Tiger Mask (disambugation)
Tiger Mask began as a Japanese manga in 1968 and was later adapted into a successful anime series in 1969. In real life, the name has been used by a succession of Japanese professional wrestling characters as a gimmick. 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. The anime ended in 1971, but continued to be so popular that New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion licensed the character and created a real-life Tiger Mask in 1981, and has been since passed down to three other wrestlers. Tiger Mask II has been the only Tiger Mask to not wrestle in NJPW, instead All Japan Pro Wrestling leased the name from NJPW. Originally Tiger Mask IV only wrestled the Best of the Super J's for NJPW but he came to NJPW in 2003 and stayed there ever since. He was given the mask from his trainer, the Original Tiger Mask.
| Generation | Name | Year Started | Year Ended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiger Mask I | Satoru Sayama | 1981 | 1983* |
| Tiger Mask II | Mitsuharu Misawa | 1984 | 1990 |
| Tiger Mask III | Koji Kanemoto | 1993 | 1994 |
| Tiger Mask IV | ??? | 1995 | Current |
Related characters
- Black Tiger: Tiger Mask's evil twin and long time rival in NJPW and like Tiger Mask has been portrayed by several wrestlers.
- Masked Tiger: A heel Tiger Mask portrayed by Takeshi Ono formally of Battlearts to feud with Tiger Mask IV and Great Sasuke.
- Super Tiger: A name that Satoru Sayama (Tiger Mask I) used in the Japanese UWF after he left NJPW due to the rights they had over the Tiger Mask name.
- The Tiger: Yoshihiro Asai adopted a Tiger Mask styled mask as a part of the short-lived DragonDoor promotion in Japan.
- Tiger Dragon: Yoshihiro Asai adopted a hybrid of his famous Último Dragón and Tiger Mask styled masks as a part of the short-lived DragonDoor promotion in Japan.
- Tiger Dream: Candy Okustu portrayed a female Tiger Mask for a short while before injuries piled up and the gimmick was retired.
- Tiger King: A name that Satoru Sayama used on the Japanese independent scene after the UWF folded due to NJPW owning the rights to the Tiger Mask name.
- Tigers Mask: A similar gimmick used by Osaka Pro Wrestling that wears a similar mask but is used for comedy from time to time. Modeled after the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.
- Tiger Mask W: Made an appearance teaming with the original Tiger Mask to promote the Tiger Mask W spinoff anime. Portrayed by Kota Ibushi.
- Shinsetsu Tiger Mask: Gimmick used by proto-MMA legend Masakatsu Funaki while working for the original's Real Japan promotion.
