キャラクターCHARACTER

Color illustration

Since his first appearance in the "Captain Atom" series in "Shonen" in 1951, Atom, the 100,000-hp jet-propelled robot boy, has boasted overwhelming popularity in magazines, on television and on the big screen as the star of the major series "Astro Boy". His character could even be said to be synonymous with Tezuka Osamu. Nonetheless, although he is usually thought of as being a scientific all-rounder, the robot product of an atomic fusion system who has 100,000-hp (that is later boosted up to 1 million-hp) and who is generally energetic in the fight for justice, in giving Atom his role, the message Tezuka Osamu wanted to portray was: Can science and humanity really coexist? Atom had seven powers with which to defeat his enemies, but he was also a tragic figure, a robot who suffered persecution at the hands of humans. This is the source of Atom's androgynous character, what gives him his bilateral nature.
The prototype for Atom's character was the girl robot who flew through the skies in "Metropolis" and "Perry", the 100,000-hp jet-propelled robot created by Yokoi Fukujiro. In other words, since his conception, Atom has been a character with both boyish and girlish characteristics. This fuzziness is linked to the cross that Atom has to bear; the fact that he has a heart that is more human than the human heart but is also discriminated against because he is a robot. Incidentally, the hint for Atom's pointy hair came from Tezuka Osamu's own hair, which was always standing on end when he woke up in the morning. Atom shaved off his trademark hair to appear in "The Man Who Destroyed The World" portraying the sufferings of the close-cropped pilot of the fighter plane.


MAJOR WORKS

1951Astro Boy

1952The Adventure of Rock (as the participant in a conference with the birdmen)

1953X-Point on the South Pacific

1954The Destroyer of the Earth (as Ryoichi)

1959My Memory

1962SHIKYOYAMAENGI Picture scroll

1964Robot Labor Union Leader

1970Gachaboi's record of one generation

1971Lion Books /A hundred tales, Chapter of Gold

1971Bakaichi (as the mask)

1972Japanese People in 1972

1973Black Jack /Man Bird (as the spectator in a "flying man" competition contest)

1974Black Jack /Son of Siva (as Isao, Son of the kidnapper)

1975Black Jack /You did it! (as the client to Black Jack)

1976Black Jack /Teruteru Bozu (as the painting in a frame)

1976The Three-eyed One /The Magician

1978Black Jack /Black Jack Saves his Savior (as the passerby)

1979NEC Advertisement

1979Tezuka Osamu on American Comics

1980Unico Shogaku-ichinensei Version (as the painting in a room)

Once Upon a Time Atom Tales

1980Princess Lumpenela (as the face of Jinnai)

1981Rainbow Parakeet /House of doll (as Jimmy)

1981Rainbow Parakeet /Forest of fossil

1982How the World of Anime will look in the 21st Century

1982A word from the parent who bore you

1982Tezuka Osamu Verision of "Golden Bat"

1982Rabbit House 2001

1983This is what's going to happen in 1983

1984Dream cars & cars of the future

1986Atom Cat

1986Fuku-chan in 21st Century

UnknownAtom and Uran's Dream

Once Upon a Time Atom Tales

Black Jack

Mighty Atom

The Man Who Would Destroy the World

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