Astro Boy (character)
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Astro Boy, known in Japan as , is a
fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, ...
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
and the
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of the
eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...
franchise. Created by
Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...
, the character was introduced in the 1951 ''
Captain Atom Captain Atom is a superhero appearing in American comic books, first in the 1960s by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. Captain Atom has existed in three basic incarnations. Publication history Captain Atom was crea ...
''
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
. Astro Boy has appeared in animated television shows (notably the
1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
,
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...
, 2003 series) and
feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
adaptations of its eponymous manga, as well as a live-action TV series, other works by Tezuka, and
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s. On 7 April 2003, the City of Niiza registered the character as an actual resident. He was also inducted into the
Robot Hall of Fame The Robot Hall of Fame is an American hall of fame that recognizes notable robots in various scientific fields and general society, as well as achievements in robotics technology. The organization was established in 2003 by the School of Comput ...
in 2004.


Creation and conception

Atom (known as Astro Boy or just Astro in English) originally appeared as a supporting character in the comic ''Atom Taishi'' (''Ambassador Atom'', sometimes referred to as ''Captain Atom''), which appeared in ''Shonen'', a monthly magazine for boys, in April 1951. Tezuka then created a comic series in which Astro was the main character. Schodt, Frederik L. "Introduction." ''Astro Boy'' Volume 1 (Comic by
Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...
).
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
and
Studio Proteus Studio Proteus is a Japanese manga import, translation and lettering company, founded in 1986 by Toren Smith and based in San Francisco. Other staff included translators Dana Lewis, Alan Gleason, and Frederik Schodt, letterer Tom Orzechowski a ...
. Page 1 of 3 (The introduction section has 3 pages). .
Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...
created Astro to be, in the words of
Frederik L. Schodt Frederik L. Schodt (born January 22, 1950) is an American translator, interpreter and writer. Biography Schodt's father was in the US foreign service, and he grew up in Norway, Australia, and Japan. The family first went to Japan in 1965 wh ...
(creator of the English-language version of the ''Astro Boy'' manga), a "21st-century reverse-
Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...
, a nearly perfect robot who strove to become more human and emotive and to serve as an interface between man and machine." Schodt, Frederik L. "Introduction." ''Astro Boy'' Volume 1 (Comic by
Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...
).
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
and
Studio Proteus Studio Proteus is a Japanese manga import, translation and lettering company, founded in 1986 by Toren Smith and based in San Francisco. Other staff included translators Dana Lewis, Alan Gleason, and Frederik Schodt, letterer Tom Orzechowski a ...
. Page 3 of 3 (The introduction section has 3 pages). .
As Tezuka's art style advanced, Astro "became more modern and 'cute'" to appeal to the audience of boys in elementary school. Schodt, Frederik L. "Introduction." ''Astro Boy'' Volume 1 (Comic by
Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...
).
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
and
Studio Proteus Studio Proteus is a Japanese manga import, translation and lettering company, founded in 1986 by Toren Smith and based in San Francisco. Other staff included translators Dana Lewis, Alan Gleason, and Frederik Schodt, letterer Tom Orzechowski a ...
. Page 2 of 3 (The introduction section has 3 pages). .


Appearances


Original manga and 1960s series

Astro Boy was created by
Doctor Tenma This is a list of characters from the manga and anime series ''Astro Boy'' created by Osamu Tezuka, including the 1963, 1980, and 2003 adaptations. Major characters Astro Boy The robot boy fashioned after the deceased son of Dr. Tenma, the ...
(Dr. Boynton in the 1960s English dub), and was meant to be a replacement for his recently deceased son Tobio ("Toby" in various English translations and Astor Boynton in the 1960s English dub). However, because the robotic replica was not able to grow and age like a normal human child, Doctor Tenma sold him to a Robot Circus led by the cruel
Ham Egg is the name given to the recurring characters in manga created by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Throughout his career, Tezuka frequently re-used the same characters in different roles across series; for example, the character Shunsaku Ban appears ...
. At the circus, Tobio was renamed to "Astro" and later found by
Professor Ochanomizu This is a list of characters from the manga and anime series ''Astro Boy'' created by Osamu Tezuka, including the 1963, 1980, and 2003 adaptations. Major characters Astro Boy The robot boy fashioned after the deceased son of Dr. Tenma, the ...
(Dr. Elefun) and took away following the law of robot rights. Professor Ochanomizu gave Astro a family with a robotic mother, father, sister (
Uran Uran is a coastal town and part of Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra state in Konkan division. It lies in the Raigad district, east of Mumbai across the Dharamtar Creek. Uran is primarily a fishing and agriculture village, which has developed into the ...
/Astro Girl) and brother (Cobalt/Jetto). As head of the Ministry of Science, Professor Ochanomizu often calls on Astro to help resolve situations involving humans, robots and (on occasion) extraterrestrials.


1980s series

Astro Boy appeared in the show of the same name as its major
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
. He was originally built by
Doctor Tenma This is a list of characters from the manga and anime series ''Astro Boy'' created by Osamu Tezuka, including the 1963, 1980, and 2003 adaptations. Major characters Astro Boy The robot boy fashioned after the deceased son of Dr. Tenma, the ...
after his original son, Tobio, who was recently killed in a car crash. Built in Tobio’s image, Tenma is nearing the completion of a child robot with jets and weapons that he sees as his son; however, his coworkers are afraid of the danger that such a robot may bring. While the robot is almost finished, the villain
Skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginge ...
manages to steal copies of its plans and give them to count Walpur Guiss (his boss), who plans to build a robot equipped with the Omega Factor (which gives his robot the ability to lie and other negative qualities) to “ rule the world”. Doctor Tenma raises Astro as if he were his dead son, teaching him to speak and eat (which Astro has the ability to perform). While being alone, Astro learns to fly but accidentally touches electric wires. His destroyed clothes appear to be the only consequences, but not very long afterward the robot has a malfunction and his eyes flashing red. Tenma calls Honda, who tells him the robot might have a short-circuit (although the real reason is the activation of
Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...
, Walpur Guiss’s robot). Honda attempted to destroy the robot with a Robot Disposer, but it went out of control due Dr. Tenma's interference and it went attacking everyone of the city. The robot Tobio, who had been recovered, saved everyone and destroyed the rampaging Robot Disposer, dumping it into the sea. Soon, the news that Dr. Tenma's robot gets out, and Tenma, fearing that the secret is out, decides that he and his creation shall go to
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. On the cruise ship, The robot Tobio fails to master his powers, and has caused a lot of damages such as breaking a tap and ripping away his father’s suit. As a result, Tenma forbids him to go to the dinner with him, but changes his mind at the request of a passenger who want to meet his son. However, when it is noted that Tobio is a robot, people all around the dining room are upset. Following another goof up by Tobio, Tenma expels him, refusing to acknowledge him as his son anymore and calls him a robot. While outside, Tobio is approached by a man called Hamegg who comforts him. A cruel, unforgiving ringmaster for a robot circus, he wants to use Tobio for basic backstage work and asks Astro to sign a contract. Astro, not knowing what the contract means, signs the contract and now he is a possession of Hamegg. Skunk, meanwhile, brings Atlas with him for his next plot, which is to cause icebergs to sink a ship and have Atlas recover the gold transported by the ship. Tobio foils the plan by attacking the icebergs. He meets Atlas and they both realize that they feel they already met each other in the past without knowing how, then fight. Astro is drained out of energy and falls unconscious at Atlas’ feet. About to destroy him, Atlas forgives him remembering of Livian's words who told him to not take advantage of weak people. Hamegg soon finds Tobio and locks him in his trunk. Tenma, now feeling remorse, calls for his robot son, but no-one answers. Tobio wakes up at the circus surrounded by Hamegg, Kathy, his employee, and Tornado, the robot star of the circus. Tobio is given daily chores and performs a clown act in the show. Misunderstanding the instructions he is given and not yet in control of his amazing power, he commits one mistake after another, drawing Hamegg’s fury. By then, Hamegg is already doubting his decision to bring Tobio to his circus. Dr. Ochanomizu is in town and watches the circus, where Tobio catches his eye. Suffering from bad maintenance, Tornado misses his circus act and is destroyed. Losing the owner’s confidence, Hamegg is in danger of losing the circus. Confident in Tobio’s abilities, Kathy convinces Hamegg that she can teach him Tornado’s dangerous act, which involves him jumping through two spinning rings filled with electricity, which would save the circus. Tobio trains while the circus moves to another city, leaving Ochanomizu, who has finally recognized him as Dr. Tenma’s missing robot. Ochanomizu finds him right as Tobio is about to perform the trapeze act. Tobio makes it, and then saves the crowd from the elephant robots that have become mad after Hamegg overpowered them. Ochanomizu attempts to convince Hamegg to let Tobio go with him, but Hamegg will not hear of it. Meanwhile, Kathy plots to make it look like Tobio was destroyed in an explosion. Hamegg is convinced after watching what seems like Tobio’s parts scattered around, and rips up the contract. Kathy then secretly brings Tobio to Dr. Ochanomizu, who is going to bring him back to his native country. Ochanomizu explains that Tobio is an atomic robot, and Kathy decides he needs to bear a special name: “Atom”. And thus, back in Japan, the adventures of Atom begins.


2003 series

Astro Boy re-appears as the protagonist in the 2003 series; a
robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...
with the ability to think and reason ('Kokoro', or Japanese for 'heart and soul'). Atom was created by
Doctor Tenma This is a list of characters from the manga and anime series ''Astro Boy'' created by Osamu Tezuka, including the 1963, 1980, and 2003 adaptations. Major characters Astro Boy The robot boy fashioned after the deceased son of Dr. Tenma, the ...
as a ‘replacement’ for Tobio, his deceased son. Tenma, overcome with grief, decided to make an identical robot copy, which he will raise just like his own. Tenma, however, during the project lost the trust of his fellow scientists, who had thought that he has been overcome with grief and longing for his son and as a result went insane. Tenma, who was indeed displaying signs of insanity at that point, finished his project and named the robot after his son. Unfortunately, things got out of hand as soon as Astro was led into the basement full of broken robots (including Robita) and the robot Tobio (doing the same thing the original Tobio has done) asks for Tenma to fix it. After Tenma refuses, the robot Tobio rebels against him (the same thing the original Tobio has done) and as a result, Tenma shuts him down. Before long, Tenma well and truly went insane, and burnt down the lab of the Ministry of Science and resigning his position as minister. The robot, though, was found by Tenma successor (
Ochanomizu is a neighborhood in Tokyo, Japan. It extends from the Yushima section of Bunkyo-ku to the Kanda section of Chiyoda-ku. Sundai Preparatory School, Meiji University, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and Juntendo University all have main ca ...
, called Dr. O'Shay in the English dub) who attempted to bring it back to life and succeeded. The robot was renamed Atom, and Ochanomizu brought him up as a child and he eventually became the hero of Metro City. Ochanomizu then made him as human-like as possible through means of allowing him to go to school, interact with friends and even gave him a robotic sister (Uran, called Zoran in the English dub), which he is very protective of. Ochanomizu also acts like a father to him, and also in the household is the nanny-bot Robita (different from the other one which used to live with Tobio). Despite at time acting and behaving like a normal human boy, when duty calls he often fights and defeats evil robots, humans and on occasion aliens. Strangely, another villain is Dr. Tenma, who is deeply unsure if he wants Atom back or if he wants to kill him, as he is still insane. Following the Robotania episodes, Atom was badly damaged and Dr. Ochanomizu could not repair him, however Dr. Tenma offered a deal: he would restore Atom if Dr. Ochanomizu allowed him to do the work alone. Atom was repaired, but got all his memories erased, however Uran and Atom's friends went to his rescue and attempted to protect him from Lamp who went on a rampage against Dr. Tenma and Atom upon learning about their hideout. Atom recovered his memories and defeated Lamp, afterward Dr. Tenma fled and later attacked the science ministry where he revealed Atom his story. Dr. Tenma told Atom that he had rebelled against him just like the dead Tobio did and wanted him to join his side, but Atom refused. With this, Dr. Tenma started a time bomb and tried to destroy himself, but Atom tells him that he didn't want his father to die and Dr. Tenma tells him to live with Dr. Ochanomizu since he wasn't suitable for being a father after all that he has done. Later, the robots earned rights and Dr. Tenma was then found in the prison putting photos of both of his sons. Afterward, Atom's friends congratulated him for having his dream realized, but he said that there would still another dream to be realized. This series also had a game counterpart.


Feature film

The film is set in the futuristic Metro City, a
metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...
which floats in the sky above the polluted "Surface". Metro City's population is aided by a multitude of different robots who are dumped on the Surface when broken or disused.
Toby Toby is a popular, usually male, name in many English speaking countries. The name is from the Middle English vernacular form of Tobias. Tobias itself is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew טוביה ''Toviah'', which translates to ''Good i ...
, son of
Dr. Tenma This is a list of characters from the manga and anime series ''Astro Boy'' created by Osamu Tezuka, including the 1963, 1980, and 2003 adaptations. Major characters Astro Boy The robot boy fashioned after the deceased son of Dr. Tenma, the ...
, learns that his father is going to show President Stone, the militaristic leader of the city, the Peacekeeper, a new guardian robot that he's been working on. Doctor Elefun, one of Tenma's colleagues, introduces Stone to the Blue and Red Cores, two energy spheres mined from a star fragment, that produce energy which can power robots via positive and negative energy, respectively. Stone places the Red Core in the Peacekeeper, causing it to go out of control. The Peacekeeper tries to attack the humans, but Tenma puts a barrier between them. Meanwhile, Toby has been released early from school and rewires Orrin, his family's robot, in order to attend the Ministry of Science's demonstration of the Peacekeeper. Seeking to have a closer look at the Peacekeeper, Toby enters the same room as the robot, only for the Peacekeeper's first attempt to destroy the barrier to backfire with the result that Toby is totally annihilated. After the Peacekeeper is stopped by security forces, Dr. Tenma, wracked with despair, builds an identical robot clone of Toby, using DNA from a strand of his hair to obtain his memories, which will make the robot think he ''is'' Toby. He also powers the robot with a positive blue core. The robot quickly comes to life, and Tenma brings him home. Tenma quickly realizes that while the robot possesses Toby's memories, it is not exactly like his original son, as the robot's higher mental and physical powers frequently remind him. Tenma had initially included the robot's powers in order to prevent his "son" from being destroyed again. Unaware that he is a robot, Toby tries to figure out why he can understand the language of some robot cleaners and discovers he can fly via rocket-boosters hidden in his shoes. He discovers various other abilities and heads home to tell his father, only to find that Tenma and Elefun are discussing deactivating him. Tenma reveals to Toby that he is a robot. President Stone's men detect the Blue Core's energy signature and pursue Toby. Stone calls in the Spirit of Freedom: a massive, heavily armed, flying battleship. Rendered unconscious, Toby falls off the floating city and lands in the junkyard below. He meets several children including Cora, a girl who left Metro City after her parents neglected her, and a robotic dog named Trashcan. Toby meets the Robot Revolution Front: Sparx, Robotsky and Mike the Fridge, who easily identify Toby as a robot and rename him "Astro". Astro goes along with his new name and lives with the children and their fatherly figure, Hamegg, who appears to care for broken robots, but secretly treats robots just as callously as Stone, and also runs the Robot Games: destructive
gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
ial matches in which robots are forced to fight to the death. Astro and his friends find an offline construction robot named ZOG. Astro secretly revives ZOG, and the kids bring him back and clean him up for the Hamegg games. Later that night, Astro comes across Cora trying to call Metrocity. She reveals to him that she actually has parents and was worried if they even missed her. Astro promises not to tell and tries to tell her his secret but can't. The next day at the Hamegg games, Hamegg betrays Astro, learning of him being a robot, and pits Astro against other robots in the Robot Games. Unable to simply leave, Astro is forced to destroy all the robots. Hamegg releases ZOG for Astro to fight, but both refuse to fight one another. Stone and his men arrive then and arrest Astro. They take him back to the Ministry of Science, where Tenma is asked to remove the Blue Core; however, at the last moment, he has a change of heart, accepting that even if Astro isn't Toby, he's still his son, and allows Astro to escape. This is the only media in which Tenma accepts his creation back as his son. Stone places the Red Core into the Peacekeeper again, only for it to absorb him and take on his consciousness. Astro and Stone fight across the city, demolishing most of the buildings and causing the city to begin crashing to Earth. Astro is able to slow Metro City's descent by flying underneath and pushing upwards with his leg-rockets. Cora, the other children, and the Robot Revolution try to help to bring down the Peacekeeper/Stone fusion. Stone catches Astro and is about to absorb him, but when the Blue and Red Cores clash, he lets Astro out due to the close proximity of the two Cores causing him great pain. Astro lands in a building, where he reunites with Tenma. Tenma informs him that if the Blue Core and Red Core come together, Astro and the Peacekeeper will both die. Astro decides that this was the reason he was made, and flies straight toward Stone, crashing into him and merging the Cores which destroys the Peacekeeper and frees Stone (who is knocked out from the collision). However, with both Cores drained of energy, Astro is deactivated. Cora, Dr. Elefun and others find Astro's body. ZOG transfers some of his Blue Core energy (which Astro kindly gave him) to Astro; with the catalyst restarted, the Blue Core once more becomes a limitless source of energy, so Astro is easily revived and his wounds automatically heal. Astro is reunited with Dr. Tenma, and Cora finds and makes up with her parents. Stone awakes, only to be arrested by his own troops. When an alien life-form appears over the city, the movie ends with Astro flying up to battle it. Astro’s weapons in the movie have been changed or altered when compared to the other series. Astro has machine guns on his backside like in the 1980s series, however this time they fire actual bullets, instead of lasers. His finger lasers “digibeam” is absent. Instead of the arm cannon in the 2003 series, it is changed to full arm blasters in both arms. Also, his arm rockets are absent, although his arm cannons can also serve as a means of propulsion. In the 1980s series, Astro’s eyes act as lights, while in the 2003 series they allow him to analyze things. However, in the film, they are also lights, although they can see through skin or tissue imitating skin, much like an X-ray. Also, Astro retains his super hearing and strength, as well as rockets in his feet. Another difference is Astro’s source of power. In the original series, he is powered by atoms (hence his Japanese name), but yet in the film he is powered by the Blue Core Energy, made out of pure positive energy. It is unknown as to why the writers changed his power source. Also, this is the first time that
Uran Uran is a coastal town and part of Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra state in Konkan division. It lies in the Raigad district, east of Mumbai across the Dharamtar Creek. Uran is primarily a fishing and agriculture village, which has developed into the ...
does not appear at all.


Other appearances

As part of the
Osamu Tezuka's Star System is the name given to the recurring characters in manga created by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Throughout his career, Tezuka frequently re-used the same characters in different roles across series; for example, the character Shunsaku Ban appears as ...
, Astro has appeared in several of the artist's works (although he is not always identified as "Astro Boy").


List of Astro Boy's appearances

*"Astro Boy" in ''
Captain Atom Captain Atom is a superhero appearing in American comic books, first in the 1960s by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. Captain Atom has existed in three basic incarnations. Publication history Captain Atom was crea ...
'' - 1951 *"Astro Boy" in ''
Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 ''tankōbon'' vo ...
'' - 1952 *"Conference Participant" in '' The Adventure of Rock'' - 1952 *"Sergeant Ichinotani" in ''X-Point on the South Pacific'' - 1953 *"Ryoichi" in ''The Destroyer of the Earth'' - 1954 *"Captain Larry" in ''My Memory'' - 1959 *"Astro Boy" in ''Shikuoyamaengi Picture Scroll'' - 1962 *"The Mask" in ''Robot Labor Union Leader'' - 1964 *"Astro Boy" in ''Gachaboi's Record of One Generation'' - 1970 *"Astro Boy" in '' Lion Books: A Hundred Tales - Chapter of Gold'' - 1971 *"The Mask" in ''Bakaichi'' - 1971 *"The Mask" in ''Japanese People in 1972'' - 1972 *"Flying Man Competition Spectator" in '' Black Jack: Man Bird'' - 1973 *"Isao" in '' Black Jack: Son of Shiva'' - 1974 *"Black Jack's Client" in '' Black Jack: You did it!'' - 1975 *"Person in Framed Painting" in '' Black Jack: Teruteru Bozu'' - 1976 *"Astro Boy" in ''The Three-eyed One: The Magician'' - 1976 *"Passerby" in '' Black Jack: Black Jack Saves his Savior'' - 1978 *"Astro Boy" in ''Osamu Tezuka on American Comics'' - 1979 *"Person in Painting" in '' Unico: Shogaku-Ichinensei Version'' - 1980 *"Face of Jinnai" in ''Princess Lumpenela'' - 1980 *"Jimmy" in '' Rainbow Parakeet: House of Doll'' - 1981 *"The Mask" in '' Rainbow Parakeet: Forest of Fossil'' - 1981 *"Black Jack" in ''How the World of Anime will look in the 21st Century'' - 1982 *"Astro Boy" in ''A word from the parent who bore you'' - 1982 *"Jimmy" in ''Golden Bat'' - 1982 *"Astro Boy" in ''Rabbit House 2001'' - 1982 *"Person in Painting" in ''This is what's going to happen in 1983'' - 1983 *"Astro Boy" in ''Dream cars & cars of the future'' - 1984 *"Astro Boy" in ''Atom Cat'' - 1986 *"The Mask" in ''Fuku-chan in 21st Century'' - 1986 *"Adam" in '' Undersea Super Train: Marine Express'' - 1979
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
*He also make several cameos in Black Jack TV * Astro has also made a cameo in two episodes of ''
Kimba the White Lion ''Kimba the White Lion'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese '' shōnen'' manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka which was serialized in the ''Manga Shōnen'' magazine from November 1950 to April 1954. An anime based on ...
'' * "
Monica Teen ''Monica Adventures'' (''Turma da Mônica Jovem'') is a Brazilian comic created in August 2008 by Mauricio de Sousa. The series features the characters from ''Monica's Gang'' as teenagers. In January 2019, the series began to be published in the ...
" Chapter 43 and 44 (Green Treasure arc)


Reception

Astro was listed on '' Empire magazine's'' 50 Greatest Comic Characters list ranking forty third, making Astro the only manga character on the list.
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's Chris Mackenzie also ranked Astro Boy as 2 on the list of the top anime characters of all time. Astro was placed tenth Mania Entertainment's 10 Most Iconic Anime Heroes written by Thomas Zoth who commented that "he was Japan's first great modern cartoon hero, on the printed page and the TV screen". In 2014, IGN ranked him as the fourth greatest anime character of all time.
Katsuhiro Otomo is a Japanese manga artist, screenwriter, animator and film director. He is best known as the creator of '' Akira'', in terms of both the original 1982 manga series and the 1988 animated film adaptation. He was decorated a ''Chevalier'' of th ...
chose ATOM as the name of the main computer in his manga '' Fireball'' as an homage to Tezuka and the character.


See also

*
List of Osamu Tezuka anime This is a list of Osamu Tezuka's notable anime work in alphabetical order. This list of anime includes all those listed on Tezuka's official site as well as others that are directly based on his work, but not listed on the site yet. The English tra ...
*
List of Osamu Tezuka manga This is a list of Osamu Tezuka's manga work in alphabetical order. The English translations of the names used are from the original names found on the official Osamu Tezuka website. This is not a complete list of Tezuka's manga creations. While T ...
*
Osamu Tezuka's Star System is the name given to the recurring characters in manga created by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Throughout his career, Tezuka frequently re-used the same characters in different roles across series; for example, the character Shunsaku Ban appears as ...


References

{{Osamu Tezuka Adoptee characters in anime and manga Anime and manga characters with superhuman strength Astro Boy Child characters in anime and manga Child superheroes Comics characters introduced in 1951 Fictional circus performers Fictional androids Male characters in anime and manga Male superheroes Osamu Tezuka characters Robot superheroes Animated characters ja:鉄腕アトム