Nanairo Kamen(1959)

Nanairo Kamen is a tokusatsu series that premiered on NET (now TV Asahi) in 1959 as Toei Company's first superhero show. The black-and-white series follows a masked vigilante fighting crime across seven story arcs, spanning 57 episodes through June 1960. Created by Kōhan Kawauchi, who also developed Moonlight Mask, the show became a landmark in Japanese television. The series is particularly notable as the debut vehicle for actor Sonny Chiba, who took over the title role at age 19 midway through the run. Nanairo Kamen established the template for tokusatsu heroes that would define Japanese pop culture for decades to come.