Feeling that he did not want the boy to idolize a villain, Tiger was inspired to be a heroic wrestler.
The boy resided in an orphanage, the same one that Tiger Mask grew up in during his childhood. However, he became a face after returning to Japan when a young boy said that he wanted to be a villain like Tiger Mask when he grew up. Tiger Mask, whose real name was Naoto Date, was a feared heel wrestler in America who was extremely vicious in the ring. The Tiger Mask persona is instantly recognizable by its trademark mask, designed to look like a tiger's head, as well as the combination of high flying attacks and martial arts in the ring. In real life, the name has been used by a succession of Japanese professional wrestling characters as a gimmick. It was later adapted into an anime series by Toei Animation which first aired on Yomiuri TV or TV Asahi on Octoand ended its run on September 30, 1971, airing 105 episodes. The series was first published in Kodansha's Bokura Magazine from 1968 to 1970 and was later published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1970 to 1971. Tiger Mask ( Japanese: タイガーマスク, Hepburn: Taigā Masuku) is a Japanese manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Naoki Tsuji. Cover of the 2001 re-release of the first manga volume.
