Tezuka’s Stars (B)

Born in Aomori Prefecture in October 1927, Noboru Baba moved to Tokyo in 1949 to begin a career as a manga artist, soon making a name for himself drawing manga for young boys. However, in Tezuka's manga he seems to have fallen on hard times, and is most...

Self-absorbed and cocky, Bandaka is primarily a highly skilled bandit archer. An early rival of Siddhartha's, vying for the lovely Princess Yashodara, he eventually connives and bullies his way to having himself named the heir to the Shakyan kingdom...

A bewitching and enchanting woman, Barbara is, at the same time, both an artist's muse and a slutty alcoholic. She can inspire men to greatness while driving them to madness, and ultimately leave them begging for to return - something that her co-star...

The protagonist of the manga biography Ludwig B (1988), Ludwig is a brash young man with a huge musical talent and a desire to be the best.

Noble and heroic, Ben comes from the pantheon of Tezuka animal heroes, such as Dan, the tiger and titular character from Brave Dan (1962) and Don, another canine hero who appears in the Lion Books chapter "Muse and Don" (1972).

Biwamaru is a blind travelling hermit whose humble appearance belies his considerable hidden skills. As a member of the supporting cast, he usually offers the protagonist advice or assistance, but it comes in the form of a lesson... and not always an...

With his distinctive look, with a large scar across his face and a streak of white running through his jet black hair, Black Jack has a rather ominous appearance. However, this gruff and heartless exterior conceals a heart of gold.

An advanced robot with powerful combat capacity and a flying robotic horse, the Blue Knight is a champion of robot rights and has the capacity to enable other robots to rebel against human commands.

In her main co-starring role, she is cast as Captain Bokko, the leader of the "Wonder 3", a crack team of agents sent to Earth by the Milky Way Confederation to determine if the planet is worth preserving or should be wiped out. So she, along with her...

A bit of a roughneck, ruffian and a drunkard, Bolorkin usually finds himself cast in the rough and tumble roles of a dock worker, a cowboy, or a slave-trader. His drinking seems to have been a career-limiting factor though, as many of his later appearances...

Bongo is a Tarzan-like character based in the Amazon Jungle rather than deepest, darkest Africa. Raised by animals, and a descendant of the Incans, Bongo protects his jungle home from those who come seeking the treasures of his fore-fathers.

Born into the nobility, but raised by pirates, Brad is strong, noble and brave, but with a mischievously dashing wild streak. He and Sapphire feel a strong attraction for each other - much to the chagrin of Franz who is, unknowingly, Brad's younger ...

Characteristic of Tezuka's early adventures, when the villains still had a warm and friendly core, Buku Bukku is more corrupt than truly evil. He is certainly less the villain than Skunk Kusai, or even Acetylene Lamp. 

Another of Tezuka’s scientist and doctor characters, Butaru Makeru has made an appearance in many of his manga series. However, unlike Dr. Ochanomizu and Dr. Hanamaru, who always have the good of science and mankind in mind, Butaru Makeru is frequently a...

With a kingfisher-like laughter, Butanagi seems to be a seahorse-like prototype of a pigeonfish, but is actually said to be the pupa of the wild boar.