Mitsume ga Tōru, or The Three-Eyed One, is a manga series created by Osamu Tezuka, about a gentle little bald boy called Hosuke Sharaku who happens to have a third eye hidden under a bandage, which, when revealed, brings him to a Superpowered Evil Side. Thus, he is both the hero and the villain in his own series. He is followed around by an older girl, Chiyoko Watou, who tries to keep him in check.
Together, they investigate strange events and mysteries and will usually have to take off his bandage so he can use his high intelligence to find a solution. Of course, becoming also evil, the other characters will also have to struggle into putting the bandage back.
Sharaku is a regular of Tezuka's Star System and him and Watou often appear in other works by Tezuka, including the later Black Jack anime series (where Watou is his big sister). He usually keeps his bandage in those appearances. When without his bandage, he is a villain, such as in the video game Astro Boy: Omega Factor where he is the Evil Overlord of the Mu empire.
This series includes examples of:
- Adapted Out: Of all the long stories in the manga, only the story in which a lecturer has Sharaku investigate a Native American ruin didn't make it to the anime.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Watou finds Sharaku more attractive when in his evil state, which she ironically wishes would be as nice as Sharaku's good state due to having to play Sharaku's Cloudcuckoolander's Minder.
- Alternative Foreign Theme Song: The Cantonese dub has an alternative theme song sung by Hacken Lee.
- Ascended Extra: Kido and his lackeys in the anime, following their temporary Laser-Guided Amnesia.
- Bald of Evil: Sharaku, without his bandage.
- Big Jerk on Campus: Saburo Kido.
- Canon Foreigner: Takashi, Osamu and Bankara in the anime are entirely new supporting characters who didn't appear in the manga.
- Coat Cape: Sharaku gets one of these when his Superpowered Evil Side comes into play. In the anime, his coat changes from blue to black.
- Composite Character: Dr. Kenmochi and Professor Subuta are different characters in the manga and the 1985 television film, but the latter was Adapted Out in the anime version and Kenmochi takes on his role as an archeology professor instead.
- Demoted to Extra: Dr. Kenmochi ends up becoming one less than halfway through the 1985 television film.
- Drives Like Crazy: Inspector Unmei is involved in a car chase in the 1985 television film, downing several road signs and even tearing up other police cars in his fiery pursuit.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Before she had hazel hair in the anime, Watou had violet hair in the 1985 television film.
- Evil Genius: This is Sharaku's main ability which allows him to use his various Psychic Powers to their fullest potential.
- Gentle Giant: The captain of the judo club, Bankara, is this to Sharaku and Watou in the anime.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: The first chapter of the manga has Sharaku building a machine to turn the brains of Kido and his lackeys into jelly perpetually. In the anime proper, Sharaku has set it to only three days, hence Kido and his lackeys end up becoming recurring characters.
- Meaningful Name: The names of the main characters refer to Sherlock Holmes. Sharaku is the Japanese pronounciation of "Sherlock" and Watou is often called "Watou-san", as in "Watson".
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Inspector Unmei bears a striking resemblance to the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
- Put on a Bus: Inspector Unmei sends Mustachio off on the latter's own ramen cart in the 1985 television film after Mustachio gives his eyewitness account which leads the team to the port.
- Special Guest: Sharaku makes a special appearance in the 2004 Astro Boy Videogame, as a supposedly innocent NPC neighbor boy of Astro who gives him gifts. Only later is it revealed during two optional mini-boss fights at night that Sharaku is an antagonist after removing his bandage, starting a boss fight with this
soundtrack
playing and causing some surprise Nightmare Fuel in the process. Especially when he uses Mind Rape to make his ally Chiyoko Wato attack the player. In the video game Astro Boy: Omega Factor where he is the Evil Overlord of the Mu empire. - Superpowered Evil Side: Many plots are centered around Sharaku's evil alternate personality which ends up driving and ending the plot conflicts.
- Those Two Guys: Takashi and Osamu. They fit in this trope perfectly in the anime version.
