Line #55 ShoutOut/HikariSentaiMaskman


1	Here are the different shout-outs of ''Hikari Sentai Maskman'' to various shows and properties.
2
3	!!''Anime/RobotRomanceTrilogy''
4	''Maskman'' was largely inspired by mecha anime like ''[[Anime/CombattlerV Choudenji Robo Combattler V]]'', ''[[Anime/VoltesV Choudenji Machine Voltes V]]'' and ''[[Anime/{{Daimos}} Toushou Daimos]]''.[[note]]Ironically, ''Voltes V'' and ''Daimos'' are also [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff big hits with Filipinos]] like ''Maskman'' is. ''Combattler'' is less of a hit [[AmericansHateTingle comparatively]], but most Filipinos are familiar with the Tagalog dub of the show.[[/note]]
5
6	[[AC:''Anime/CombattlerV'']]
7	* Galaxy Robo's Aura Road [[InconsistentSpelling Spark]]/[[UnfortunateNames Spurt]] is a shout-out to Combattler V's Grand Dasher Wave.
8	* Great Five is [[Franchise/SuperSentai sentai's]] first five-vehicle combiner robot, just like how Combattler V was for [[SuperRobot super robots]], with Voltes V following suit.
9	* Combattler V's [[MagnetismManipulation Choudenji]] [[BlowYouAway Tatsumaki]] ends up not in the heroes' hands but instead in the hands of one of the show's villains. Thief Knight Kiros has a similar signature technique known as the [[TornadoMove Crescent]] [[ThunderboltsAndLightning Screw]].
10	* The girly girl Momoko/Pink Mask, while a tough fighter on her own, has a slight flaw [[spoiler:of low constitution which inflicts her with HeroicRROD for one episode]]. ''Combattler V'''s Chizuru Nanbara wears pink, is actually more feminine despite fighting along with the boys, [[spoiler:and has a valvular heart disease that pushed her to HeroicRROD only for one episode.]]
11
12	[[AC:''Anime/VoltesV'']]
13	* The [[CoolPlane Masky Fighter]] piloted by Takeru/Red Mask looks a lot like the Volt Cruiser piloted by Ken'ichi Gou.
14	* Prince Igam is looked down upon by the rest of Tube for being related to the traitor Princess Iyal, mirroring Prince Heinel's struggles from ''Voltes V''.
15	* Great Five uses a sword to finish off opponents though, which is more of a ''Voltes'' trademark.
16	* One episode had Kenta learning the BarehandedBladeBlock in order to thwart Baraba's scheme, just like Ken'ichi Gou did in ''Voltes V''.
17	* The heroes also have a [[{{Ninja}} kunoichi]] in their group, Haruka/Yellow Mask. Yellow Mask also happens to be one of the primary colors of ''Voltes V'' resident kunoichi Megumi Oka (her piloting suit is yellow with pink accents).
18	* Voltes V having part of Volt Cruiser's [[https://twitter.com/toyoda362/status/1700376764881715275 airplane wings]] serve as a shield is an [[WhatCouldHaveBeen unused concept]] of the anime. However, Great Five ended up recycling that concept, with it bearing an airplane shield made out of the Masky Jet.
19
20	[[AC:''Anime/{{Daimos}}'']]
21	* The main hero's girlfriend is actually the princess of the invaders he fights as in ''Daimos''.
22	* Takeru being a practitioner of karate and learning the [[PowerOfTheGodHand God]] [[LimitBreak Hand]] move seems like a shout-out to Kazuya Ryūzaki's karate background.
23	* Kenta/Black Mask's Masky Rod, a [[StockWushuWeapons multi-section staff]], looks a lot like Daimos's [[MartialArtsStaff Sanryuu Kon]].
24	* Akira/Blue Mask's [[DualWielding Masky Tonfas]] look a lot like Daimos's Battle Break.
25	* Meanwhile, Commander Baraba is similarly named as Barubasu/Balbas from ''Daimos''. They're both bald, wear black eye shadow, have prominent lips[[note]](Baraba wears blue lipstick)[[/note]], and fulfill the same role in the story as TheBrute or TheDragon.
26	* The Galaxy Robo itself is basically Daimos, with its martial arts method of battle, multiple melee weapons, a hands-on finishing move[[note]]Galaxy Robo's Finishing Move is also a death blow known as the Tekken Ōra Gyarakushī (Aura Iron Fist), just like Daimos's Hissatsu Reppuu Seikenzuki (Deadly Gale Holy Fist Thrust)[[/note]], and a truck mode[[note]](Land Galaxy is essentially Daimos in Tranzer mode)[[/note]].
27
28	[[AC:Multiple References]]
29	* Igam serves as the [[ConqueringAlienPrince Garuda/Heinel/Richter]] equivalent or the invader general regularly thwarted by the heroes. Baraba is her [[NobleDemon Girua/Jangal/Balbas]] and Fumin is her [[MoralityPet Miia/Katharine/Raiza]]. Emperor Zeba is also their [[BigBad Oreana/Empress Janera/Emperor Zambajil/King Olban]] while Anagmas is their [[EvilGenius Narua/Warchimedes/Zuhl/Georiya]].
30	* Yellow Mask's [[DeadlyDisc Masky Rotor]] acts as both a heavy-projectile top and an entangling yoyo. This naturally references both Combattler's [[KillerYoyo Choudenji Yoyo]] and Voltes's [[BattleTops Choudenji Goma]].
31	* The truck or trailer mode of the Galaxy Robo--the [[TankGoodness Land Galaxy]]--is actually a ''three-way'' reference to all ''Robot Romance Trilogy'' shows.
32	** The [[RammingAlwaysWorks Grand Dasher mode]] of ''Combattler V''.
33	** The [[https://twitter.com/JcdKaiser/status/1699052222842310747 unused tank mode]] of ''Voltes V''[[note]](this was also referenced in the live-action Filipino remake of ''Voltes V'', ''Series/VoltesVLegacy'')[[/note]].
34	** The pre-transformation wheeled [[TransformingMecha Tranzer/Transer mode]] of ''Daimos''.
35
36	!!Miscellaneous
37
38	[[AC:Anime & Manga]]
39	* Prince Igam [[spoiler:being played by a woman and eventually revealed to be biologically a woman]] is also a borrowed aspect from another 80's mecha anime ''Anime/GodSigma'', in particular the antagonistic noble general Teral who is [[spoiler:a woman posing as a man and voiced by a female actress]].
40	* The Galaxy Robo's visual design is reminiscent of ''Anime/GodMars'' (helmet-like head and boxy body) and, by extension and coincidence, ''WesternAnimation/MightyOrbots''[[note]](whose creators were sued by toy company Tonka or the makers of the ''God Mars'' toys for allegedly [[MediaNotes/{{Plagiarism}} plagiarizing]] the look of God Mars with Mighty Orbots' mech design)[[/note]].
41	* [[KnightOfCerebus Thief Knight Kiros's]] own hidden agenda to [[DragonsPreferPrincesses claim Princess Iyal as his own]] is reminiscent of Prince Sincline's obsession with Princess Fala in ''Anime/GoLion''.
42	* The Maskmen's giant robot "Great Five" slightly resembles the titular mech of ''Anime/DairuggerXV'', especially with its red airplane chest plate and color scheme. They also share similar sword designs. Great Five's Gyro Cutter is not unlike the Spinning Laser Blades either.
43	* The story of [[spoiler:a dying Lethal Doggler birthing an egg to produce his clone progeny, Lethal Doggler II, to enact revenge on the Tube Empire and the Igam Family that killed him]] has shades of what happened in ''Manga/DragonBall'', when [[spoiler:a dying Piccolo Daimaoh spat out an egg that hatched and turned into the current Piccolo, who was originally out to avenge his father against his (Daimaoh's) killer, Son Goku, and all of Goku's allies.]]
44	** Speaking of which, Oyobu looks like a [[Franchise/DragonBall red Namekian]] or a PaletteSwap of [[Characters/DragonBallPiccolo Piccolo]] [[OverlordJr Daimaoh Jr.]] with his pointy ears and bald head[[note]](which should delight fans who still hope for a legit live-action ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' remake since Oyobu's sleek design shows it's doable)[[/note]].
45
46	[[AC:Comic Books]]
47	* Oyobu's design is a shout-out to Franchise/TheFlash. He also sort of has Flash's SuperSpeed when running.
48	* [[UndergroundCity Underground Empire Tube]] is reminiscent of the subterranean society of the [[ServantRace Moloids]] discovered by [[Characters/FantasticFourCentralRoguesGallery Mole Man]] of ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' fame.
49
50	[[AC:Movies & Television]]
51	* Like with ''Daimos'', ''Maskman'' is basically ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' [[RecycledWithAGimmick WITH SUPER SENTAI!]], albeit less so since Princess Iyal is [[PutOnABUs kept on ice]] for most of the story until they neared the climax.
52	* X1 Mask's design looks a lot like the ones used for ''Series/BattleFeverJ'', so much so that fans joke he'd make a decent [[FanNickname Battle Brazil or Ireland]].
53	* Princess Iyal getting [[HumanPopsicle encased in ice]] is reminiscent of how Han Solo was also encased in carbonite in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''.
54	* Underground Empire Tube is reminiscent of the Jashinka Empire from ''Series/KagakuSentaiDynaman'' in that they're both underground societies who've evolved separate from humanity before invading the surface world.
55	* Also of note, when ''Hikari Sentai Maskman'' was released in France, it was renamed ''[[MarketBasedTitle Bioman 2]]'' because of the sheer popularity of ''Series/ChoudenshiBioman'' in the country. In turn, when ''Series/ChoujuuSentaiLiveman'' was also released in France, it was renamed ''[[InNameOnly Bioman 3]]''.
56	** The Maskmen's [[BifurcatedWeapon Laser Magnum]] is a variant of the Bio Gun/Sword. It instead features a [[RetractableWeapon collapsible sword]] hidden within a compartment of the gun.
57	** The Maskmen's [[AirborneAircraftCarrier "Turbo Ranger"]] is seemingly named after the "Bio Turbo" (police) car from ''Bioman'' because it looks like a gigantic flying car or van the size of an aircraft carrier.
58	* In episode 38, Igam's attempt to travel back in time and kill Takeru when he was a child to induce a TemporalParadox is reminiscent of the plots of ''Film/TheTerminator'' and ''Film/BackToTheFuture1''.
59	* Titan Boy from the previous series ''Series/ChoushinseiFlashman'' also looks a lot like Galaxy Robo with its baseball helmet head and boxy body. They're also both auxiliary robots to the main robots of the sentai team with a truck form.
60	* Commander Sanjuro Sugata being played by Hayato Tani is a great [[ActorAllusion allusion]] to his previous role as General Tani in ''Series/TakeshisCastle''.

Context ShoutOut / HikariSentaiMaskman