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Was Dr. House inspired by Black Jack from Tezuka? Is there a proof of that, such as a quote from the author?

Many comments on the Internet state that the characters are very similar, some were stunned by this fact when they first saw Dr. House, ...

The French Wikipedia says:

Enfin, House est également inspiré du héros éponyme du manga Blackjack (ブラック・ジャック, 1973-1983) d'Osamu Tezuka, un médecin cynique, sombre, solitaire et sans diplôme accomplit de véritables miracles médicaux. Cette influence est confirmé par House lui-même, qui déclare dans un épisode que sa vocation médicale vient de sa rencontre avec un médecin marginal japonais.

which means:

Finally, House is also inspired by the eponymous hero of Osamu Tezuka's manga Blackjack (ブラック · ジャック, 1973-1983), a cynical doctor, dark, lonely and without diplomas who performs real medical miracles. This influence is confirmed by House himself, who said in an episode that his medical vocation comes from his encounter with a marginal Japanese doctor.

What's funnier is that there was a very short cross-over between Dr. House and Blackjack in the two promotional and official ads for the release of the season 4 of Dr. House in Japan, but I don't know if that is related to my question.

senshin
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L01man
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2 Answers2

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The producer David Shore mentioned that Dr. House ins at least partially inspired by Sherlock Holmes and partially on his own experiences. Many connections and references are given throughout the production an series.

This is most likely a advertising campaign by Generon Universal to cross promote Dr. House and the Tezuka anime. Furthermore there is no citation on the connection that Dr. House was inspired by the Tezuka series, just one about the showdown between the two. With no mention of the former being inspired by the latter.

Dimitri mx
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кяαzєя
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I have a few volumes of Blackjack and I can see the similarities, but nailing down inspiration is difficult. We can compare the descriptions of the two. For the tv show, House M.D., the IMDb says "An antisocial maverick doctor who specializes in diagnostic medicine does whatever it takes to solve puzzling cases that come his way using his crack team of doctors and his wits." Anime News Network summarizes Blackjack like this: "Black Jack is the doctor Tezuka wished he could be, one free of the constraints of the modern rules, who can heal and help on his rules. He travels the world helping those who pay him, sometime those he takes mercy on, and always those who move him. Despite not having a valid license, he is still the doctor of last resort, the only man who keeps the reaper at bay. Sometimes though, he's the one who brings the reaper..."

They both have a healthy disdain for what they see as rules that keep them from helping people. They both experienced crippling injuries, Blackjack was blown up by a bomb that killed his mother and House has a knee/leg injury that led him to a pain killer addiction. They both tend to "play God" because they are so skilled. There are also differences. House is a diagnostic doctor and Blackjack is a surgeon.

It is possible that because Blackjack is a much older show, it could have influenced House M.D., but I doubt it had a direct influence. The crossover you mentioned may have been because the characters are so similar, not because of any influence.

akinmytua
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