The Golden Bat

Common card · No. 266821

The Golden Bat (Japanese: 黄金 バット, Hepburn: Ōgon Batto or simply just Ōgon Bat; known as Fantoma in the English version of the anime), is a Japanese superhero created by Suzuki Ichiro and Takeo Nagamatsu in the autumn of 1930 who originally debuted in a kamishibai (paper theater). Golden Bat is considered by some to be not only the first-ever superhero in Japanese media, but also the first modern-day superhero anywhere in the world. The Golden Bat also predates later superhero characters such as the Japanese kamishibai character Prince of Gamma (debut early 1930s), and the American comic book characters Superman (debut 1938) and Batman (debut 1939). The franchise's storylines generally depict Ōgon Bat, a mysterious cackling, albeit heroic skull-faced warrior fighting against the evil Dr. Nazō and his gang who wants to dominate the world and destroy all order. Ōgon Bat later appeared in numerous Japanese pop culture media, including manga, anime, and Japanese films, as well as toys (including...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Takeo Nagamatsu, Public domain