Ōgon Bat
Ōgon Bat is a Japanese superhero created by Suzuki Ichiro and Takeo Nagamatsu in 1931 who originally debuted in a kamishibai. Ōgon Bat is considered to be the world's first comic book superhero, and is a precursor to later superhero characters such as the Japanese kamishibai character Prince of Gamma, and the American comic book characters Superman and Batman.
History
Ōgon Bat was created by sixteen-year old Takeo Nagamatsu and twenty-five year old Suzuki Ichiro in 1931 and was named after the Golden Bat cigarette brand. The two were inspired by drawings of mythological characters in Tokyo's Ueno Royal Museum to create a new hero based on science rather than mythology. The character debuted in a kamishibai, a type of traveling show in which a sequence of pictures are shown, narrated by a storyteller. The character was popular enough to survive the decline of kamishibai following World War II, and was eventually adapted into manga and anime.The character featured in three live-action movies: Ôgon Bat: Matenrô no Kaijin, released in 1950; Ôgon Batto, released in 1966; and the comedy biopic Ôgon Batto ga Yattekuru, released in 1972. He also appeared in a 52-episode anime series that aired on Nippon TV from 1967 to 1968.
Character description
Ōgon Bat is a being from ancient Atlantis who was sent forward in time 10,000 years to battle evil forces threatening the present day. He has a golden skull-shaped head, wears a green and white swashbuckler outfit with a high-collared red cape, and carries a rapier. He lives in a fortress in the Japanese Alps. His superpowers include superhuman strength, invulnerability, and the ability to fly. Ōgon Bat has an evil counterpart known as Kurayami Bat. His main enemy is Dr. Erich Nazō, the leader of a crime syndicate bent on world domination, who wears a black costume and mask with bat-like ears, a red eye and a blue eye.Film
A live-action film version of Ōgon Bat was released theatrically by Toei in Japan on December 21, 1966 starring Sonny Chiba as Dr. Yamatone.Plot
Professor Yamatone and his family visit present day Egypt, and discover an ancient tomb belonging to a god of justice and protector of the weak known as Ogon Bat. When the Professor is taken captive by Gorgo, agent of the evil Dr. Erich Nazō, his daughter Mari pleads for Ogon Bat to save her father. As she starts to cry, her tears fall in Ogon Bat's tomb and revive him. From then on, Mari calls on Ogon Bat to fight against evil.Cast
- Sonny Chiba as Dr. Yamatone
- Wataru Yamakawa as Akira Kazahaya
- Hisako Tsukuba as Naomi Akiyama
- Emiri Takami as Emiry Beard
- Andrew Hughes as Dr. Parl
- Hirohisa Nakada as agent Shimizu
- Kōsaku Okano as agent Nakamura
- Kouji Sekiyama as Nazō
- Youichi Numada as Keroido
- Keiko Kuni as Perania
- Keiichi Kitakawa as Jackal
- Yukio Aoshima as police officer
Anime
List of anime episodes
| Episode Name | Premiere Date | |
| 1 | "The Birth of Golden Bat" | April 1, 1967 |
| 2 | "Mammoth Killer" | April 8, 1967 |
| 3 | "Ge-Georg" | April 15, 1967 |
| 4 | "Crisis" | April 22, 1967 |
| 5 | "Man Eating Plants" | April 29, 1967 |
| 6 | "In Pursuit of the Melon Bombs" | May 6, 1967 |
| 7 | "Monster Sand Beronya" | May 13, 1967 |
| 8 | "Space Monster Alligon" | May 20, 1967 |
| 9 | "Worm Monster Gaigon" | May 27, 1967 |
| 10 | "The Battle of Uranium Island" | June 3, 1967 |
| 11 | "The Mystery of Finkhamen" | June 10, 1967 |
| 12 | "Dr. Jinger's Poison Mushrooms" | June 17, 1967 |
| 13 | "Mutant 5" | June 24, 1967 |
| 14 | "Atomic Black Gyatt" | July 1, 1967 |
| 15 | "Nero the Destructor" | July 8, 1967 |
| 16 | "Ghilton, the Stone Man" | July 15, 1967 |
| 17 | "Galgar the Monster Bird" | July 22, 1967 |
| 18 | "The Star of Polynesia" | July 29, 1967 |
| 19 | "Bat vs. Bat" | August 5, 1967 |
| 20 | "The Land of the Blue Flame" | August 12, 1967 |
| 21 | "The Queen of Root Sigma" | August 19, 1967 |
| 22 | "The Mystery of Volcano Peron" | August 26, 1967 |
| 23 | "Black Mask the Thief" | September 2, 1967 |
| 24 | "The Devil's Ruby" | September 9, 1967 |
| 25 | "The Robot City" | September 16, 1967 |
| 26 | "Rayman Boldo" | September 23, 1967 |
| 27 | "The Eye of Tarangé" | September 30, 1967 |
| 28 | "Sword of the Queen Axis" | October 7, 1967 |
| 29 | "Mystery of the Space Bat" | October 14, 1967 |
| 30 | "Superpowered Cyborgs" | October 21, 1967 |
| 31 | "The Ghost Tower" | October 28, 1967 |
| 32 | "The Devil's Giant Statue" | November 4, 1967 |
| 33 | "The Invisible Monster Glassgon" | November 11, 1967 |
| 34 | "The Great World Flood" | November 18, 1967 |
| 35 | "Underground Monster Mogurah" | November 25, 1967 |
| 36 | "The Great Explosion" | December 2, 1967 |
| 37 | "Two-Headed Monster Gegera" | December 9, 1967 |
| 38 | "The Dinosaur Trap" | December 16, 1967 |
| 39 | "The Skeleton's Pilotage" | December 23, 1967 |
| 40 | "The Day of Darkness" | December 30, 1967 |
| 41 | "The Indian Princess" | January 6, 1968 |
| 42 | "The Witch and Monster Hiidoro" | January 13, 1968 |
| 43 | "The Cyclops in the Mine" | January 20, 1968 |
| 44 | "Revenge of the Liger Man" | January 27, 1968 |
| 45 | "The Death-bringing Woman" | February 3, 1968 |
| 46 | "The Bat Hag and the Monster Shelgon" | February 10, 1968 |
| 47 | "The Mysterious Gerontium 90" | February 17, 1968 |
| 48 | "The Little Assassins" | February 24, 1968 |
| 49 | "The Bat Man" | March 2, 1968 |
| 50 | "Circus Monster Gablar" | March 9, 1968 |
| 51 | "The Resurrection of Dark Bat" | March 16, 1968 |
| 52 | "The Crumbling of the Nazō Empire" | March 23, 1968 |