Astro Boy [‘The Faceless Robot’] (Manga)

Also known as 顔のないロボット (Kao no Nai Robotto)

Published in: Shōnen [01/1967 – 02/1967]

What it’s about

A huge robot named Damdam designed to do mining work on the moon is knocked unconscious when the rocket transporting him from the moon to earth crashes and explodes. When he comes to in the robot hospital he finds his head is missing. The staff at the complex have installed an electro brain and voice box into his torso so he can function. Damdam refuses to allow them to build him a replacement head however and leaves hospital determined to find his missing head. He goes crazy tearing the heads off other robots to see if any of them are his own lost head.

Meanwhile a shady character, Mr. Gibs, pays a visit to a gangster named Skunk Kusai. Mr. Gibs reveals that he has stolen Damdam’s head and if anybody were to build a body to go with it, the result would be the most powerful robot in the world. Gibs offers it to Skunk for $500 000 but Skunk treacherously shoots him dead.

Later while Astro confronts Damdam and tries to stop him hunting other robots for their heads, a robot calling himself G12 appears. G12 has been sent by Skunk to destroy Astro but Damdam recognizes G12’s head as his own and tries to take it back. In the ensuing fight G12 sets off an avalanche that buries Damdam and Astro in rubble. He reports back to Skunk but Skunk snaps at G12 saying that’s not enough to finish off a robot as powerful as Astro. He reminds G12 that he was just a junk model robot that they “picked up” at a factory and attached a head to, so he should show his gratitude by making sure Skunk’s bitter enemy is absolutely destroyed.

Astro has indeed survived and so has Damdam. Astro promises to retrieve his head for him as long as he stays quietly waiting where he is. Astro asks around the factories to find out where G12 was made. He senses one man lying at the last factory and challenges him. Three of Skunk’s gang try to shoot the terrified man to silence him but Astro protects him and captures the criminals. Finding out that Skunk’s behind this he has the man take him to the gang’s hideout disguised as a robot maid for G12. When he is asked to check a loose bolt on G12’s shoulder he loosens it further and fights G12 with his head precariously wobbling.

Suddenly Astro is zapped unconscious by the blast of a ray gun from Skunk and his henchmen. Dr. Maxun, the head of the robot hospital has tracked Skunk down and pleads with him to give him Damdam’s head. He explains that it’s extremely dangerous. It is a powerful disintegrator weapon that could accidentally destroy the moon or the earth. Damdam had stubbornly refused to let Dr. Maxun modify his head so he had had a time bomb built into his rocket. The doctor had flown to the crash site, took the head and hid it. But upon discovering that Mr. Gibbs had stolen the head Maxun followed the trail right to Skunk. Skunk laughs and claims he bought the head off Gibs for a million bucks, so if Maxun wants it back he can pay him a million.

Upon hearing this G12 realizes that Skunk is evil. He bends down, picks up Astro and siphons off some of his fuel reviving him to the horror of Skunk and his gang. Before they can shoot G12 Astro comes to life and bashes them all up. G12 takes off Damdam’s head requesting Dr. Maxun to make him a replacement before he collapses to the floor on his back.

Astro tells Dr. Maxun that he is honour bound to return Damdam’s head to him. Even though Maxun is very worried he agrees when Astro promises to reason with him. However Astro regrets showing it to Damdam. He demands to have his head back and attacks Astro for it. In the ensuing fight Damdam is blasted to smithereens by the dangerous weapon built into his head when he pulls it out of Astro grasp unknowingly setting it off. Astro is devastated and laments the folly of human being who had designed Damdam’s head in the first place.