more fun to homage Led Zeppelin (with a hint of AC/DC).

Second: can someone explain to me why the heck we get two different means by which both Suguru's team and Phoenix's teams enter into Osaka Castle? Alright, I can sort of occasionally understand the need for a wacky trial by which the combatants prove whether or not they're ready for the next phase of the tournament, forcing Suguru and Phoenix to go through it to get to Osaka Castle. But unfortunately Suguru's side gets the challenge...and Phoenix's group ends up getting magical Dr. Evil chairs that allow for an easy shortcut into the castle! Isn't that a tad manipulative, as in they just always want Suguru to work for it while the villains get all the breaks? Sometimes I sort of wonder whether or not Harabote still hates him after all he's done regardless. (yeah they did work together somewhat during the Akuma Shogun fight...but outside matters of Devil Choujin, his hatred never quite seems to go away)

Third: it does seem to get rather annoying on how easily Suguru's side is able to get away with getting replacement members. I sort of get Meat being disqualified for the stunt he pulled in the Satan Cross fight and that Ashuraman only goes with because of the stupid "blood on the Defend Suit" nonsense (which will get worse next chapter), but...with Ashuraman, they're back up to 5 members...I guess if Team Phoenix can cheat in some ways, then Suguru can keep bringing in as many Choujin as it takes to stay above water and ultimately win this.

And finally...yeah, the first barrier. Initially when I saw the whole concept of a maze before translating it, I didn't think anything of it: it was just a stupid thing thrown in to make Suguru's life worse while Phoenix flies right into the castle. But then I started to think further..."meikyuu", which had the translation of "maze", also has a translation of "labyrinth"...and considering that they also use "meiro", which also works for "maze", it made me use "meikyuu" as "labyrinth". Then I started thinking about it further:

-Team Suguru had to make their way through a labyrinth set up by an evil god-like force that they have a limited time to get through, getting confused along the way but working as a team in order to overcome it while putting up with all sorts of weird things like disembodied heads, perilous hazards like flowing water, an evil villain who used to be a worm, and all in all while being watched and tormented by the villain at the end of the labyrinth.

It then hit me: wasn't there a movie similar to this? One where a just person has to go through a massive labyrinth over a limited period of time, making a bizarre group of allies, facing perils and hazards (and a talking worm) to reach a tormenting evil who taunts that person the entire way with bizarre allies? Didn't that movie have some future Oscar winner as it's lead and a famous/infamous pop star as the villain...and was produced by that guy who did "Star Wars" and directed and with weird things provided by that master puppeteer behind that frog? And...wasn't it released in the summer of 1986, the same exact time as this Kinnikuman chapter!? Hmm...I swear they were making an homage to some movie about a "labyrinth"...but I can't quite remember it's name...

(BTW: yeah, it's strange but it does make me wonder: why the heck that movie? I mean even Mad Max made sense considering that Bikeman represented the main means of transportation of the gangs in that universe...but to suddenly homage/rip off this movie just makes me wonder why I haven't thought of Super Phoenix as David Bowie sooner...)