(ALL JAPAN) Popular manga: Masked Man Kinnikuman Bloody Fight S Publishing
Weekly Pro
4th September 1984 (Issue No.57)
2nd Generation
3 Promotions
Tiger Mask, Super Tiger and the Great Masked Man War!!
The superhero Kinnikuman, who is at the peak of his popularity, will appear in the New Japan Pro Wrestling ring. I want to say it's a joke, but it seems to be true. At this point, there is still no confirmation, but there is a possibility that we will be able to see him on the opening day on the 24th. There has been a lot of talk about the masked man recently!
Kinnikuman, the superhero who is the idol of children
Three days later, in the opening match of UWF's "Victory Weeks", Satoru Sayama is scheduled to transform into "The Tiger", with a new ring name and costume.
For the past few weeks, the movements of the two Tigers have been of great interest to pro wrestling fans and the pro wrestling media. However, just as the time for them to appear in the ring drew near, a surprising bit of news reached the ears of this magazine. This was information that New Japan Pro-Wrestling was planning to have a third masked man suddenly appear in the next "Bloody Fight Series" (August 24th to September 20th).
The magazine "Fight" (August 14th issue) had already reported on this matter, speculating that the masked man would be Kinnikuman, the main character of the popular anime. Hero fans* and anime buffs will already be familiar with the character "Kinnikuman," but for readers who are unfamiliar, here are some details. "Kinnikuman" (art by Yudetamago) is a popular manga currently being serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump," which boasts the largest circulation of any manga magazine for young men (officially 3 million copies). Kinnikuman, which has already been made into an anime by Nippon Television, was made into a Tokyo Film Production and released in July this year for young boys on summer vacation, and as a result, it has attracted audience numbers far exceeding those of the Shochiku anime series released at the same time. In other words, Kinnikuman is now the biggest superhero in the world of anime. If a wrestler who looks just like him were to appear in New Japan, it would surely be a hot topic among young fans.
Ironically enough, the rumor that "Perhaps a new masked man may step into the New Japan ring" reached this magazine just three days after the second Tiger Mask appeared before the fans at Kuramae Kokugikan. However, before there was any time to verify the veracity of this rumor, Antonio Inoki departed for a two-week tour of Pakistan, and Seiji Sakaguchi, chief of staff, went on a company trip, and before he could return to Tokyo, he hurriedly flew off to America to attend the NWA general meeting. Naturally, with no one in charge at the New Japan office, they made no comment on the matter.
However, information about this mysterious masked man came from an unexpected direction. The O Project is the sole manufacturer of masks and costumes for masked wrestlers in Japan, and the mask and costume of the second Tiger Mask were also made by them*. Those involved in the project shared some important testimony with us in response to our magazine's relentless interviews. The testimony can be summarized as follows.
The project certainly calls for the creation of a new mask and costume at the request of New Japan. The mask bears a striking resemblance to the main character from the popular manga series "Kinnikuman." O Project has already created two types of masks and costumes, and it is likely that after Inoki returns to Japan, a decision will be made as to which of the two masks he will use in the actual ring. Given these testimonies, it's safe to say that it's now almost certain that a new masked wrestler will be taking to the New Japan mat. But, even if this were to happen, it is still questionable whether this third masked man would be able to easily call himself "Kinnikuman" and step into the ring.
There is no need to cite the example of Tiger Mask, as the portrait rights of the main character in a manga belong to the original author.
Have any discussions or contracts been held between Yudetamago*, the creator of "Kinnikuman," and New Japan Productions regarding the use of this character? If that were to happen, it would be New Japan and Shueisha, the publisher of Shonen Jump, who would be at the table to actually negotiate, but as of the 16th, the editorial department of Shonen Jump said, "We haven't heard anything like that. If something like that had come directly to the author, we would have been contacted for sure. Besides, the copyright is held by four parties: Toei Animation, us, Yomiuri TV, and the author, so it would be difficult to come to an agreement."
They deny it.
However, the author, Yudetamago, is an avid pro wrestling fan and almost always attends the large venues in Tokyo, so it is not unnatural to think that he has had contact with people related to New Japan at an early stage. This sudden, seemingly out of nowhere Kinnikuman commotion is a fitting tale for a summer night mystery*, but it seems as though the preparations for it are steadily progressing behind the scenes.
Considering Tiger Mask's appearance on the 26th, and Satoru Sayama's transformed New Tiger appearance on the 29th, it is true that the perfect timing for this third masked man to enter the ring is likely to be the first match of the "Bloody Fight Series" on August 24th at Korakuen Hall. The opening lineup, which is usually announced one week in advance, has not been decided this time around, which is one of the reasons that creates hope that "something will happen."
Will Kinnikuman actually make an appearance on the 23rd, the day the magazine goes on sale (excluding some regions), or the 24th? If a mysterious masked man does appear on the 24th, there's no denying that the one who will likely be affected is the second-generation Tiger Mask, whose debut match is scheduled two days later.
So where is Tiger Mask now?
On August 8th, Giant Baba went to the US to attend the NWA general meeting. Tiger Mask accompanied Baba and after intensive training in Hawaii with Baba's one-on-one coaching, he flew to Mexico on the 16th via Los Angeles. If things continue as they are, Tiger will likely fly in from Mexico for his debut match on the 26th, but it is also true that some speculate that Tiger Mask may fly from Mexico to Amarillo*, Texas, to make final preparations just before arriving in Japan. Needless to say, Amarillo is the hometown of the Funks. In the past, All Japan star candidates such as Tsuruta and 
Tenryu made their Japanese debuts through Amarillo, and considering Baba's enthusiasm for Tiger Mask, this speculation seems quite plausible. If Tiger Mask's rumored trip to Amarillo turns out to be true, then the purpose of the trip will likely be to get advice from the Funks on a new special move. For Tiger Mask, it will be his debut match, and he will inevitably be compared to the original Tiger in every way, so in that sense he will be at a kind of handicap. In order to overcome this handicap, it is necessary to use power techniques that take advantage of Tiger's physique, which the original Tiger did not have. Considering this, and the fact that Baba himself said "I want to develop my Tiger into a fighter who can compete in the heavyweight division," it is possible to speculate that Tiger Mask may be sparring with someone like Terry in Amarillo. With Terry's visit to Japan this time, fans are clamoring for him to make a comeback, so it's very possible the two of them will do some intensive training together for the benefit of them both.
It has already been revealed by some insiders that All Japan is considering having another Tiger Mask serve as Tiger's second in his debut match on the 26th, with the intention of having them perform as the "Tiger Brothers" in the future.
Well, if things continue like this, it looks like it will become a big war of three wrestling anime promotions, with masked men appearing one after another, but what about the original Tiger, Sayama Satoru? In last week's issue, we reported that Sayama's new ring name would definitely be "Super Tiger," but since then, UWF has not made any official announcement, but seems that UWF is planning to "announce the ring name, mask, and costume in the ring on the 29th" (according to UWF Planning and Promotion Director Isahaya). Sayama's personal honest feelings seem to be that "I want to return to fighting with my true face", but the image of Sayama as Tiger is still deeply rooted among fans, and it seems he has decided that it is premature to ignore that, so he is thinking of appearing in UWF "Victory Week" as a masked man. However, due to Sayama's own thoughts and the issue of portrait rights, it looks like this new mask will be a fundamental change from the previous one. Traditionally, wrestlers' masks have been designed with the utmost importance placed on fashion, but this new mask is designed to function as protective gear rather than fashion. In other words, it has been made primarily for effectiveness as protection for the eyes, nose, and ears in mind. A UWF Official says, "Therefore, it can be used as protective gear for newness in martial arts as is - there is mesh over the eyes to prevent people from sticking their fingers in them. Of course, it has been designed to look as fashionable as a regular masked man, but in a way, by wearing this mask Sayama is showing that he has graduated from being a mere masked man."
Due to issues with portrait rights, the ears and beard from The Tiger era will be gone, which may be a little disappointing for fans of The Tiger, but in exchange, with this mask he will be able to withstand punches and kicks to the face, which have been taboo in wrestling up until now. Sayama has said that he intends to take such attacks as long as he wears the new mask, so this new "Tiger Mask" may be perfect for ultra-violent wrestling. Even so, masked wrestlers have a variety of ideas, from those who are trying to assert themselves by cashing in on the popularity of anime to those who are denying the popularity of anime and trying to forge a new path, but with three masked wrestlers each focused on by three promotions, who will the fans support be directed towards?
The pro wrestling world in the second half of this year is becoming increasingly interesting to watch.
Notes
Hero fans: Original Japanese was "boy fans", I have changed this to "hero fans" as "boy fans" refers to people who are fans of comics with a male main character, there is no equivalent in English.
Tiger Mask II costume: Keiji Mutoh in his Noah run had the same faux fur used in Tiger Mask II's costume, incorporated into his own gown. Misawa also used the faux fur from the mask in his last gown.
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| Detail of the Tiger Mask II fur from Keiji Mutoh's gown |
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| Mitsuharu Misawa's gown with the Tiger Mask II fur |
Yudetamago: Literally "boiled egg".
Summer Night Mystery: In Japan the spookiest time of year is not the "cold dark winters night" trope of Victorian gothic literature, it is a moonlit summer night. The Japanese celebrate Obon for three days in the summer months when the heat is at its highest. This is the time when the veil between the two worlds is at its thinnest, and the dead come back to visit the living. At the the end of the festival, they are seen back to the underworld with lanterns floated down a stream or set out to sea.
Amarillo: Terry Funk said about wrestling there, "Amarillo was a world where you couldn't succeed unless you were a true tough guy. In Amarillo, we only used really tough guys."
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