“Well I'm sold! I already love Genzo and his adorable little pupper Hiroyuki! The comedy definitely hits all of my strike zones.” Reddit · r/anime

“I can't get over the pure irony of pro-wrestlers getting isekai'd and turning a life and death conflict into a wrestling tournament.” Reddit · r/Animedubs Kemono Michi: Rise Up (2019) - Facebook

: The introduction of Shigure, the debt-ridden and pragmatic wolf-girl, provides a necessary "straight-man" foil to Genzo's single-minded madness. Community Perspectives

Fans in the community generally found the premiere to be a high-energy "lighthearted watch" that doesn't take itself too seriously.

The first episode of Hataage! Kemono Michi (Rise Up!) is widely reviewed as a refreshing, chaotic twist on the isekai genre, largely because it swaps typical "heroic" tropes for professional wrestling and an obsessive love for animals.

: The story follows Genzo Shibata, a pro-wrestler known as "Animal Mask," who is summoned to another world to slay "evil beasts." Instead, he immediately German suplexes the princess who summoned him because he refuses to harm animals, deciding instead to open a monster pet shop.