Sasaki, Kojiro

Also known as 佐々木小次郎 (Sasaki Kojirō)

Hello, My Name (in English) is…

Sasaki Kojiro is named after the real-life Japanese master swordsman who may have lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods and is known primarily for the story of his battle with Miyamoto Musashi in 1612, where Sasaki was killed.

Distinguishing Features

You can spot Sasaki Kojiro by his long, oval-shaped face and flat hooked nose. Regardless of the story – be it historical drama, contemporary action or futuristic sci-fi adventure, he’s usually seen carrying a real or bamboo practice sword. on his back

Status: Secondary Star (★★)

Kojiro Sasaki is a bundle of energy. Given his quick temper, and the skill and constancy with which he handles a (usually bamboo) sword, he’s a specialist at playing the “right-hand man” and/or “closely matched rival” sort of roles. As such, he usually appears as part of a team, gang, or group of henchmen. However, he’s also usually a bit of the loner or outcast.

Notable Roles

Although his break-out (and namesake) role was in Oh! We Three (1956), one could make the argument that he first appeared in Benkei (1954). Regardless, he’s probably most well-known for a pair of roles. The first was in The Film is Alive (1958), where he share a close relationship with the main protagonist, Miyamoto Musashi. He was also memorable appearances as Sasaki Kojiro, the replacement for Number 5 in Number 7 (1961). He also appeared in The Tornado Voyage (1963-64), and later on, in the Black Jack (1978) chapter “Move, Solomon!” in which Miyamoto Musashi also shows up.

With such a long career, he has appeared in The Crater (1969-70), Rainbow Parakeet (1981-82), and Lion Books (1971-73) a few times each, plus many appearances in other, lesser-known, Tezuka manga series.

Manga Appearances

If you spot an appearance not already listed, please let us know in the comments section below!

1954

Benkei as “the official from Atakanoseki” (TBC)

1956

Oh! We Three as “Sasaki Kojiro”

1957

Lion Books (“Multiple-eyed Devil”) as “Sasaki”
Battle at Hitokui Cape as “Wareta”

1958

The Film is Alive as “Sasaki Kojiro”

1960

Secret Order No.3 as “a passenger”
Captain Ken as “Larry Reaper”

1963

The Tornado Voyage

1964

Dove, Fly Up to Heaven

1965

Astro Boy (“Slippery Catfish in Imminent Danger”) as “the truck driver”

1969

The Crater (“The Bell Tolls”)
The Crater (“The Snow Man”) as “the skier”

1970

Gachaboi’s Biography

1971

Lion Books [One Hundred Tales] (“Wandering”) as “the samurai”

1972

Lion Books (“Muddy March”) as “a reporter”
Buddha as

1973

Lion Books (“The Distant Planet”) as “a neighbor”
Black Jack (“Miyuki and Ben“) as “a member of Ben’s gang”
Black Jack (“A Girl who became a Bird”) as “a spectator at the man-powered flight contest”

1974

Black Jack (“The Pirate’s Arm”) as “the guy playing shogi with Icchin”
Black Jack (“Captain Park”) as “one of the stowaways”
Black Jack (“Pure Chinese Restaurant”) as “Dr. Yo”
Black Jack (“Two Loves”) as “an onlooker”

1975

Black Jack (“Stradivarius”) as “Dr. Yo”
Black Jack (“Wolf Girl”) as “a person in line”
Black Jack (“You Did It!”) as “a police officer”
Black Jack (“The Sewer Way”) as “an apartment tenant”
Black Jack (“Abnormal Pregnancy”) as “the patient’s husband”
Astro Boy (“Astro Boy II”) as “a reasearcher at the Minister of Science”

1976

Black Jack (“Timeout”) as “a policeman”
Black Jack (“Third Time’s The Charm”) as “Yonekura”
Black Jack (“Tenacity”) as “a medical student”
Black Jack (“Money! Money! Money!”) as “

1977

Black Jack (“Black and White”) as “a policeman”
Black Jack (“The Wall”) as “Ken’s classmate”
Tenteke March as “Sanpei’s superior”

1978

Black Jack (“The Kuroshio: A Memoir”) as “the patient’s father”
Black Jack (“Move, Solomon!”) as “the animator”
Futureman Kaos as “a rebel soldier on the planet Dafness”

1981

The Rainbow Parakeet (“Hamlet“) as “Inako Kogawa’s bodyguard”
The Rainbow Parakeet (“Cyrano de Bergerac“) as “the doctor”

1987

Ludwig B as “the Marquis Velman’s man”