| David Tanaka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Takaya Honda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2016–2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 21 September 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance |
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| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Jason Herbison | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spin-off appearances | Road Trip (2016) Neighbours vs Time Travel (2017) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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-led 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. After he comes out to his family and friends, David and Aaron's partnership proved popular with viewers and they became the subjects of the first same sex marriage on Australian television in 2018. Later, the couple were used to explore the foster care and adoption systems in Australia. Honda chose to leave the role in 2021, though the cancellation and subsequent revival of Neighbours saw David remain in the series until his death on 1 February 2024, followed by voice cameos on 28 March and 1 April of the same year.