It is the 21st century, and technology has progressed further than humanity itself could imagine. 2003, Tobio, the son of the head of the Ministry of Science, is killed in an accident. Mad from his grief, his father, Dr. Tenma, orders immediately the construction of a new, robot Tobio - a child of science.
While initially delighted at seeing his son reborn, gradually Tenma grew fed up at the fact that this new Tobio could not age and grow. In this newfound frustration, he sold him off to a robot circus. There 'Tobio' was given the new name Atom (Astro Boy). Later, he would be taken in by Professor Ochanomizu, who serves as his guardian.
Human-robot conflict occurs over and over again, and is a major driving force. Atom never gets appreciation for his work in stopping plots and conspiracies on the international and even intergalactic scale solely because he is a robot. The authorities doubt him because he is a robot. And as a robot, he has difficulty fully connecting with not just the humans around him (like his school friends), but even his robot family.
Atom's serialization was unfinished, as the magazine it was in ceased publication. While there was content for Atom after this, the narrative never properly concluded.
32 Volumes (Complete, by Koubunsha in 1952)
20 Volumes (Bunkoban, by Shogakukan in 1968)
22 Volumes (Reprint, by Asahi Sonorama in 1975)
12 Volumes (Color-ban, by Asahi Sonorama in 1981)
18 Volumes + 2 Special Volumes (Reprint, by Kodansha in 1979)
7 Volumes (Reprint, by Kodansha in 1987)
15 Volumes (Bunkoban, by Koubunsha in 1995)
21 Volumes + 2 Special Volumes (Bunkoban, by Akita Shoten in 1999)
13 Volumes (Bunkoban, by Kodansha in 2002)
9 Volumes (Reprint, by Shogakukan in 2003)
5 Volumes (Reprint, by Shogakukan in 2003)
1 Volume (Reprint, by Kadokawa Shoten in 2009)
6 Volumes (Fukkokuban, by Fukkan.com in 2009)
9 Volumes (Bunkoban, Reprint, by Kodansha in 2009)
5 Volumes (Color-ban, by Shogakukan in 2012)
5 Volumes (Reprint, by Poplar in ?)
(+8)
(-322)(+12)(+276)
