New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) announced today that a new installment of the Tiger Mask wrestling anime is in production. In addition to a domestic broadcast, the series will also be streamed globally. The announcement was made by Takaaki Kidani, the president of NJPW's parent company Bushiroad.
Tiger Mask was created by Ikki Kajiwara and drawn as a manga series by Naoki Tsuji between 1968 and 1971. The original TV anime adaptation aired between 1969 and 1971, and it was revived in 1981 as a series titled Tiger Mask Nisei.
The Tiger Mask manga follows Naoto Date, a professional wrestler who returns to Japan from the United States. His return is prompted by a desire for children to not idolize him as a "villain" wrestler, but as a "heroic" one. The series also featured contemporary wrestlers such as Antonio Inoki and Shouhei "Giant" Baba.
"Tiger Mask" is also a persona used by a number of Japanese professional wrestlers over the years, inspired by the original manga. To date, there are five wrestlers who have taken on the "Tiger Mask" persona. The new anime will also feature current Japanese professional wrestlers.
NJPW is the world's second largest wrestling promotion in terms of attendance and revenue, behind the American World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Source: Nikkan Sports
Tiger Mask W on MAL
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Anime