Many Western fans know Japanese wrestling for hard-hitting epics in such veins as Strong Style of New Japan Pro-Wrestling or the King’s Road Style of All Japan Pro Wrestling, but the sport as it exists in Japan takes influence from all manner of pro wrestling. As such, it’s not uncommon to see lucha libre influence in Japanese wrestling — not only in the in-ring style, but also in the form of masks.
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As such, Japanese wrestling features some truly outrageous masks worn by competitors, some of whom have been hailed as the greatest in the sport. Let’s take a look at 10 of these crazy masks.
10 El Desperado
Following an excursion into Mexico, New Japan Young Lion Kyosuke Mikami made his return as the masked El Desperado at Wrestle Kingdom 8, issuing a challenge to Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Since then — whether as part of Minoru Suzuki’s Suzuki-Gun faction or as one of Just Five Guys with SANADA and company — Despy has proven to be a junior heavyweight standout in NJPW, holding the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship twice and the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship four times. On top of his in-ring achievements, El Desperado has an instantly recognizable mask, with a striking look bolstered by face paint and contact lenses.
9 Gran Naniwa
Western fans may not be familiar with the masked, crab-like Gran Naniwa, at least by name, but some may have had some experience watching his matches if they’re devoted ECW fans. Gran Naniwa was part of the Michinoku Pro contingent that wrestled for ECW in 1997 and 1998. While Naniwa wasn’t in the landmark six-man tag team match at Barely Legal 1997 that included Great Sasuke and TAKA Michinoku, Naniwa was in another fast-paced six-man tag team match that went down a couple months earlier at another ECW event. Sadly, in 2010 Gran Naniwa died of a heart attack at the age of 33.
8 Tiger Mask W
Originally debuting in the 1980s, the Tiger Mask gimmick was originally inspired by the manga/anime of the same name, with the man behind the mask, Satoru Sayama, proving highly influential in the junior heavyweight style of wrestling. In 2016, a new Tiger Mask anime was produced, Tiger Mask W, which featured New Japan wrestlers appearing on the show.
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As a result, some cross-promotion was in order, and Kota Ibushi was enlisted to portray a real-life version of the new Tiger Mask, complete with an impressive mask that was accurate to the design in the show.
7 Command Bolshoi
For fans unfamiliar with Command Bolshoi, the obvious clown-like design of her mask may lead some to write her off. Debuting in 1991 as Bolshoi Kid, the future Command Bolshoi was indeed a comedy character, but over the years she evolved into one of the great Japanese female wrestlers — one capable of delivering impressive flying moves as well as technical work. Mostly sticking to Japan Women’s Pro- and its successor, JWP Joshi Puroresu, Command Bolshoi ended up retiring in 2019.
6 Curry Man
The only Japanese wrestling mask on this list to be portrayed by an American wrestler, many die-hard fans already know that Curry Man — the only wrestler with a plate of curry on his head — was the alter ego of Christopher Daniels thanks to the gimmick’s appearances in Impact Wrestling in the 2000s. What they might not know, however, is that the gimmick first appeared in Japan. Curry Man made his debut in a tournament held by Michinoku Pro that exclusively focused on masked wrestlers, with the typically unmasked Daniels donning the Curry Man persona as part of the tournament.
5 Biomonster DNA
Atsushi Onita’s Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling was the promotion that introduced the world to exploding barbed wire death matches, but it also had its share of masked wrestlers, most famously the legendary Hayabusa. But there were also a number of horror-themed characters, including the arachnid-human hybrid Biomonster DNA, who wore a full bodysuit and a mask to match. In a promotion full of explosions and blood, Biomonster DNA is arguably one of the more insane creations of the company even before one finds out that the wrestler dropped the gimmick in kayfabe because his mother wrote him a heartfelt letter.
4 Any Of BUSHI’s Entrance Masks
Originally a product of the AJPW Dojo, BUSHI eventually made his way to NJPW in 2012, joining the Los Ingobernables De Japon faction in 2015. Aside from founding member EVIL, BUSHI was easily the wrestler who most enthusiastically adopted the group’s pseudo-gothic aesthetic. For proof, one only needs to look at his entrance masks.
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Already a masked wrestler, BUSHI often comes to the ring wearing an entrance mask on top of his normal mask, and they’re often outrageous. Sometimes his entrance mask has been Venom-like (complete with a big tongue), and other items they’re even more conceptual, like a skull inside of a broken pumpkin.
3 El Samurai
Joining the New Japan Dojo in the 1980s, Osamu Matsuda went on excursion to Mexico in the early 1990s, returning to NJPW under a mask with a new lucha libre inspired gimmick: El Samurai. During his time in NJPW, El Samurai proved to be an impressive standout in the junior heavyweight division. In mid-1997, he defeated Jushin Thunder Liger to win the J-Crown, a title that was eight junior heavyweight championships at the same time. If his in-ring skills weren’t enough, he also had a very cool mask that appropriately resembled a samurai helmet.
2 Kuishinbo Kamen
Hilariously, Command Bolshoi wasn’t the only clown-themed comedy wrestler in Japan. Debuting in 1999, Kuishinbo Kamen has been a staple in Osaka Pro Wrestling, an indie promotion that combines comedy and high-flying lucha libre. Besides having a delightful mask, one of Kuishinbo Kamen’s claims to fame is his rivalry with famed Japanese comedy wrestler Ebessan (a.k.a. Kikutaru), which resulted in some classic bouts. Believe it or not, Kuishinbo Kamen actually managed to make his way to the states, teaming with fellow Japanese wrestlers NOSAWA and the aforementioned Ebessan against Chris Sabin, Elix Skipper, and Sonjay Dutt on an episode of Impact Wrestling’s weekly TV show.
1 Jushin Thunder Liger
Like Tiger Mask, Jushin Thunder Liger was inspired by another piece of media, in this case an anime called Jushin Liger, from Devilman creator Go Nagai. With one of the more over-the-top masks in wrestling, Liger the wrestler proved to be one of the all-time great junior heavyweight wrestlers, an icon of NJPW who also innovated the Shooting Star Press. Much like how the protagonist of the anime could transform into the “beast god” Jushin Liger, the wrestler was able to transform as well, adopting a demonic persona called Kishin Liger whenever someone tried to unmask him.
