Character

Hamegg

ハム・エッグ

Hamegg is one of Osamu Tezuka’s most widely used character actors. Motivated by greed, he is extremely dishonest and a true coward – character traits that make him perfect as a cringe-worthy villain. He is usually cast alongside Acetylene Lamp (in a partnership Tezuka thought worked particularly well) as a henchman or lackey to another star, such as Duke Red, Skunk Kusai or Marukabi Boon. His roles run the gamut from lighthearted comedy to darker, more violent characters, and oftentimes the parts he plays involve elements of both. As one of Tezuka’s oldest characters, he appeared for the first time in Tezuka’s early amateur work, The Old Man’s Treasure Island (1945). Of course, with a repetoire as large as his, he has had many memorable performances, including as Secret Police Inspector Akabane in A Message to Adolf (1983-85), the hunter in Jungle Emperor (1950-54), and numerous ones in Astro Boy (1952-86). In another example of Tezuka using English words in pun-like fashion, Hamegg’s name is directly lifted from a popular breakfast combination. Distinguishing Features With his round head, permanent grin and large, peering eyes (patterned after Hollywood actor Peter Lorre), Hamegg’s appearance is one of the most distinctive among Tezuka’s varied cast, and help illustrate him as a consummate shyster. (Source: Tezuka In English) In Dororo,