Astro Boy is a story of not only pop-culture prominence but also of influence. The manga, by the great Osamu Tezuka, first appeared as Tetsuwan Atom (Mighty Atom) in Shōnen during April 1952 and was serialized until 1968. Between those years, an early anime adaptation was released in 1963 and is herald as the precursor and reason behind the global phenomenon of anime. Starring a robot boy named Astro, the story deals with very human issues such as war, discrimination, acceptance, and our relationships with technology and nature.
In 1980, Tezuka Productions released a full-color remake of the 1963 anime with a grittier storyline and special attention to Astro's abilities and development. One of the best ways to create engaging character development is to write a supporting cast that assists the lead in becoming more well-rounded. This was the case for the 1980 Astro Boy, as this list shows, with the inclusion of unique robots with even more unique abilities (one of which even gives Astro the legs he stands on)!
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10 Frankenstein
Frankenstein is the largest robot on this list, dwarfing Astro significantly in the episode "Frankenstein" when conflict arises. Skunk Kusai, the comical antagonist of the series, convinces the monster robot to do his unlawful bidding.
Astro and Frankenstein eventually cross paths as Frankenstein climbs a building in King Kong-fashion to evade law enforcement. Astro captures the robot by the foot but drops him after being struck by lightning. This gives Astro a chance to put a "corrective circuit" in the robot's head, as Frankenstein leads authorities to Skunk's hideout.
9 Gesicht/Zeron
Zeron is a detective robot made from a special material called zirconium giving him both his strength and gold-like appearance. In the 1980s Astro Boy, Zeron has been hired to arrest the violent Bruton for murdering other robots.
When serving his warrant to Bruton, Zeron is faced with a fight. Even with a chest full of guns and the ability to high jump as well as being resistant to Bruton's electric attacks, Zeron is defeated by Bruton in a vicious attack that splits him in half.
8 Bora
Since Astro is persistent in avoiding conflict with Bruton, Bruton is faced with his biggest rival yet: Bora. Bora is a towering wheel of a robot and said to have two-million horsepower, which is superior to Bruton's one-million.
After learning from Astro about the value of friendship and peace, Bruton is more hesitant in his mission to defeat other robots. Although Bora defeats Bruton, Bruton goes out in a blaze of glory, sacrificing himself to protect the new friends he's made thanks to Astro's philosophies.
7 Brando
Brando is one of the several robots that Bruton faces during the "Greatest Robots of the World" saga. Marked as being incredibly huge in both height and width, Brando can transform into a fast-speed sphere.
Although Brando is ultimately defeated by the powerful Bruton, he does manage to severely injure the champion, causing Bruton to rethink his purpose and the relationships he has with other robots and humans.
6 Light Ray
Light Ray makes his appearance in the episode "The Light Ray Robot" and has the unique ability to become invisible to the unaided eye. While visiting an expo with some classmates, Astro learns about Light Ray and the technology that goes into his powers. Soon after, Skunk Kusai kidnaps him.
As is usual with Skunk Kusai, Light Ray is easily influenced and does the criminal's petty tasks with talent due to his invisibility. Things get out of hand, however, and Light Ray meets an unfortunate ending at the hands of the police force.
5 Photar
One of the "Greatest Robots of the World" challenged by Bruto, Photar is an empathetic and caring robot that relies on the sun to give him "limitless energy"."As a compassionate caregiver for orphaned children, Photar gives each a heartfelt goodbye before going off to battle, refusing to allow the kids to get involved.
However, Bruton knows about Photar's strength from the sun and chooses to battle on a rainy day. Even the tears and pleas from the children are not enough to stop Bruton from decimating Photar in his emotional demise.
4 Livian
Livian was initially created to be a maid and her demeanor is one set to please. She is often seen caring for Atlas and is quick to disagree with Atlas' philosophies on humans and other robots. However, Livian is the only other robot that Atlas treats with respect and perhaps even loves, as the two live together in the Crystal Castle.
Livian is also fond of Astro and frequently warns the boy of Atlas' plans, assisting Astro in his conflicts with Atlas. Her greatest wish is to see Atlas and Astro live peacefully together and fight instead for what is right.
3 Nyoka/Niki
Nyoka, or Niki in the English translation, is a female robot that appears during the last episode of the series, "Astro's First Love". Niki is created from Astro's original design that was stolen by Dr. Rindolph for evil reasons. She is sweet to Astro and helps him sneak onto the military base where Dr. Rindolph works.
Unbeknownst to the lovestruck Astro, Dr. Rindolph implanted a bomb into Niki. The only way Astro can stop the detonation is to dismantle her. After an extremely emotional parting, Astro begs Dr.Ochanomizu to implant Niki's legs on his body so she can always be a part of him.
2 Pluto/Bruton
Pluto, or Bruton, as called in the English dubbing of the 1980s series, is a towering menace of a robot with a beetle-like appearance, created by a Sultan for the sole purpose of defeating the other "Greatest Robots of the World" to obtain the title. Bruton defeats the other great robots with relative ease but finds difficulty with Astro, as he does not give Bruton the time of day.
Astro is not interested in fighting robots and eventually teaches Bruton how to become friends with others instead of resorting to violence. Bruton is eventually defeated by Bora but only because Bruton sacrifices himself in the name of his newfound friend Astro.
1 Atlas
Atlas is easily Astro Boy's biggest foil in the 1980's version of the story, representing the complete opposite of Astro's relationship with both humans and machines. Created from the same blueprint as Astro, Atlas possesses something called the "Omega Factor", which gives him the ability to think freely, work against other robots, and harm humans.
He rides on a white horse and carries a great sword. Atlas spends most of the series trying to convince Astro to join forces with him against humans, those of which he sees as the biggest threat to robot kind. When Astro refuses, Atlas becomes fixated on killing the boy robot.