Ryo Asuka

"X1 Mask!"

Ryo Asuka (飛鳥 リョオ, Asuka Ryō, 39): A former disciple of Chief Sugata who was chosen to be part of the M-Project, which gave him the ability to transform into X1 Mask (X1マスク, Ekkusu Wan Masuku), a predecessor to the main Maskman team.

History
Ryo abandoned Sugata's unit after his girlfriend Yuko was killed during an ambush by Tube, causing Ryo to doubt his ability to protect the world since he was unable to protect the woman he loved. Ryo arrives to help the Maskman team when they are overpowered by Magma Doggler. With Takeru's help, Ryo regains his self-confidence and assists the team in defeating Magma Doggler, but at the cost of his powers. At the end, he leaves the Maskman team to teach martial arts to children with a renewed sense of hope.

Ryo did not participate in the Great Legend War because he had already lost his powers.

Portrayal
Ryo Asuka is portrayed by Shinji Higashi. As X1 Mask, his suit actor was Naoki Ōfuji (大藤直樹).