Timeline

  • 1946: After the war, I publish my first work, Diary of Ma-Chan, a small four-panel series. It gets serialized in a children's newspaper called Shokumin Shinbun.

  • 1947: I finish a successful manga called New Treasure Island, based off of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island. This is the turning point where manga started to become immensely popular in Japan. I become famous, and I decide to start writing manga full-time instead of being a doctor, even though I am in med school already.

    After this, still in medical school, I start to publish more manga, including a three science fiction epics and Kimba the White Lion, which I believe to be one of the most successful works of my whole career.

  • 1951: I graduate from med school and publish possibly my most famous work, Astro Boy. Some of the characters, including the main one, are inspired by characters in my previous manga. It is serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. Based on this success, I publish Pheonix, which ends up continuing for the rest of my life.

  • 1959: My first animation, Saiyuki, is released with Toei Animation. The process is very frustrating because I have no control and I'm constantly bossed around all the time.

  • 1961: Because of my horrible time at Toei Animation, after my contract expires I start Mushi Production to compete with them. My staff are animators from my time with Toei. Astro Boy gets animated and broadcast on New Year's Day of 1963. It is the first Japanese animation ever to be dubbed in English for an American audience. The reason this was possible was because Tezuka was able to use a variety of new techniques to reduce costs significantly.

1967: I create the magazine COM and completely change from a manga style of art to a realistic gekiga style (see right). My books are now more targeted towards an older audience, with more adult-oriented themes and violence. My later series such as Black Jack and Buddha are in this style.

1968: I step down to found Tezuka Productions when it is clear that Mushi Productions will go bankrupt soon.

1973: Mushi Productions collapses. Still, I continue my interest in animation with Tezuka Productions and draw manga for the rest of my life.