Doctor Tenma
Encyclopedia
, whose real name is and is also known as Dr. Nagamiya Tenma, Dr. Boynton, and Dr. Balthus, is the father/creator of Astro Boy
in the anime
and manga
series of the same name created and animated by Osamu Tezuka
.
Tenma means Pegasus and is literally translated from Japanese
as Heaven-horse
.
and the Japanese Minister of Science, who was described by Tezuka in Volume 7 of the manga this way:
. It is here where he is found and adopted by Professor Ochanomizu
, who turns him into Astro Boy.
Tenma realizes that Astro is amazing and, even though his affection towards the robot begins to return, he knows he can never make amends for his behavior. Still, he helps Astro frequently. He builds robotic parents for Astro, enhances Astro's power to one million horsepower
(700 MW) when he fights Pluto
, rescues Astro from a Cleopatra robot, and rebuilds Astro after he is destroyed while trying to protect Blue Knight.
In the 2003 series, Tenma, voiced by Dorian Harewood
in the English dubbed version, he takes the role of the main antagonist. He abandons both Astro and the Ministry in a fit of insanity, after Astro rebels against Tenma's cold behavior in destroying old robots.
Later, when Tenma witnesses Astro's heroics, he begins to believe that Astro will be a Messiah
figure. He believes that Astro will lead robots to equal standing with humans or he will help them overthrow humans. (The latter belief gradually takes over as the series progresses.)
Prior to Astro's first battle with Atlas, Tenma constantly calls Astro as "Tobio", the dead son he was supposed to replace. He only recognizes him as a separate entity once Astro corrects him.
It soon becomes apparent to Tenma that he himself cannot keep up with Astro due to his humanity. So, in order to keep up with Astro, he builds a robot to spearhead Astro's development. This robot is appropriately named "Shadow", and is eventually revealed to be a robot double of Tenma himself.
In the second-to-last episode of the 2003 series, Astro is very badly damaged and Tenma rebuilds him, but deletes his previous memories so that Astro doesn't remember he's a robot or the adventures he has been on. Astro, however, rejects Tenma a third time for his cold attitude. Because of this, Tenma attempts suicide in the final episode, but is saved by Astro, who forgives him. Tenma still loved Astro and wished he never shut him down in the first place.
The series ends with Tenma admitting that he was never fit to be his father, after which he is arrested. The final image of Tenma is of him in a jail cell, holding a photograph of his human son Tobio and a photograph of his robotic son Astro. It is unknown if he was released from confinement, but it seems likely.
, Tenma, who is voiced by actor Nicolas Cage
,"Astro Boy" (2009) Retrieved on 2008-10-25. creates Astro Boy after his son Toby is killed in a robot testing accident. (Tenma accidentally locks Toby in the chamber with an experimental war machine called Peacekeeper.)
Tenma, with the assistance of Doctor Elefun, creates a robotic duplicate of Toby. He outfits the robot with advanced defence capabilities so that he can't be harmed. Then, he copies Toby's memories into the robot, hoping the robot will be just like his real son. Tenma begins to feel that this robot duplicate is acting strangely. When he realizes that the robot is not really Toby, he rejects him.
After the robot runs away, he is captured for the power source that Tenma used on him. It is to be extracted from him and put into the Peacekeeper. The robot encourages this decision, accepting that he could never live up to Tenma's expectations. Tenma, however, refuses to have the robot deactivated, saying "You're not Toby, but you're still my son!"
Tenma is less villainous and less mad in the film. Instead, his personality is similar to that of the original manga. In the film, he reacts similarly as in the manga, realizing that Astro is not his son and rejecting him. However, he does not sell him to Hamegg. The major difference between the character of Tenma in the film and in other versions of Astro Boy is that Tenma comes to accept Astro. His first name is Bill.
, Tenma's arch-rival in science, goes through a lot of trouble to get the boy robot.
Astro Boy (character)
is a fictional character, and the main protagonist of the Astro Boy franchise. Created by Osamu Tezuka, the character was introduced in the 1951 Captain Atom manga...
in the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series of the same name created and animated by Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka
was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
.
Tenma means Pegasus and is literally translated from Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
as Heaven-horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
.
Character sketch
Tenma was a renowned roboticistRoboticist
A roboticist designs, builds, programs, and experiments with robots. Since robotics is a highly interdisciplinary field, roboticists often have backgrounds in a number of disciplines including computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer engineering...
and the Japanese Minister of Science, who was described by Tezuka in Volume 7 of the manga this way:
- "Dr. Tenma was born into a long line of horseradishHorseradishHorseradish is a perennial plant of the Brassicaceae family, which also includes mustard, wasabi, broccoli, and cabbages. The plant is probably native to south eastern Europe and the Arab World , but is popular around the world today...
farmers, in the particularly unlucky year of the horseHorse (zodiac)The Horse is the seventh of the 12 animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Horse is associated with the earthly branch symbol 午.- Years and the Five Elements :...
, in Gunma ("horse herd") prefecture. Real name is Taro Uma ("horse"). Graduated from the university of Nerima ("walking horse"), and though a complete dark horseDark horseDark horse is a term used to describe a little-known person or thing that emerges to prominence, especially in a competition of some sort.-Origin:The term began as horse racing parlance...
, through an amazing demonstration of intellectual power rose to be the head of the ministry of science—in an area of Tokyo known as TakadanobabaTakadanobabaTakadanobaba is a neighborhood in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.-History:Originally, the area's name was read Takatanobaba and many Tokyo residents in their 50s or older pronounce it as such. However, younger Tokyoites and residents who have come from outside Tokyo, use the pronunciation Takadanobaba...
, which loosely translates into a "high pasture for horses". Among those wishing to unseat him, he is known as a real horse of a different color.".
Appearances
Tenma appears several times in Astro Boy adventures. He has slightly different roles in each series.Original manga
When Tenma's nine-year-old son Tobio dies in a car accident, he decides to recreate him as an invincible robot. After living happily for a while with the child robot, Tenma realizes that an artificial child can not replace his son, particularly when he acknowledges that the robot will not grow like a normal child. So, he sells the robot to Hamegg, a robot salesman. The robot eventually ends up performing in a circusCircus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
. It is here where he is found and adopted by Professor Ochanomizu
Professor Ochanomizu
is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Astro Boy, as well as all of its many adaptions, including the 1980s series, 2003 series, and the film. Created by Osamu Tezuka, the character has since appeared in many of his other works. He serves as a guardian to Astro, and sometimes also a...
, who turns him into Astro Boy.
Tenma realizes that Astro is amazing and, even though his affection towards the robot begins to return, he knows he can never make amends for his behavior. Still, he helps Astro frequently. He builds robotic parents for Astro, enhances Astro's power to one million horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
(700 MW) when he fights Pluto
Pluto (Astro Boy)
, known as Bruton in the English dubbed 1980 Astro Boy television series, is a fictional character created by Osamu Tezuka. He was introduced in story arc of the Astro Boy manga....
, rescues Astro from a Cleopatra robot, and rebuilds Astro after he is destroyed while trying to protect Blue Knight.
1960 television series
In the 1960 television series, Dr. Tenma (having been named Dr. Boytonn in this series) was the leader of the Institute of Science, who is first introduced in episode 1. When his son, Aster Boytonn, had been killed in a car crash, he was there to see what had happened; having become heartbroken due to the loss of his son, he carried his lifeless body away from the scene of the collision. Some time later, grief drives him insane; he gets the idea of creating a robot in the likeness of his son and has every member of the Institute of Science turn their work towards its creation. The other Institute members comply with his wishes (aware that his sanity is deteriorating), and over the course of a year, his creation is assembled. Dubbing his new robot Astro Boy, he brings him to life and takes him home to live as his new son. However, as the years go on, Dr. Boytonn comes to realize that Astro can never replace his son. Soon afterwards, he sells Astro to "The Great Cacciatore" without a care in the world. He is not seen again until episode 97; this marks his last appearance in the series. It is suggested that Tenma is either institutionalized or commits suicide.1980 television series
In the 1980 anime series, Tenma does not really reject Astro. Instead, he dismisses him for causing a mess at a boat dinner, after reminding him he was a robot. Astro then gets kidnapped by corrupt circus ringmaster Hamegg, while Tenma tries to get Astro back. The circus is not as harsh and Hamegg not as evil as in the original manga version. Professor Ochanomizu, with his assistant Chiyoko, notices Astro and tricks Hamegg to save the child robot.2003 television series
Dorian Harewood
W. Dorian Harewood is an American actor. He first garnered attention for his portrayal of Simon Haley in the ABC miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.-Career:...
in the English dubbed version, he takes the role of the main antagonist. He abandons both Astro and the Ministry in a fit of insanity, after Astro rebels against Tenma's cold behavior in destroying old robots.
Later, when Tenma witnesses Astro's heroics, he begins to believe that Astro will be a Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
figure. He believes that Astro will lead robots to equal standing with humans or he will help them overthrow humans. (The latter belief gradually takes over as the series progresses.)
Prior to Astro's first battle with Atlas, Tenma constantly calls Astro as "Tobio", the dead son he was supposed to replace. He only recognizes him as a separate entity once Astro corrects him.
It soon becomes apparent to Tenma that he himself cannot keep up with Astro due to his humanity. So, in order to keep up with Astro, he builds a robot to spearhead Astro's development. This robot is appropriately named "Shadow", and is eventually revealed to be a robot double of Tenma himself.
In the second-to-last episode of the 2003 series, Astro is very badly damaged and Tenma rebuilds him, but deletes his previous memories so that Astro doesn't remember he's a robot or the adventures he has been on. Astro, however, rejects Tenma a third time for his cold attitude. Because of this, Tenma attempts suicide in the final episode, but is saved by Astro, who forgives him. Tenma still loved Astro and wished he never shut him down in the first place.
The series ends with Tenma admitting that he was never fit to be his father, after which he is arrested. The final image of Tenma is of him in a jail cell, holding a photograph of his human son Tobio and a photograph of his robotic son Astro. It is unknown if he was released from confinement, but it seems likely.
Feature film
In the 2009 CG-animated feature film adaptationAstro Boy (film)
Astro Boy, also called in Japan, is a 2009 computer-animated film loosely based on the long-running Japanese series of the same name by Osamu Tezuka. It was produced by Imagi Animation Studios, the animation production company of TMNT. The studio announced the project in September 2006...
, Tenma, who is voiced by actor Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
,"Astro Boy" (2009) Retrieved on 2008-10-25. creates Astro Boy after his son Toby is killed in a robot testing accident. (Tenma accidentally locks Toby in the chamber with an experimental war machine called Peacekeeper.)
Tenma, with the assistance of Doctor Elefun, creates a robotic duplicate of Toby. He outfits the robot with advanced defence capabilities so that he can't be harmed. Then, he copies Toby's memories into the robot, hoping the robot will be just like his real son. Tenma begins to feel that this robot duplicate is acting strangely. When he realizes that the robot is not really Toby, he rejects him.
After the robot runs away, he is captured for the power source that Tenma used on him. It is to be extracted from him and put into the Peacekeeper. The robot encourages this decision, accepting that he could never live up to Tenma's expectations. Tenma, however, refuses to have the robot deactivated, saying "You're not Toby, but you're still my son!"
Tenma is less villainous and less mad in the film. Instead, his personality is similar to that of the original manga. In the film, he reacts similarly as in the manga, realizing that Astro is not his son and rejecting him. However, he does not sell him to Hamegg. The major difference between the character of Tenma in the film and in other versions of Astro Boy is that Tenma comes to accept Astro. His first name is Bill.
Newer manga
Tenma's original behaviour towards Astro was considered quite brutal and inhumane even for Tezuka himself. So, in a newer manga edition where Astro's history is rewritten, the reader learns that Tenma acts so harshly partly because he was drunk. Professor OchanomizuProfessor Ochanomizu
is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Astro Boy, as well as all of its many adaptions, including the 1980s series, 2003 series, and the film. Created by Osamu Tezuka, the character has since appeared in many of his other works. He serves as a guardian to Astro, and sometimes also a...
, Tenma's arch-rival in science, goes through a lot of trouble to get the boy robot.