is a Japanese television tokusatsu series broadcast by TV Asahi. The series is the eleventh installment of Super Sentai. Directed by Takao Nagaishi, it stars Ryousuke Kaizu, Kouichi Kusakari, Issei Hirota, Yuki Nagata, Kanako Maeda, Hayato Tani, Mina Asami, Keijiro Shiga, Kaori Kubota and Shunta Fuchino. It aired from February 28, 1987 to February 20, 1988, replacing Choushinsei Flashman and was replaced by Choujyu Sentai Liveman. Its international English title as listed by Toei is simply Maskman.
Plot
Commander Sugata is a scientist and sage who excels in mental reinforcements and is a master of every martial arts discipline. He discovered the existence of the Underground Empire Tube, a once peaceful kingdom that has turned into a malignant force under the mysterious Zeba, who desires to conquer the surface. In order to stand against them and thwart their plans, Sugata recruits five young people to become the Maskmen. Each becomes specialized in a style of martial arts, and Sugata teaches them the ways of the mystical . A year after Sugata recruits and trains the Maskmen, the Underground Empire Tube is ready to strike. Princess Ial of the deposed Igam Royal Family, sent to spy above ground as Mio, falls in love with Takeru, and wishes for those underground and above ground to coexist. She is kidnapped and imprisoned in ice for her betrayal. As Takeru and the Maskmen battle Tube, they learn about Ial and Igam's relationship, and a terrible dark secret about Zeba, the Tube leader.
Characters Maskmen
The eponymous Maskmen is the top secret fighting force formed by Sanjuro Sugata. Before Tube surfaced, the group posed as the pit crew of the Sugata Racing Team. : The 23-year-old leader of the group who fights as . He is a specialist in Karate and a motor racing driver. He was spotted by Sugata a year prior to the beginning of the series while he saved the mother's infant from being crashed in the railway. Sugata later offered him a spot on the Maskmen. His love for Mio and desire to find her are his motivations. While in Otaki, Takeru meets Norio through whom he masters the "God Hand" technique. Igam tries to eliminate him by travelling into the past. Near the end of the series, he single-handedly defeats Baraba out of rage in battle. He reunites with Mio in the end but he is forced to split up with her. : The 21-year-old second-in-command of the team who fights as . He specializes in Kobudo. He is shy around women but can be a playboy at times. He is lighthearted, strong, and dependable. When a Dogler Beast stole the Aura Power of the other Maskmen, Kenta was the only one left who could fight. He worked as a mechanic for the Sugata Racing Team and once worked for the Sun Racing Team. : The youngest member of the group at 16 who fights as . He is an expert in Chinese Kung-Fu and a Jian (straight sword) expert. His father died while he was young and he was an only child. He moved to Tokyo in order to perfect his martial arts ability and to join the Maskmen. Akira unknowingly enters a Tube-rigged tournament. He wants to win to prove to his mother that he is successful in his chosen pursuit. Always cheerful, he loves apples and the idol Youko Minamino. Late in the series, he turns evil after being possessed by the spirit of a swordsman of the Royal Underground Empire named . Unas was resurrected by some of the Royal Underground slaves of Tube in hopes that he would help set them free from Zeba's tyrannical rule. The underground slaves mistake Akira as a reincarnation of Unas. During the events of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, Akira would appear to grant the Greater Power of the Maskmen to the Gokaigers. The Aura Power would later allow the Gokaigers to use the Aura in their attack Gokai Aura Galaxy. : A 19-year-old kunoichi (female ninja) who fights as . She was raised in a family of ninja, brought up to carry the tradition at the cost of a happy childhood. Forced by her father to abandon all feminine things to focus on her ninja training, she appears tomboyish and is a fierce fighter. She is highly intelligent and loves dancing as she tutors a young girl who is unable to afford dance lessons. : A 19-year-old expert in tai chi and is also strong and dedicated who fights as . A young woman with a pure heart, she often teaches tai chi to young people. She once, by chance, met Ial and Igam's mother, who gave her the saintly flower known as Carollove. Momoko treasures it because it saved her when she fell underground as a child. The first four letters of her name is the kanji for her color designation.
Allies : Sugata is a scientist and martial artist who formed the Maskmen. He is a wise man who excels in mental reinforcements and every martial art. Sugata was the one learned of Tube's existence and their plot to conquer the surface world. A mysterious man, Sugata fights against Takeru the year before he was chosen to become Red Mask. He is the owner of Sugata Racing, a motoring team for which Takeru is a driver and Kenta once worked as an engineer. : Sugata's assistant; she works in the computer room and monitors the performance of the Maskmen. : A Caucasian woman who assists Commander Sugata alongside Doctor Azuma. : The daughter of Ijin of the Fu Clan, Yu is a rogue ninja who works to find any Tube relics that would reveal the true identity of Zeba. : A mermaid from the Sea of Tears, an underground lake formed from human tears over the millennia. Having a lovely singing voice, Igum deceives Lelai as part of a scheme involving Horn Doggler. Once Lelai learns the truth, she is forced to sing after Igum caused the Sea of Tears to dry up. Takeru manages to save her and takes her to the ocean to keep her alive. : The deceased creator of the Galaxy Robo and a close friend of Chief Sugata. During the early development of the M-Project, Yamagata built the Galaxy Robo by himself in order to provide the future Maskman team with another robot in addition to the Great Five of Sugata. However, he died during a freak accident while testing out the Galaxy Robo. Doctor Yamagata is survived by his only daughter, , who believes that the Galaxy Robo, which was programmed with a free will, was responsible for the death of her father. However, Yamagata's recording during his final test run with the Galaxy Robo proves that his death was entirely accidental and was not the fault of the Galaxy Robo. : The chief designer of the Jet Cannon. He loses consciousness as the final tests begin, due to the long term effects of Deathga Doggler's attack when he was a child. : A member of the Jet Cannon development staff who assists Akaike. He is played by Kazuhiko Nishimura, who would go on to play Jō Ōhara in Chōjū Sentai Liveman. : A former disciple of Chief Sugata who was chosen to be part of the M-Project, which gave him the ability to transform into , a predecessor to the main Maskman team. However, Ryo abandoned Sugata's unit after his girlfriend was killed during an ambush by Tube, causing Ryo to doubt his ability to protect the world since he was unable to protect the woman he loved. Ryo arrives to help the Maskmen when they are overpowered by Magma Doggler. With Takeru's help, Ryo regain his self-confidence and assists the team in defeating Magma Doggler, but at the cost of his powers. At the end, he leaves the Maskmen to teach martial arts to children with a renewed sense of hope. He is also the first Sixth Hero, although it would not occur again until five years later in 1992, where Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger introduced an official Sixth Hero. Mai Kozuki (40): A talented pianist who is actually from the Underground's , his music soothes the most savage of Underground monsters. Zeba orders the death of the family, and Mai is the sole survivor. Sugata saves her and brings her to the Maria Orphanage after rewriting her memories so she can live without her painful memories. Targeted by Bard Doggler, her hand is turned to stone and the Maskmen restore it. Ise (11, 44 & 45): A rogue underground dweller who, along with her brother Teto, is part of a cult that worships the Underground Knight Unas. Though disillusioned when Unas is controlled by Igum, she and her brother help the Maskmen return their friend to normal.
Underground Empire Tube The is a peaceful underground empire that came into being five millennia ago under the rule of the Igam family. Once it comes under the rule of the usurper Zeba, Tube begins preparing for war on the surface. They are based at the until Zeba has it destroyed.
: Zeba is the leader of the underground Empire Tube. He hates all human beings and is a master of the Dark Aura, desiring to turn the surface into a cold and dark place. His true form is the monster whose father, the original Lethal Doggler, is killed by the Igam Family for terrorizing the underground. Before dying, it spawns an egg that results in Zeba's birth; the child devours his parent to become stronger. The new Lethal Doggler grows with nothing on his mind but revenge, disguising himself as Zeba and rule the Igum Royal Family. Upon assuming the throne, Zeba corrupts the underground into a violent kingdom and enslaves the underground humans. When he learns that his defeat was foretold to be at the hands of the surviving twin daughters of the Igum family, he keeps them apart while taking measures to ensure no one learns about his true identity, momentarily assumes his true form whenever someone gets too close to the truth. With Ial revived and his identity revealed, Zeba quickly enacts his final plan to raise the Underground Castle and spread his Dark Aura around the world to usher in an age of darkness at the cost of his followers. Once on the surface, Zeba battles the Maskmen personally in his Dark Aura domain. However, Ial and Igam augment their powers with the Maskmen's to negate his Dark Aura. Forced back into his true form, the Lethal Doggler is blasted by the Jet Cannon at full power, using the energies from the weapon to enlarge himself before being finally destroyed by the Galaxy Robo. : The older twin sister of Princess Ial, she is raised as a man to one day take the throne until Zeba overthrew her parents. As a result, Ial is spared to serve under Zeba as one of his prized warriors. She is trained in the way of combat by the Fu Clan and uses the dragon gauntlets on her forearms to execute attacks. When Ial falls in love with Takeru, Igum feels her sister is a disgrace to their family, and vows to kill Takeru. She also has a desire to kill Ial for her transgression, but she cannot carry it out under orders from Zeba himself. One of her attempts in killing Takeru involves conjuring the Death Ring, a family tradition where the user uses up their energy to project an electrified force field. When Baraba gains the Royal Underground Sword, Igum is forced to turn to the Igum Dragon for aid. When Akira is restored from being Unas, Igum's identity as a woman is revealed to the Maskmen. Takeru then hesitates to fight her and attempts to reason with her. After she is given permission to kill her sister, Igum learns the truth behind Zeba and is conflicted until she learns that he used her to achieve his goal. Disillusioned and seeing herself beyond redemption, Igam finds a new reason to live when she sees the Buddha as she helps the Maskmen defeat Zeba. Soon after, Igum becomes a Buddhist nun to repent for her sins and leaves her sister to become the new heir to the Igum Kingdom.