Talk show points out how similar the artist's character designs are.

On a recent episode of TV Asahi's talk show Ametalk , veteran manga artist Mitsuru Adachi was given the challenge of identifying Tatsuya Uesugi, the main character of Touch , one of his most popular manga series, from among three characters that he had drawn for other series. Much to his chagrin, and the internet's entertainment, Adachi got it wrong, proving that even he is unable to tell his characters apart. In his defense, the three characters are extremely hard to tell apart:

While being unable to recognize your own most famous character from among other characters that you created might be embarrassing enough, the real clincher is that the other two characters that he could have chosen from were Masato Wakamatsu from Miyuki and Yūsaku Takasugi from Hiatari Ryōkō! , who are both the main male characters in their respective series. Incidentally, Adachi was unable to correctly identify those two as well. If you're curious as to which one is which, the correct order would be Masato Wakamatsu on the left, Yūsaku Takasugi in the center, and Tatsuya Uesugi on the right. If you were able to give the correct answers, congratulations.

Still, Adachi does seem to have a habit of creating characters that look eerily similar. Take a look at this chart of some of his most prominent male characters throughout his career:

Touch was originally serialized in Japan's Weekly Shonen Sunday from 1981 to 1986. In 1983, it received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen or shōjo manga alongside Adachi's Miyuki . It was adapted into a television anime in 1985. Shonen Sunday happened to post about Adachi's televised flop, spreading the author's embarrassment even further.

[Via Hachima Kikou]