Black Jack is a total bad-ass and a smooth operator, and he knows it. He lets everybody know it, but in his own special way. Where other lesser men merely gloat about their awesome no-good punkness, Black Jack acts upon it. He's not afraid to tack on another several million yen if he thinks you're starting to act like a dumbass. He's as good as his word when it comes to an operation, but be careful what you ask for... there are no guarantees of what may happen after surgery. But don't you worry. Killing's not his style. Leave that to divine retribution.

     Of course, I am celebrating the fact that Black Jack is this thing called an anti-hero. And an anti-hero is basically a protagonist in name only. They can range from the neurotic to the misunderstood, or to the just plain annoying, but in one way or another, they do not conform to the stereotype of a typical main character. I really like anti-hero characters because I feel that readers or viewers sometimes need a good punch in the face from a character that doesn't act perfectly like they'd like it to. In short, people need characters that aren't afraid to be imperfect.

     Don't get me wrong... Some anti-hero characters can be very principled and noble. They just aren't going to be all yippy-skippy about it. (To put it in some nerdier terms, think of Batman, or think of the chaotic good alignment from Dungeons & Dragons.) No matter the situation, they always must do what they know is morally right. However, they aren't afraid to break a few laws or undermind authority to do so. Very anti-"The Man". Incidentally enough, Black Jack is one of those kind of guys.

     Black Jack is a prime example of an anti-hero. He has a fixed set of morals that he staunchly abides by, like "when I get a patient, I must do everything I can to heal them", "no killing no matter what", and "nature is sacred". But he also has "if you lie to me, trick me, don't pay me, kidnap Pinoko, or try to kill me, consider your ass PWNED". He stands up for what he believes is right, and really raises hell when he believes something is wrong.

     You see, he's the awesome, manly kind of bad-ass. He always defends his principles with a passion, and doesn't care if he offends other people when he does. He's nobody's fool, and he's not the least bit afraid to punish those who wrong him. He'll ask you to pay him millions, but he'll give you back the money if he thinks you genuinely need it more. Even when faced with the death of a patient, no amount of misfortune can keep him from striving to be a doctor. He's a rebel, a loner, and an outlaw.

     And that's bad-ass.