Source: The Osamu Tezuka Story: A Life in Manga and Anime (1989-1992 biography manga about Osamu Tezuka)
In Chapter 3 of a posthumous biography manga about Osamu Tezuka written by Tezuka Productions and Osamu Tezuka's assistant Toshio Ban, the inspiration for Atom's famous appearance with his black trunks and red boots is revealed:
"Astro Boy's swim trunks are [an] homage to the animated cartoon '[Mighty] Mouse.' Astro Boy's two pointed hairs, which appear separate from any angle, are a reference to the ears of Norakuro and Mickey Mouse, which never overlap and never appear as a single unit, no matter how they're oriented. [Osamu Tezuka] apparently got his inspiration for [Atom's] [stiff] hair from the hair above his ears, which would stand up a short time after getting out of the bath."
められているのだ。アトムが海水パンツをしているのは、アニメーション「マイテイ・マウス」へのオマージュである。アトムのふたつのとがった髪の毛がどこから見てもふたつに見えるのは、のらくろやミッキーマウスの耳がやはりどんな向きでもかさなってひとつに見えることはないところからきている。なお、ピンと立った髪の毛は、手塚治虫は髪質が固く、風呂から上がってしばらくするとの両耳の上の毛が逆毛立つことからヒントをえたという。
The same passage goes on to state that Mighty Mouse (1942) was himself a parody/homage to Superman (1938), which would make Superman, in a manner of speaking, "the grandfather of Astro Boy".
In addition, Atom's flying style with his fist raised in the air is also inspired by Mighty Mouse, and Atom's personality was inspired by Pinocchio:
"Atom and [Mighty] Mouse have very similar flying styles. One hand is raised in a fist, the other is held up like a bus... (Superman) Special Award Commentary in the August 1979 issue of 'Screen': Atom's personality and the theme of 'Astro Boy' are said to have been influenced by 'Pinocchio.' To reveal the secret behind 'Astro Boy,' one clue comes from Pinocchio. Pinocchio was a child full of flaws, and Atom is also full of flaws. The reason for these flaws is that Atom was born under the influence of the main character of a comic book called '[Mighty] Mouse.' This '[Mighty] Mouse' was born. And thus Atom was born."
アトムとマイトイ・マウスの飛ぶスタイルもよく似ている。一方の手をゲンコにして突きだし、一方をバスに構えて……。(スーバーマン)特別賞記「スクリーン」79年8月号アトムの性格や「鉄腕アトム」のテーマは「ピノキオ」に影響を受けているという。「鉄腕アトム」の種明かしをしますと、ヒントのひとつとはピノキオなんんです。ピノキオは欠点だらけの子どもでして、アトムも欠点だらけなんですよ。その欠点というなぜそうなるかというと、まず、アトムは「マイトイ・マウス」というコミックの主人公の影響下に生まれた。この「マイトイ・マウス」が誕生したんだよ
こうしてアトムが誕生したんだよ
In the images above, Mighty Mouse is depicted on the top-left, and Norakuro on the top-right, with the original page from The Osamu Tezuka Story on the bottom-right.
A huge thank you to @splatney-sharda for sharing this information!
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