#for some reason my first thought was kenzo tenma from monster???

[no-brain-just-akutagawa]

that's a very good question

[ID: An edited "Is this a pigeon?" meme. Instead of the pigeon there's the corpse from chapter 114. Instead of the men there's an angry Dazai. The text reads: "Who the hell is this?". End ID]

[gofancyninjaworld]

I trust your tastes. Can we get some manga recommendations from you?

You can totally get recommendations, but I wouldn’t trust my taste! :D  After all, I used to love Bleach (we do not speak its name now).   I don’t read much manga, but over the years, it does add up.   I’ve restricted myself to what comes to mind in 15 minutes! :)

Stuff I’ve read through and treasure

ALL OF ONE’S OTHER WORKS. Nuff said.

Battle Angel Alita -- written and drawn by Yukito Kishiro.  I will lay my cards on the table: I am a total sucker for good stories about cyborgs.  And I do mean good. It’s so rare that authors put their humanity and agency at the centre of the character.  No fear here!  Alita is most certainly the protagonist, and we grow up with her, from an amnesiac castaway on a junk heap, through her many changes of career and fate, celebrating her increasing independence, her ferocity, and her humanity.  It’s a very interesting world with a truly vast sweep. Also, it’s nice to see someone who actually understands the physics of fighting.  Just a word of warning, Kishiro cannot write an ending to save his life and so far both installments suffer from having a rushed ending following hard on a good opening and a lush middle.

Full Metal Alchemist -- written and drawn by Arakawa Hiromu   Seriously, if I need to explain this one, have you been hiding under a rock? :D  If you have to tell a story about magic, this is how to do it. If you have to tell a story about conspiracies and secrets, this is how to do it.  The Elric brothers and their quest for the philosopher’s stone is just one of the great stories.  It’s got a great anime too: whichever way you go you won’t be disappointed. She’s currently working on a very different story,  Silver Spoon, that’s set in an agricultural college.  Also superb, but hit with hiatuses as she’s having family situations that take her away from the drafting desk.

Monster  -- written and drawn by Naoki Urasawa.  I took a day off work to finish this one. No good deed goes unpunished, so when the brilliant neurosurgeon Kenzo Tenma chooses to save a young boy who’d been shot in the head over operating on a wealthy politician, only trouble comes his way.  Which is a very mild way of saying that the ocean is wet.  Before I read this series, I thought I hated horror stories.  No, I just hated ones that leaned on disgust or shock value to horrify. Jonathan, the boy he saves, is truly one of the most evil characters ever penned, and Tenma’s pursuit of him to both clear his name and stop the horrors that boy spreads in his wake still gives me chills.

Stuff I’m still reading -- or want to finish

A Trail of Blood -- Oshimi Shuuzu.  Seriously creepy story about a boy traumatised by seeing his mother push his cousin off a cliff.  His cousin doesn’t die, but is left severely brain-damaged...and slowly, we’re watching this mother-son dyad spiral into something strange.  If you start, you will have trouble tearing your eyes away.  Still ongoing.

Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle.  I’m just waiting for this story to finish so I can binge it in one fell swoop.

City Hunter -- written and drawn by Tsukasa Hojo.  I really can’t believe I’ve not finished this series yet!  I guess it’s because it just doesn’t feel right to read this one online. It’s one for me to find shelf space and budget to own.

Chainsawman  -- written and drawn by Tatsuki Fujimoto. This is to manga what junk food is to fine dining.  It’s trash but damn enjoyable trash. Violent, cheerfully gory and full of malign supernatural creatures and the mostly disposable humans trying to do something about them, somehow it’s also incredibly enjoyable.

Dämons -- written by Osamu Tezuka, drawn by Hideyuki Yonehara. I’ve only been able to review the first three volumes of this work, but if you’re into dark and gritty revenge quests, this one is for you.  Sadly, it’s never officially been released in English and no scanslation groups are currently working on it.

Dr. Stone -- written and drawn by Boichi.  Pretty good -- it’s set in a world that became petrified for some reason not as of yet fully explained and of its protagonist’s quest to restore humanity using the power of science!  I’ve gone in quite a ways but I’m waiting for it to finish so I can binge.

Dungeon Meshi --  written and drawn by Kui Ryoko.  A really good adventure story. Briefly,  Lauis is desperate to save his sister, who has been devoured by a dragon, before she’s digested and he leads a motley band (is there any other sort?) in that quest. Features lots of great recipes.  Ongoing series.

Golgo 13 --  ‘Finishing’ this manga about the assassin supreme, Duke Togo, is an impossibility. There are just too many stories.  Because the volumes are largely self-contained, this is a story I dip in and out of as and when I encounter one.

Lone Wolf and Cub -- Ridiculously, I’m just one volume short of reading the whole series.  But have I done so?  No. Because then this wonderful, heart-breaking story of the quest of a dispossessed samurai to take vengeance on those who wronged him would be over.

The Way of the House Husband  --  Slice-of-life about the adventures of a yakuza turned house husband.  This story is a scream.  You don’t need to read chapters in any particular order, so there’s no reason to not check it out!

Vertical World  -- written and drawn by Kuu Tanaka.  A story I recently started, it makes the best use of the vertical scrolling online format to describe a surrealist, nearly two dimensional world consisting of a tower that literally goes on forever.

Stuff I wandered away from but can still heartily recommend

Beastars  -- written and drawn by Paru Itagaki. I totally loved the anime of the first season and went to check out the manga.  This is a good, solid story set in a world where nearly all animals are sentient, sapient, and acculturated with predators and prey living in some uneasy harmony. And a wolf falls in love with a rabbit.  I just don’t find it grabs me as much in extended format.

My Hero Academia  -- written and drawn by Kōhei Horikoshi.  Make no mistake, there’s a damn good reason this story is popular.  It’s really a well-realised shonen series featuring the journey  from hopeful recruits to being the upstanding heroes of the world.  Don’t go in expecting One-Punch Man. I find it good, but not compelling.

Origin -- written and drawn by Boichi.  As you can tell by now, I do love good sci fi. Origin has a great premise, revolving around a self-aware robot trying to find out what it means to live a good life and is trying to pass as a human being.  But life isn’t easy.  The one thing that kicks me out is that I really hate the way he draws the women in this story.  So much so I find myself breaking off for weeks at a time.   I’ve taken it as a signal that perhaps I should just let this one sci-fi lie.  Your mileage will vary and if it’s not an issue for you, the story is a peach!

Futari Ecchi -- written and drawn by Katsu Aki.  I bet you weren’t expecting me to recommend a hentai manga, were you?  I’m surprised it’s still ongoing, but that should tell you something about it.  This story is kind. It is humane. It is warm and often funny without being farcical.  For myself ecchi isn’t a genre I’ve found hugely interesting and it’s become less interesting with time, but if this floats your boat, do check it out.

[dear-dr-kenzo-tenma]

Doctor Kenzo Tenma - TV Tropes 

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/Monster

An Aesop: In-universe, he gives some of these.

Action Survivor: Dr. Tenma is initially an average person, insofar as a well-known brain surgeon can be average. The series' circumstances force him to become a hardened survivor.

Adaptational Attractiveness: In the manga, he starts off plain and downright funny-looking. The anime takes its cue from the later chapters' more adorable Tenma◊.

Adorkable: Before his badass upgrade made him stop being a doormat.

Adrenaline Makeover: Ahem.◊

All-Loving Hero: This is both a large advantage and similarly a large disadvantage to him because of the complex location on the Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism that Monster inhabits.

The Atoner: As kind-hearted as he is, he sees his absolute biggest mistake as being something he alone can fix. And despite numerous opportunities he gets where he could abandon his self-set mission, he refuses every time. Johan: (Seconds after killing Junkers in front of Tenma) I was supposed to die that night. You're the one who resurrected me, doctor.

Badass Pacifist: He can take a beating, jump off a bridge to avoid confrontation, and save people's lives while avoiding the police and criminals alike.

Beware the Nice Ones: Tenma is kind and righteous, but false accusations force him on a path to become much more assertive.

Barbarian Longhair: Subverted, he's not, by any definition, a barbarian. But by most persons in the series, his long hair is perceived as ugly.

Beard of Sorrow: He is normally beardless, but after he learns about Johan's true colors, he attempts to grow a beard and overly disregards his appearance.

Beware the Honest Ones: Tenma's idealism turned out pretty bad for his money-grubbing boss.

Big Good: This is particularly evident in arcs where he is offstage or not the main character. In keeping with his nearly messianic role, by the end, nearly all the characters would do anything to protect him.

Break the Cutie: By all accounts, he's sweet and adorable, but his entire life was ruined by the actions of a former patient.

Care-Bear Stare: He frequently does this, illustrating his initial idealism.

Celibate Hero: Post-Eva, although there is some subtext involving Nina that may avert this. In Another Monster, it is explained that he was still quite the celibate during his high school years and even purposely didn't get together with a girl who liked him (and the feeling was somewhat mutual) merely because he was friends with her (cheating) boyfriend.

Character Development: He begins as a well-respected, compassionate doctor. Over the series, he becomes more driven and relentless.

Cheaters Never Prosper: Averted, though not soon enough for poor Gillen's complex. He cheated on a test in medical school, which made him excel, and caused jealousy in one of his classmates. This acquaintance later becomes an important character.

Chronic Hero Syndrome: Despite his goal of hunting down Johan, he'll never turn down helping a stranger, even if the person's a criminal.

Clear My Name: Averted. His reason for hunting down Johan isn't to clear his name, but rather to correct the error he made in keeping Johan alive.

Combat Medic: "This is the carotid artery. Even a ballpoint pen could kill him, if you pierce it in the right spot."

The Drifter: Justified, since he was a murder suspect and has to be on the run from the police.

Expository Hairstyle Change: Starts off clean-cut, but gets progressively more disheveled.

Extreme Doormat: He used to be very submissive to his boss and his fiancee.

The Fettered: His beliefs frequently make him question his mission.

Forgets to Eat: Quite frequently. At other instances, he'll bemoan the lack of soy sauce in Western cuisine.

Friend to All Children: The good doctor loves children, and he is perfectly willing to help them. He even formed an Intergenerational Friendship with Dieter, a kid.

Friend to All Living Things: He saved a hurt bird in the time he was training as a gunmen. Later, when he was talking with a former friend to all living things, a finch landed in Tenma's arm.

Gentleman and a Scholar: He is a highly-accomplished brain surgeon and an incredibly caring and selfless man.

Good Is Not Dumb: Well, he's good, and intelligent. Heck, he's a brain surgeon. Beyond fitting the literal trope title, however, Roberto underestimates him at one point because of his goodness and pays for it by losing the use of his right arm.

Good Is Not Soft: While a genius neurosurgeon, he is nice, humble and compassionate. When Johan becomes a threat, he takes a level in badass and takes a journey to stop him. Also, he doesn't hesitate to threaten people with his pistol if their actions endanger one or more lifes.

Grew a Spine: He decides to stop being the doormat of his fiancee and his boss after seeing the immorality of both (the fiancee is not that evil, but this counts).

The Heart: Tenma is the moral center of a morally complex series.

The Hero: He is inarguably the protagonist, and he's very heroic, motivations and rumination aside.

Heroic Resolve: Kenzo has one in his battle against Roberto.

Hero with Bad Publicity: Wanted for the very murders that he keeps trying to stop.

Honor Before Reason: Though he cares about the "right thing" rather than any type of personal honor.

Hospital Hottie: He has a cute appearance, be well-groomed or not.

Humble Hero: He never takes credit for his good deeds and maintains that all people are equal despite conspicuously being better than everybody else in every imaginable way.

Hurting Hero: He's haunted by the actions of a former patient, who destroyed his life.

I Can't Dance: According to Eva, Tenma claimed to not be able to dance. They stood and held each other on the dance floor instead.

I Just Want to Have Friends: According to Eva in Another Monster, he was chronically lonely and thanks to his workaholic tendencies, he was unable to make friends other than Dr. Becker.

Intelligence Equals Isolation: His medical capabilities make him isolated among peers.

I'm Not Hungry: When he was captured by the police, he refused to eat for so long they had to put him on an IV. Which doubles as Fridge Brilliance, as he was trying to end up in the infirmary in order to get in touch with Gunther Milch.

Inconvenient Hippocratic Oath. All the more so (or not) for being an integral part of what he comes to be about after the first episode.

Incorruptible Pure Pureness: One of the rare examples of this trope being pulled off successfully. No matter how complicated things get, he retains his idealistic views on humanity.

Just in Time: He saves Reichwein, who came VERY close to being killed by Roberto, just in time in episode 30.

The Last DJ: Both played straight and averted, in short succession. His integrity makes him lose his job.

Last-Name Basis: People tend to call him by his last name rather than his first name, even when they've got to know him well—including Nina and Eva (though the latter is the one that does it least).

Looks Like Jesus: His long hair and stubble look make him somewhat similar to Jesus.

Magnetic Hero: He's kind, charming, and persuasive.

Manly Tears: He does cry, but it doesn't make him appear weak; it showcases just how horrible his life gets, in spite of how much he tries.

Married to the Job: Noted constantly, one of his fellow physicians tried to hook him up with other loves, but he was more focused on his job.

Messianic Archetype: To counter Johan's Antichrist

Nice Guy: He's very nice and will help even his enemies. This is both a blessing and a curse, considering how dark the series is. It gets him a lot of friends, but it also gets him into difficult situations.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: He helped Johan, and then he's framed for murder. Johan: I was supposed to die that night. You're the one who resurrected me, Doctor.

Parental Favoritism: It's mentioned in Another Monster that his father favored him, his youngest son, over his other brothers. However, his mother favored his two older half-brothers (who are unrelated to her) more than him.

Perma-Stubble: He grows one during his Expository Hairstyle Change.

Save the Villain: At first unknowingly, in the case of saving the young Johan from his asked-for bullet wound to the head. By the end, [spoilers] he does it again, this time intentionally, to defy Johan's point.

Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Thoroughly believes this, when he decides to operate on Johan's brain-bullet and disobey the director's orders to ignore the kid and work on the mayor's cerebral-thrombosis. He starts doubting himself, when he sees what Johan has become.

Skilled, but Naïve: Tenma's a surgical prodigy, but it's not his relative inexperience with a scalpel that gets him into trouble in the beginning. It's his inexperience with another aspect of being a doctor: hospital politics.

The So-Called Coward: "Tenma the Weenie! Tenma the Weenie! He peed his pants, too!" Even more so considering the full story given in Another Monster. After the first time the other boys scared him during hide-and-seek, Tenma decided to go through it again in order to conquer his fear. What ended up happening was that they couldn't find him and thought that he just went home, so when one of the mothers told them it was time to go home, they left Tenma by himself. When they found him still hiding in the abandoned yard at night, they probably stopped picking on him simply because he had the guts to do all that.

Technical Pacifist: Although he has no problem pushing, kicking, shoving, and threatening with violence, he has a hard time causing harm to others even if it is to defend his own life.

Think Nothing of It: Does not like to take credit for his achievements, e.g. denying that he'd saved the Turkish district.

Thou Shalt Not Kill: A personal philosophy that looks especially interesting when pitted against his initial tantrums of, "These people need to die."

Took a Level in Badass: Early in the series, after receiving weapons training from an ex-mercenary.

Trademark Favorite Food: Heckel notes that Tenma thinks that any recipe can be improved with soy sauce. And if the fandom on Tumblr has anything to say about it, sandwiches.

Turn the Other Cheek: Constantly, over and over again. He does this to his fellow doctors, as well as his enemies.

Übermensch: By the end of the series, although he starts out as a very clear-cut Last Man. His personal beliefs evolve over the course of the series. He becomes less conflicted, and more willing to do what's necessary.

Unkempt Beauty: He looks like a hobo and still looks very well. Even most fans think he looks better with the hobo look.

Unwitting Pawn: Used, reused, and subverted. A lot of his actions, even his goal are propelled and encouraged by Johan.

White and Grey Morality: How he sees the world.

Wide-Eyed Idealist: Determinedly and stubbornly so. Tenma is convinced that all life is equal, and that everyone can be saved. His beliefs put him at odds with nearly everyone, as he's one of the few idealists in the series.

Wrongly Accused: The whole plot is to save Johan who framed him in the first place, though he's more concerned about saving him and less concerned about being proven innocent.

source: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/Monster