Kato (The Green Hornet)
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Kato is a fictional character from the Green Hornet radio program. This character has also appeared with the Green Hornet in film, television, book and comic book versions as well. Kato was the Hornet's sidekick and had been played by a number of actors including Keye Luke and, in the television series, Bruce Lee.
Kato was the Green Hornet's driver and bodyguard who donned a mask to help him in his adventures. Years before the series, Britt Reid had saved Kato's life while travelling in the Philippines. Depending on the version of the story, this prompted Kato to become Reid's servant or friend.
Kato was originally presented as being Filipino of Japanese ancestry. After the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor the program played up his Filipino heritage and played down his Japanese roots. This led to the mistaken assumption of many fans that the writers had changed Kato's nationality.
Kato was a skilled driver, fighter and mechanic in all versions of the story. In the television series he also became an expert in kung fu. It was due in part to Bruce Lee's portrayal of this character that kung fu became popular in the United States in the 1960s and the show's popularity in Hong Kong led to Lee making the feature films that would make him a film icon.
In the 1990s a comic book adaptation of The Green Hornet established a continuity between the different versions of the story. In the comic, the Bruce Lee version of Kato was the son of the Kato from the radio stories. The comic also established a new Kato, a much younger sister of the television character. This female Kato also insisted on being treated as the Hornet's full partner rather than a sidekick.
Many consider Bruce Lee's portrayal of the character the chief reason why The Green Hornet is still considered a viable property. To that end, proposed feature film adaptations typically make the casting of Kato, usually some major martial arts film star, the top priority for such a project.
In the Black Mask action film series, the title character typically strongly resembles Kato in costume.