017 – Atlas [Astro Boy] (Manga)

Astro Boy (1952-68), Chapter 017 ‘Atlas’ (アトラス), was originally serialized on a monthly schedule between March and July 1956 in Shonen.

What it’s about?

A black-skinned Latin American man named Dr. Ram has sworn revenge upon the white people and also the Asian people who have treated his people just like slaves. Especially he vows to gain revenge for his own mother, who was brutally beaten to death by her cruel masters.

At the Robotting Championships Dr. Ram enters his creation Atlas as a competitor. Atlas defeats all five of his opponents but then goes crazy knocking one of the robot medic-engineers into the front row of the audience and finally hitting one of the human judges. Astro, who has been ordered not to take part in the fighting by his teacher, Mustachio, nevertheless has been watching the competition with his friends. He tries to intervene imploring Ram to control his robot. Instead Ram insists that Astro take on Atlas. Reluctantly Astro fights and succeeds in smashing Atlas. Dr. Ram gathers up the pieces and furiously tells Astro he will pay for this humiliation.

Later Astro meets a man whose face and body is completely covered by a cloak and mask. He tells him he shall lose to Atlas in the end because he is an imperfect, inferior robot. He offers to make Astro more advanced and improved. Astro refuses.

Later Astro hears a news report about a volcanic eruption and his parents allow him to bravely go and assist the rescue mission teams. He meets a newly-repaired Atlas, who is actually trying to wipe out all the poor villagers by directing the lava flow towards their underground shelter. Astro on the other hand endeavours to counteract what Atlas has done using three mini A-bombs. There are no fuses but he intends to sacrifice himself using his own circuits. When Atlas tries to stop him Astro rips off his head and decides to use Atlas for a fuse instead. It works and the lava’s redirected away from the village.

While the rescue teams arrive Astro is captured by Dr. Ram who reveals himself to be the mysterious man he met earlier. Ram declares to Astro that he built Atlas installed with a device called the Omega Factor. This makes him capable of violent and wicked behaviour and he intends to install it inside Astro too. Astro can’t escape while Dr. Ram sends Atlas to rob the robot bank wearing a replacement head identical to Astro. But Astro is able to contact Ochanomizu with a hidden radio receiver. So the professor is able to tell the police, Astro’s parents and Mustachio that he is innocent.

Meanwhile Dr. Ram gives Astro a choice. If he doesn’t consent to being modified he will be destroyed with an electro-mag gun. He is about to shoot Astro when Atlas returns and declares that he’s had enough of being treated like a slave and brutally injures Dr. Ram before Astro realizes what is going to happen. Then Atlas attacks him and almost defeats him. But Astro manages to throw him off and Atlas into the electro-magnet barrier that had kept Astro prisoner. He disintegrates into dust particles. Astro comforts Dr. Ram who realizes that in his insane quest for revenge misusing science and technology he brought his fate upon himself. He dies just as Professor Ochanomizu and the others arrive having pinpointed Astro’s location from his radio signal.

What you should know

There is a continuity reference to the Electro story in Volume 15. When Ochanomizu first hears about what happened at the Robotting Festival he reminds Astro of how Skunk bragged that a really perfect robot would be capable of doing evil just as much as good. Skunk has still only appeared in three manga stories so far but he is referred to in this one.

Another robot also called Atlas is a recurring adversary of Astro in the 1980’s anime series. He looks very different from the Atlas in this one shot manga appearance but they do share one thing in common. Both of them had something called the Omega Factor built into their electronic brains making them cruel, cold-hearted robots with no senses of justice or compassion.