Osamu Tezuka

The author avatar of [Osamu Tezuka](https://anilist.co/staff/96938/Osamu-Tezuka). Tezuka often inserted himself into his stories, in a variety of roles. Sometimes, the manga Tezuka would be a direct representation of the author Tezuka: in [Metamorphose](https://anilist.co/manga/111431/Metamorphose/), he shows up to abruptly re-write the story, in response to "reader" complaints; in [Nanairo Inko](https://anilist.co/manga/37080/Nanairo-Inko/), he directly interacts with the fictional characters; and in the collected editions of [Astro Boy](https://anilist.co/manga/30728/Astro-Boy/), he appears in prefaces to introduce chapters and explain their publication history. Other times, Tezuka would appear in the story as a simple cameo, as a background character or in a bit part, as a gag for astute readers. Occasionally, Osamu Tezuka would be a character in his own right— still modelled after the real-world Tezuka, but a part of the narrative like any other character and with no power to affect it. In [Vampire](https://anilist.co/manga/44304/Vampire/), Tezuka is an ally of the protagonist, Toppei, and works with him to stop the vampires' plans. In [Black Jack](https://anilist.co/manga/31600/Black-Jack/), he appears as "Dr. Tezuka", a friend of Black Jack who occasionally calls him for help with his own patients.