The  green Hornet 1940; Wikimedia Commons

The Green Hornet and Kato 1940; Wikimedia Commons

Like the Lone Ranger, the Green Hornet Britt Reid had a partner of different ethnicity in his fight against crime.

The 1936 radio program The Green Hornet described Britt Reid’s sidekick Kato as Japanese. After the 1939 Japanese invasion of China, Kato was identified only as a faithful valet. Then in the movie serials released in early 1940, he became Korean. By 1941, Kato was referred to as Filipino.