Skull Man: Difference between revisions

The Skull Man was originally Tatsuo Kagura, the adopted son of a [[Yakuza]] family. He was actually the son of a mad scientist and his wife, secretly mutants, who performed experiments on him and his sister, Maya. Fearing the consequences of the experiments, Tatsuo's grandfather killed his parents and tried to kill Tatsuo. However, Tatsuo was saved by a shape-shifting mutant called Garo, who later raised him. Now, Tatsuo as Skull Man commits serial murders in his attempt to find the killer of his parents. And when he does... (The anime's storyline is [[Alternate Continuity|significantly different]].)

 

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* [[Action Girl]]: Skull Maria.

* [[Alternate Character Reading]]: Kogetsu Chisato is an extreme target to this. In the English translated version of The Skull Man manga of the 1998 he gets a "Toratsuki Chisato" instead of Kogetsu. This is the fault of the translation as both Kogetsu and Toratsuki are written in the same kanjis "虎月 ".

** Scaled back to Type III in the 1998 manga.

* [[Ascended Fanboy]]: Kazuhiko Shimamoto is an avid fan of Shotaro Ishinomori who made him revive the work.

** Add Maya Chisato as well.

* [[Balloon Belly]]: Hayato and Kiriko in episode 6.

* [[Body Horror]]: To what happens to all of the people that turns into a monster later on.

* [[Clumsy Copyright Censorship]]: The opening song is changed in the R1 DVD. Since the record label for the band Tokio ([[Kodomo no Omocha|sound familiar?]] ) wouldn't allow their music to be used.

** Not to mention that at the end of the 2007 anime, the main character, who has done all he can to do the right thing, {{spoiler|saves the world from being annihilated, dies...and is brought back as ''BLACK GHOST''. As in, the world dominating, cyborg creating, terrorist Black Ghost of ''[[Cyborg 009]]''. How's that for a shocker?}}

* [[Heel Face Turn]]: A considerable number of The Syndicate's minions.

* [[Large Ham]]: Skullman definitely qualifes and let's throw in Detective Hioka too.

* [[Lighter and Softer]]: The 1998 manga is this for recasting Skull Man as a more conventional hero rather than a dark avenger of the night.

* [[Monster Allies]]: Garo originally then the wasp armies and even the detective who became a Reconstructed Human but was given an upgrade by Tatsuo/Ryuusei.

** In the anime, only two, namely Tetsuro and Rena Shingyouji.

* [[Prequel]]: It isn't obvious until near the end, but the 2007 anime is actually a prequel to [[Cyborg 009]]. {{spoiler|Hayato becomes the Skull, leader of the Black Ghost organization, and Kiriko gives birth to Joe Shimamura in the epilogue.}}

** The ending serves more as a reference to the series than an actual prequel, however.

* [[Psychic Powers]]: Skullman himself, in fact he used it to make Chief Tachiki reveal who the killer is.

** Maya Chisato in the original manga using her telepathic powers to {{spoiler|tell Tatsuo that she is his sister and the murderer is their grandfather.}} and this is not just her own power. It is revealed further that she can [[Healing Hands|heal]] her brother as well.

** Maria, the [[Distaff Counterpart|female counterpart]] of Tatsuo/Ryuusei in the 1998 manga.

* [[Red Herring]]: In the 2007 anime, doubling as a [[Continuity Nod]]. {{spoiler|Hayato pins a supposedly-deceased Tatsuo Kagura as the Skull Man as early as episode 2. It's not him.}}

* [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]: Tatsuo's entire goal in the original manga.

* [[Scarf of Asskicking]]: [[Cyborg 009|Joe Shimamura]] in the 36th Chapter and [[Kamen Rider|Detective Tsuyoshi Hioka]] in the last chapters of the 1998 manga.

** {{spoiler|It's also reminiscent of the Acceleration Ability featured in ''[[Cyborg 009]]''}}

* [[The Thing That Goes Doink]]: In Mr. Kuroshio's garden.

* [[The Atoner]]: Tatsuo Kagura who later on became Ryusei Chisato in the 1998 manga regarding about his action from his *see the Villain Protagonist and Heroic Sociopath below* to a real deal hero.

** Same goes to his sister Maya Chisato.

* [[Transformation Trinket]]: Worn by {{spoiler|members of the White Bell Cult}}. Combined with [[Body Horror]] and [[Nightmare Fuel]].

* [[Villain Protagonist]]: The Skull Man's entire goal is to just kill anyone he thinks is a bad person. (Most of them aren't.)

 

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[[Category:Anime]]

[[Category:Manga]]