There has been a recent trend among Japanese comedians to go big — with their workouts. Toshiaki Kasuga, Nakayama Kinnikun and Yoshio Kojima all incorporate flexing into their routines, playing up macho stereotypes for laughs. However, Shun Kaneko isn't laughing.

"On Japanese TV, when a muscular person comes out, they're there for the sole purpose of being ridiculed," Kaneko says. "They basically want to show the audience that you can feel good about yourself because all these buff guys are idiots. I really, really want to change that."

The 27-year-old is anything but an idiot. He created a YouTube channel, Kanekin Fitness, that boasts just over 67,000 subscribers. Showing off arms the size of my legs, he is dressed in his own self-designed fitness gear and switches between English and Japanese with ease.