Astro Boy in the context of Astro Boy (2003 TV series)

Osamu Tezuka (手塚 治虫, born 手塚 治, Tezuka Osamu, (1928-11-03)3 November 1928 – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist and animator. Considered to be among the greatest and most influential cartoonists of all time, his prolific output, pioneering techniques and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such titles as "the Father of Manga" (マンガの父, Manga no Chichi), "the Godfather of Manga" (マンガの教父, Manga no Kyōfu) and "the god of Manga" (マンガの神様, Manga no Kami-sama). Additionally, he is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney, who served as a major inspiration during Tezuka's formative years. Though this phrase praises the quality of his early manga works for children and animations, it also blurs the significant influence of his later, more literary, gekiga works.

Inspired by early anime such as Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki, Tezuka began what was known as the manga revolution in Japan with his New Treasure Island published in 1947. His output would spawn some of the most influential, successful and well-received manga series including the children's manga Astro Boy, Princess Knight and Kimba the White Lion, and the adult-oriented series Black Jack, Phoenix and Buddha, all of which won several awards.

Astro Boy, known in Japan as Atom (Japanese: アトム, Hepburn: Atomu), is a fictional superhero and the main protagonist of the manga series and franchise of the same name. Created by Osamu Tezuka, the character was introduced in the 1951 Captain Atom manga and then in his own manga series. Astro Boy has appeared in animated television shows (notably the 1963, 1980, 2003 series) and in the animated feature film adaptations of its eponymous manga, as well as a live-action TV series, other works by Tezuka, and video games.

On 7 April 2003, the City of Niiza registered the character as an actual resident. He was also inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame in 2004.

Mushi Production (虫プロダクション, Mushi Purodakushon; "Bug Production") or Mushi Pro for short, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Fujimidai, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. It previously had a headquarters elsewhere in Nerima.

The studio was headed by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka started it as a rivalry with Toei Animation, his former employer, after Tezuka's contract with Toei expired in 1961. The studio pioneered TV animation in Japan, and was responsible for many successful anime television series, such as Astro Boy, Gokū no Daibōken, Princess Knight, Kimba the White Lion, Dororo and Ashita no Joe, as well as more adult-oriented feature films such as A Thousand and One Nights, Cleopatra (the first Japanese X-rated animated film) and Belladonna of Sadness.

Tezuka Productions Co., Ltd. (株式会社手塚プロダクション, Kabushiki-gaisha Tezuka Purodakushon) is a Japanese mass media company founded by Osamu Tezuka in 1968, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company is known for managing, supervising and licensing the intellectual property of Tezuka's works through various business areas such as publishing, animation, films, toys, video games among others. Aside from its licensing business, the company also handles an animation studio in Tezuka's former studio office in Niiza, Saitama and has produced notable works such as Marvelous Melmo, the 1980 and 2003 Astro Boy series, and Black Jack among others.

Astro Boy, the titular character of the media franchise of the same name serves as the company's mascot.

Astro Boy (Japanese: 鉄腕アトム, Hepburn: Tetsuwan Atomu; "Mighty Atom", lit. "Iron Arm Atom") is a Japanese anime television series based on Osamu Tezuka's manga of the same name. It premiered on Fuji TV on New Year's Day, 1963 (a Tuesday) and is the first popular animated Japanese television series that embodied the aesthetic that later became familiar worldwide as anime. It lasted for four seasons, with a total of 193 episodes, the final episode presented on a Saturday, New Year's Eve 1966.

At its height it was watched by 40% of the Japanese population who had access to a TV. In 1964, there was a feature-length animated movie called Mighty Atom, the Brave in Space (鉄腕アトム 宇宙の勇者, Tetsuwan Atomu: Uchū no yūsha) released in Japan. It was compiled from three selected episodes from the series—episodes 46 ("The Robot Spaceship"), 56 ("Earth Defense Army") and 71 ("The Last Day of Earth"), respectively. The latter two were filmed and produced in color.

Astro Boy (鉄腕アトム, Tetsuwan Atomu; lit. "Mighty Atom"), sometimes referred to as New Mighty Atom (新・鉄腕アトム, Shin Tetsuwan Atomu), a 1980 anime series and a color remake of the 1963 black-and-white series of the same name. Both are adaptations of the manga series of the same name by Osamu Tezuka.

This series places more focus on the titular Astro Boy's robotic abilities and has a darker tone than previous incarnations of the series. Although this series places much more emphasis on action scenes than the first one, the theme of "robots with hearts" is still prevalent in this anime. It is also the last Astro Boy work that Tezuka himself wrote and directed, and the humor of the story and direction that is typical of Tezuka can be seen throughout. The English dubs cut out some of the series' more violent moments, such as Astro being beheaded in the episode "Lilly on Peligro Island" and Blackie Young and his crew destroying the robot guard and factory owner in the episode "Blackie Young".