Considered one of Tezuka's last major works, Buddha was originally serialized from September 1972 to December 1983. Published by Ushio Shuppan Co., in a publication that began as Friends of Hope, and which was subsequently changed to Shonen World and then, ultimately, to Comic Tom over the course of Buddha's 1972 to 1983 run, in an attempt to update the overall image of the magazine.
Robot bombs abandoned on the bottom of the sea long ago begin to move by themselves, breeding to the extent that a kingdom is created. The robot bombs are planning to move out of the sea to the land after conquering the humans. Kidnapped by the robot bombs, Astro Boy and Tamao are taken to the bottom of the sea. Astro Boy successfully persuades the robot bombs into making peace with the humans. In the meantime, however, Mason, an evil man, is conspiring to abuse the robot bombs.
As a samanna (a non-Brahmin monk), Depha subscribes to the philosophy that human beings were meant to suffer - even going so far as to burn out his own eyes to prove the point. Simply put, he has an extremely serious and stoic personality. He is as straight-laced as they come, and is completely inflexible in his thinking.
Another of Tezuka's scientists - in many ways similar to Dr. Hanamaru. Dr. Dekon's kindly appearance belies his sharp intellect and iron will. Usually cast as a scientist or doctor, on occaision he has taken on other authority figure roles, such as a chief administrator, a teacher or someone's father.
Self-absorbed and cocky, Bandaka is primarily a highly skilled bandit archer. An early rival of Siddhartha's, vying for the lovely Princess Yashodara, he eventually connives and bullies his way to having himself named the heir to the Shakyan kingdom.
His uniquely dull character makes him perfect for middle-of-the-road roles. When he's a good guy, you don't care too much, and when he's a bad guy, you don't hate him too much. This usually means he's relegated to bit parts as servants, police officers, reporters or simply just men in the crowd.
Ongoing Serial: a series of episodes, published over a span of weeks/months/years where the story plot is connected from chapter to chapter and must be read in chronological order for it to be understood properly.
Chapter Serial: a series of episodes, published over a span of weeks/months/years where the story plot is self-contained to a single chapter. There may be an overarching plot, but the stories can generally be read in any order and be understood
Book: an all-in-one self contained story published as a one-off.
Supplement: an an all-in-one self contained story published as a stand-alone supplement to a regular weekly/monthly periodical.
Short Story: an all-in-one, self contained story that was published in a regular weekly/monthly periodical
Anthology: a collection of all-in-one, self contained stories that were published in a regular weekly/monthly periodical but are generally grouped together.
