Kinnikuman 283

He has been at the mercy of being paused, shrunken and thrown to weird scenarios time and again! But now with a strange strategy and his own abilities, has Suguru finally figured out a way to defeat the bizarre Mister VTR!?

Volume 25: The Tearful Choujin Graveyard!!
Chapter 283: Scramble for the Kinniku Throne (10): The Limitations of the Image!!
(TN: The actual title of the chapter uses the Japanese word “Genkaiten”, which translates into “Coordination Point”. Considering that may be a bit difficult to understand unless you understand the full aspects of photography, I went with “limit point” or merely "limitations", which will be better explained within this chapter. But in a way, “coordination point” and “limit point” are the same thing, so use whichever works)

7.
VTR: GYAAAA
Suguru: Mister VTR, Zoom Out your own figure!!

8.
Announcer: Is there something wrong? Mister VTR has suddenly started becoming frightened of a fragment of the iceberg Kinnikuman has turned towards him---!!
Meat: Mister VTR isn’t frightened of the iceberg fragment; he’s afraid of his own appearance that’s reflected on it!!
Meat: Mister VTR’s Zoom Out attack is a technique that minimizes all target objects which are the subject of the camera lens that’s on his face!
Meat: If he can make all target objects smaller, then it’s reasonable that his own body can become smaller too if he himself is the subject!
Meat: Thus by Prince using an iceberg fragment in place of a mirror, Mister VTR will treat his own body as his subject!!

9.
Suguru: Even if I fall down, I won’t merely get back up. Are you awed by my clever strategy?
Announcer: The entity of Mister VTR, who has been set up to take his Zoom Out attack on his own body, is rapidly shrinking---!!
Suguru: Well, hurry and release your Zoom Out and return my body to normal!! If you don’t, your body will become smaller than mine!!
VTR: Hie—I can’t take this anymore!! Zoom Out Release!

10.
Suguru: Uh.
Suguru: Uwa—
Announcer: Both of their bodies have returned to normal!!
Suguru: Well!! I’ve returned to my original size—

11.
Suguru: Uh.
Meat: Prince—
VTR: You seem to be showing fatigue from your consecutive fights with Hawkman and myself.
VTR: This is favorable for us!!
VTR: Since my own power will run out in a short while, I’ll be showing you the hell of this world using all my power.
VTR: Scene Changer---!!
Suguru: Uh……

12.
Announcer: Mister VTR’s final Scene Changer is a great volcanic zone----!!
Announcer: Giant masses of lava blowing out from the volcanoes are falling onto the ring!!
Meat: He’s planning a double-suicide with Prince. Prince—please ru—n!!
Suguru: Me…Meat, I understand, but if I ran from this, I'll lose the match…I have to defeat him somehow…

13.
Suguru: Uwaa—
Meat: Prince—
Caption: ENGLAND—
Announcer: Kinnikuman is down from taking the lava mass and isn’t getting up---!!
Caption: TEXAS—

14.
Robin & Terry: You can do this, Kinnikuma—n!!
Announcer: Kinnikuman hasn’t given up the match ye—t!!
VTR: Ka—kakaka, well? Are you in pain? Have you taken in this Volcanic Hell…
Suguru: Hehehe…you shouldn’t even be worried about me…

15.
Suguru: I’m pained only when my allies are injured!!
VTR: Uwa—
Suguru: Sorya
Announcer: Kinnikuman has put VTR in the stance for the Kinniku Buster---!!

16.
VTR: Kinnikuman, watch the floor. If you knock yourself into that ring of lava and flames, you’ll be plunging into the Blazing Hell too!
Suguru: Mister VTR, your worlds that you’ve created by your Scene Changer are truly amazing!! However, it ultimately is a world that was created artificially. It has limits.
VTR: What—
Suguru: The origin of the worlds created by Scene Changer is an image on a slide. In short, I can’t go beyond what is being manipulated within the range of what’s coming out of the image. If that’s how it is, then what do you think will happen if I jump outside the range of what’s appearing in the image?

17.
Suguru: Let’s experiment with that now---!!
Meat: The Neo-Kinniku Buster--!!
Announcer: He made us think it would be the Kinniku Buster, but he is conversely ascending into a Neo-Kinniku Buster---!!
Suguru: Ooh!
Suguru: I’ve done it: that’s the end of your Blazing Hell----!!
Suguru: Orya—

18.
VTR: Gya—
Announcer: The arena has returned to normal---!!

19.
Announcer: While he’s falling, Kinnikuman has hooked his legs around Mister VTR’s neck and placed both arms into a Chicken Wing!! Well, what is he doing—
Meat: Ah…that stance is!!
Suguru: Choujin Hanging—
VTR: Ugyaa—
VTR: Uoo~~~
Referee: 2nd straight win for Kinnikuman!!

20.
Announcer: With his hidden technique, Choujin Hanging, Kinnikuman has smashed the formidable Mister VTR and is another step closer to the Crown---!!
Caption: OSAKA CASTLE
Mayumi: He did it, he did it: second-straight---!!
Mariposa: How? How could my team, who I prospected to only be Choujin above 50 Million Power in Choujin Strength, not defeat that pig-man who’s 950 Thousand Power at most?
Mixer: With both Hawkman and VTR, Kinnikuman’s 950 Thousand Power won it perfectly. However, in the final end scene for both of them, they were defeated by his Plus Alpha Power.
(TN: “Plus alpha” is a Japanese term regarding some variable that is added that increases something. It is Japanese-made, considering that the term in English is “+x” (plus x). Another way to translate this is “they were defeated by his “x-power” or “his power + x”. (Or in Japanese, “a” or “alpha”) But of course, it’s obvious what Mixer Taitei is talking about…)

21.
Mariposa: His Burning Inner Strength…
Mariposa: Of course! It’s the Burning Inner Strength that knocked out that Power Gun that has a measuring ability up to 50 Million Power!!
Mixer: Kinnikuman’s Burning Inner Strength is certainly growing. If you get careless, then he’ll easily surpass the 100 Million Power of the Evil Gods, starting with yours, Mariposa-sama.
Mariposa: Never! It will never come to that!! As if a Choujin can surpass the power of a god.
Mixer: Therefore, before we can take Kinnikuman's life, first we have to steal his power.
Mariposa: Can we do that?
Mixer: Ye—s, through me.
Mixer: Clang clang………
Mariposa: Wh…what are you…

22.
Mariposa: Ooh!! The bones of the dog.
Mariposa: Mu! The puppy died when I removed only his bones, without any external wounds. The puppy is Kinnikuman; and those bones are Kinnikuman’s power.
(TN: Mixer in the second line says “dog”, but considering that he commented it was a puppy in the first, I kept it “puppy” for consistency)
Announcer: Well in the ring is the unhurt Kinnikuman, and he’s glaring at his third challenger, Mixer Taitei!!
Suguru: HAA HAA
Mixer: Sorya—

23.
Announcer: Mixer Taitei throws a body blow at the same time as the gong for the start of the match----!!
Mixer: Power Separator—
Suguru: Owa—
Announcer: What a technique. Kinnikuman has started to greatly rotate within Mixer Taitei’s body---!!
Meat: Prince—

24.
Mixer: Uuh..
Announcer: Bu…but the challenging Mixer Taitei seems to be suffering too---!!
Mixer: Uuh, Ki…Kinnikuman’s Burning Inner Strength is such a terrifying power that I can’t somehow do this with my power alone.
Mariposa: Mixer Taitei, don’t worry. The Five Evil Gods that include me will lend our power to you so we can defeat Kinnikuman!!
Phoenix: Though we say we are together in being each other's rivals, we’re one in our dream of defeating Kinnikuman…we’ll hold truce for a moment and go support Mixer Taitei.
Mixer: Oh.
“Evil Gods”: RIGHT
Announcer: The Fated Princes who should have been scattered through Japan for the Scramble for the Throne Survival Match are in an evil conspiracy for defeating Kinnikuman---!!

25.
Mixer: FULL-RELEASE EVIL FRIENDSHIP POWER!!
Mixer: Kinnikuman Power Separation Complete!!

26.
(SCRAMBLE FOR THE KINNIKU THRONE ARC)
SPECIAL VTR VII
KINNIKUMAN VS. MISTER VTR

TN: Heh...let me just start by saying that the more I translate, the stupider I think I feel. I actually worked together with a friend on some of this chapter: he was supposed to have done this and worked really hard and somehow I ended up with the project due to a deal we made. Essentially...both from my rustiness (it's been a month and a half since I last did Kinnikuman, blame my situation...maybe I should really be doing much less KochiKame and work through the Throne until it's done) and seeing how literal I was compared to him, doing this chapter wasn't much of a pick me up for me but I am ready to make my commentary about it.

So then...once again this is a chapter with several positives and negatives...and really strange moments. (like...the puppy scene...less said the better, considering it's not like Mixer Taitei had that puppy before he decided to puree it in the first place) The good of the chapter mostly continues the factor that Suguru really can think on the fly in regards to how to win in the middle of a battle. We saw that at the start with him using Zoom Out against Mister VTR, and then by using a combination of Neo-Kinniku Buster and Choujin Hanging to defeat him. Similarly, it is great that, after several chapters seeming to hype how unstoppable that Mister VTR really was and...that he really should have stuck to his "pause" strategy in the beginning. I mean think about it: if he kept Suguru on "pause", then there would be no worry of losing him in the image via the Scene Changer strategy. Let alone the usage of power that weakened him near the end wouldn't have been as much of a problem as it turned out to be by obsessively using Scene Changer.

The bad...well there are two main factors. First is the cliched part where we have Robin and Terry's head hanging over Suguru magically reviving him in the midst of the battle. I know it was supposed to be symbolic but it felt way too creepy. Secondly...since when has all of Suguru's finishers been tied to "Burning Inner Strength"? Well OK, admittingly most of what he has learned up until now has been thanks to that, but once Suguru has mastered the technique, he really doesn't even announce or use it to do it again! I can imagine Burning Inner Strength as a slight boost to pretty much turn it into a "fatality move", but that's it, and it really isn't seen as such until this very exact moment! Burning Inner Strength has been such an annoyance, though...that having it removed at the end really did make up for all that and will force Suguru to fight without it for the rest of the arc.

And now for the strange...and this is in regards to me and my weird conspiracy theories: if the Five Evil Gods were all needed to assist Mixer Taitei to hold down Suguru while the Burning Inner Strength was removed...then why did they do it via their Prince candidates instead of themselves? We've seen them as "themselves" a good chunk of the last volume before they all merged with their "Fated Prince" for the tournament, so it isn't too hard for them to just leave a tiny bit of their power behind (except Mariposa who is...well, fighting there), merge with Mixer Taitei and do what they have to. Why did they do it...as the identity of the Prince they've become? I guess it could make some sense if it was typical but with some princes possibly acting stranger than others (looking at you, Soldier), appearing at the Princes themselves as opposed to as the original Evil God...could just confuse a lot of people later on.