"My name is Black Jack"
-Black Jack Kuroo Hazama (nickname as Dr. Black Jack) is the main protagonist from the Japanese Animated Series Black Jack. He is an orphaned surgeon who lost his mother as a child when a landmine exploded in the beach. The boy is rescued by the late Dr. Honma, who became his inspiration to pursue a medical career. As a kid, his father Kagemitsu disappeared with his lover Renka in the city from Macau to China during the night or midnight. When he grows up, Kuroo lives alone in the house with his adopted daughter Pinoko and his pet dog Largo in the beach from Osaka to Japan.
He is voiced by Akio Otsuka in the Japanese Version from the Japanese animated series Black Jack, Yuichiro Yumehara in the Japanese Version from Young Black Jack, Derek Stephen Prince in the English Version from the 2003 Japanese Animated Series Black Jack, PJ Heywood in the English Version from Young Black Jack (2018-2019).
Biography[]
When Kuroo was a baby, he and his mother played ball on the beach. One day, there was a bomb left in the sand floor by The Evil Gang. Kuroo found the giant bomb and his mother, Mio, was scared and screamed. Black Jack was taken to the hospital and later, Kuroo was taken to the emergency room while his mother, Mio, was taken to the operating room. The next day, the late Dr. Honma rescued and saved Kuroo. Honma, Kumiko's father, works with him in their rescue operation. The young boy is present when his mother, Mio, dies in a beachside explosion, and he mourns alongside her. As he grows older, he continues to grieve her death. Kuroo has adopted a young conjoined twin girl named Pinoko and his pet dog, Largo, who were also adopted by him. He lives in the richest house on an island off the coast of Osaka, Japan with his adoptive daughter Pinoko and his pet dog, Largo.
Personality[]
Many people assume that Black Jack is a rude and soulless person because of his appearance and first impressions, but in reality he is a very compassionate and dedicated person. Although he charges absurd amounts of money for his procedures, he performs free surgeries on people who touched him with their kindness or struggles in life. He is very perceptive and able to diagnose a patient with only one look. Those who witness how he operates sometimes comment that his work is divine. Since Pinoko came into his life, he cares for her deeply as if she were his daughter and he gives her lots of (tough) love.
Throughout his life, Black Jack learned some harsh lessons and has to face the reality that there are times he cannot go against the forces of nature. In difficult and tricky situations, he is a quick thinker and is able to fool others easily (mostly with good intentions). Besides being an expert in surgeries, he is also a skilled combat fighter who makes use of his surgical tools (notably the scalpel) that he hides underneath his cape. Although, he is perfectly capable of fighting with his bare hands, even delivering a single knock-out punch to the stomach at one point. He also shows that he is highly responsible for his patient's safety and well-being, which explains his high pricing. He even goes to the lengths of deceiving his patients to make sure they heal properly. (E.g. A patient had a throat injury and was instructed not to sing. She disobeyed the first time around, so Black Jack told her that she now needed a special voicebox, and would only surgically implant it for her if she did not speak for a month. The supposed voicebox was a piece of a broken stethoscope, but the patient healed perfectly).
He also cares for and is deeply appreciative of people who change his life, such as Dr. Honma, who saved him through surgery once (this is what inspired Black Jack to even become a surgeon). Black Jack is also very prideful and hates being made fun of, or things he deems important desecrated.
History[]
In the Past[]
After being discharged from the hospital, Black Jack returns to school, but he is disappointed to find Takashi gone. Dr. Jotaro Honma raised Black Jack and eventually, he became Dr. Honma's best student. During his high school years, he skips classes and became somewhat of a delinquent as he often plays darts behind the school building and nobody befriends him during that time due to his "cruel" appearance and aloof attitude; even his teachers gave up on him. He was lonely until one day, he made friends with the school joker. Thanks to that, Black Jack was able to smile again for the first time since the incident. Still inspired by Dr. Honma, he pursues the study of medicine. During this time, he developed a romantic attraction to with Megumi Kisaragi (although not unrequited, they never actually form a relationship during this time), who contracted cervical cancer during her time in school. Black Jack decided that he would be the one to operate on her even though his department heads did not believe he could do it. Right before she goes under, they share a kiss and Black Jack confesses to her. Despite the success of the operation, his medical license was revoked by the head surgeon (according to the TV anime) for not using JMA Medical Board approved methods and conducting a surgery with high risks, by himself. After, Black Jack opened his own clinic in a house on a cliff, overlooking the beach. The series continues from here save for backstory episodes.
In The Present[]
Black Jack is currently living with his adoptive daughter named Pinoko (and Largo the dog in the 2004 TV series), treating and performing miraculous surgeries on people while charging them with extremely high fees.
Alert[]
Please, be aware that Black Jack from Osamu Tezuka isn't the same work as Young Black Jack. It was done by another manga artist. Keep in mind that Black Jack actually dates from 1973 and that there is a gap of thirty eight years between the two manga. The society of the past is not today's. Black Jack/Kuroo from Tezuka wasn't the same than the Kuroo from Yoshiaki Tabata and Yūgo Ōkuma in Young Black Jack. We must refrain from making value judgments and appreciate them as they are.
Trivia[]
- Black Jack's real name is actually Kuroo Hazama (間 黒男 Hazama Kuroō).
- The kanji for his first name (黒男) means "black" and "man" respectively.
- The name "Black Jack" is translated from his real name, Kuroo (which means black if written with Japanese characters), and Jack (a common name for a man).
- Captain Harlock (in 1977) resembles Black Jack (in 1973) due to the scar they have both across the side of their faces.
- Kuroo was deeply on love with a woman named Megumi that he met at the medical school. Megumi changes her name to Kei Kisaragi ( 'Megumi 'can also be read as 'Kei') after Black Jack saves her by removing her reproductive organs because a severe cervical cancer. She decides to disguise herself as a man since the loss of these organs which she considered as a sign of her femininity. She even works as a ship's doctor since it was, at the time, considered a very masculine profession. At first, Pinoko believed that Megumi was Kei's sister and Kei chose to let pinoko believe this misunderstanding. Black Jack and Kei remains somehow friends. She actually chose to remove her organs in order to stay alive and afterward she seriously thought that she couldn't be called a woman anymore so she used this identity. And while she actually remains a woman even without her reproductive organs, she didn't know it because the society's lack of consideration at this time. Before her departure, she wishes to Black Jack a happy life and tells him that she actually never stopped to love him. Read more on Kei Kisragi's page.
- In the manga, Black Jack shows what can be interpreted as some love interest toward Konomi Kuwata (nickname, Black Queen) until he learns about her fiance (He still decides to save her fiance's leg).
- He met with Kagemitsu Hazama again in the Black Jack 21 series as well as the manga, with the same burning hatred he had previously had. He even states that the reason he fought through the intense surgery and following physical therapy was out of spite, against him.
- Black Jack was especially good at darts during his high school years. This precision aids him in both surgery and combat, in which he throws the scalpels (that he stores in pockets that line his large black coat) like darts, with enough precision to strike the barrel of a shotgun (in manga).
- Black Jack keeps part of his fortune in the form of land ownership by buying an island (useful against the risk of theft).
- In the 2004 TV series, Black Jack mentioned that the reason he didn't want to marry is because he didn't want any women to be criticized for loving a man with his looks and personality.
Gallery[]
