Shibugaki

Shibugaki is one of Astro Boy's human classmates, and Astro's friend in some series. He is usually a loudmouthed bully - especially in Tezuka's original manga - but he does try to do the right thing when the time comes. In Japanese, shibugaki (渋柿) is the name of a type of sour persimmon.

Appearance
Shibugaki is a 10 year old human boy. He is very tall for his age and has a large build, which causes him to stand out from his classmates. He has distinct, pug-like facial features, with his most prominent feature being a set of enlarged buckteeth. In the 1980 series, his nose is cartoonishly exaggerated to look like a rounded square.

Shibugaki has short black hair in most series. In the 2003 series, he is blonde, and in the NOW! Comics series, he is bald. He usually wears sporty but preppy clothing such as polo shirts and sweaters.

1980 series
Shibugaki is a regular character in the 1980 series, where he is named Alvin in the English dub. He is the son of a rich art-collecting businessman and a pushy mother, and as a result, Shibugaki is very spoiled. While he is very strong for his age due to his bigger build, he is not very intellegent, often falling short in class and relying on intimidation to get his way. He leads a small group of boys at Astro's school, with most of their antics being minor delinquency.

Shibugaki is anti-robot when Astro joins his class, and becomes especially angry with him when Astro doesn't vote for him in the class president election. However, Astro saves Shibugaki's life when he and his gang get stuck on a malfunctioning roller coaster, which Shibugaki had snuck onto begin with.

Shibugaki would reappear frequently throughout the series, typically to cause trouble as a result of his selfishness and recklessness. Though he never truly stops being a bully and will often turn on Astro at the earliest opportunity to make himself look better, he is nonetheless frequently rescued from his own mistakes the boy robot.

2003 series
Shibugaki first appears in the episode "Into Thin Air", where he is initially very opposed to a robot going to a human school. He is initially rude and standoffish to Astro, but not long after, the two become good friends. Unlike the original most iterations, this Shibugaki is not a bully, and genuinly considers Astro his friend to the point of putting his own life in danger to help him when needed. Shibugaki, Kennedy, Alejo, Denkou, and Astro make up the Sky Riders group.

Shibugaki is interested in sports spectating. He is a big fan of Rocket Ball and avidly supports Kennedy's soccer team.

NOW! Comics series
Shibugaki appears in the 1987 comic series as Archie Bargy, the son of a business tycoon. When Astro first meets Archie, he is an aggressive delinquent known for skipping classes, smoking cigarettes, and mugging other students. In issues #11-12, Archie is accidentally kidnapped by a robot created by Agent R.

Only after Astro rescues Archie does he become more open to befriending a robot. When Astro goes into space in issue #16, Archie comes to wish Astro well, and gives Astro his "lucky can opener" as a good luck charm.

Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Shibugaki appears in the Rebirth of Stage 4 in the Astro Boy: Omega Factor video game. He is a human that was attacked by the robots attacking President Rock for the assassination of Rag. After Astro defeats Pluto in Rebirth, Shibugaki revealed the location of Duke Red's secret hideout, saying his dad worked there, and gave Astro a key to unlock it.