Release OrderRecommended
0 / 6 watchedEvery TV series and film in release order. Each series stands alone, so this is a history of the franchise as much as a watch sequence.
- 1 Astro Boy (1963) 193 episodes on Fuji TV. Japan's first continuing weekly TV anime, in black and white.
- 2 Mighty Atom: The Brave in Space 87 minute compilation of three TV episodes, released theatrically in Japan.
- 3 Astro Boy (1980) 52 episodes on Nippon TV. Full color remake produced by Tezuka Productions.
- 4 Astro Boy (2003) 50 episodes on Fuji TV and Animax. Made for the 40th anniversary with near theatrical animation.
- 5 Astro Boy (2009) 94 minute CG film from Imagi Studios, released October 23, 2009 in the US.
- 6 Pluto 8 episode Netflix limited series adapting Naoki Urasawa's Pluto manga, a murder mystery built on the Greatest Robot on Earth arc.
Where to Start
0 / 3 watchedThree entry points depending on what you want. Pick one, no prior viewing needed.
- 1 Astro Boy (2003) The most accessible full series and the best balance of classic stories with modern pacing.
- 2 Astro Boy (2009) A self contained Hollywood origin story, the fastest watch at 94 minutes.
- 3 Pluto A dark prestige drama for adult viewers, no familiarity with Astro Boy required.
About Astro Boy
Astro Boy is Osamu Tezuka's robot boy Atom, built to replace a dead child and raised to fight for humans and robots alike. Three TV series from 1963, 1980 and 2003 each retell his story for a new generation, capped by a 2009 CG film and the prestige reimagining Pluto.
Good to know
Each Astro Boy series retells the origin from scratch, so no single continuity connects them and you can start with any series. Short preschool spinoffs such as Go Astro Boy Go exist for very young viewers and are skippable for everyone else.
