Kin Sankaku

Kin Sankaku
Japanese Name	金三角
English Name	Mandrake IV (1980 series dub)
Gender	Male
Race	Human
Occupation	Gang leader
Japanese VA	Eken Mine (1980 series)
English VA	Jay Rath (1980 series)

Kin Sankaku is a regular player in the Osamu Tezuka Star System. He is a short, rotund man with comically round features. While Sankaku usually plays villains, he is never fully evil, instead being silly and mostly ineffectual.

Origin

Much like Acetylene Lamp and Higeoyaji, Kin Sankaku was modelled after someone known by Osamu Tezuka or his classmates. Minoru Ishihara was the son of a watchmaker who one day lent Tezuka a guidebook about insects. This book caused Tezuka to become interested in researching and illustrating, and as a tribute, Tezuka modelled a character after Ishihara.

Sankaku's full name means "golden triangle" in Japanese and mainland Chinese languages. It is possible that Tezuka chose this name as a reference to the novel Le Triangle d'Or by Maurice Leblanc. It is also possible that the "triangle" in Kin Sankaku's name is a reference to how Chinese criminal groups are usually known as triads.

Appearance

Kin Sankaku's throne room in the 1980 series

Kin Sankaku is a short, balding human man in his 50s, with a stout, rotund build. His eyes are usually small dots, his nose round, and his lips large and puffy. He wears dark sunglasses with round frames. In most series, Sankaku has a mustache and a receding hairline. He will most often wear long patterned smocks, suits, or Tang suits.

Sankaku strongly resembles a Chinese stereotype from western media. While he was not originally designed to be Chinese, Tezuka begun depicting Sankaku with this cultural element in his later roles. In some series, such as the 1980 Astro Boy anime, Sankaku is given a full classical Chinese art motif.

Series

Manga

Sankaku originally debuted as a villain in the 1958 manga chapter "Crucifix Island". A year later, he appeared in "The Artificial Sun", which cemented Sankaku's role as a comical villain in Astro Boy canon.

1980 series

In the episode "The Transformation Robot", Sankaku appears as a pirate crime boss. He claims to be the great-grandson of Fu Manchu and commands a small army of armed henchmen. After the discovery of a uranium deposit, Sankaku funnels money into the construction of a transforming robot, Pook. Since Pook is very naive, Sankaku hopes to use him as a mining tool, but Pook refuses to betray his father.

This appearance is one of Sankaku's more intimidating roles, which is not much compared to other villains like Skunk Kusai and Hamegg. Sankaku can be seen throwing playing cards with sharpened edges, commanding a troop of wet-suited gunmen, and commanding a custom sea freighter. gunmen, and piloting his own sea ship.

Astro Boy: Omega Factor

In the 2004 video game Astro Boy: Omega Factor, Kinsankaku (spelt one word) is a crime lord with Skunk Kusai as an associate. They have kidnapped the robot Pook and are using him to commit crimes as well as have been using the Artificial Sun on Cruciform Island. Astro must infiltrate their lair in order to free Pook. They two are arrested when Big X, the Amazing Three, and Wally have the island surrounded.

The same thing happens to them in Rebirth. Afterwards, Kinsankaku is kidnapped at taken to Antartica, Inspector Tawashi and Skunk said he had some crucial information. He is freed after Astro defeats Brontus and reveals that a voice told him to dig under Cruciform Island to find the secret treasure of Mu, but all they found was Pook, he was actually grateful to Astro for saving him. When Astro goes back in time again to save Pinoko from Skunk, Kinsankaku tries to make a break for it but is caught by Big X and the Amazing Three

The voice that Kinsankaku had heard was revealed to be Sharaku, the game's main antagonist. Pook was revealed to be Pick, the heart of the true treasure of Mu, Garon.