Tiger Mask, the fierce heel wrestler feared in the United States, had a change of heart upon his return to Japan. While at the same orphanage where he grew up, a young boy expressed his dream of becoming a villain wrestler like Tiger Mask. Fearing the boy's misguided idolization, Tiger Mask instead decided to become a hero wrestler.
The manga and anime's main antagonists were the members of Tiger's Cave, a covert organization that trained aspiring wrestlers to become ruthless heels, with the condition of sharing their earnings. Despite being a former member, Tiger Mask refused to align himself with them and chose to support the orphanage with his earnings, which infuriated the organization's leader. Consequently, Tiger Mask faced numerous attacks from killers, including fellow professional wrestlers.
While the story's setting and characters were mostly fictional, Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba, two prominent professional wrestlers, were featured in the manga and anime.
