Osamu Tezuka's Star System

is the name given to the recurring characters in manga created by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Throughout his career, Tezuka frequently re-used the same character designs or names in different roles across his series; for example, the character Shunsaku Ban appears as a detective in Metropolis and as Astro Boy's teacher in Astro Boy. The name alludes to the Hollywood practice of the star system, and can be seen as analogous to film directors who work with the same actors across multiple films; Tezuka joked about how much his characters were paid, and occasionally based them on famous western actors.

Primary characters

Akira Asagumo

Akira Asagumo is the grandson of the scientist Dr. Asagumo. He gets his super human powers from the chemical called "Big X", which gives him the ability that makes him grow and expand without limits. He appeared in Shōnen Bool from 1963 to 1966.

Astro Boy

is a principal "actor". He is shown in the famous manga and assorted versions of the anime as a child robot, usually wearing shorts (which are actually part of his body), identified by his trademark, two pointy "cowlicks" on the front and back of his head. In the manga, his good nature and incorruptible heart, combined with an array of powers, put him on a quest to protect robots and humans from villainous conquerors and alien invaders. He made other appearances in other manga including Black Jack's, in which he plays a major role in at least one story (volume 22 of the English manga release by Dark Horse of Astro Boy) and in the anime Undersea Super Train: Marine Express, in which he is called "Adam". Astro resembles the wooden boy Pinocchio.

Black Jack

is a cold-natured, eerie, yet kindhearted and ingenious surgeon is one of Tezuka's dearest creations, despite the fact that in the present day he receives little credit compared to his rival Astro Boy. Black Jack is, according to Tezuka, his alter ego. Black Jack refuses to get a medical license, due to the corruption within medicine practices, and may run into the legal forces while doing operations (in the 2006 TV anime Black Jack finally gets his license). Despite his outlaw status, he is considered a miracle worker with his incomparable surgical technique and power of diagnostic analysis. His operations are generally over 10 million yen, but he more frequently helps the unfortunate for free or a token payment. He is sometimes accompanied by his short-tempered adopted daughter/assistant, Pinoko and can be recognized by a large cape, loose trench coat, and blue, black or red string tie (depending on the media) with black and white hair, dark eyes, and a graft of dark skin across the upper left of his face. Having learned wit playing with darts as a boy, is a skilled marksman as well as well-trained in martial arts. A statue of Black Jack stands in the Osamu Tezuka Museum beneath a skylight.

Bokko, Pukko and Nokko

Bokko, Pukko and Nokko are a trio of three intergalactic patrollers known as the Amazing 3. They came to Earth to research and destroy it if necessary. They appeared in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from May 1965 to May 1966.

Don Dracula

is a comical vampire who moved from Transylvania to Japan and has a hard time adjusting to the new place. In the animated film Marine Express and the video game Astro Boy: Omega Factor, Don Dracula is a villain who works for Sharaku.

Garon

is a giant robot sent by aliens as a test for Earth's inhabitants. His original comic, Majin Garon, ran in Boukenoh () from July 1959 until July 1962. He is the final boss of the video game Astro Boy: Omega Factor and the secret treasure of Mu.

Ham Egg

, also known as Cachatore, Hammond Eggs, Hamegg, or Simon Sakely (in Jungle Emperor Leo) is a villain with a round head, a thin moustache, a wide grin, curly hair and sometimes a top hat. His name is an obvious play on the words "ham and eggs".

He is primarily known for being a cruel circus manager in Astro Boy. He was also a hotel manager and an organ smuggler in Phoenix. He made other appearances in Astro Boy (such as a gangster or a murderous surgeon). In Kimba the White Lion, he portrays the hunter who kills Kimba's father, Panja, and holds him captive during his infancy.

Higeoyaji

, or Shunsuke Ban, is a bald, portly, middle-aged man with a large chalk-white moustache. He is an often comical and grumpy yet good-natured. He is 42 years old, as mentioned in one of the manga. His facial hair earns him the nickname . In the 1960s English version of the animated Astro Boy, his name was private detective Edgar Pompous, then Percival Pompous. Perhaps because his character was appearing in another animated series based on Tezuka's manga at the time, in the 1980s English animated Astro Boy changed his name to Albert Duncan, and he was given the nickname "Daddy Walrus". His typical role is that of a detective in other Tezuka materials, with sometimes a nephew/assistant named Ken'ichi ("Ken" or "Kennedy" in English versions of the Astro Boy TV series). The 1980s color remake (as well as the original manga) had him appear as Astro Boy's teacher, then as a detective. In the 2003 Astro Boy series, he is called Wally Kisaragi, and in the English-language manga, his "Higeoyaji" nickname is translated as "Mustachio". He is featured as either a regular character or a guest star in any of a number of Tezuka works. Shunsaku Ban is often cast as some sort of adventurer, usually an amateur or professional private investigator. His trademark characteristic is to confront danger with a comical wild-eyed panic, then after a moment recapture his composure and vigorously attack the threat.

Hosuke Sharaku

is a baby-faced young boy with a large head, often sporting a bandage. His main role was in The Three-Eyed One where he is a three-eyed child with evil powers. He has featured in Astro Boy-related media, appearing as the main antagonist in the game Astro Boy: Omega Factor and as a supporting character in the PlayStation 2 game Astro Boy. He was Assaji the apprentice monk in Buddha, still with his bandage. He appeared in the Black Jack anime, also with his bandage. Sharaku's third eye is hidden by the bandage, which suppresses both his power and evil nature.

Kenichi

Kenichi (ケン一 Ken'ichi) is one of Tezuka's oldest and most often cast "actors". Kenichi's character design is borrowed from Dick Huemer's Scrappy, initially confused as "Happie". He is also known as Kenichi Shikishima, which is a name derived from his role in Lost World. Fans gave him this name to help distinguish him, although it is not officially recognized by Tezuka Productions. The Japanese writing of his name, "ケン一" is unique as it is a pun on the number one in Japanese (ichi) written as "一" in kanji, so it is like saying "Kenichi number one". Alternate spellings include "Ken1", "ケン1", and in English he is known as Kennedy or simply Ken. He is often paired with Higeoyaji, who usually takes the role of his uncle.

Kenichi can be recognized by his soft round face with one or several curls poking out of his hair, also known as a cowlick or ahoge. He sometimes has simple dotted cartoon eyes reminiscent of Tintin, but later on he is drawn with more detailed irises. He is also often seen wearing shoes that are half white in the back and dark in the front, but this could be a way of stylizing spats.

Kenichi would often take the role of the main hero in Tezuka's early works, but Tezuka would later revoke his role as the protagonist because he "lacked individuality". The manga world was becoming more focused on more complex characters, and Kenichi embodied the one-dimensional, wholesome, "good boy" status of early childhood, but not much else. Eventually, readers lost interest in him. After he was retired as a main protagonist, he would usually take a supporting role in other stories, such as Astro Boy's classmate and Leo's friend in Jungle Emperor.

In 1954 Tezuka created a manga that was focused on Kenichi as the hero, because he still liked the character very much. In Chief Detective Kenichi (ケン1探偵長), the plot follows Kenichi, who is a young detective solving various crimes with his pet bird Donguri. This would be one of his last roles as the main hero.

Monsieur Ampere

Necktall Norse

Notaarin

Notaarin, also known as Notarlin, is an older, portly character with a round head, sometimes depicted with a moustache and a single hair on the back of his head. He appears as the Superintendent of Police in Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis, also as the Atomic Energy Chairman in the manga version of Nextworld.

Professor Ochanomizu

Professor Ochanomizu is a mentor of Astro Boy; often seen in Black Jack in positions of authority (councilman, company president, etcetera).

Omotanium

Omotanium is not a character per se, but a fictional "substance" à la kryptonite. It has different properties and performs different functions from story to story, such as destroying the brain system of a robot.

Pick

Pick is a young boy who fell to Earth in a meteorite. Garon fell to Earth as well, Pick is actually his heart/conscience, without him he is a soulless monster. Pick is commonly depicted with a "W" on his forehead and wearing overalls. He has appeared in both the Astro Boy and Black Jack manga, sometimes even without Garon. In Astro Boy: Omega Factor, Pick is given the alias and characteristics of Pook a recurring character from Astro Boy.

Pinoko

Pinoko is the loyal assistant and adopted daughter of Dr. Black Jack.

Pippy

Police Inspector Geta

Inspector Tawashi

Inspector Tawashi is a police detective with a distrust of robots and therefore has a feud with both Professor Ochanomizu and Shunsuke Ban. While arrogant and even rude, he eventually comes to respect Astro's courage and abilities, even calling for his assistance in particularly difficult cases. He is often partnered with Chief Nakamura.

Rainbow Parakeet

Rainbow Parakeet is a tall young man with bobbed blue hair, red-tinted sunglasses, a white coat and ascot, and dark pants and gloves. He stars as the title character in his own manga as a thief (à la Lupin III), and as the English cyborg private detective Sherlock Homespun (sometimes written Sherlock Holmespan) in the 1980 Astro Boy anime and Game Boy Advance game Astro Boy: Omega Factor. In the 2003 Astro Boy series he appears as a terrorist named Kato, who has no concrete goal, but regards his terrorism as art.

Riiko

Robita

Robita is a robot who appears in Phoenix manga arcs "Future" and "Resurrection". She also has a minor role in the 1980 Astro Boy animated series and more substantial role in the 2003 Astro Boy animated series (named Nora in the English version and voiced by Jennifer Darling). She also appears in Naoki Urasawa's Pluto manga series.

Rococo

Rococo is an alien mutant created to help evacuate animals from Earth to get away from a toxic cloud.

Rommel

Saboten, Sam

Sam Saboten is a young man who replaced Rock in a series known as Saboten-Kun, mimicking the Hollywood practice of replacing actors during a series of films.

Saruta

Saruta is a stocky man with a huge roundish nose. He appeared as all the Saruta descendants (including Gao) in the Phoenix saga and made some appearances in Buddha. In Black Jack anime series, he appears like Jontaro Honma, the man who reconstructed the body of Black Jack after his accident when he was a kid. He looks somewhat similar to Professor Ochanomizu because he typically has a large, bulbous nose, but he is not the same character.

Sasaki, Kojiro

Kojiro Sasaki is based on and named after the Japanese swordsman. He is known for his energy, quick temper, and sword skills. Although his first appearance was in Benkei, his break-out role was in Ah, We Three. He also appeared in Black Jack, he has appeared in The Crater, Rainbow Parakeet, Lion Books, and the animated film, Marine Express.

Saturn

Saturn is a massive, brutal man with a big chin and a pointy moustache. He appeared as the King of Evil in Magic House and he fought Astro Boy as the robot called Satan.

Shumari

Son Goku

Spider

Spider is a gag character, a cartoonish and short man in a black robe, long nose, one hair, stretching an arm and often bouncing. His catchphrase is "Here ta meet ya!" and he ends almost every sentence by "Ayup!" He vaguely resembles Kilroy.

Tick & Tuck

Tonanshipei

Zephyrus

References

Notes

Part of the Osamu Tezuka Star System with other Tezuka characters is listed and described in the Astro Boy: Omega Factor game, as the "Omega Factor": it is a memory data which raises Astro Boy's power as it levels up. To increase it, Astro has to make full acquaintance of characters throughout the game. This also unlocks biographies of the characters.

External links

Tezuka in English main page on the Osamu Tezuka Star System
Official Tezuka Japan site Characters page