Riiko is Osamu Tezuka’s go-to for the “cute girl” roles. Although Mitchy originally started out being cast in the “young girl” roles, her skill and character meant she soon found herself taking on more dramatic and mature roles. This left a vacuum that needed to be filled, and Tezuka looked to Riiko to fill the void. With her light-hearted exuberance, Riiko retains here child-like innocence, no matter what events are swirling around here. When Tezuka’s first famous little-girl-style character Mitchy was required to grow up and take on more mature roles in later manga, Riiko was the character Tezuka began to draw to take her place. (Source: Tezukainenglish)