I haven’t written about my beloved Tiger Mask W cartoon in a minute and I’m falling behind the current episodes which are getting good. So let me get to work on recapping Episode 10, which opens with Tiger Mask vs. a mysterious and sexy opponent named “Mr. Question.”
This Indian grappler wears a turban and white bodysuit with a bright red question mark highlighted by a phallic yellow design on his chest. His gimmick is his extreme flexibility thanks to Yoga training, which enables him to resist Tiger’s bendy submission holds.
The bendy bastard can get stiff when he wants to…
Tiger Mask doesn’t use many submission holds, but in this match when he finally decides to attempt an Ab Stretch and Camel Clutch, the holds ironically have no effect on his flexible opponent. Tired of serving as Tiger’s stretch-toy, Mr. Question stiffens up and gets aggressive, thrusting his foot repeatedly into Tiger’s abs.
Watching from the back, we see Tiger Mask’s foe, the evil Yellow Devil (who injured our hero’s trainer back in Episode #1.) This trope is often used in the Tiger Mask series: the villain watching and savoring our hero’s degradation and punishment. It’s very voyeuristic and humiliating for the Good Guy to be seen as weak.
The name “Mr. Question” was perhaps chosen to add an aura of mystery to this exotic Asian fighter. Who is he under that mask? How did he become so elastic and bendy? But as we consider his flexible fighting style, pretty green eyes, and the phallic symbols on the front and back of his costume, another “question” comes to mind — the question of Mr. Question’s sexual orientation. For example, check out the third image in the below Power-Bomb collage:
Is the real question presented by this odd Mr. Question a question of which way he swings?
And to take the queer narrative a step further, is Tiger Mask perhaps questioning his own sexuality as he rolls around shirtless with this exotic, presumably handsome, and flexible playmate?
Oh fuck yeah, a Sleeper Hold! Tiger Mask is now held at the mercy of his dominant opponent who could finish him off and then do whatever to him. I believe this may be the first appearance of this draining, dangerous finishing hold in the Tiger Mask W series — used here to emphasize Mr. Question’s power over a suddenly submissive Tiger.
But Tiger Mask does not want to appear weak in the eyes of his bitter foe — Yellow Devil. Just before fading off to sleep, he catches sight of the evil freak at the back of the arena, witnessing and enjoying his helpless situation. Tiger Mask is suddenly filled with rage and able to power out of the deadly Sleeper.
Tiger Mask resolves the question presented by Mr. Question — rejecting him by defeating him. Our hetero-sexual hero refuses to submit to Mr. Question’s exotic weakeners, rolling the Yoga master into a submissive position to pin him, his legs spread apart and his yellow-colored ass pointed upwards.
It was the sight of Yellow Devil that inspired Tiger Mask to man up and seize control. Perhaps the real question in this episode is the true reason behind our hero’s obsession with Yellow Devil. Perhaps Tiger’s desire to dance with the Devil reveals that he is seeking something other than revenge.