AstroBoy Online Forums

Fictional Characters can have such variety to them; they can either be seen as the most realistic of people, or simply the most fun and entertaining of individuals.

Everyone has a favourite, but there are often numerous reasons why people latch onto certain characters. It might be because they like what a character has to say, or because they're simply a buffoon. But by far, my favourite notion for why someone may attach to a certain character is because they see themselves in that character.

That might seem a bit narsassistic to some, but to me it's a concept that makes sense. After all, while I do beleive that opposites attract one another, it is also plausible to attach to someone who has similar thought patterns as you, or has been through similar situations that you have (hence why Crona is my favorite character in Soul Eater).

Regardless, I think it's safe to say that everyone finds at least one character they see themselves in, and Astro Boy is no different. I mean sure, the characters aren't the most realistic of people. And yet, they still feel very human. They have flaws, they make mistakes that they then either try to atone for, or have to learn to live with. They're capable of feeling hatred, capable of feeling kindness, or simply learning to move on from their problems. All of those are human traits we identify with, and thus it;s entirely possible for us to identify with them.

That's what I want to ask today; What character in Astro Boy (if any) reminds you of yourself (from any given version)?

Honestly, I find that I see a lot of myself in Tenma.

Now, that's not to say that I would do half of the things that he gets away with in most versions of the story. But I do see a lot of similar personality traits between him and myself. To the point that when I wrote "A Cruel Irony", I embedded certain aspects of myself into his character in the story (such as my love of dogs, or being bullied in grade school).

Some of you may find that hard to believe, so let me try to explain. Much like Tenma, I am very short-tempered and anti-social. This doesn't come out much online, but that's mostly because I'm a lot smarter about how to react to internet comments now then I was a few years ago. I can however, blow my top in real life, and I tend to fall to anxiety when things don't go as I planned them.

I'm also very in tune with my work and my hobbies. Granted, I have a social life, and I do enjoy talking to people. But because I'm so invested in my writing, there are days where I just want to be invested with them, and not go out at all.

But also like Tenma, I am regretful of the mistakes I make, and thus try to correct them. I simply just don't go to the same extremes that his character does.

That's all I can think of for now.

Which character in Astro Boy remind you of yourself?

I'm an engineer, and I'm a bit of a nerd. I was also picked on in school because of that. So I guess I'd have to say I'd identify with a fusion of Reno and Tamao.

"Tetsuwan Penguin" wrote:I'm an engineer, and I'm a bit of a nerd. I was also picked on in school because of that. So I guess I'd have to say I'd identify with a fusion of Reno and Tamao.

A fusion of Reno and Tamao, huh? I wonder if that means you're very energetic like Tamao as well.

I took a "Which character are you" test. Turns out I would be Ochanomizu. That sounds really cool, because he is a great character.
Although, it is difficult to say which character reminds me of myself, because I see great qualities in a the characters, and none in my self. Still that is because of my low self esteem.
Ever since I found Astro Boy, I have been trying to change my way of thinking, for the better.

I don't really see myself in any of the characters, to be honest. I mean, certain characters do certain isolated things that I would do, but I can't think of a single character that I could point out and say, "Oh, that's like me!" I can't really get a second opinion though because people either wouldn't know the series enough or they wouldn't know me enough to tell me who I'd be like if I asked. :I

Offhand, I can't really think of a character from Astro Boy that reminds me of myself. I took a quiz shortly after I joined these forums in 2011 that asked me which Astro Boy character I was, and I got Dr. Ochanomizu.

However, I finished another one just now, and I got Astro Boy/Atom. Here's the description they gave:

You are Astro Boy!

Congratz! You are Astro Boy, the sweetest guy I've ever seen on screen. You are caring and nice, but you are also smart. A true hero, you just want to fit in like everyone else. You are a robot, with super cool arm cannons and machine guns in your butt! You care a lot about your family and friends.

I don't agree that I'm a robot with arm cannons or butt machine guns. Though, I do think Atom reminds me of myself the most out of any of the characters I can think of. The only difference I can think of is that Atom is heroic and courageous, while I generally don't tend to be.

I suffered at the hands of my classmates who took pleasure in tormenting the crippled boy, and excluding him from games, because he would make their team lose. I was able to walk, though not well; while others were on crutches or in wheelchairs. I identified with the able-bodied kids, & did not even know about other cripples until 5th grade when I was transferred to another school. I actually identify with 1/2 breeds, such as Innuyasha, because I was not accepted (so I thought) by either the regular kids or the ones in wheelchairs.

I do identify with Atom, especially the Chronicles version, because I am in the middle, better than these, but inferior to those. I loathed the stupid games that were played by the crippled kids at our homeroom (for crippled kids) because there was really no point to them. There was no winning or losing, just some level of participation. I will spare you the details, but the kids in this homeroom had many different types of abnormalities, & the teachers wanted them to play either the same 'game' or in groups games appropriate to their abilities.

Anyway, I tried to find acceptance among the normal kids; but, they wanted little to do with me. At home, it was different, because kids of different sizes were involved, & a crippled 10 year-old was about as good as a normal 8 year-old, etc. But I still lost, was tagged out, & never made a home run.

Technical nerd, Reno.

Probably Zoran. Maybe Uran as a whole, but mostly the way she is in the 2003 show, so Zoran. An excitable, energetic, and somewhat irritating personality that forcefully gets things her own way but has a good heart under it all.

But I like to think I have parts of other characters in me as well
Like Ochanomizu, I see the best in humanity as a whole and have hope for the future, and sometimes have a bit of a temper when things get stressful.
Like Astro, I want to be super helpful and do what's best for everyone, though I haven't quite having figured out who I am yet
Like Tenma, my relationships with my loved ones are often strained and difficult, and I prefer the company of machines to other people.

I'm really not sure. My real personality tends to lean very close to... Batman.