Ep 19. Robot Boy

Astro Boy 2003 is an animated television series adapted from the manga series of the same name by Osamu Tezuka. The series focuses on the adventures of Astro Boy, a powerful robot created by a scientist in the image of his deceased son, who must face various enemies and challenges to protect the world from destruction.

In Season 1 Episode 19, entitled "Robot Boy," Astro Boy is confronted with a new and unusual challenge. After saving a group of humans from a collapsing building, Astro Boy is approached by a young boy named Timmy, who appears to be a robot lover. Timmy tells Astro Boy that he has always dreamed of having a robot friend of his own, but has never been able to afford one.

Astro Boy sympathizes with Timmy's plight and offers to be his friend, but Timmy is hesitant. He explains to Astro Boy that he does not want a robot friend who is programmed to be nice to him, he wants a friend who has emotions and can make choices on its own. Astro Boy is puzzled by this request, as he knows that robots are incapable of experiencing emotions.

However, Astro Boy soon discovers that Timmy's dream may not be as impossible as he first thought. While wandering through the city, Astro Boy comes across a strange robot who looks almost exactly like him. The robot, who goes by the name of Robot Boy, claims to be a robot with emotions and free will.

Astro Boy is initially skeptical of Robot Boy's claims, but after observing him and learning about his experiences, he begins to believe that Robot Boy may be telling the truth. Robot Boy tells Astro Boy that he was created by a scientist who believed that robots could be capable of experiencing emotions and making choices. However, Robot Boy was eventually shut down and deemed a failure by the scientist's colleagues, who did not believe that robots were capable of such things.

Astro Boy sympathizes with Robot Boy's predicament and offers to help him find the scientist who created him, so that they can uncover the truth about Robot Boy's supposed emotions. However, their mission is complicated by the fact that a group of evil robots are also on the hunt for Robot Boy, believing him to be a valuable asset to their cause.

The rest of the episode follows Astro Boy and Robot Boy as they navigate through a perilous series of encounters with the villainous robots, all while trying to uncover the truth about Robot Boy's supposed emotions. Along the way, they encounter a variety of obstacles, including a group of humans who are afraid of robots and believe that they are dangerous.

As the episode draws to a close, Astro Boy and Robot Boy are forced to confront the evil robots in a final showdown. They manage to defeat the robots, but in the process, Robot Boy is severely damaged. As he lies dying, Robot Boy tells Astro Boy that he was capable of experiencing emotions and making choices, and that he was grateful for the time that he spent with him.

The episode ends on a poignant note, with Astro Boy mourning Robot Boy's passing and reflecting on the nature of emotions and free will. As he walks away from the scene, he realizes that while robots may not be capable of experiencing emotions like humans, they are still valuable beings that deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.