This cel comes from a flashback scene. In the bulk of the show he is an old man living in a castle on a small isolated island. Like many of Black Jack’s patients his story and background are quite complex. He was born in the small village on the island. The community is very poor and is cursed by a rare disease. His father died of the disease and in fear of it spreading, the villagers kill his mother and hunt him down with the same intentions. He survives by accidentally falling into a well and later leaves the island. He grows up to become a very wealthy and powerful businessman. By this time he has become bitter and cynical. He returns to the island a rich man, though the villagers do not know who he is. Needless to say, the village is still suffering the effects of this rare but terrible disease. No doctor has been able to figure out how to treat it or even been able to track down what is causing it. Over the years he grows more sympathetic to the people who drove him out, though he shows no overt signs of this. As an old man he contracts the disease himself. Being extremely wealthy, he is able to hire Black Jack to come to the island. At first it seems like he is only interested in treating himself. Later, as Black Jack is completely stumped, he admits that he never expected to be cured. Instead, he wanted Black Jack to gather as much information on the nature of the disease as possible in the hope of finding an cure for the future of the people in the village. He even consents to having surgery without anesthesia once it appears that it may be the best method to track down the real cause.