Netflix’s Breakout Anime Pluto Was Initially Planning to Have an Entirely Different Protagonist from Original Astro Boy Series

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Pluto is a new mini-series that has a unique and mysterious plot that deals with complex emotions and themes. Recently, its season 1 debuted on October 26, 2023, on Netflix. It has eight episodes which dropped on the same day.
It was created by award-winning creator Naoki Urasawa and is based on an arc in Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy series. It has received positive remarks from critics and is being called a masterpiece of an anime.
Netflix’s Pluto
But there is a surprising fact about the series that might shock its fans. The breakout Netflix series was originally intended to feature a different main character. Yes, and it was different from the protagonist in the original Astro Boy series.
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Pluto Initially Had a Different Protagonist
What most people are unaware about Pluto is that it was expected to have a different character initially. Macoto Tezuka, the eldest son of Osamu Tezuka, (the creator of Astro Boy) revealed this in an interview.
The interview can be found at the end of the first physical volume of Pluto. The catch is that it only dedicated manga collectors have access to that.
Astro boy
According to that interview (as per Anime Senpai), Urasawa described he first thought of using Atom (the main protagonist of Astro Boy) as the lead protagonist in the adaptation.
But the creator had second thoughts and he changed it later as he didn’t want to change his character drastically. So, he selected a supporting character, Gesicht (as his main lead).
That’s not the only unknown fact about the Netflix adaptation. Most people also don’t know that it was about to be written by another author instead of Urasawa Naomi.
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Pluto was Expected to be Written by Another Author
Macoto Tezuka also said that discussing Osamu Tezuka’s work was a challenge in the past due to the many talented mangakas. He didn’t want to take up this challenge because he’s not a mangaka himself.
So, he was expecting some other family member of Osamu Tezuka to take this challenge, but Urasawa came out of nowhere and volunteered to take the challenge first.
Pluto Anime Series
He also praised Urasawa’s confidence. He changed the complete storyline, changed some character’s names, and even changed the main character, knowing how this manga is a part of not only Osamu’s but Japan’s legacy.
They continued their talk by discussing Makoto’s profession (Japanese film & anime director). They also urged the young fans to read Astro Boy, as it was the reason Pluto came into existence.
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