Characters / Atom: The Beginning

This is the character page for Atom: The Beginning. For their tropes in Astro Boy, see here.

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Humans

Umataro Tenma

Voiced by: Yuichi Nakamura

A somewhat egotistical young man with a bombastic sense of flair. While he cares about his creations to some extent, he doesn't see them as much more than tests. He considers failures failures and will move on to the next subject if need be. When he's tasked with something important, rest assured he will give it his all.

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• Catchphrase: "We're geniuses, after all". In general, "genius" seems to be his favorite word.
• Dark and Troubled Past: It is revealed that Umataro lost his parents in a disaster that no man or machine could prevent. That's why he's obsessed with the idea of a robot god.
• For Science!: The reason he's interested in developing true artificial intelligence despite how he despises opinions that differ from his own.
• Large Ham: Tezuka above, yes. He seems incapable of not chewing every bit of scenery in his area.
• Mad Scientist: Wants to develop a robot with such power and intelect that it can Take Over the World and actually act as a just ruler. He would still like for it to obey his orders, though, and ends up admonishing Six whenever he disobeys them or does something unexpected.
• Rule of Cool: Does a robot meant to test AI really need a 1,000 Horsepower punch? Or a name for it? Umataro doesn't seem to care, and neither should you.

  "Pistons are a man's sense of adventure!"

• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Manly Man to Ochanomizu's Sensitive Guy. While Tenma's physique is anything but muscular and he leans towards Pretty Boy looks, he maintains typically masculine interests and desires to be professionally stoic in regard to his machines, contrast to Ochanomizu's emotional and personal approach.
• You Are Number 6: He dislikes referring to his creations as anything other than their production codes as he finds nicknaming them to be disgustingly "cutesy."

Hiroshi Ochanomizu

Voiced by: Takuma Terashima

The kinder of the Lab 7 duo, and Umataro's best friend. He takes a more individualistic approach to how his robots work, and as a result is more attached to them than Tenma. Though unpopular with girls, he tends to be just as friendly with non-humans as he is with humans.

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• Decomposite Character: He's the grandson of the Ochanomizu who lived the Scara Time Travel Arc and met with Prime!Astroboy.
• Gag Nose: Wouldn't be the good professor without it.
• The Nicknamer: He was responsible for all of the A10 series' nicknames, as well as the alternate nickname for F14.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Zigzags this with Umataro. While Hiroshi is the more reasonable and level-headed of the two (Blue Oni), he is also far more emotional and prone to outbursts over Six's actions (Red Oni).
• 'Tis Only a Bullet in the Brain: Was shot right to the head. He almost barely survived, and had been declared "dead" during the surgery.

Ran Ochanomizu

Voiced by: Ayane Sakura

Hiroshi's younger sister, and frequent visitor of Lab 7. She is a member of her high school's robotics club, and has a great appreciation for robots and their parts. She'll sometimes be seen trying to take A106's parts when she comes by.

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• Cute Mute: Doesn't speak much, and in the manga, doesn't do so on-panel. Other characters do Parrot Exposition for her.
• Teen Genius: Since hanging out with her brother, she got a strong hold over making and fixing robotics.

Shunsaku Ban

A lover of all things robotic, Shunsaku Ban is a mech fan to the core. Thanks to working at his father's delivery service, he's capable of knowing much more about people than normal people would have access to. He aims to become a detective with his knowledge.

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• Fanboy: Of robots.

Kensaku Ban

Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita

Shunsaku's father, and owner of Maruhige Transport. Unlike his mech-nut son, he is a firm believer in analog technology, reasoning that robots bring nothing but complications and trouble.

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• Generation Xerox: Looks exactly like an older version of his son.

Moriya Tsutsumi

Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai

• Genius Cripple: The top scientist in Lab 1 and a brilliant young man, who uses a wheelchair as his primary mode of transport.
• Jerkass: In spite of his seeming soft-spoken nature, he's mighty elitist and looks down on others.
• Wholesome Crossdresser: As Dr. Lolo. Not that he wants to, considering his involvement in Mars's development and the Balts, it's understandable for him to make an alter ego.

Motoko Tsutsumi

• I Love You Because I Can't Control You: Motoko's growing infatuation with Ochanomizu stems from this. She was able to wrap men around her finger in the past, but the kindhearted, big-nosed student remains elusive to her (with is either because he can't take a hint or is outside of circumstances).

Dr. Lolo

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Robots

A 10 Series

A 106

Voiced by: Yūki Inoue

The sixth robot built in Umataro and Hiroshi's A10 series, and the first to use the prototype Bewußtsein system. While his brothers were capable of artificial intelligence, they do not possess the same level he is at: he's capable of thought, careful reasoning, and even dreaming to some extent.

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• Do Androids Dream?: Thinks about his own awareness from time to time, and contemplates if he really does have consciousness. He's not sure whether to consider the dreams he has throughout the series actual dreams or errors in video recording.
• Goroawase Number: Works as a Stealth Pun as well: A-Ten-Six can be read as A-To-Mu.
• In-Series Nickname: "Six".
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: Umataro and Hiroshi tend to thoughtlessly erase Six's memories when they think he's malfunctioning or need to work on upgrades, but the robot can still recall past events on a subconscious level after that.
• Martial Pacifist: Searches for ways to immobilize human villains without violence and doesn't enjoy hurting other robots, regardless of their A.I. level. During the tournament matches, Six works around Umataro's orders to spectacularly destroy his opponents and just disables them without dealing damage. However, when Six realizes an enemy hurt Ran he's overcome with anger and starts thrashing them, much to his own surprise.
• Pintsized Powerhouse: Besides his modest height, in spite of his vast power and durability, he's only 80kg.

A 107

• Expy: Of Uran. Her head shape and gender matches the character, and she was the second robot after Six, making her his little sister like Uran was to Astro. Even her nickname falls into this, as Hiroshi calls her U-ran (pronounced Yuu-ran).
• Cute and Psycho: While Prime!Uran is a kind, feminine, gentle soul, this Uran is a pint-sized psycho relishing in her 3000HP fueled strength and superior firepower to crush military and civilian robots, savoring their pain and her superiority.
• Pink Means Feminine
• Took a Level in Kindness: A brush with death and a vicious beating delivered by a robot meaner, bigger and badder than herself, Mars made her softer, kinder and had her cut her own horsepower in half and disarm her weaponry, swearing to life peacefully from then own, cherishing her brother and her creators.

Mars

An incredibly deadly and ruthlessly intelligent android created by Dr. Lolo. While ostensibly made to compete in robot fighting tournaments, his true purpose is to showcase the viability of experimental combat technologies in high-stakes scenarios.

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• Logic Bomb: How A106 "defeats" him. His opponent's tender farewell to his friends, followed by the melancholic claim that he'd die alone at Mars' hands presented a blatant contradiction that Mars was unable to fully comprehend.
• Jerkass Woobie: His own creator treats him like nothing more than a weapon to point to other robots. The point is that he's starting to like that, so far to scare A107 herself, the resident Cute and Psycho, into swearing herself out of robot fights forever after being dismantled, tortured and beat to scrap from a Mars enjoying her fear a bit too much

North

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Other

F 14

• Punny Name: F14, or Tom, both referencing the F14 "Tomcat" aircraft
• Internal Homage: He's shaped as Atom Cat, the feline clone of Astroboy from the original Tezuka's gag manga

Grandpa Ochanomizu

He is the Astroboy Professor Ochanomizu, the one living the whole Scara Time Travel Arc

• Androids Are People, Too: Half the motivation to create modern robotic science is, being an orphan in the ruined Japan, having strong metal allies to help humanity, and to share joy and sorrow with
• The Slow Path: The remaining half of his motivation. Having befriended Prime!Astro from the Scara Time Travel Arc, he believes that once Hiroshi will complete the Bewusstein System, he'll be able to reunite with his robot friend.