David Tanaka
| David Tanaka | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Takaya Honda | ||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2016– | ||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 21 September 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Jason Herbison | ||||||||||||||||||
| Spin-off appearances |
Road Trip (2016) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Current; regular | ||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Doctor | ||||||||||||||||||
| Home | Lassiter's apartment | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Family | Robinson |
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| Father | Paul Robinson |
| Mother | Kim Tanaka |
| Stepfather | Nate Tanaka |
| Brothers | Leo Tanaka |
| Half-brothers | |
| Half-sisters |
Amy Williams Elle Robinson |
| Nephews | Jimmy Williams |
| Other relatives | Kazuko Sano |
David Tanaka is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Takaya Honda. He made his first appearance in the main show during the episode broadcast on 21 September 2016. The character was introduced alongside his twin brother Leo Tanaka (Tim Kano), and they arrive in Erinsborough to find their long-lost biological father. The show's producer had planned their stories out six months in advance and was excited about the prospect of them joining the series. Both Honda and Kano auditioned for both roles and were later awarded their respective parts. David is characterised as the more self-conscious and socially awkward of the Tanaka twins, but he is career minded and confident in his role as a doctor.
Writers developed an issue lead storyline for David which saw him struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. Having been pressured by his great-grandmother Kazuko Sano (Linda Chin) to settle down with a woman, David finds it difficult to deal with his attraction to the openly gay character Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson). The mystery of David and Leo's paternity served as the character's most prominent story during their first year in the show. Long established character Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) was later revealed to be their father, linking the characters to one of the show's original families. Other storylines include posing as the father of Paige Smith's (Olympia Valance) unborn child and being homophobic towards Aaron to conceal his own sexuality. David's gay storyline proved to be rather divisive among some critics of the genre. While most agreed that he was the friendlier of the Tanaka brothers.
The character and Honda's casting was announced on 22 August 2016, along with Tim Kano who plays David's twin brother Leo Tanaka. Of his casting, Honda said, "I feel so privileged to have the opportunity to join the regular cast of Neighbours. To learn from such prominent and longstanding Australian talent is truly seeing my dreams fulfilled." David and Leo come to Erinsborough in the hope of solving "a family mystery". David is a doctor, who has "a social conscience".
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