Why are people so scared of Black Jack's appearance? How could you not love those scars and the panda hair? They're really sexy. And his eyes, too, when you can see them. Best of all, there's some really nifty psychology behind why he looks the way he looks!

     A considerable part of Black Jack's charm is in his unusual visage. I believe Tezuka had not designed him so by accident; there are subtle connections between how a character is designed and its personality. This is especially true for anime, where a character's appearance is crucial to what sort of impression it leaves on the reader or viewer.

     In anime, there are some unspoken rules that govern a character and the way it looks. Black Jack, although not one in reality, falls into the category of a villain character. He has comparably small and narrow eyes; a rule of thumb is the shadier the character, the narrower the eyes. (Of course, that doesn't apply to everything, but is still surprisingly very consistent.) His hair is not only wild and black and white, but it usually covers one of his eyes or obscures his entire face. Lastly, not only does he have scars, but he has them on his face, as well as the rest of his entire body.

     Let's just say he doesn't place very high on the "traditional protagonist" list.

     But what is the psychology behind all of that? All in all, Black Jack's character design suggests that he has something to hide, whether it be his past, his emotions, or even his soul. His scars, we know, are from a near-lethal accident he suffered as a child. But scars also symbolize the consequences of struggles that one has had to bear. For Black Jack, they are constant reminders of the price he had to pay for choosing to live.

     Anime plays heavily upon the universal connection we make between a person's eyes, their innermost emotions, and their soul. This is so true that we can often count on a character's eyes to speak louder than their words. Most of the time, we cannot see both of Black Jack's eyes, and occasionally, his face, as well. When we combine that with his wholly black wardrobe that, especially in the manga, seems to devour his entire person, we end up getting a very serious message about him. With so much of his physical body concealed, he is hiding from the world even more of his soul.

     Heavy, huh?