Moonlight Mask

Moonlight Mask, known as "Gekko Kamen" in the original Japanese, is the eponymous main protagonist of the 1958 Japanese Tokusatsu superhero show of the same name, as well as its 1972 anime adaptation. He is credited with being the very first Tokusatsu superhero.
His true identity is unknown, as one of the features of the show is that no one knows Moonlight Mask's true identity, not even the audience. However, clever viewers who payed attention would notice that detective Juro Iwai would disappear whenever the titular hero would show up.
In accordance with his identity being kept secret, Moonlight Mask's actor is credited simply as "?". Juro Iwai was portrayed by Koichi Ose. Ose would later be credited as both Moonlight Mask and Iwai. In the movies adapted from the TV series, Juro Iwai was portrayed by Fumitake Omura. Moonlight Mask's suit actor is unknown.
==Appearance==
Moonlight Mask wears an all-white body suit, with a cape and scarf. To hide his face, Moonlight Mask wears a white pair of sunglasses and a mask over the lower half of his face, as well as a white turban with a crescent moon attached at the front.
==Powers and Abilities==
Moonlight Mask has no known superpowers, but is at peak physical condition and possesses a very sharp mind. He is an expert in both hand-to-combat and firearm-wielding. In the 1972 anime, he also rides a motorcycle, similar to Kamen Rider, and has new weapons such as a bull-whip and the Luna-ring shurikens.
==Trivia==
*As mentioned above, Moonlight Mask is considered the first television Tokusatsu superhero, appearing 8 years before Ultraman and 13 years before Kamen Rider.
**Super Giant, who appeared one year before the Gekko Kamen TV show started airing, is considered to be Japan's first celluloid superhero, but he appeared in serial movies rather than on television.
*The Gekko Kamen television show was unfortunately cancelled after a boy in Japan jumped to his death while trying to imitate Moonlight Mask's dangerous stunts, leading the show to end on July 5, 1959 after the ending of the fifth story arc, Don't Turn Your Hand to Revenge. Toei's movies would stop being shown in theaters some time around August 1959. Moonlight Mask would make a return to Japanese TV 13 years later when the Moonlight Mask anime began airing.
*The manga Kekko Kamen ("Splendid Mask") by Go Nagai, which features a superheroine who wears nothing but a mask, boots, gloves and occasionally a cape, is a parody of Moonlight Mask, with the name being a pun on Moonlight Mask's name in Japanese, "Gekko Kamen".
Category:Mysterious
Category:Vigilantes
Category:Superheroes
Category:Live Action Heroes
Category:TV Show Heroes
Category:Tokusatsu Heroes
Category:Anime Heroes
Category:Chopsocky Heroes
Category:Male
Category:Fighters
Category:Martial Artists
Category:Nameless
Category:Protectors
Category:Lawful Good