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Major Stars
Shunsaku Ban [aka Higeoyaji]
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.
Rock Holmes (aka Rokuro Makube)
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.
Riiko
Riiko is Osamu Tezuka's go-to for the "cute girl" roles. Although Mitchy originally started out being cast in the "young girl" roles, her skill and character meant she soon found herself taking on more dramatic and mature roles.
Lamp, Acetylene
One of Tezuka's best-known and most often cast villains, Acetylene Lamp is an unscrupulous and unsavory character whose ruthless nature means he will stop at nothing to see his sinister plots succeed - including killing anyone, be they enemy or ally, who stands in his way.
Kenichi Shikishima
Kenichi is the earliest and one of Tezuka’s most frequently cast boy heroes. The eternal optimist, he possesses an unshakable faith in the inherent goodness in the world and human nature. Basically, he's the number one boy scout!
Hamegg
Hamegg is one of Osamu Tezuka's most widely used character actors. Motivated by greed, he is extremely dishonest and a true coward - character traits that make him perfect as a cringe-worthy villain. He is usually cast alongside Acetylene Lamp (in a partnership Tezuka thought worked particularly well) as a henchman or lackey to another star, such as Duke Red, Skunk Kusai or Marukabe Boon.
Goku
As the titular character in Osamu Tezuka's adaptation of the famous Chinese legend Hsi Yu Chi ("Journey to the West"), also known as Saiyuki in Japanese, Son-Goku is a powerful, brash, but generally well-meaning hero. Extremely intelligent and clever, he has the ability to steal the secrets of magic from the gods.
