New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced plans for a new anime based on Tiger Mask, the classic wrestling manga written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Naoki Tsuji. The new anime will feature members of New Japan Pro-Wrestling talent pool as themselves, and is being created with the intention of being marketed not just to Japanese viewers, but to an international audience as well.

The original Tiger Mask manga ran in Kodansha's Bokura Magazine and Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1968 - 1971. It was also adapted into an 105 episode TV anime from 1969 - 1971, an animated compilation film in 1970, and a 33 episode TV anime from 1981 - 1982. A live-action film adaptation of Tiger Mask was also published in 2013.

Various real life professional wrestlers, inspired by the manga and TV anime, have also assumed the Tiger Mask persona as an in-ring gimmick.

The story of Tiger Mask involves a villainous masked wrestler becoming a hero for the sake of protecting the orphanage in which he was raised.

Sources:

Yaraon!

Official New Japan Pro-Wrestling home page

Anime News Network

Paul Chapman is the host of The Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast and GME! Anime Fun Time.