History Anime / AstroBoy

* BigBrotherBully: Atlas was build before Astro was by Tenma, so they are technically siblings, as Atlas admits. When Tenma gives Atlas the means to go off-script and attack Astro, the robot is only happy to comply.

** A corporate head Tokugawa adopted a robot child he called Daichi and started neglecting him, much like how Tenma neglected Tobio and late Astro. This is why Tenma takes pity on the man when he begs him to rebuild Daichi after the latter is ordered dismantled following his attempt to hijack a moon shuttle. Daichi later becomes Atlas. When Tokugawa says he treated the robot like his own son, Tenma snarkily says, "[[DramaticIrony I see that]]."

* TragicVillain: Atlas for most of the series. He was originally Daichi, a robot child built for a business head named Tokugawa. Tokugawa had to dismantle him after Daichi grew up and tried to hijack a space shuttle, but he asked Tenma to save him instead. The power upgrades fueled Atlas's trauma-induced rage, allowing him to attack his father's company as he maintains the identity of a model son. He eventually goes to the moon...but without the father who promised to take him there.

%%* RunawayTrain

* AIIsACrapshoot: Anything can corrupt a

* StalkerWithoutACrush: Tenma is one to Astro.

* MadBomber: Kato combines this trope with MadArtist.

* WheresTheKaboom: Rainbow Parakeet has planted bombs all over the robot revolutionary Blue Knight's sanctuary and is about to press the button on the detonator, taunting Astro that the only way to stop him is to kill him and prove he's just as ruthless as Blue Knight. Astro opens fire on him and apparently misses. Cue maniacal laughter as the villain presses the button. Click, click, click. [[spoiler:Astro decided to Take a Third Option and was actually firing at the communications antenna that would relay the remote detonator's signal.]]

* CircusEpisode: In "Robot Circus", one of the members of a robot circus, Reno is actually a human boy disguised as a robot. When this is discovered, the authorities try to take the boy away from his robot family.

* InsubstantialIngredients: In "The Time Machine", a guest-starring Manga/BlackJack asks his usual high price for saving the life of a crown prince, and is given the key to the royal treasury and a promise that he may take anything he chooses. After the successful operation, he recalls the promise and says that what he chooses to take with him when he leaves the kingdom is an unjust law that he's learned has been causing the prince grief.

* VillainousBreakdown: Dr. Tenma has one spanning the last two episodes.
* VillainousRescue: Dr. Tenma saves Astro from a [[spoiler: mind-controlled Atlas.]]

* DownerEnding: Far too many episodes to name.

* BlackBestFriend: Kenichi/Kennedy acts as one to Astro.

--> ''There you go Astro Boy.''
--> ''On your flight into space.''
--> ''Rocket high, through the sky.''
--> ''What adventures soon you will make.''
--> ''Astro Boy bombs away.''
--> ''On your mission today.''
--> ''Here's a countdown, and a blast off.''
--> ''Everything is GO Astro Boy.''
-->-- '''"Astro Boy" Theme Song.'''

First in 1963. 193 episodes were created, although only 104 were exported and dubbed for viewing outside of Japan. It's historically significant, as the first full-length anime series to be broadcast in Japan, and the first to be distributed in the USA. Along with ''Anime/EighthMan'', ''Manga/KimbaTheWhiteLion'', ''{{Anime/Gigantor}}'' and ''Anime/SpeedRacer'', it introduced anime to American audiences and paved the way for more sophisticated works on both sides of the Pacific.

* LighterAndSofter: Both this and DarkerAndEdgier. Astro's angsty past is retconned away, but the series in general took on a much more serious tone than the two previous anime. While the outcome for Astro is maybe less tragic than the manga or previous versions, it's potentially even darker. [[spoiler: Instead of simply selling off Astro, Tenma actually effectively shuts down Astro after he expresses his horror at seeing old Ministry of Science robots being scrapped, and shows signs of rebellion]]

* HistoryRepeats: Tenma gets what he thinks he wants, but it ends up the same way every time [[spoiler: The original Tobio rebels and takes the car for the fateful drive that claims his life, then he shuts down Astro at the first sign of rebellion and independent thought, attempting to do the same when Astro regains his memory]]

* DragonInChief: Shadow was deliberately built to be this, shoring up Tenma's own shortcomings in robotics with his own incredible intelligence.

** Creating Pluto was this for Tenma. Either Astro losses or evolves and becomes stronger. He's perfectly happy either way. [[spoiler: [[TakeAThirdOption When Pluto instead]] has a HeelFaceTurn, Shadow reveals he has a stronger robot in the wing, Archeron, who has no emotions.]]

First in 1963. 193 episodes were created, although only 104 were exported and dubbed for viewing outside of Japan. It's historically significant, as the first full-length anime series to be broadcast in Japan, and the first to be distributed in the USA. Along with ''Anime/EighthMan'', ''{{Kimba the White Lion}}'', ''{{Anime/Gigantor}}'' and ''Anime/SpeedRacer'', it introduced anime to American audiences and paved the way for more sophisticated works on both sides of the Pacific.

* CanonForeigner: Shadow, who was created solely for this series. Though he does make an appearance of sorts in Omega Factor.
** Sort of. He's loosely based on Dr. Abullah/Goji from the original ''World's Strongest Robot'' arc, but his backstory and motives are completely different.

* LighterAndSofter: Both this and DarkerAndEdgier. Astro's angsty past is retconned away, but the series in general took on a much more serious tone than the two previous anime.
** While the outcome for Astro is maybe less tragic than the manga or previous versions, it's potentially even darker. [[spoiler: Instead of simply selling off Astro, Tenma actually effectively shuts down Astro after he expresses his horror at seeing old Ministry of Science robots being scrapped, and shows signs of rebellion]]

* AnimeThemeSong

** Pluto

* DarkerAndEdgier

* AnimeThemeSong

* RunawayTrain

* CreditsRunningSequence

* FalseReassurance

* SoundtrackDissonance

* AnimeThemeSomg
* ArmCannon

* CompositeCharacter: Atlas has elements of Cobalt, in that he's Astro's "brother" (though in a completely different way from the 80s version). The 2003 version of Franken is actually a composite of two completely different robots from the manga (a robot chauffeur from the 1960s Sankei Newspaper serial and a magnetic robot panhandler (ItMakesSenseInContext. Sort of) from a short tie-in manga for the 80s series) and has almost nothing to do with the original series' Franken, apart from becoming a flashpoint for anti-robot sentiment, which the Sankei version already did anyway.

* EvilutionaryBiologist

* InsaneTrollLogic: The final arc is kicked off when General Red's daughter is injured and put into a coma, and his robot butler Jake (whom Red forbids from spending time with her) is accused of assault. In reality, his daughter had tripped, and Jake was trying to help her. At court, Ochanomizu argues that Jake should be allowed to speak, as he is capable of free will and honesty. The court agrees with the Professor--- and decide that, if Jake can possess free will, then he must also possess the ability to lie, therefore the court cannot believe whatever he says. Ochanomizu is understandably upset by this.

* PowerGlows

* WheresTheKaboom

* CrossOver: The episode "The Time Machine" guest-starred several other famous Tezuka characters via TimeTravel, including some from ''Manga/BlackJack'' and ''Manga/PrincessKnight''.