世論 What Japan Thinks

Here’s an interesting topic from MyVoice: since last year was the 29th anniversary of the animation character Kinnikuman, they performed a survey on that very topic of Kinnikuman, which translates as Muscleman.

Demographics

Over the first five days of December 2008 14,858 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 1% in their teens, 16% in their twenties, 36% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 8% aged fifty or older.

If you want to decorate your mobile phone, Strapya will sell you Kinnikuman and friends as straps, or even as USB sit-up devices.

If you’re wondering why the 29th anniversary, the digits 2 and 9 may be read as ni and ku. Additionally, the Kin in his name can also mean Friday, so kin-ni-ku is Friday 29th, which is why that becomes Kinnikuman Day.

If you want more than enough information on Kinnikuman in Japanese, there is the Nikupedia, which as the names suggests is a version of Wikipedia dedicated to Kinnikuman.

For a bit of trivia relevant to English speakers (by the way, the characters were released in the USA in the mid-eighties as M.U.S.C.L.E), the ending theme song for one of the series was sung by Kent Derricott, a Mormon missionary to Japan who became a television personality over here. Here is the video proof:

Research results

Q1: How much do you know about Kinnikuman? (Sample size=14,858, multiple answer)

Heard the name	85.4%
There’s been a animated series broadcast on telvision	75.4%
There was a craze for an eraser shaped like the character	57.0%
Kinnikuman’s favourite food is gyudon beef bowl	55.8%
It was serialised in the weekly Shonen Jump comic	45.0%
Know the outline of the comicbook story	45.0%
There was a Kinnikuman video game released	33.0%
“Kinnikuman the Second” was serialised in the Weekly Playboy	19.3%
There is a Kinnikuman slot machine	18.0%
Can name over ten superheroes that appeared in Kinnikuman	17.8%
New characters appeared based on reader submissions	14.4%
Know Kinnikuman’s superhero Power score	6.7%
Each Friday the 29th is Kinnikuman Day	6.4%
Don’t know Kinnikuman at all	3.2%

Q2: Do you like Kinnikuman? (Sample size=those know it)

Love it	4.6%
Like it	23.7%
Can’t say either way	40.0%
Don’t really like it	18.3%
Don’t like it at all	10.2%
No answer	3.1%

Q3: Which of the following characters that have appeared in Kinnikuman do you know? (Sample size=those know it, multiple answer)

Kinnikuman	90.0%
Ramenman	68.3%
Terryman	59.7%
Meatboy	58.0%
Robin Mask	53.4%
Buffaloman	44.4%
Brocken Jr.	42.7%
Warsman	40.4%
Geronimo	34.5%
Ashuraman	34.3%
Wolfman (Rikishiman)	30.7%
Black Hole	21.5%
Neptuneman	20.7%
Sunshine	20.2%
Akuma Shogun	18.3%
The Ninja	18.0%
Kinnikuman Zebra	18.0%
Springman	17.2%
Neptune King	13.5%
Kinnikuman Super Phoenix	13.5%
Planetman	13.4%
Kinnikuman Soldier	13.3%
Mister Kamen	11.9%
Kendaman	11.7%
Altantis	11.0%
Sneagator	10.2%
Sneagator King	10.2%
Kinnikuman Mariposa	9.6%
The Mountain	9.2%
Kinnikuman Big Body	8.9%
Screw Kid	8.1%
Junkman	8.0%
None of the above	4.8%
No answer	2.0%

Q4: For the 29th anniversary, various events were held and goods were for sale. Did you know about that? (Sample size=14,858)

Yes, and attended an event and bought goods	1.9%
Yes, but didn’t attend an event nor buy goods	18.4%
Yes, and either attended an event or bought goods	1.8%
Didn’t know about it	77.9%

Q5: What events did you attend or what goods did you buy? (Sample size=those who attended events, bought goods in Q4, multiple answer)

Kinnikuman Festival (Sukiya, Nakao, etc restaurant promotion)	68.7%
Bought Kinnikuman Chinese meat bun at Lawson convenience store	19.3%
Visited Yahoo! JAPAN Kinnikuman 29th Year anniversary feature	9.5%
Visited official Kinnikuman 29th Year anniversary site	8.2%
Kinketsu reprint	8.0%
Watched Kinnikuman film festival special night	7.3%
Bought Kinnikuman complete DVD box	6.7%
Bought Nikuman – Kinnikuman Yorozu book (29th anniversary book)	5.1%
Bought Kinnikuman theme song collection	4.0%
Attended Jump Festa 2008	3.6%
Bought G-Shock Kinnikuman 29th anniversary watch	2.9%
Attended Tokyo International Animation Fair 2008	2.5%
Participated in Yamanote Line 29 stations and Kinnikuman 29th anniversary “29 keywords search!” event	1.1%
Other	9.3%
No answer	3.1%

Q6: If you see a collaboration between a company and any animation character, does this raise your desire to purchase goods? (Sample size=14,858, multiple answer)

Very much more likely to buy	4.3%
Quite a bit more likely to buy	37.2%
No change	28.4%
A little less likely to buy	11.6%
Not likely to buy at all	17.7%
No answer	0.8%