MONSTER-MASTER

Real Name: Toru Tarakoto

Identity/Class: Human technology user;
    Japanese citizen

Occupation: Research scientist

Group Membership: Project: Delta

Affiliations: Communist China, Fujiko and Goro Watanabe, Zoga the Unthinkable

Enemies: Iron Man (Tony Stark), Goro Watanabe;
    Americans in general

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Monster of Death

Base of Operations: a barren island in the Sea of Japan

First Appearance: Iron Man I#30 (October, 1970)

Powers/Abilities: The Monster-Master wore a suit of armor and used a sword. He designed and controlled Zoga, a giant dragon creature.

History:
(Iron Man I#30 (fb) - BTS) - Toru sought to takeover Japan and purge it of Yankee invaders. He became so fanatical in this desire that he allied himself with Communist Chinese, who financed his development of Zoga. Toru adopted the costumed identity of the Monster-Master. The energies utilized in creating Zoga were detected by Toru's research superior, Goro Watanabe. Feigning ignorance, Toru helped Goro in establishing Project: Delta, apparently to investigate these energies.

 

 

 

(Iron Man I#30) - Toru, Fujiko, and Goro were present in the laboratory of Fujiyama Industries, where Iron Man demonstrated the power of his tractor beams and energy rays. Toru suggested that Iron Man might help with Project: Delta. Iron Man proved agreeable and accompanied them on a trip to the island. As they investigated, Toru got ahead of everyone else and then suddenly vanished, after which Zoga confronted and attacked the others. Zoga incapacitated Iron Man and drove off the Japanese who accompanied them, though they did take Iron Man with them. The Monster-Master then guided Zoga back to the Chinese Communists.

 

    Toru later returned to Goro and Fujiko, claiming to have been knocked out during Zoga's attack, but to have escaped. Later, Zoga appeared over Japan, assaulting an oil refinery and easily shrugging off assaults by anti-aircraft cannons. Iron Man flew after Zoga, but it escaped his detection. Zoga was later attacked by the Japanese Air Force, and Iron Man followed the fight to confront Zoga again, and was again knocked from the sky. However, Iron Man recovered and continued the assault, while Goro readied a weapon that Iron Man had instructed him to bring. Iron Man dodged Goro's next energy blast, which struck Goro's parabolic mirror and was reflected back on Zoga's eye, causing Zoga to overheat and crash to the ground. Iron Man pulled the Monster-Master from Zoga's head and unmasked him as Toru, who shouted out his mission before dying.

Comments: Created by Allyn Brodsky, Don Heck, and Chic Stone.

    Is Allyn Brodsky Sol's wife?

    Good plot. Toru suggested that they bring Iron Man in to assist in Project: Delta, the investigation of his activities as the Monster-Master. And, of course, Iron Man foiled his plot.

    I'm not really certain what Project Delta was. Initially it seemed to be the investigation of the Monster-Master and his creations. However, the Chinese Communists called Zoga Project D, indicating that perhaps Project D was actually the development of Zoga...which would mean that Goro was allied with Toru?

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

Project D and Project Delta have no known connection to:

Fujiko and Goro Watanabe have no known connection to:

Zoga has no known connection to:

Project: Delta

Formed by Goro Watanabe and Toru Tarakoto in response to the detection of highly sophisticated electromagnetic emissions coming from a barren island in the Sea of Japan. These emissions were, of course, released from the energies powering Zoga.

--Iron Man I#30

Fujiko Watanabe

Daughter and secretary to Goro, she was also the lover of Toru and did not suspect that he was secretly the Monster-Master. However, she also disliked America, and despised the idea of American technology overshadowing that of Japan.

--Iron Man I#30

 

 

 

Goro Watanabe

A research scientist and father of Fujiko, his equipment detected the energies released by the creation of Zoga, and he formed Project Delta with his assistant, Toru. He apparently did not know that Toru had created Zoga. He worked with Iron Man to defeat Zoga and the Monster-Master. He pleaded in vain to the Japanese Defense Conference about Zoga, and he brought the parabolic mirror at Iron Man's request, which destroyed Zoga.

 

--Iron Man I#30

 

 

 

Zoga the Unthinkable

 

    It is a giant robot dragon designed by Toru with the support of the Communist Chinese. Its construction was performed on a barren island in the Sea of Japan, which was rumored to be inhabited by Zoga, the Unthinkable Demon. Capitalizing on this superstition, Toru named his robot Zoga and used it to in his plot to conquer Japan for himself so that he could expel the Americans and bring Japan to the head of technological development. It easily overpowered Iron Man on more than one occasion, but it was destroyed when its eyebeams were reflected back on it. It was also known as Project D

 

    Zoga was apparently 25 to 35' tall, possessed superhuman strength (Class 75-100) and durability. It could fly at great speeds, breath fire, and project laser beams from its eyes. It was piloted from within the dragon's head, and it also had a sophisticated radar blocking unit.

 

--Iron Man I#30

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

images:
Iron Man I#30, cover
    p10, panel 6
    p16, panel 2 (Toru)
    p11, panel 7 (Fujiko)
    p3, panel 6 (Goro)
    p6, panel 2 (Zoga)

Last updated: 07/05/14

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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