Umataro Tenma

Doctor Umataro Tenma is a brilliant roboticist, ex-minister of science, husband to Hoshie Tenma, and father of the late Tobio Tenma. He plays integral roles in all version especialy the '03 anime and manga. He created Astro Boy to replace Tobio after he died in an accident. His fate in some versions includes, lurking in the shadows to keep an eye on the last thing he cares about in the world, Astro, but never revealing himself because he is too ashamed of his past behavior (manga), selling him to the circus and forgetting him (original anime), disowning Astro and later dying of a heart attack (1980s anime), or maniacally forcing Astro to become the overlord of a world ruled by robots against his will by making him evolve (2003 anime).

Tenma's role in the 2003 series is pulled mainly from the manga chapters "Astro Reborn" and "Melanin Tribe" where it is revealed to the readers that he is not just a mean man, but rather a wicked one bent on controlling Atom. He does redeem himself however in "Meeva".

Doctor Tenma was voiced by Nicholas Cage in the up-coming CG movie. Tenma appears in the teaser along with Ochanomizu witnessing Astro's explosive birth. In the movie he looks a bit different from the doctor in previous incarnations, He looks very slim and boney.

Trivia

 * The literal translation for Tenma is " Heaven Horse"
 * Tenma was born into a long line of horseradish farmers.
 * His first name "Umataro" is a combonation the japanese word "uma"-horse and taro, a suffix for japanese male names.
 * Tenma first appearance was in the Astro Boy prototype Captain Atom where he was more or less the main villain.