Deven

As unscrupulous as he is greedy, Deven is a true professional when it comes to playing crooked politicians and corrupt captains of industry. As such, he is usually cast as the main villain in a story, often with a gang of henchmen such as Acetylene Lamp or Hamegg ready to do his bidding, so that he doesn’t need to sully his hands directly.

While his debut as the evil “Mayor Deven” in Captain Ken (1960-61) is his most famous and namesake role, he has also been featured prominently in Black Jack (1973-83), The Three-Eyed One (1974-78), and Rainbow Parakeet (1980-81).

To Japanese ears, “Deven” (phonetically “Debun”) invokes a common insult – “debu” – which means “Fatso”. Is it a portmanteau with the word “seven”? Or was “n” added simply at the author’s whim?

While he bears a striking resemblance to Rommel, you can spot Deven by his bald bullet-shaped head, omnipresent cigar, and freckled age spots on his cheeks.

(Source: Tezuka in English)