This character or verse has very important lore or story elements, with the profile having spoilers for the story and the fate of said character or verse, avoid reading if one would like to pursue the verse without any spoilers for themself.
Skull Man (スカルマン, Sukaru Man) is a character created by Shotaro Ishinomori, debuting in a 100-page one-shot manga of the same name in 1970. The story was later expanded by Kazuhiko Shimamoto in 1998 and reimagined in a separate anime adaptation in 2007. Recognized as one of manga's first anti-heroes, Skull Man's design directly influenced the creation of Kamen Rider, with elements later incorporated into Kamen Riders 1 and 2. The grasshopper motif was reportedly inspired by a suggestion from Ishinomori's son.
Skull Man's true identity is Tatsuo Kagura (神楽 達男, Kagura Tatsuo), a young man who was subjected to numerous experiments by his parents and the Syndicate leader, Rasputin, granting him extraordinary powers and abilities. When his sister Maya (麻耶) was born, their grandfather, Kogetsu Chisato (千里 虎月, Chisato Kogetsu), killed their parents and nearly did the same to Tatsuo before he was rescued by Garo (ガロ), who later became his trusted partner. Tatsuo was taken in by the Kagura Clan, a yakuza family, and over the following 15 years he honed his powers while living as a fugitive caught in the middle of a public conspiracy. It was during this time that he began his path of vengeance as Skull Man.
After being saved by Garo from one of Chisato’s traps, Tatsuo continued his war against the Syndicate. Viewing himself as nothing more than a killer, he took the name Ryusei Chisato (千里 竜生, Chisato Ryusei), adopting the surname of the grandfather he despised to remind himself of his sins. From his base, the Tiger Moon, he maintained a telepathic link with Maya, keeping them connected despite the dangers. Eventually, Ryusei discovered the truth that his parents were the true leaders of the Syndicate. Accepting their final words to follow the path he believed in, he set out to gather allies and wage open resistance against the Syndicate’s power.
"Mature Content" This character has mature themes and concepts, thus those of young age are ill-advised to look through these.
Skull Man
“
Innocent?! Monster?! Ha! If I'm a monster, then what are you?! Godzilla?! And those people were innocent?! Don't make me laugh! Their labor kept you rich and powerful!! You hide in the shadows and control the world... political parties, bankers, corporations, even religious organizations... Do you dare deny it?! You manipulate TV Stations, newspapers, the police, railroads, and your people benefitted from that too! They grew fat on your crooked largesse!! Your TV stations that rot people's minds... The president of a TV station who keeps popular actress as his mistress! The juvenile delinquent son of a banker! The corrupt members of government who waste taxpayers' money on overseas vacations and then smuggle contraband goods back in when they return! The bodyguard of the government minister who was carrying an illegal weapon! The company that produced military armaments for killing countless people! The cargo freighters that hauled those armaments! Are you saying the people who dirty their hands with these jobs are innocent?! Well?!
„
~ Skull Man in response to Chitose telling him he's killed innocents
“
......... Who is he...? Who is the man who killed my mother and father...? I'll find him. Even if I have to pick apart every blade of grass. And I'll find everyone connected to him. I'll make them fear me, dread me... And then I'll kill them all! I... I am Skull Man!! I will unearth the evil of men - the dirty secrets and sins that they hide. I will chase them to the ends of the Earth, to their death. I am the avenging angel, and I will have their blood on my hands... I am... ...Skull Man!!
„
~ Skull Man's mission
“
Ayase. I am no longer Tatsuo Kagura... I don't use that name anymore. I'm no longer the same man! He was a man... ...Who lived only for revenge. Day and night, nothing but vengeance. I died. He died that day in the fire!! The sins comitted by Tatsuo Kagura died with him. Now I've reclaimed the name of the man I've always hated. I'm Chisato now. Ryusei Chisato!! Ha ha ha! I disappeared once... Extinguished like a shooting star... I think it's an appropriate name for a man who isn't supposed to exist.
General Description:
Skull Man has a tall and muscular build, giving him the imposing figure of a traditional superhero. His physique emphasizes strength and agility, which complements his role as a relentless avenger.
Facial Features:
He wears a distinctive mask covering the upper half of his face, leaving his mouth and jawline exposed. His expression is often smiling. He can also activate his helmet to close off his mouth and jawline area against toxins.
Clothing/Outfit:
Skull Man’s costume is designed in the style of a classic superhero suit which contrasts with him being an anti-hero. It includes a bold emblem on his chest, gloves, and a flowing cape that trails behind him when he moves through the air.
Alternate Forms/Disguises:
Outside his Skull Man identity, he appears as Tatsuo Kagura/Ryusei Chisato, who maintains a far more subdued and ordinary look compared to his costumed persona.
Personality
Carefree but Dual-Natured: As Tatsuo, he often appears lighthearted and easygoing, but when assuming the mantle of Skull Man, he shifts into a colder, more calculating figure. In this state, he is ruthless, cunning, and willing to sacrifice others if it brings him closer to his goal of vengeance.
Unforgiving in Battle: Skull Man rarely shows hesitation when eliminating enemies, viewing them as obstacles to be removed. His single-minded pursuit of justice often manifests through lethal decisiveness.
Capacity for Mercy: Despite his merciless reputation, he has displayed moments of compassion, such as sparing his grandfather after Maya revealed the truth of their origins. These rare instances suggest an underlying conflict within him.
Loyal to Companions: Tatsuo maintains a close bond with his childhood protector, Garo, refusing to leave his side. His loyalty underscores a reliance on personal connections despite his otherwise grim persona.
Self-Loathing and Transformation: After narrowly surviving Chisato’s trap, Tatsuo’s bitterness turned inward, leading him to take on the name of the man he once despised. This act symbolized both self-hatred and a redefinition of his identity.
Growing Social Awareness: Over time, he became more willing to connect with others, even forming unlikely bonds with former enemies such as psychic Maria and the wasp woman Yuka Kuroki, who later stood as his allies.
Relationships
Maria
Skull Man intially sends out Garo to fight and stop Maria from obtaining a disk, resulting in a fight where Garo crushes her wind pipe, however Maria is able to regenerate this. Back at her apartment, another one of the hired assassins tries to kill her for failing her goal but Skull Man comes to rescue her. Once Skull man returns back to his lair, she tries to come with the assassin to kill Skull Man, however he probes her mind to find out who their leader's name is and then saves her from the building burning due to his powers going out of control. He accidentally leaks his memories into her, having him worried that she may go insane, though she tries to attack him, he quickly pacifies her and warns her that her organization is after her.
She's later kidnapped by the organization and they attempt to get into her mind to learn the secrets of Skull Man, but she instead gains his powers due to their souls being bonded, Skull Man eventually enters her mind to help her escape, but Rasputin sets a self-destruct to the entire base due to how dangerous Maria has become, Maria tells Skull Man to leave her mind and let her die there with Ryusei wanting to stay with her until the very last moment.
Goro Ayase
Goro Ayase was an old schoolfriend of Kagura who was jealous of him due to his many talents, considering him a rival. He attempted to fight and kill him but lost, though Kagura spared him as he viewed him as a friend and refused to kill him. When leaving, Kagura got caught in a trap and was about to die but Goro killed the guy and saved him. He tells Kagura he always considered him his best friend and mutated himself as he couldn't stand the idea of him being better than him and he had to close the gap as much as he could. Though he does tell Kagura when the time comes and the organization orders him to kill Kagura, he will come to kill him.
When he is given the orders, he goes to fight Skull Man, in their final fight, Skull Man defeats him and wishes him off as he dies.
His mask serves as a multi-functional piece of headgear, not only does it hide his identity, it also is equipped with machines that can cover his mouth from spores and poisons, and has a built in antenna for communication with Maya.
Firearm
A firearm Skull Man has equipped. He can easily get headshots with it.
Explosives
Explosives that allow him to destroy entire research facilities.
Standard Tactics: Skull Man normally uses his gun and weapons along with his pyrokinesis and hypnosis, if his life is in peril, he will automatically use incredible burst of psychic energy.
Not to be confused with Skull Man, the Robot Master from Mega Man 4 who is likely inspired by him.
Trivia
Skull Man is the one-shot manga made by the same creator of Cyborg 009 and the Kamen Rider series.
Skull Man erved as the basis for his much more popular creation, Kamen Rider, and was made by him while developing the show. Because the one-shot manga was deemed too dark, Kamen Rider had many changes made to its content.
Interestingly, Skull Man's backstory as a psychic mutant is also similar to one of Shotaro Ishinomori's later creations, Inazuman in 1973.
Several characters in the Kamen Rider franchise have drawn inspiration from Skull Man, either directly based on him or incorporating skull-themed motifs:
Skull Rider – Kamen Rider Spirits
Kamen Rider Yuuki (Skull Form) – Saraba Kamen Rider Den-O: Final Countdown
Kamen Rider Skull – Kamen Rider W
Kamen Rider Fifteen – Heisei Rider vs. Showa Rider: Kamen Rider Taisen feat. Super Sentai
Kamen Rider Chaser / Plain Roidmude – Kamen Rider Drive
Kamen Rider Ghost (Ore Damashii) – Kamen Rider Ghost
Kamen Rider Genm (Zombie Gamer) – Kamen Rider Ex-Aid
Another Riders – Kamen Rider Zi-O
Another New 1 – Kamen Rider: Reiwa The First Generation
Kamen Rider Lucifer – Kamen Rider Zero-One: REAL×TIME
Kamen Rider Saber (Primitive Dragon) / Desast – Kamen Rider Saber
Kamen Rider Century (Century Break) – Kamen Rider: Beyond Generations
