Thunder Mask is a now partially lost tokusatsu series produced by Toyo Agency (now Sotsu Co. Ltd) for Nippon Television. A
manga adaptation by
Osamu Tezuka was serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1972 to 1973.
Tropes
- 11th-Hour Superpower: The Increase Machine of Planet Thunder infuses one million volts of electricity into the crippled Koichi's body, restoring his sight and enabling him to transform again.
- An Aesop: #19 has one told in quite a peculiar way even by tokusatsu standards: "Kids, don't do drugs... because if you do your brain will be fed to a monster so it can grow big and wreck the city."
- Back for the Finale: Rin, Koichi's younger sister, returns in the finale to provide him with the Increase Machine.
- Back from the Dead: #16 sees the resurrection of Dekanda.
- Badass Normal: The Science Team are ordinary humans who work to oppose the Devil Beasts, to the point of developing missiles capable of destroying them.
- Behemoth Battle: Happens Once an Episode as Thunder Mask grows to fight one of Dekanda's giant monsters.
- Big Bad: Devil Dekanda, the master of the Devil Beasts, but turns out to be just The Dragon for Great Devil Bem King.
- Bittersweet Ending: Thunder Mask wipes out Bem King, Dekanda and their forces, but it is implied that the Increase Machine did indeed kill him, since he disappears with Bem King and remains only as the star in the sky he had told Mayumi and Katsuya to watch out for. That said, though there was never a follow-up, just ask contemporary toku heroes how long death sticks for them.
- By the Power of Grayskull!: "Thunder!", when Koichi Inochi transforms into man-sized Thunder Mask. "Thunder Two-Stage Transformationnote Ni-dan Henshin!" when Thunder Mask ascends to giant size.
- Calling Your Attacks: This being a Showa era tokusatsu, Thunder Mask partakes in this.
- Cliffhanger: #12 sees Thunder Mask getting gravely wounded then crucified by Iron Mask who, with his opposition eliminated, prepares to Take Over the World.
- Cool Car: Koichi drives in the space-faring Thunder One.
- Crucified Hero Shot: Iron Mask has the half-dead Thunder Mask bound to a cross.
- Darkest Hour
- #12 ends with Thunder Mask defeated by Iron Mask, who presents his crucified body to the Science Team. With his opposition eliminated, Iron Mask prepares to Take Over the World and enslave humanity.
- This is upped in the endgame, with the penultimate episode ending on Thunder Mask being struck inadvertently by one of the Science Team's monster-killing missiles. This is followed up by the finale, which opens with the revelation that Koichi has been blinded and is unable to transform again lest he die, with the Science Team believing Thunder Mask to be dead whilst the villains, stronger than ever, prepare to finally kill our hero and conquer the Earth.
- Deadly Upgrade: The Increase Machine is said to grant Koichi only three more minutes as Thunder Mask before it kills him.
- Defeat Equals Explosion: As ever for tokusatsu, this befalls the slain villains.
- The Dragon: Apparent Big Bad Dekanda turns out to be this. He is replaced briefly by Shooting Star Iron Mask before being resurrected.
- Evil Doppelgänger: Tetsujin 13 is able to assume the form of the Thunder Mask, leading the Science Team to inadvertently attack the real deal.
- Evil Wears Black: Played straight for Dekanda's mooks.
- Gratuitous English: The name of the show itself.
- Human Alien: Thunder Mask's natural form is a man (Koichi Inochi) who hails from outer space.
- Humongous Mecha: Devil Beast Tetsujin 13 is composed of an alien alloy which can resist Thunder Mask's attacks.
- Make My Monster Grow: Thunder Mask is naturally man-sized but can grow to fight the giant Devil Beasts. Later Devil Beasts start out as man-sized. Thinnerman (#19) notably needs to feed on the brains of humans addicted to paint thinner before it can grow. Tokagerus, the final MOTW, is taken out by Thunder Mask before his Behemoth Battle with the Big Bad.
- Make Way for the New Villains: After repeatedly failing to eliminate Thunder Mask, Dekanda is replaced and executed by Shooting Star Iron Mask, Bem King's new Dragon.
- The Man Behind the Man: Great Devil Bem King is revealed to be the master of Dekanda.
- Meaningful Name: Koichi Inochi's last name means "life", which he has sworn to protect.
- Mid-Season Upgrade: #13 has Koichi being provided with the Thunder Psymer device by his younger sister Rin, which allows Thunder Mask to block enemy attempts to disrupt his brainwaves.
- Monster of the Week: The Devil Beasts are animal-themed and naturally giant to start with.
- Mooks: Introduced in #16, these Combatmennote Sento-nin are dressed in black and sport combs similar to Dekanda.
- Protagonist Title
- Secret Identity: Thunder Mask's true form is a man who goes by the name Koichi Inochi on Earth.
- Take Over the World: Devil Dekanda's Evil Plan.
- Ultraman Copy: The titular hero is a Human Alien from outer space who transforms into a humanoid figure, mostly green but with silver and red as well, who can then grow in size to fight naturally giant monsters which threaten the Earth, specializing in beam attacks. Whilst in human form, our hero also interacts with a Science Team dedicated to opposing the monsters, much like the Defense Teams of Ultraman.
- You Have Failed Me: For his repeated failures, Bem King has Dekanda replaced and executed by Shooting Star Iron Mask.
