Have you ever stopped to think about the incredible access we now have to anime? Before Toonami and Adult Swim made it easier for celebrities like Megan Fox and Michael B. Jordan to watch popular anime series, you had to know someone who had a plug at the import section of a video store in NYC to get copies of Cowboy Bebop before they were readily available. Now, Netflix is drenched in original anime programming to the point where films like KPop Demon Hunters, which borrow from the genre, are taking home Oscars. You can immerse yourself in a new series on Crunchyroll every week if you want to, and all of those series, from Pokémon to Naruto, have one anime series to thank: Astro Boy.
Astro Boy, created by the legendary Osamu Tezuka and originally known as The Mighty Atom, is Earth’s protector, fully equipped to distinguish good from evil (and destroy evil to smithereens). The start of Japan’s animation style—the show that turned “Japanimation” into anime for the globe—was Astro Boy. There’d be no Street Racer, no Transformers, no Voltron without the pioneering style of Tezuka’s Astro Boy. Astro Boy was early on the merchandise, with the iconic spiky-haired boy with rockets in his boots and cheerful smile appearing in manga, anime, films, t-shirts, collectibles, and more. Astro Boy paved the way for series like One Piece to flourish, but really, how much do you know about Astro Boy? These are 10 things you don’t know about Astro Boy.
Astro Boy was the first hit anime series
While not the first anime, Astro Boy premiered on New Year’s Day 1963 on Fuji TV, airing 193 episodes over its four-year run (only 104 of those made it to the U.S.). At one point, Astro Boy had a 40.7 percent viewership rate—nearly half of the nation with access to television, making its eventual global success inevitable. Astro Boy merchandise was huge; by 2004, Astro Boy reportedly generated $3 billion in merchandising sales.
Astro Boy’s animation style and serialization effectively became the blueprint for modern anime.
Astro Boy made his first appearance in 1951
Astro Boy didn’t start out as Astro Boy, though; the character was first featured in Tezuka’s Atom Taishi (Ambassador Atom) manga series, which was published in Shonen. Tezuka later decided to create a series based on the Astro Boy character, set in a world where robots and humans coexist.
Astro Boy was basically a bereavement doll
Dr. Tenma, the man who created Astro, did so after his son Tobio was killed in a car accident. As the story goes, Tenma was cool with Astro until he realized that Astro would not be able to grow up; depending on the version you read or watch, Astro is then either sold to or stolen by the circus and forced to battle other robots for the audience. Astro is later saved by the Ministry of Science, setting Astro on the path of defending the Earth.
The original series was influenced by life during World War II
Tezuka grew up in Japan during World War II, and the horrific experiences of fiery destruction turned into the heavy anti-war rhetoric in the Astro Boy series. Astro Boy was heavy on preserving the natural beauty of Earth; it’s the job Astro Boy was hand-picked to do! It’s remarkable how Tezuka transformed his childhood trauma into a story that had a profound impact on animation, in Japan and across the globe.
Astro Boy was war-ready
With Astro Boy being tasked to defend the Earth from all threats, human, robot, and alien alike, he had to stay ready so he didn’t have to get ready. The Mighty Atom is geared up, boasting a 100,000-horsepower engine, which aids Astro’s jet-powered flight. He’s had laser beams in his fingers, cannons in his arms, and machine guns in his butt. That’s right, from the manga to the film series, Astro Boy has had two cannons strategically placed in his hindquarters for an added surprise. Add on his enhanced hearing, sight, and intellect, and you have one pint-sized, Earth-defending force.
Astro Boy destroys himself in the original ending of the anime series
Deemed too dark for American audiences, the original finale found Astro Boy having to save Earth from destruction by solar radiation; Astro countered by self-destructing, saving the planet. Censors in America didn’t believe that children could handle a protagonist dying in a series, so they decided to just re-run previous episodes of the series.
The infamous “lost” episode
One of the darker sides of the anime genre has been that, due to the high demand for new episodes for their anime series, animators were put through the wringer, working long hours and expected to meet a high standard of quality. Due to those demands, Tezuka decided to have Studio Zero produce the August 20, 1963, Astro Boy episode “Midoro Marsh” (aka "Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" if you’re here from the English dub). When Tezuka saw what Studio Zero produced, he was so disappointed with their work that he asked that it be destroyed. The thing is, the episode had already aired on Fuji TV, and a copy was already on its way to America for dubbing. The episode was released on VHS as a “lost episode.”
This issue has persisted into the modern anime era, particularly during the initial run of Dragon Ball Super.
Mega Man was originally supposed to be an Astro Boy game
As the story goes, in 1987, Capcom is said to have held the license to develop an Astro Boy video game and tasked Street Fighter creator Keiji Inafune with creating it. After apparent issues with the license, Capcom went another way, transitioning its Astro Boy ideas into Mega Man, itself one of the most iconic franchises in video game history.
Astro Boy’s theme is played in train stations
On April 7, 2003, Astro Boy was registered as an honorary citizen of Niiza, Saitama; in the original manga, that is Astro Boy’s birthdate, and Tezuka Productions has an office located in Niiza. The following year, the anime’s theme song became the departure music at Niiza Station.
Walt Disney was a fan of Astro Boy
Because Astro Boy was so widely marketed, Osamu was not only called the god of manga but also likened to Walt Disney in many ways, mostly comparing the success of the Astro Boy character to Disney’s Mickey Mouse. Osamu once shared a story about meeting Disney in 1964, and Disney saying he’d actually seen Astro Boy. “On the opening day of New York World’s Fair,” Tezuka said, “I was lucky enough to get a chance to talk to him. I came across him leaving the stage just after delivering the speech. I got nervous but somehow introduced myself to him.” During their interaction, Tezuka mentioned that he was the head of an animation studio in Japan and made Astro Boy. “‘Really? I know Astro Boy,’” Tezuka remembers Disney saying. “‘I saw the work in Los Angeles. It’s a great work.’” Tezuka pressed Disney for further remarks, saying that he knew his staff would love to hear Disney’s thoughts.
“‘It’s a very interesting Sci-Fi story,’” Disney said. “‘Future children are looking toward the space. So I, myself, think about making Sci Fi, too. If you have time, visit me in Burbank.’”
Does that sound like there could have been a timeline where an Astro Boy-esque film could have potentially been released in America through Disney?! Somebody find the time portal, quick!
