Fuhrer ZZZ [Astro Boy] (Manga)

Astro Boy (1952-68), Chapter 010 ‘Fuhrer ZZZ’ (ZZZ総統), was originally serialized on a monthly schedule from September to December 1954 in Shonen.

What it’s about?

Fuhrer ZZZ is the leader of a terrorist society that has been targeting important world leaders and prominent scientists in every corner of the globe. They spray them with a dreadful gas that renders those who inhale it deeply incurably insane. To protect their identities they all wear masks. When President Lyon comes to visit Japan with his son Roberto to discuss ambitious plans to form of federation of the earth’s nations devoted to maintaining world peace with the Japanese Prime Minister Hakone ZZZ follows.

Roberto is convinced he and his father are in danger when they hear of the latest attack on the President of France and he follows a suspicious man with a peg-leg he notices in the Kabuki Theater during the intermission of a show they were invited to. He gets himself in deep trouble when the man realizes he is being spied upon and almost shoots Roberto with the gas. Just in time Astro happens to pass by and he saves Roberto throwing him into the river before he breathes it. The peg-leg man escapes because Astro has to save Roberto from getting swept over the dam but he does manage to snatch the gas gun first.

Professor Ochanomizu is able to identify the gas in his lab and tells Astro and Mustachio about the ZZZ gang. Later Prime Minister Hakone is rendered insane by the gas when he’s attacked by gang members infiltrating his bodyguards. Astro tries to capture them but they cry out that Astro helped ZZZ gas Hakone. Astro flees and the police issue a warrant for his arrest. Lyon and Roberto can’t believe it when they hear this.

Later they are both captured and taken blindfolded to ZZZ’s secret headquarters. Fuhrer ZZZ himself warns them both to co-operate with him if they know what’s good for them. But Astro has trailed them to their base when they flew away after the hit on Hakone and he slips a message to Roberto to assure him that things will be well.

Astro discovers the gas pipelines but unfortunately as he begins to destroy them Fuhrer ZZZ appears with young Roberto tied and gagged. Astro is forced to climb to the top of an electro-mag dissolver tower and ZZZ switch it on allegedly destroying Astro’s electronic brain. Fuhrer ZZZ has his body secured in the warehouse and returns Roberto and his father to Japan warning that they’ll be constantly monitored. Roberto still resolves to somehow fight but Lyon seems to cower before ZZZ. The peg-leg man appears and tells Lyon not to keep hi9s scheduled meeting with General Cagliostro of Argentina. The Fuhrer will go instead disguised as Lyon. Mustachio captures peg-leg but he sneaks a poison pill rather than talk.

Roberto tells ZZZ’s plan though the Fuhrer badly injures Lyon in payback leaving a note by his unconscious body saying to be grateful they didn’t use the gas on him. Astro chases ZZZ while they are escaping. He was only pretending to be damaged. Just before the electro-mag ray was switched on he had jumped up and grabbed hold of the ceiling safely out of range. Now he has destroyed all the gas pipelines and obliterated their headquarters. However Astro has been sighted and the police send air force jets to capture him so ZZZ escapes once more.

Mustachio persuades Inspector Tawashi to let Astro come with him to the hospital to hear Roberto’s testimony and Astro’s name is cleared. Astro says he saw ZZZ’s face while hiding at the secret base which he’s now destroyed. Strange thing is it looked exactly like President Lyon. Mustachio gets a hunch and arranges with the police and the hospital to announce to the newspapers and radio that President Lyon is mortally injured and has not much longer to live. His hunch proves right when ZZZ turns up at the hospital with two henchmen desperate to see Lyon. Astro has been disguised as a nurse and captures them. Mustachio unmasks the Fuhrer before Astro, Roberto and the police to reveal Lyon’s twin brother. He confesses that when his brother became President of the Earth Federation he schemed to blackmail him and conquer the world. This is why Lyon often meekly told Roberto that he had no choice but to comply with ZZZ. He took revenge when Roberto talked with a knife but he really did not mean to kill his brother. Upon being assured by Mustachio that Lyon will recover after all ZZZ is so relieved that he cries upon his brother’s bed begging forgiveness.

What you should know

Unlike Tommy in the previous story above who only sort of loosely looks like Rock, Roberto by contrast is unmistakably played by Rock.