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Tear Jerker / Astro Boy

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Original Manga

  • Hoshie's death.
  • Tenma finally giving up on his schemes to reclaim Astro as his son: "I'm sorry... I give up... I just wanted Astro back, that's all... I thought if I could get a brand-new Astro, he could be my son again... so I tried to use Meeva to bring me a new Astro from the past... I know it was a crazy thing to do... but when I learned I couldn't have a brand-new Astro, I thought maybe I could get you to let me have the old one... I'm sorry... I know it's not possible... you win... I know you're his real mom and dad now... you're both wonderful parents... I know you can make him happy... I'll never come here again... I promise... give my regards to Astro..."
  • There was a character who rejoiced at the news that robots' rights had been declared. We then hear his story about how he had fallen in love with a woman named Helen, only to find out that she was a robot. Despite this, he still wanted to marry her. After deactivating her until such a time came, he gradually replaced his own body parts until his head remained the only remaining organic part of him. While driving off to get married, he and Helen were caught up in a car explosion while waiting for a light to change and both died. Imagine going through twenty long years of waiting and slowly turning yourself into a robot, all while waiting to be happy with the one you loved, just to end up as scrap in the street.

1963 anime

  • Dr. Tenma/Boyton's reaction to his son's death... the worst being when we cut to him in his office, sobbing into his desk...
    • And then later on in the episode is his rejection of Astro. Goes from saying he'll teach his son how to fly and jump mountains to ordering him angrily to get out.
  • From Snow Lion: "This is how it ends: in the snow. If it's the last thing I do, I'll put Astro Boy in the Robot Hall of Fame. Yes, Astro Boy, you've earned your place here with the best and here you'll stay for eternity... and here I'll wait for you, my friend. We'll face the end together."
  • Astro's Heroic Sacrifice at the very end of the series.

1980 anime

  • Tenma's desperate search for Astro in the second episode. Curse you, Hamegg!
    Tenma: (calling for him) Tobio, I'm sorry. You are my child.
    Astro: (trapped in a suitcase) Father... I'm here... Help me...(slips into unconsciousness)
  • Nuka literally falling apart in Astro's hands.
  • Atlas' Heroic Sacrifice. His life was a hard one, with Lidian as his only real joy and who ultimately couldn't bear to be apart from him either. So they just... stand there holding each other contentedly while waiting for the end, leaving Astro to feel his brother die over their link...
  • The last two minutes of episode 39 - Blackie Young

2003 series

  • Atlas' death five episodes into the series, though he later is rebuilt.
  • Pluto's Heroic Sacrifice where he drags a mindless clone of himself into a volcano to prevent him from harming Astro and Uran.
  • Astro's heartfelt speech to the Blue Knight about wanting humans and robots to live in harmony, with just about every character in the show watching via television.
  • Astro's 'death', short as it may last. Especially Tenma's Please, Don't Leave Me
  • The hug between Astro and Tenma in the final episode.

2009 film

  • To anyone that read the original or knows anything about Astro's creation will see this coming as soon as Toby appears. Toby dies. Toby get resurrected by Tenma into Astro. Astro doesn't act like Toby that much. Tenma disowns him. It's the thing you expect the writers to have just glossed over... gets fully shown...
    • Granted, they completely changed Toby's cause of death (he gets hit by a car in both the manga and some of the adaptations), but it otherwise might have been too scary for kids. Although one could argue the new version is worse: He is trapped behind a glass wall along with a killer robot. He starts screaming for his father to help him, and his father, on the other side of the wall and helpless to do anything, can only try frantically reassuring him that "everything's going to be OK"...and then Toby is vaporized. There is nothing left of him but his baseball cap, which Tenma just holds tight to his chest as he sobs.
    • "If you lose your son like that, and you don't go crazy, you're not a human being..."
    • The aforementioned Please Wake Up scene also brings tears.
    • Tenma's collapse after Astro's heroic sacrifice. Just when Tenma realized how much he really did love his robot son....
  • When Tenma disowns Astro. This is mostly because of a truly harsh line delivered in a rather unique fashion. "And I dont... want you anymore." Somehow, Tenma manages to both sound just a bit confusingly relieved... and absolutely horrified that he's thinking this way. Even to those who know it's coming, the line is INSANELY cruel.
    • Beforehand, we get this conversation with Dr. Elephan, which poignantly sets up why Tenma decides to disown him. It goes something like:
    Dr. Tenma: You don't understand! He was meant to replace Toby! But every time I look at him, it just reminds me that Toby is gone! (Beat) He's never coming back...

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