Mr. Moto

Mr. I. O. Moto is a fictional Japanese secret agent created by the American author John P. Marquand and much like the fictional Chinese detective Charlie Chan. Moto is small in stature but strong and an expert in judo. He was the hero of a series of books, beginning with No Hero (1935; British title: Mr. Moto Takes a Hand), and of eight films between 1937 and 1939, in which he was portrayed by Peter Lorre. With the beginning of World War II, Mr. Moto fell out of favor with Americans, and no new books or movies about him appeared between 1942 and 1957.