Star #7: =Rainbow Parakeet=
Through the ages: Manga, 1963, 1980, 2003, Rainbow Parakeet manga
See him in action: 1963 EPISODE 12, 1980 EPISODE 39, 2003 EPISODE 8
Tezuka character list bio: Number 06
[b]
- Real name: Sherlock Homespun. He is a detective from England. Everything but his head was replaced by robotic parts, causing him to hate robots. He originally appeared as a theif, a unique kind of character for the time, in “Weekly Shonen Champion” from March 1981 to May 1983. His role in this game is based on his role in the anime, “The Stolen Sun”. He also appears as “Kato the Explosive Devil” in the 2003 anime version of Astro Boy. Tezuka thought of having different characters play different roles, like movie stars. He called this idea the “Star System”. Even Astro once appeared as a human character in “Black Jack.”[/b]
Rainbow Parakeet is an interesting one in that his character has kind of melded with and absorbed another in order to become part of Astro Boy history. In the original “The Artificial Sun” story, a detective named Sherlock Homespun/Holmspun is tasked by the ICPO to investigate the case of the strange fireball terrorizing the world’s oceans. The dude had no resemblance to rainbow parakeet as we see him here, instead looking like his detective namesake with his British attire and pipe smoking, and indeed, as the story goes on, he ends up begrudgingly teaming up with Astro as they do some detective work to track down where the Sun came from and who is controlling it. He’s a master of disguise, which allows him to infiltrate the bad guy’s lair and ends up being a crucial part of the final showdown; still, though, he never shows up beyond this particular story.
Fast-forward to 1980. Osamu Tezuka’s series “Rainbow Parakeet” is starting serialization, and the 1980 Astro Boy series is going strong. In his own series, RP is a master thief, traveling around and filling in for actors in reimaginings of famous real-world plays, stealing both the hearts and the wallets of his audience and evading capture by the officers hounding him. He’s a talented thespian, but he’s also capable of disguising himself as anyone and mimicking their every mannerism, hence his name – he can become any color of the rainbow, and he’s a master of mimicry. I haven’t been able to read it myself due to a lack of translations, there’s a decent bio here (apparently he’s up there with Lupin the 3rd as the original “Dashing Thief” archetype in manga), but the gist is his powers make him quite similar to classic Holmspun. As such, someone had the bright idea to use RP to fill the role in 1980’s take on the Artificial Sun, and thus, the two individuals combined into one.
He didn’t survive unchanged, though. See, while both characters are masters of disguise, Sherlock Holmspun’s take on it is decidedly…unique. At some point during his work, a colleague of his was captured by EVIL MEN, and though he managed to save said colleague, a dynamite trap ended up severely wounding Mr. Holmspun. Unfortunately for him, his personal doctor was out of town, and the robot surgeons they got to operate on him just cut their losses and replaced HIS ENTIRE BODY WITH ROBOTICS…save for his head.
While some would be more than okay with this outcome, others would be less than thrilled, especially if they’re robot racists. And, as it just so happens, Mr. Holmspun falls into that very category!
An ardent hater of robots, this guy staunchly refuses to work with or interact on any level with an artificial being, and his sudden transformation both exasperates his hatred and puts him into a staunch state of denial, insisting that he remains 100% human despite his physical setbacks. It’s kind of funny to see, even if his pigheadedness puts him at odds with Astro within his story.
Still, though, he’s more than willing to put his new augmentations to use in his line of work, as the cybernetics allow him to alter his height and build to whatever he happens to desire. He uses it to mimic O’shay, the creator of the Sun, and get kidnapped in the doctor’s stead, so at the very least it’s not a complete downer. CHECK THIS OUT, it’s a pretty hilarious demo of his powers complete with DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUUN reveal.
Unfortunately for the Sherlock, the way the story ends up playing out involves him getting a bullet between the eyes and his head replaced with a robotic one as well, creating something of a humanoid Ship of Theseus, but for the purposes of this game that never happens. And it’s just as well, Robo-Parakeet looks kinda creepy.
Oh, and as for that line about Kato the Explosive Devil in the Bio – he shows up a couple times in the 2003 anime, but he’s entirely out of his usual character, instead becoming a mad bomber who insists on communicating with creepy clown versions of himself. It’s more than a little weird, but as it says, the Star System basically lets anyone become anything, so whatever. Alternatively, it could be an entire extra layer of reference, as the official Rainbow Parakeet page shows a character named “Clown Tommy” who greatly resembles the thing, but having been unable to read the series directly I couldn’t say.
Other facts:
-Sherlock Homespun’s body requires frequent oiling, lest he rust up and become incapable of movement.