Creation
The character of Tiger Mask was first created for the Bokura and Weekly Shonen Magazine in 1968. By Ikki Kajiwara and Naoki Tsuji, it was made available in Hong Kong and China when it was reprinted by Kodansha comics.
In 1969, the manga would spread in popularity so much that it would be adapted into an anime. Televised in Japan, it would include the personas of many real life Japanese professional wrestlers like the Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki. By doing so, the character of Tiger Mask would be deeply linked to the rising popularity of professional wrestling in Japan.
He would receive two movies that mostly used leftover footage from the anime series. And, in 1980, a popular wrestler by the name of Sayama Satoru would even don the mask and persona in the actual ring, bring Tiger Mask into reality. Because of the fame of Sayama’s career as the character, he would see a second burst in popularity and relevance. In 1981, he would receive a second anime series.
Story
Naoto Date works as the masked heel wrestler – Tiger Mask, in a American wrestling promotion. Fighting with an extremely vicious and animistic in-ring style of fighting, garnering much fame, he returned to his homeland of Japan. Visiting his home town, one of the boys from the orphanage he grew up in admitted his ambitions to be a villain like Tiger Mask. Not wanting the little boy to glorify bullying and idolize a sadistic villain, he turned face and began wrestling as a positive symbol in Japan.
He would rediscover the mysterious Tiger’s Den. A villainous organization that trained the youth to become wicked men and negative entities, so they could profit off of their fame, as they once did to Tiger Mask, when he was named Yellow Devil. Nolonger wanting any connection to them, he swears to oppose them at any length. Donating him money to his childhood orphanage, he angers the organization, who sends assassins and bad men to harm him.
After the death of Naoto Date, it is established that his spirit lives on within the mask of the tiger. And, when wrestlers wear his legendary mask, they receive his spirit as a guide and assistance.