A suit actor portrays characters that are inhuman in appearance, such as henshin (i.e., transforming heroes),
kaiju, and
robots, by wearing a performance costume. Notable examples include
Haruo Nakajima, the first suit actor to play Godzilla (later succeeded by
Kenpachiro Satsuma for the Heisei films who portrayed the
Gill-man in
Creature From the Black Lagoon. Within the genre of transforming heroes, past productions had an actor double as the costumed hero and their civilian form. For example, in a style that would influence future
tokusatsu productions,
Seven Color Mask featured acrobatic stunts performed by
Sonny Chiba. Similarly, early episodes of the first
Kamen Rider had in-costume stunts by
Hiroshi Fujioka. Toei's
Super Sentai franchise has also had their costumed actors double. There are even cases where a suit actor might appear out-of-costume as a guest character. Before achieving their big breaks in film and television, many suit performers start out as cheaply contracted actors. Usually, to preserve their reputation for future roles, suit actors may avoid identifying themselves. However, for more notable productions such as
Godzilla and
Ultraman, many performers have openly embraced their roles. For example, the inimitable acting style of
Kamen Rider performers Tetsuya Nakashiki and Seiji Takaiwa are great sources of pride. Furthermore, the recent influx in the popularity of
tokusatsu has allowed fans and entertainers such as
Rena Matsui to become more vocal about their love and respect for the art of suit acting. Some children's theater productions may also include suit acting in the form of costumed dolls, which are also performed by actors on-stage. Likewise, mascot characters are usually performed by non-professional or part-time workers. A notable example originates from the Hokkaido TV Broadcasting (HTB) program
How Do You Like Wednesday?, where the network's mascot On-chan was played by amateur character actor Akira Yasuda. By contrast, professional baseball team mascots are assigned to individuals who can perform complex maneuvers while on the field. While these actors usually are not identified, former Hankyu Braves/Orix Blue Wave member Osamu Shimano is one of the few individuals who was credited. == Word origin ==