Best Anime From The 1980s - Game Rant
Saint Seiya. Outside of Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya is perhaps the most popular '80s anime as it managed to crossover from Japan into Western ...
Osamu Tezuka's original series
Astro Boy's influence on manga and anime cannot be understated. <anchor>Osamu Tezuka's original series</anchor> was a smash hit that set most of the standard tropes that would come to define traditional shonen stories, and it has received quite a few adaptations over the decades. The 1963 anime is mainly worth watching as a historical artifact, while the 2003 adaptation is likely to be most people's entry in the franchise if they decide to go with a series. However, overall, the 1980 version is the pick of the bunch, as long as realistic expectations are maintained regarding its animation (which is decent for the era).
How Osamu Tezuka Influenced The World Of Manga And Anime
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# How Osamu Tezuka Influenced The World Of Manga And Anime

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Published Feb 6, 2024

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### Related

##### Best Anime of the 1960s

##### Pluto: The New Gold Standard for Anime Adaptation

##### Former NBA Player Collaborates With Tezuka Productions on a New Graphic Novel

Osamu Tezuka Headshot

### Key Takeaways

- Osamu Tezuka is the godfather of manga, with massive influence on the industry and comparisons to Walt Disney.

- Tezuka's iconic works include "Jungle Emperor" (Kimba the White Lion) and "Tetsuwan Atom" (Astro Boy), which defined anime production.

- Tezuka transitioned to darker, more mature gekiga manga in the 1960s, while still leaving a lasting legacy in modern manga and anime.

Osamu Tezuka is the godfather of manga, and probably one of the biggest reasons why the industry is so massive today. From his first work in 1947 to his death in 1989, Tezuka has been a massive presence in the manga world, and the effects of his influence on the mangaka that came after him still resound to this day. Tezuka is a legendary figure in Japan, and is frequently compared to Walt Disney in terms of output and influence.

For modern manga fans, it might be hard to understand the full breadth of Tezuka's influence and importance when it comes to the history of manga. While many of his works can be found easily, many of Tezuka's works feel outdated to those who have grown up with modern sensibilities. Nevertheless, Osamu Tezuka is a massive figure in the world of manga, and any fan of the medium should understand why he is so influential.

##### 10 Most Influential Manga By Osamu Tezuka

Osamu Tezuka is one of the most influential mangaka of all time, and these are some of his most influential work.

## The Godfather Of Manga

Astro Boy cover art

Osamu Tezuka's manga career first began in the 40s, while he was studying medicine. His first major work was New Treasure Island, an adaptation of the classic novel Treasure Island by Louis Stevenson. The manga was a massive success, starting the golden age of manga. Tezuka followed this up with a trilogy of sci-fi stories: Lost World, Metropolis, and Nextworld, with each one being early examples of steampunk in manga. Tezuka would rise to even further prominence with Jungle Emperor, known outside Japan as Kimba the White Lion. The manga ran from 1950 to 1954 in Manga Shonen, and would be one of his most famous works inside and outside Japan.

In 1951, Tezuka would begin publishing Ambassador Atom in Kobunsha's Shonen magazine. The series would not be that successful, but the popularity of the character Atom convinced Tezuka to make a new series revolving around the character. The new manga, Tetsuwan Atom, began publishing in 1952 in the same magazine. The manga was massively successful, and it would receive an animated adaptation in 1963. This would be the first majorly successful anime to come out of Japan, and not only would it be brought over to the west in the same year, it would also be the first anime to be localized in English, receiving the name Astro Boy. The anime would run from 1963 to 1966 and define how anime series would be produced. Many Tezuka works would continue to receive adaptations, such as Kimba the White Lion, whose anime adaptation was the first in Japan to be in color.

##### Best Anime of the 1960s

The anime of the 1960s were instrumental in defining the medium and its genres as we know them today. These shows are some of the best.

## The Gekiga Era

Dororo art featuring Dororo and Hyakkimaru

By the 1960s, Tezuka was famed for his work in children's manga. However, a rise in gekiga manga, a style focused on more realistic artstyles and mature stories, started to gain popularity. Tezuka took notice of the trend and in response established the magazine COM, where he and other artists would experiment with this new style of storytelling. Tezuka himself would publish his own gekiga manga here and in many other publications, changing his artstyle to a more realistic one in the process.

Tezuka's first attempt at gekiga manga was Dororo, which was first published in Weekly Shonen Sunday, while his first true gekiga attempt, Swallowing the Earth, was published in Big Comic. Tezuka's works in this period would become darker and more experimental, including the thrillers Ayako and MW, the sci-fi horror Ode to Kirihito, the medical drama Black Jack, and the biographical Buddha. While most of these works would not be as popular as his more kid-friendly series like Astro Boy, they remain strong parts of his legacy and required reading for anyone discovering his work. Tezuka released many shorter works during this period, and he would continue working in this style until his eventual death in 1989.

##### Pluto: The New Gold Standard for Anime Adaptation

Netflix's Pluto adaptation made a solid case to be anime of the year. Here's a closer look at what the series did well.

## Tezuka's Continued Presence In Manga And Anime

pluto-anime-expo-trailer-featured

Despite his death in 1989, Tezuka's influence continues to reverberate throughout manga and anime, with his presence still being felt even in the modern day. Those influenced by his work and career include contemporaries like Shotaro Ishinomori ( Kamen Rider), Go Nagai ( Mazinger Z and Devilman), and Monkey Punch ( Lupin III). Other famous mangaka like Katsuhiro Otomo ( Akira), Akira Toriyama ( Dragon Ball), and Naoki Urasawa ( Monster) have also claimed influence from Tezuka as well.

Many of Osamu Tezuka's works have been remade and reimagined over the years. Astro Boy has seen several new anime series after the first adaptation, and one of Tezuka's oldest works, Metropolis, was adapted into a feature-length movie in 2001. Dororo received a new anime adaptation in 2019, while Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki adapted an Astro Boy storyline into the manga Pluto, which received its own anime adaptation in 2023. The continued presence of Tezuka's works in manga and anime proves its longevity, and the stories he has written are sure to influence newer mangaka for a very long time to come.

##### Former NBA Player Collaborates With Tezuka Productions on a New Graphic Novel

Last week, Noir Caeser Entertainment released its Kickstarter for their newest collaboration on an updated graphic novel of Osamu Tezuka's Alabaster.

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