Shunsaku Ban is, without a doubt, one of Tezuka's most important Stars. He takes the prize in practically every category, earliest appearances, longest serving, most appearances, etc. However, despite all those appearances, he is, almost without exception, true to his core. Most often cast in the role of a spirited, if not particularly sophisticated, middle-aged man, who is also warm-hearted with a burning sense of justice.
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.
Saruta, like a lot of good character actors, has seen it all. No one else in Tezuka’s Star System has quite been through the wringer like Saruta. He’s a specialist at suffering. In almost every role he’s ever taken, he’s given the task of showing both the darker side of human nature, while at the same time demonstrating the human capacity to persevere and ultimately transcend the suffering that shapes our lives.
Rock Holmes is the bad boy we all love. One of Tezuka's most popular and versatile Stars,hehas an arc like no other - spanning the entire gambit from ardent boy hero, to the truly pshchopathic villain, Rock has done it all... and then some.
Dr. Ochanomizu is the most beloved of Tezuka’s many mad scientist/doctor characters. While he dabbles with powers beyond his control as much as the next mad scientist, Dr. Ochanomizu is almost unfailingly an ally of mankind and of universal peace and friendship. Sometimes he may be a robotocist, sometimes a medical doctor, sometimes as a simple face in a crowd of scientists, but when he does appear, he is almost always a trusted father figure with the best interests of the world at heart.
Hyoutan-Tsugi actually represents the fruiting body of a kind of Japanese mushroom, and is based on a sketch Tezuka’s sister did when she was very young. This strange little figure has become Tezuka’s signature, in a way, appearing in essentially every work he ever wrote in some strange form or another.
The ubiquitous Chikara Aritake appears as a supporting character in an infinite variety of minor parts, good and evil, military and civilian, scientist and patient. His appearance list reads like an index of the works of Tezuka, and frequently he plays two or three parts in the same story, simply because his presence is so neutral that he fades into the background.
Zero Men (1959-60) was Tezuka's follow-up to Dr. Thrill (1959) in Weekly Shonen Sunday, and was originally serialized from September 13, 1959 to December 11, 1960. Much like The Adventure of Rock (1952-54), Captain Ken (1960-61) and Astro Boy (1952-68), Zero Men (1959-60) explores a favoured theme of Tezuka's, the struggle to bridge the gap between two opposing cultures - in this case human being's with tails.
Ongoing Serial: a series of episodes, published over a span of weeks/months/years where the story plot is connected from chapter to chapter and must be read in chronological order for it to be understood properly.
Chapter Serial: a series of episodes, published over a span of weeks/months/years where the story plot is self-contained to a single chapter. There may be an overarching plot, but the stories can generally be read in any order and be understood
Book: an all-in-one self contained story published as a one-off.
Supplement: an an all-in-one self contained story published as a stand-alone supplement to a regular weekly/monthly periodical.
Short Story: an all-in-one, self contained story that was published in a regular weekly/monthly periodical
Anthology: a collection of all-in-one, self contained stories that were published in a regular weekly/monthly periodical but are generally grouped together.
