Kinnikuman 358

It's bad enough Omegaman is Phoenix's final trump card...but with Geronimo knowing his other purpose (killing Neptuneman...again...to bring to the Choujin Graveyard), can he stop either of these missions from being accomplished?

Chapter 358: Scramble for the Kinniku Throne (85): Underwater Deathmatch!!

87.
Data Profile:
OMEGAMAN (PERFECT CHOUJIN)
BIRTHPLACE: OMEGA CENTARUS STAR CLUSTER
HEIGHT: 231 CM; WEIGHT: 208 KG
CHOUJIN STRENGTH: UNKNOWN; TITLE HISTORY: UNKNOWN
PRIDED TECHNIQUE: OMEGA CATASTROPHE DROP;
A SERIES OF TECHNIQUES UTILIZING THE GIANT FINGERS ON HIS BACK
ALIAS: CHOUJIN HUNTER

88.
Geronimo: Whaat—Neptuneman, who should have exploded to death, is alive and is the one who threw out the miracle ash that saved my life----!?
Omega: Fuo—fuofuofuo: it is unbelievable, but it’s true…If Team Neptuneman had taken the championship in that Space Choujin Tag Tournament two years ago…all of the Perfect Choujin scattered through the entire universe would have gathered on Earth and come to rule over the Choujin of the entire world in place of the Justice Choujin…
(TN: I don’t even want to approach this…but I guess it’s time for even more time-screwing: the Tag Tournament arc started in 1983 and ended in 1984…it actually ended around two years before this point, which was published in 1986…but as you know by this point, the series tries to run in real time even as it runs in it’s own twisted time)
Omega: However…against their expectations, Team Neptuneman was defeated…
Omega: However, without knowing this, the Perfect Choujin from throughout the universe had already departed headed for Earth.

89.
Omega: It was here, so he could immediately stop the attack
Omega: Of his allies who were going towards Earth
Omega: Neptuneman blew himself up to death; notifying of his own defeat to his allies by becoming a “Human Rocket”!
Omega: The Perfect Choujin finally knew of Neptuneman’s defeat seeing the Human Rocket
Omega: They gave up their attack on Earth and all of them dispersed…

90.
Geronimo: So then, Neptuneman really didn’t die!!
Omega: No, it’s not like that…
Omega: Even within the Perfect Choujin who possess hearts of ice, there are warm Choujin that possibly have compassion, like they were Justice Choujin.
G. Hurricane: Ooh, our friend Neptuneman, you have such a sportsmanlike manner as a Perfect Choujin for losing in your battle to the Justice Choujin and exploding to death!
Catch: This Neptuneman’s act is worthy of respect among the many greedy-hearted Perfect Choujin who are “perfect” in name only nowadays.
Fishing: Right! Of these dispersing Perfect Choujin now, can they have the same behavior as Neptuneman?

91.
Fishing: Ooh! Somehow Neptuneman, who should have died, is somehow alive and moving the fragments of his limbs!!
G. Hurricane: Well, everyone, is it a good thing to kill here this courageous Choujin Neptuneman?
Catch: No: it would be a loss to the Perfect Choujin world to now kill Neptuneman.
G. Hurricane: How about this: we gather all of the fragments of Neptuneman’s body and the three of us resurrect Neptuneman in the flesh!!
Catch: Well, that’s a good idea. It may be impossible, but let’s just do it.
Omega: In my investigation, I identified that those three Perfect Choujin resurrected Neptuneman.
Geronimo: But why would Perfect Choujin Neptuneman, who was revived as such, had rescued the life of me, a Justice Choujin antagonist; isn’t that strange---!?

92.
Omega: All former evil Choujin like Buffaloman and Ashuraman come to know of the magnificent of the bonds of friendship through their battles with Justice Choujin like Kinnikuman and Terryman and are changed into good Choujin……it has sprouted in Neptuneman’s heart as well…he’s a man with a Justice Choujin soul!!
Geronimo: Aah!!
Omega: I was certain that the revived Neptuneman would see to appear in the Scramble for the Throne so he could help out Kinnikuman’s Justice Choujin as they fought hard in the tournament, just like Buffaloman and Ashuraman in the past.
Omega: And thus, he did…Neptuneman who possessed a hot justice soul from being a cruel Perfect Choujin!!
Omega: …he hid himself somewhere in the audience seating in the ring of Osaka Castle…

93.
Omega: He had aimed, threw and rescued with mysterious ash, which you call “Miracle Ash”, whenever Kinnikuman or Geronimo were in crisis!
(TN: I probably should have used “you” for “Geronimo” considering Omegaman is talking to Geronimo…but of course, I tried to translate it as I saw it)
Omega: But thanks to him saving all of you, I’ve perfectly caught his tail! Neptuneman is here! He’s certainly in a section of the audience seats that surrounds this stone-wall ring!!
Omega: I’ve hunted hundreds of criminal Choujin who have risen up until now! Now I’ll certainly hunt down Neptuneman, take him back to the Choujin Graveyard and wangle out the large bounty from Choujin Enma—
Geronimo: U—ra—ra----!!

94.
Omega: Geee, what are you doing!?
Geronimo: More than listening to your story, I can’t let you leave from this water.
Omega: Hehehe: let me tell you a nice thing: other than Neptuneman, Choujin Enma has commanded me to execute everyone on Team Kinnikuman as well letting escape the dead Warsman from the Choujin Graveyard.
Geronimo: E…execute everyone on Team Kinnikuman…
Omega: If I can complete all of my executions of Neptuneman and Team Kinnikuman, I can obtain the money to just live in pleasure for my entire lifetime!!

95.
Geronimo: Guwa…
Omega: Geronimo, let me show you a nice thing to you from here.
Geronimo: Geee—the heads of Sunshine, Sneagator, Atlantis, Screw Kid and Junkman have been placed on each of the five fingers on Omegaman’s back----!!
Omega: Fuo—fuofuo: these five Choujin are a five-Choujin group who each were defeated and died in battle to Justice Choujin and had come to the Choujin Graveyard, but…hated the forced labor in the Choujin Graveyard and plotted to escape to return to the Living World like Warsman…but I who was hired by Choujin Enma hunted down these five and their five heads became part of the collection in the giant fingers of my back as such!

96.
Omega: Geronimo, you and Neptuneman have a destiny that comes to this!!
Geronimo: Gee—the mouths on the head of the five Choujin on the giant fingers have opened---!!
Geronimo: Gya---!!

97.
Announcer: Well, this is above the stone-wall ring on the 2nd Floor of Osaka Castle tower; the duo of Geronimo and Omegaman, who fell into the moat earlier, have had 15 minutes pass but they still haven’t come up!!
Robin: A change is occurring to the water surface!!
Suguru: He did it: Geronimo is alive!!
Suguru: Owa—the water surface is dying in the color of blood!!
Suguru: Either Geronimo or Omegaman seem to have been injured by an attack of the competition opponent underwater.
Robin: …Still, it’s quite a large injury from the volume of the blood………

98.
Suguru: Wh…which is it: is the injured person Omegaman or is it Geronimo?
Robin: ………
Suguru: Something is floating up.
Suguru: What is that!?
Omega: Fuo—fuofuoufo: Geronimo has disappeared through death at moat----!!
(TN: Omegaman uses the expression “mokuzu” or “death at sea”, but with the whole line being “hari no mokuzu”, he is literally saying “death at sea in the moat”…which I combined into simply “death at moat”)
Announcer: The one bearing injury underwater really was Geronimo!!
Omega: This is my proving item of Geronimo’s death---!!

99.
Robin: Th…that totem pole I’m certain is Geronimo’s---!!
(TN: I really need to make a massive pause to confirm something that has been a stereotype forever that is being used here: totem poles are a Native American symbol…but of Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest of the United States or British Columbia in Canada. As you remember from the Tag arc, Geronimo is from Oklahoma and essentially Cherokee (or Apache, can't really remember but I think he was confirmed as Cherokee)…so either some Northwestern Indians lived on his reservation…or he probably just thought it was cool…then again I really can’t complain anymore considering I already proved Nazi Germany lives on in this universe at this point)
Suguru: What!?
Robin: Before the start of the Stone-Wall Death Match, I saw Geronimo possess that Totem Pole in the waiting room.
Robin: Geronimo, we should be going soon.
Geronimo: Hold on a moment, Robin.
Robin: What is that seed?
Geronimo: This is called the Tam-Tam Seed, handed down since ancient times by our Indian tribe; it’s a mysterious seed that can grow into a tree within a short time with just water, even if you don’t give it fertilizer.

100.
Robin: Ooh! A spout has instantly appeared and it’s growing rapidly!!
Geronimo: It really doesn’t rain in my village; since we can’t grow crops due to this, it was a cause of annoyance that we always had food shortages…however, even in those times, if we scattered these Tam-Tam Seeds which grow quickly with a little water, we could somehow bear starvation due to eating the Tam-Tam Fruit that were born of these trees…
Geronimo: Since long ago, we had a proverb that “A child who is born will be raised like the Tam-Tam tree”.
Robin: In short, the meaning is to raise children who possess this strong emotional strength: even with all of your difficulties and troubles, you bounce back and live through them, just like these trees that grow strong and quick when they have a little water even without fertilizer.
Geronimo: Of course, Robin, as expected of you.

101.
Robin: You’ve started to carve the Tam-Tam tree with a chisel!?
Geronimo: Perhaps I must fight that monster Omegaman in place of Meat-kun, who is absent for his wounds, in the 3rd match. Omegaman is a mu—ch stronger Choujin than I. I may get killed…
Robin: Are you shaking, Geronimo?
Geronimo: I have remaining in me my feelings of terror from my days as a human, due to not being a Choujin from the start like Robin-senpai and the others. Therefore, if I make this Tam-Tam tree, which is a symbol of strong emotional strength, into a totem pole and bringing it into the ring in place of a charm, I think I can go forth grandly even facing that monster Omegaman…
Robin: …………

102.
Suguru: …Right: Geronimo just had that totem pole, which he held as his charm so he could shake off his fear but Geronimo, who has come back like this facing the evil power of Omegaman…how ironic…
Audience: UWAAA
Neptune: Geronimo has, Geronimo has…………

103.
Neptune: ………It’s the same as dying by being my substitute!!
Omega: The Five Great Ghost Choujin that have emerged on the giant fingers on my back have crunched into Geronimo’s body; due to this, he bore serious injury and is deeply drifting underwater; soon he will die from his large amount of bleeding.
Caption: UNDERWATER STONE-WALL RING—
Geronimo: Ooh, I’m bleeding too much…my conscious is gradually fading…I really am going to die…
Geronimo: N…?
Geronimo: Ooh: that’s the Tam-Tam Seeds. Right: I still have those seeds: I’m saved!!

104.
Omega: Perhaps Neptuneman is here within this large audience. If you don’t want to have any further victims, then quietly appear before me and we’ll return together to the Choujin Enma!!
Suguru: What is he talking about with “Neptuneman” and the “Choujin Enma”?
Neptune: I can’t continue hiding myself any more!
Voice: Neptuneman, you don’t have to go forth to that man----!!

105.
Omega: Ge---!!
Announcer: Somehow a large number of stakes are appearing from the moat of the stone-wall ring and the seriously-injured Geronimo is standing on top of them---!!
Suguru: The Tam-Tam Tree has rescued Geronimo---!!

106.
(SCRAMBLE FOR THE KINNIKU THRONE ARC)
SPECIAL VTR LXXIII (XXXXXXXIII)
GERONIMO VS. OMEGAMAN

TN: This chapter gave me eight sorts of migraines, one after another. I really hate doing these lists but they all have to be mentioned.

1. I've made more than enough mention of "real time though it's still a short period of time in their world" so I'm not going through that again. (except by saying this: it was only about a week or so between the end of the Tag fight and the start of the Throne tourney, and another week after that to this point if it is three days each between the start of the tourney and the semi-finals and three days to the finals...)

2. The whole matter with the three Perfect Choujin with the hearts of Justice Choujin (the non-coincidentally introduced Great Hurricane, Fishingman and Catchman from the last "character introduction" cover) in some ways makes sense...but sort of throws off a whole lot of things regarding what the meaning of being a "Perfect Choujin" is. With some of Neptuneman's early actions (pre-Neptune King when he was still Kenkaman), it is obvious enough that you can say a Perfect Choujin is all based on power...and power alone. These Choujin are just "born different" and either just have more Choujin Strength or acquire it way faster reaching the threshold by maturity that makes them "Perfect Choujin". Yet it seems like most of the time that they try to have this whole "cold-hearted, cruel" aspect as first brought in by Kendaman and Screw Kid and more defined by the followers of Neptune King/Big the Budo. I really don't see why they don't just open up and say there are different types of Perfect Choujin with similar power but different beliefs just like there are Justice, Brutal and Devil Choujin with similar Choujin Strength levels. That way you can have the "emotionless" ones (such as what Neptune King preached), the "Devil-like" ones (Kendaman and Screw Kid) or those that lean more to being "Justice-like" (Kenkaman/Neptuneman after waking up, these three)

3. Alright, they say that the "Justice-like Perfect Choujin" revived Neptuneman...but the problem: they don't say how. Did they just give him bits of Choujin Strength akin to how Suguru's group tried to save Geronimo way back in the Gold Mask arc? (or how Buffaloman saved the three he killed in the Seven Devils arc) Or...did they just put him back together? Considering Neptuneman did explode yet his body was still technically twitching as if it was still alive, I wouldn't be surprised if it was just the latter. (or just the stage of death where the body twitches a bit since not everything is completely shut down...but of course it's a body ripped to shreds from an explosion) But then...if Neptuneman wasn't dead due to his body moving like that, why would Choujin Enma claim he was and just fill out the paperwork saying "he's dead, bring him to me?" But then brings up another question: what happens to a Choujin when they die anyway? Back when Suguru "died" with Mixer Taitei's Power Separator, his body just fused with his actual Choujin Strength and that's how he went down to the Choujin Graveyard. (making me believe maybe it isn't the body but the Choujin Strength that is the soul of a Choujin But here we just get no sign of anything whatsoever: just the fragments of Neptuneman's body that are put back together...and bam, he's alive again. (so I think)

4. Omegaman makes it seem like Neptuneman just suddenly became a Justice Choujin due to his exposure to Suguru and Terry...but something just feels off about it. Back in the Tag arc, Robin revealed that Neptuneman/Kenkaman never really was evil to begin with and had a pure, noble soul all along. He was just lead astray by Neptune King leading to all the nonsense in that arc. Now I can say maybe his Justice side was reawakened due to that arc, but I can't say that he just had it all of a sudden...

5. And now we reach the biggest and stupidest blunder yet...and it's something that actually reveals the true evil I have been warning about for a long time now. Omegaman has stated here and now that he wants to kill Suguru's team and take them with to the Choujin Graveyard. But...here's where it gets screwy: you'd expect Omegaman to say "Suguru escaped the Choujin Graveyard so that's why he is now a criminal that must be caught". In a way, Suguru did escape but it was an unusual circumstance no one expected, this being a consequence of losing his Burning Inner Strength through the Power Separator. Still, Suguru did go to the Choujin Graveyard and his escape would be something Choujin Enma would want to clear up.

But no...the crime Team Kinnikuman will all die for isn't for Suguru's escape...but Warsman. The biggest crime is that Warsman escaped from the Choujin Graveyard because "Suguru helped him do so". Unfortunately Choujin Enma...no, the entire crew in the Choujin Graveyard, hasn't the slightest clue on how Warsman escaped. Sure, Suguru and Warsman worked together to try and escape but Warsman utterly failed while Suguru bust out! By the time Warsman did escape, Suguru was in the world of the living and fighting in the semi-finals of the tournament. But here is the part those idiots in the Choujin Graveyard overlooked: the main reason Warsman escaped...WAS THAT FRICKEN ANNOYING BABOON-MASKED BUTT-MONKEY OF A CHARACTER KNOWN AS DR. BOMBE!! HE WAS THE ONE WHO DISCOVERED THAT STUPID LIFE STONE, HE WAS THE ONE WHO TRICKED WARSMAN TO TAKING IT...AND IT IS BECAUSE OF THAT STUPID PLOT DEVICE OF A CHARACTER THAT EVERYONE ON TEAM KINNIKUMAN IS NOW GOING TO DIE, JUST BECAUSE OF HIM AND HIS STUPID LIFE STONE HEART TRANSPLANT...AND LET'S NOT EVEN GET INTO THE NIGHTMARE THAT OCCURRED AFTER WITH WARSMAN IN THE MANRIKI FIGHT!!!


THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING, DR. BOMBE: SURRENDER NOW AND LET OMEGAMAN BLAST YOU OUT OF EXISTENCE IN THIS SERIES AND ALL KNOWN UNIVERSES FOR SCREWING AROUND AND RUINING EVERYTHING LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO! YOU HAVE UNTIL THE COUNT OF THREE...ONE...TWO...

(suddenly calms down) Yeah...maybe I should just forget it and more on...don't stress out over the little things...and all that...

6. And now we get to the ghosts in the Oni no Te...er, Freddy hand...um, Omegaman's fingers. In a weird way, it is a combination of Choujin that we have seen as adversaries...but it's a weird collective. First of all, four of the five are Devil Choujin, while the fifth is Screw Kid, who we know of as a Perfect Choujin...then again, when Ramenman/Mongolman said he had become a devil, he probably meant it. Second, this is strangely both Sneagator and Screw Kid's first appearance in this entire arc...Sunshine, Junkman and Atlantis were all part of the "floating random bodies" way back when Suguru was there. Thirdly...the choice of Choujin and what we have seen still doesn't really explain anything about the Choujin Graveyard at all. The Choujin on the ground did seem like the more decent types, enough to allow for the "Three Ball" challenge that for some stupid reason was set up considering that it would lead to...well, Choujin Enma hunting them down. (or not if done properly it wasn't really explained) The Choujin floating in the sky randomly for the most part seemed like threats that Choujin Enma seemed at all costs didn't want to return to the living world...yet all of a sudden are part of the forced labor as well. Um...are you really sure about this? You do realize that some of these guys on the ground would...well, pull that stunt? And weirdly enough finally, they still don't quite explain how the ghosts are used: they're just "part of Omegaman's collection"...which I guess is all we're really going to get out of this.

7. And then there was the totem pole...alright, it's time I make a suggestion or a confession: I don't think Geronimo is supposed to be any particular Indian race...he's just a random Native American with all the stereotypes of them. I mean look at him: we think he's a Cherokee (a Southern native tribe), he has an attack called the Apache War-Cry (Apache are Southwestern) and even his name "Geronimo" refers to a famed Apache, has a chief named "Cheyenne" (Cheyenne is a Plains nation based out of the Dakotas and Colorado)...and now he knows about totem poles and uses them as a charm, which is of Native American tribes from the Northwestern US and British Columbia. Can Geronimo just make up his mind what tribe he's from...AND STICK WITH IT!? (alright stay calm I know)

8. Then there are the Tam-Tam trees...you know what, this rant has gone on for so long I'll just give it a shadow of a doubt: it's a magic seed that grows into a super-fast tree with a bit of water...and it has an alliterative name that makes me think it grows a kind of Devil Fruit. (though if Oda got his hands on it, it probably would...turn your hands into a Chinese gong or something)

There's probably way more I could say but I'll just leave it at that. I'm tired and I still have two more chapters of this fight to go...I can't help it if Omegaman liked listening to himself talk so much and we get the stupidest moments in a long time.

BTW: Dr. Bombe is watching you...so be good for goodness sake.