History Manga / BlackJack

* AdaptationalBackstoryChange:
** This is changed depending on the material. In Blackjack 21, it's revealed that the bomb at the beach [[spoiler: was deliberately placed there by people of the Phoenix organization in order to harm Kuroo and Mio, as a way to threaten Kagemitsu into staying with the organization.]]

Black Jack himself is a mysterious but distinctive figure, with a scarred, discolored face and a white shock in his black hair. He lives alone in an [[BigFancyHouse isolated beach house]] at the beginning of the series, before taking in Pinoko. Black Jack is a brilliant surgeon but has no license (the reasons for this vary a bit between adaptations.) He charges enormous fees to wealthy clients but often helps the needy for just as much as they can pay, or even for free, and if his operations fail generally refunds the money paid. His behavior is often [[DrJerk abrupt to the point of rudeness]], and he has a rather [[DeadpanSnarker dark sense of humor]]. Often, he will arrange circumstances to teach AnAesop to the guest character of the story.

* DeadlyDingoes: Dingoes are the main antagonists in the episode "Wilderness Epidemic", where they are incorrectly portrayed as vicious predators that were introduced in Australia by colonialists and devastated the local ecosystem by overhunting the indigenous species. After contracting a disease, Black Jack is forced to [[SelfSurgery operate on himself]], but the smell of his blood attracts a pack of dingoes. He barely survives by using his scalpel as an ImprovisedWeapon, repelling the predators just long enough for his friends to find him and take him to safety.

** Black Jack's backstory is completely rewritten in the ''Young Black Jack'' live action television special. (which has nothing to do with the manga & anime of the same title) Some time ago, Kuroo (now named Tatsu) had a happy a normal life with his family, until his father abandoned them one night without saying a word. The stress of this abandonment lead to Tatsu's mother becoming mute, however, the two were able to get by just fine. One night, the two were about to meet each other at a shopping mall during Christmas Eve because Tatsu wanted to give her his present to her - a drawing of a red rose. While waiting for his mother, Tatsu notices that there's a gift under the tree, with a playing card on it. Completely oblivious to the other people who are running away because of a bomb threat, Tatsu waves his drawing to his mother while she runs to him, realizing that the bomb is right near him. Right as she rushes towards her son despite the security guards' attempts to block her, the bomb goes off. In short, Black Jack and his mother were victims of a terrorist attack.

* MuggingTheMonster: TheReveal of [[spoiler:"Revenge"]] -- The Japanese Medical Association cracks down on Black Jack just as a billionaire Italian philanthropist asks Jack to cure his son of a condition that only Jack could possibly treat. He tries to pressure the Japanese government, only for the JMA chairman to declare that they will strike if Black Jack is permitted to operate. He finally caves in and lets them operate in desperation... and they botch it, killing the patient. Turns out that [[spoiler:the "philanthropist" is actually the [[TheDon Mafia Godfather]] Boccherini -- ''[[WouldHurtAChild who has the chairman's son shot in a manner only Jack could treat.]]'']] The surgeon general offers to give Jack a blank check in exchange for treating his son. Jack tells the chairman exactly where he can stick it.

* OedipusComplex: Dr. Black Jack has some daddy issues. ''Serious'' daddy issues.
** This trope was directly addressed in one story, where Black Jack was hired to operate on a pregnant woman. Because of an untreated condition, not only was the baby dead, but the woman would be left unable to have any more children. This does not sit well at all with her young son, who is completely devoted to his mother and is convinced that Black Jack is a monster who is trying to kill her. [[spoiler:The son goes so far as to drug Black Jack to prevent the operation, but Black Jack is revived when Pinoko shoves a jar of mustard under his nose.]] At the end of the story, Black Jack explains the complex to Pinoko as "Little boys love their mothers and little girls love their fathers." Pinoko, who has her own issues with that matter, gets embarrassed.

** The SleazyPolitician in the pilot. Even after Jack saves him, he sues Jack for malpractice (Jack treats [[ItsAllAboutMe him]] last among three patients, in order of severity). [[spoiler:It comes back to bite him, hard: He requires another treatment, but Jack [[KickTheSonOfABitch Kicks the Son of a Bitch]] by refusing unless he drops the FrivolousLawsuit.]]

* PeekABangs: Black Jack wears his hair like this, with the bonus that it helps cover his facial scars..

--> -- '''[[http://shaenon.livejournal.com/58712.html?thread=806488 Overlooked Manga Festival]]''' on ''Manga/BlackJack.''

* NotGoodWithPeople: Black Jack is a case of Type II (grumpy).

** Inverted with Dr. Jotaro Honma, Black Jack's savior and greatest inspiration. He confesses on his death bed that the reason for his retirement was that [[spoiler:he once accidentally left a scalpel in Black Jack's body and out of pride only checked it in a follow-up operation years later]]. Black Jack is shocked but doesn't hold it against him and still holds Honma in extremely high regard in subsequent chapters.

* GentleGiant: A huge schoolboy who actually ''is'' a giant (he has gigantism) was a champion sumo wrestler in school and now wants to be a professional koi breeder and dote on his fish, despite being highly scouted by sumo stables and pro wrestling companies. Black Jack tries to tell them that the condition that made him great in school could overtax his heart and kill him, to no avail. [[spoiler: A well-timed car crash permanently ends any sumo prospects and Black Jack takes his prize fish as compensation. The boy resumes his koi breeding in peace, although he's eventually going to have to tell his parents that he didn't really lose his legs...]]

* GentleGiant: A huge schoolboy who actually ''is'' a giant (he has gigantism) was a champion sumo wrestler in school and now wants to be a professional koi breeder and dote on his fish, much to his parents' chagrin. Black Jack tries to tell them that the condition that made him great in school could overtax his heart and kill him, to no avail. [[spoiler: A well-timed car crash permanently ends any sumo prospects and Black Jack takes his prize fish as compensation. The boy resumes his koi breeding in peace, although he's eventually going to have to tell his parents that he didn't really lose his legs...]]

** Black Jack has several:
*** Any semblance of composure Black Jack has will instantly dissolve once [[TheRival Dr. Kiriko]] is so much as mentioned.
*** Or if someone badmouths his mentor, Dr. Honma.
*** And God ''forbid'' you harm a hair on [[PapaWolf Pinoko's head.]]
*** Also, you shall not make any offensive comments about the scar on his face.

** Lay not a hand on a friend of Watou. She'll go MamaBear on you, and since she's a BadassNormal ActionGirl...

The first half of the 2004 anime adaptation is legally available to watch [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/black-jack on Crunchyroll]], where you can also pledge money to keep the series afloat in the United States and Canada in exchange for physical goods such as stickers, posters and DVD box sets. By 2011 a prequel to the series was made titled ''Young Black Jack'', which stars a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin younger]], [[{{Bishounen}} more handsome]] Black Jack, and details his days working in the Japanese medical field in the 60s. It received an anime adaptation for the October 2015, and is available [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/young-black-jack on Crunchyroll]].

The first half of the 2004 anime adaptation is legally available to watch [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/black-jack on Crunchyroll]], where you can also pledge money to keep the series afloat in the United States and Canada in exchange for physical goods such as stickers, posters and DVD box sets. By 2011 a prequel to the series was made titled ''Young Black Jack'', which stars a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin younger]], [[{{Bishounen}} more handsome]] Black Jack, and details his days working in the Japanese medical field in the 60s. It received an anime adaptation for the Fall2015Anime lineup, and is available [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/young-black-jack on Crunchyroll]].

** Black Jack's backstory is completely rewritten in the ''Young Black Jack'' live action television special. (which has nothing to do with the manga & anime of the same title) Some time ago, Kuroo(now named Tatsu) had a happy a normal life with his family, until his father abandoned them one night without saying a word. The stress of this abandonment lead to Tatsu's mother becoming mute, however, the two were able to get by just fine. One night, the two were about to meet each other at a shopping mall during Christmas Eve because Tatsu wanted to give her his present to her - a drawing of a red rose. While waiting for his mother, Tatsu notices that there's a gift under the tree, with a playing card on it. Completely oblivious to the other people who are running away because of a bomb threat, Tatsu waves his drawing to his mother while she runs to him, realizing that the bomb is right near him. Right as she rushes towards her son despite the security guards' attempts to block her, the bomb goes off. In short, Black Jack and his mother were victims of a terrorist attack.

* IllGirl:
** Apart from Pinoko and her sister, at least four patients from the newest series (Michiru, Souno, Rei and [[spoiler: Kei aka Megumi]]).
** Black Jack may or may not have been an ill boy himself; the series is inconsistent on whether he had the wheelchair before being blown up or not.

** Black Jack may or may not have been an IllBoy himself; the series is inconsistent on whether he had the wheelchair before being blown up or not.

* MoodWhiplash: An otherwise serious story about a [[JapaneseDelinquents girl gangleader]] taking care of [[DoorstopBaby an abandoned infant]] who also is an IllBoy has the characters doing hilarious wild takes. This apparently a ShoutOut to another manga-ka.

* UnseenPenPal: A friendship sort-of version happens in the last series, in which a Japanese IllBoy lies to his Australian online friend about his prowess in baseball and breaks off the friendship in absolute ''panic'' when said friend says he'll visit him and watch his games. [[spoiler: It turns out the Australian kid ''also'' was lying... because he was another IllBoy, and actually ''blind''. When they make up, Black Jack operates on both of them and they get better.]]

Created by Creator/OsamuTezuka, the original manga series ran from 1973 to 1983 in ''[[Manga/ShonenChampion Weekly Shonen Champion]]''. Since Tezuka was himself a qualified medical doctor, the series often had a strong sense of verisimilitude, but the creator was not above exaggeration for RuleOfCool and MundaneMadeAwesome moments, or even just making new diseases and medical conditions up. The series has had several animated adaptations.