When I saw the trailer to Invincible Fight Girl, it took me back to being a little girl who loved watching wrestling. Witnessing the Monday Night Wars, the formation of the New World Order (nWO), and the Attitude Era will always be an unforgettable childhood memory. It’s exciting to see an anime-inspired animated series about wrestling. Fight Girl tells the story of a young girl named Andy whose lifelong dream is to become a wrestler. Let’s begin our journey with Andy to see if her dream becomes reality.
The opening scene is narrated by the legendary Keith David (Gargoyles), and begins with a flashback 10 years ago at the wrestling event Rumble-Rama LXXVI, where Andy made the declaration of wanting to be just like the wrestler Quesa Poblana after being captivated by her winning the match. I could see the anime influence in the way Quesa Poblana moved at lightning speed and her impressive abilities in the ring. In the present day, Andy lives on Accountant Isle with her parents and has a week left before graduating from the Junior Account Academy. When a food poisoning incident happens to the accountants who handle the finances of the wrestlers, it’s up to the junior accountants to step in for Tax Day. While classmates are freaking out and her parents are not confident in this decision, Andy can’t hide her excitement of finally getting to meet wrestlers (she even keeps wrestler figures at her desk). That night, Andy dons her wrestling gear and sneaks away to a secret training ring in the woods. She watches instructional videos to learn wrestling moves like the Ankle Crank. It is here where she expresses the desire to ask her question to the wrestlers in the hopes the answer will be life changing.
Despite being told to stay away from the building during Tax Day, Andy offers to take her classmate’s place and ends up being the accountant for the Perm Gang. The over the top poses and flashy introduction of each member reminded me of Dragonball Z’s Ginyu Force. Andy takes this opportunity to ask, “Do you think anyone could become a wrestler?” to which the Perm Gang laugh hysterically at the idea of an accountant being a wrestler. Embarrassed, Andy leaves the building and questions her future. I felt sad for Andy; having your dreams be laughable to others is discouraging and disheartening. But encouragement comes from an unexpected place when an old woman passing by explains the difference between becoming and being a wrestler. With no time to let the old woman’s words sink in, Andy ends up in her first wrestling match with Immaculate, giving her a brutal welcome to the world of wrestling. What I enjoyed about Andy’s match is her internal monologue throughout the match. The uncertainty and constant questioning about what she’s doing is a normal response in this situation. The bravery of the other accountants throwing various items at Immaculate and the old woman’s words pushed Andy to continue with the match, taking the distraction as an opportunity to go for the Ankle Crank. The attempt fails and Andy takes another monstrous blow from her opponent. Before hitting the mat, Andy successfully executes the Ankle Crank causing Immaculate to tap out and shockingly wins the match!
This was a great first episode which demonstrates Andy’s potential to be the wrestler she always wanted to become. Sydney Mikayla, the actor who voices Andy, did an excellent job expressing the character’s emotions during the match with Immaculate which was the highlight of the episode. The influence of anime and Western animation was done perfectly, joining the ranks of The Boondocks and Teen Titans who paved the way to make this style enjoyable for animation fans.
Episode two picks up with Andy’s dad calling Andy by her full name, which definitely means this child is in big trouble! Immaculate questions how an accountant could know how to wrestle. When he attempts to continue the match illegally, the old woman from the previous episode appears, telling him the match is over. Suddenly, an unknown pressure makes it so no one can move, which Andy realizes is coming from the old woman. It’s a fun nod to the colorful auras seen in Dragonball Z. The old woman’s aura is too much for Immaculate and renders him unconscious, much like Conqueror’s Haki in One Piece.
Now back home, Andy interrupts her parents’ hysterical ramblings by shouting that she wants to be a wrestler, expressing how she’s had this feeling her entire life. She brings her parents to the secret training ring and explains how accounting is not for her. This scene showcases Andy’s bravery to finally speak up to parents, who have mapped out her life, about what she truly wants. The next day, Andy’s parents give their support to follow her dream and encourage her to be the best wrestler and the whole scene feels like an invisible hug of approval. Andy has a tearful sendoff by her parents and the accountants at Junior Accounting Academy as she makes her way to Rustburn to be properly trained to be a wrestler.
Things get real when Andy makes her arrival in Rustburn. She has a hard time navigating the big city; she can’t find the training gym, has a run in with a con man named Craig who breaks her phone, and is picked up by police twice for illegally hopping on a train. While sitting dejectedly in front of a saloon called Busters a blonde woman in a purple armored suit named Goldie, resembling Samus from the Metriod games, invites her in. She is introduced to a small group of failed wrestlers who have founded Busters to be a haven for those who didn’t make it to the big leagues. I loved the Cowboy Bebop Easter egg of the three people sitting at one of the tables who looked very much like Faye Valentine, Spike Spiegel, and Jet Black. I found it inspiring how Goldie and the other former wrestlers shared their perspective of not letting the world dictate what’s best for them and how people have to live for themselves. Before making a call on a payphone (that’s right, a payphone!), a wrestling match on the television shows Barong, one of the wrestlers Andy saw in person ten years ago, who is still wrestling and runs the gym she’s been looking for! Andy asks about Quesa Poblana, who is now selling peppers, and the wrestlers drop her off at Poblana’s home. Andy is shocked to see that the same old woman from episode one who stopped Immaculate is actually the woman who inspired her to become a wrestler.
The second episode was intentionally slower than episode one. It focuses more on Andy’s obstacles to becoming a pro-wrestler, from her parents coming to terms with their daughter’s dreams to the hardships Andy faces being on her own in a new place. One thing that stood out to me is the reaction of Andy’s parents at the beginning of the episode because I see myself having the reaction and can relate to wanting your child to follow a path you feel is best for them.
Invincible Fight Girl is a fantastic show that gives so much love to wrestling and anime fans alike. I anticipate there will be more anime references as Andy navigates her way through the wrestling world. I’m interested to see if Poblana will eventually train her or if all the training will be done at Barong’s gym. Even though this series was originally intended for Cartoon Network, I’m glad it’s on Adult Swim’s Toonami because it feels like it’s intended for this demographic. Personally, it’s wonderful to see a black female lead who wants to be a wrestler in an animated series and it’s what drew me to the series. We see representation in wrestling today with Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill so it’s amazing to see it in animation, leading the action block I watched as a teen which makes me grin like Luffy. Action, humor, and some touching moments make Invincible Fight Girl an excellent series for everyone to enjoy.
Umeko Long is a staff writer for ToonamiFaithful.com. Feel free to follow her on Twitter @blu_temptation
Don’t forget to listen to the Toonami Faithful podcast! Check out our interview with Invincible Fight Girl director Matthew Bordenave!