Moonlight Mask (月光仮面, Gekkō Kamen) (a.k.a. The Moonbeam Man) is a superhero that has also appeared in Japanese tokusatsu and anime television shows and movies since his TV debut in 1958. Moonlight Mask is best described as Japan's answer to The Lone Ranger, Batman and Zorro. Moonlight Mask's popularity resulted in the appearance of several other Japanese superhero characters soon thereafter, including Iron Sharp a.k.a. Space Chief and the Planet Prince.
Whereas Super Giant (Starman) is Japan's first celluloid superhero (i.e.: he debuted in movies in 1957), it was Moonlight Mask (Gekko Kamen) who set the standard as Japan's first live-action TV superhero, and was a huge success with children. Television was new in Japan, so many children who did not have a TV set were gathered around to watch it at a friend's or neighbor's house. Children also bought toy capes, sunglasses, masks and pistols, and played Moonlight Mask in schoolyards and backyards.
Who is Moonlight Mask?[]
Moonlight Mask's identity has always been a mystery (his persona is credited as "?" in the series).
Decked out in white tights, a white & red cape, a white scarf, yellow gloves & boots, dark glasses, a cloth face mask and turban (pinned with a "moon" ornament), Moonlight Mask is armed with a whip, two six-shooters, shuriken and moon-shaped boomerangs, and rides a motorcycle.
One theory is that Moonlight Mask could very well be detective Jūrō Iwai (祝 十郎, Iwai Jūrō), who seems to disappear from his friends just before the caped crusader rides to the rescue on his motorcycle! Even his comical assistant Gorohachi Fukuro (袋 五郎八, Fukuro Gorohachi), his friend Inspector Matsuda, and children Shigeru, Kaboko and Fujiko are oblivious to Moonlight Mask's secret identity.
Adventures[]
- Skull Mask (どくろ仮面 - Dokuro Kamen) - (February 24, 1958 – May 17, 1958)
- The Secret of the Paradai Kingdom (パラダイ王国の秘密 - Paradai Ōkoku no Himitsu) - (May 25, 1958 – October 12, 1958)
- Mammoth Kong (マンモスコング - Manmosu Kongu) - (October 19, 1958 – December 26, 1958) features first daikaiju, Mammoth Kong.
- The Ghost Party Strikes Back (幽霊党の逆襲 - Yureitō no Gyakushū) (January 4, 1959 – March 29, 1959)
- Don't Turn Your Hand to Revenge (その復讐に手を出すな - Sono Fukushū ni Te wo Dasu na) (April 5, 1959 – July 5, 1959)
- Duel to the Death in Dangerous Waters (月光仮面 - 絶海の死斗 - Gekkō Kamen - Zekkai no Shitō) August 6, 1958
- The Claws of Satan (月光仮面 - 魔人〈サタン〉の爪 - Gekkō Kamen - Satan no Tsume) December 22, 1958
- Moonlight Mask - The Monster Kong (月光仮面 - 怪獣コング - Gekkō Kamen - Kaijū Kongu) a.k.a. The Monster Gorilla; April 1, 1959
- The Ghost Party Strikes Back (月光仮面 - 幽霊党の逆襲 - Gekkō Kamen - Yureitō no Gyakushū) a.k.a. The Challenging Ghost; July 28, 1959
- The Last of the Devil (月光仮面 - 悪魔の最後 - Gekkō Kamen - Akuma no Saigo) a.k.a. The Last Death of the Devil; August 4, 1959
A few months after the show first aired, a manga (comic book) tie-in was commissioned. There were different artists drawing the manga, the majority of which was done by young artist Jiro Kuwata (who would later become the co-creator of 8 Man).
Liability issues and cancellation[]
Children watching superhero shows sometimes attempted to imitate the hero's dangerous feats, and Moonlight Mask was no exception. Because a boy in Japan jumped to his death imitating Moonlight Mask's dangerous stunts, the show was unfortunately cancelled on July 5, 1959, following the ending of the final story arc, Don't Turn Your Hand to Revenge. Toei's movies, however, continued to appear in theaters well into August 1959 (fortunately, this would not be the end of Moonlight Mask; he made a return to Japanese TV 13 years later).
The hero now wears an open face helmet instead of a turban, and his cape has an ornament with the scarf attached.
Anime Adventures:[]
- The Claw of Satan
- The Mammoth Kong
- The Dragon's Fang