Acetylene Lamp

Acetylene Lamp is based upon an old childhood acquaintance of Tezuka's, who, according to all stories, had a strange dent in the back of his head which looked as if it could be used as a candle holder. The candle sometimes appears behind Lamp's head, and is one of his distinguishing visual features. It can be hard to spot at times, however, and in some versions of the character, it is missing entirely. In Tezuka's stories, Lamp is generally an unscrupulous and unsavory character; though he is rarely spectacularly evil, he does give a strong impression of a sinister and ruthless nature. He is one of Tezuka's most well-known, and also one of the most omnipresent, with multiple roles in series such asBlack Jack, Astro Boy, Rainbow Parakeet, Three-Eyed One, Dororo, Lion Books, The Crater, and many others. He also had a major role in the Metropolis movie, and in the Astro Boy: Omega Factor video game.