Atlas (chapter)

''This article is for the manga chapter, "Atlas". For other uses, see Atlas (disambiguation)''

Atlas ("Atorasu" アトラス) is a chapter of the Astro Boy manga which originally ran in Shonen magazine in March 1956.

Plot Summary
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 audience and hitting one of the human judges. Astro Boy, who has been ordered not to take part in the fighting by his teacher, Mr. Mustachio, nevertheless has been watching the competition with his friends. He tries to intervene by imploring Ram to control his robot, but Ram insists that Astro take on Atlas himself. Reluctantly, Astro fights and succeeds in smashing Atlas. Dr. Ram gathers up the pieces and furiously tells Astro he will pay for this humiliation. Afterwards, Astro meets a man who is completely covered by a cloak and mask. He tells him he shall lose to Atlas in the end because he is an imperfect and inferior robot. He offers to make Astro more advanced and improved, but Astro refuses.

Later, Astro hears a news report about a volcanic eruption and his parents allow him to bravely go and assist the rescue 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 by 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 uses Atlas for a fuse instead, resulting in the lava successfully being 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 Professor 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 then 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's going to happen. 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.

Collected Volumes
This story has been collected in the following volumes:


 * Astro Boy, Volume 3 (Kodansha)
 * Astro Boy, Volume 18 (Dark Horse)