[3][4] The Tezuka family were prosperous and well-educated; his father Yutaka worked in management at Sumitomo Metals, his grandfather Taro was a lawyer and his great-grandfather Ryoan and great-great-grandfather Ryosen were doctors.

Their romantic musicals aimed at a female audience, had a large influence of Tezuka's later works, including his costume designs.

[8] Tezuka started to draw comics around his second year of elementary school, in large part inspired by Disney animation;[8] he drew so much that his mother would have to erase pages in his notebook in order to keep up with his output.

[citation needed] After World War II, at age 17, he published his first professional work, Diary of Ma-chan, which was serialized in the elementary school children's newspaper Shokokumin Shinbun in early 1946.

While still in medical school Tezuka published his first masterpieces: a trilogy of science fiction epics called Lost World (1948), Metropolis (1949), and Nextworld (1951).

[citation needed] Soon afterward, Tezuka published his first major success, Kimba the White Lion, which was serialized in Manga Shonen from 1950 to 1954.

[14] In 1951, Tezuka graduated from the Osaka School of Medicine[15] and published Ambassador Atom, the first appearance of the Astro Boy character.

Due to the success of Tetsuwan Atom, in 1953, Tezuka published the shōjo manga Ribon no Kishi (Princess Knight), serialized in Shojo Club from 1953 to 1956.

[20] In 1954, Tezuka first published what he would consider his life's work, Phoenix, which originally appeared in Mushi Production Commercial Firm.

This ran counter to Toei's "climax method" that had the goal of a big finish at the end for audiences to leave the cinema remembering.

[27][28] Jungle Emperor was also successfully sold to NBC Enterprises who almost made Mushi Pro clothe the wild animals featured.

In two desperate attempts to earn enough money to pay investors, Tezuka turned to the adult film market and produced A Thousand and One Nights (1969) and Cleopatra (1970).

[citation needed] Simultaneously, he also produced Vampires that, like Dororo, also introduced a stronger, more coherent storyline and a shift in the drawing style.

Besides the well-known series Phoenix, Black Jack and Buddha, which are drawn in this style, he also produced a vast amount of one-shots or shorter series, such as Ayako, Ode to Kirihito, Alabaster, Apollo's Song, Barbara, MW, The Book of Human Insects, and a large number of short stories that were later collectively published in books such as Under the Air, Clockwork Apple, The Crater, Melody of Iron and Other Short Stories, and Record of the Glass Castle.

Tezuka would become a bit milder in narrative tone in the 1980s with his follow-up works such as Message to Adolf, Midnight, Ludwig B (unfinished), and Neo Faust.

[38] Nonetheless: Tezuka's dyadic visual jokes[39]—which involve the arrival of creatures at emotionally-charged scenes[40]—disrupt the tension, reminding the reader of "the framework of fiction" and promoting a safe "mode of identification" with the narrative.

[39] Tezuka's quotations of real trends mark a key aspect of his style: adaptation in response to the socio-cultural situation and interests of his audience.

[41] Tezuka juxtaposed this with elements more customary to Japan, such as the "glorification of self-sacrifice": instead of the usual happy ending, one or more of his characters would meet their demise but specifically for the sake of others.

[41] Aside from these borrowed motifs, a signature characteristic of Tezuka's style is the Star System,[42] which refers to his casting of characters into different roles across a body of comics.

[45] Tezuka departed from the typical expectations of akahon by introducing complexity in The Mysterious Underground Man and morality in Magic House and Vampire Devils.

Moreover, he used romaji (English) titles alongside the Japanese equivalents, as well as a subtle color palette and intricate composition—all of which were unlike other akahon.

[52] Tezuka was a descendant of Hattori Hanzō,[61] a famous ninja and samurai who faithfully served Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Sengoku period in Japan.

Although flattered by Kubrick's invitation, Tezuka's schedule did not allow him to leave his studio for a year to live in England, so he had to turn down the offer.

Also, beginning in 2003, the Japanese toy company Kaiyodo began manufacturing a series of figurines of Tezuka's creations, including Princess Knight, Unico, the Phoenix, Dororo, Marvelous Melmo, Ambassador Magma, and many others.

Artists and companies that have cited Tezuka as an influence include Monkey Punch (Lupin III), Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), Go Nagai (Devilman, Mazinger Z, Cutie Honey), Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro), Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball), Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon), Naoko's husband Yoshihiro Togashi (YuYu Hakusho, Hunter × Hunter), Clamp (Magic Knight Rayearth, Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, xxxHolic), Katsu Aki (Futari Ecchi), Tetsuo Hara (Fist Of The North Star), Keisuke Itagaki (Baki the Grappler), Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell), Kazuhiro Fujita (Ushio & Tora), Nobuhiro Watsuki (Rurouni Kenshin), Rumiko Takahashi (Urusei Yatsura, Ranma ½, Inuyasha, Maison Ikkoku), Hiroyuki Takei (Shaman King), Masami Kurumada (Saint Seiya), Kentaro Miura (Berserk), Hitoshi Iwaaki (Parasyte, Historie), Mia Ikumi (Tokyo Mew Mew), Kenichi Sonoda (Gunsmith Cats), Moto Hagio (The Poe Clan), Yoshihiro Tatsumi (A Drifting Life), Osamu Akimoto (Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen Mae Hashutsujo), Yudetamago (Kinnikuman), Keiko Takemiya (Toward the Terra), Kosuke Fujishima (Oh My Goddess), Yuu Watase (Fushigi Yugi), Leiji Matsumoto (Space Battleship Yamato, Galaxy Express 999, Space Pirate Captain Harlock), Takehiko Ito (Outlaw Star), Yoshiharu Tsuge (The Man Without Talent), Hirohiko Araki (JoJo's Bizzare Adventure), Tetsuya Chiba (Ashita no Joe), Koshi Rikudo (Excel Saga), Hideo Azuma (Nanako SOS), Satoru Noda (Golden Kamuy), Keiji Nakazawa (Barefoot Gen), Hitoshi Okuda (Tenchi Muyo!

), Fujiko Fujio (Doraemon), Naoki Urasawa (20th Century Boys), Kyoko Okazaki (Pink), Tatsunoko (Yatterman), Gainax (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and Capcom (Street Fighter, Megaman).

[99] Fumito Ueda mentions Tezuka's 'One Million Year Trip: Bandar Book' as an anime which left a strong impression on him growing up.

In 2012, Maurício published a two-issue story arc in the Monica Teen comic book featuring some of Tezuka's main characters, including Astro Boy, Black Jack, Sapphire, and Kimba, joining Monica and her friends in an adventure in the Amazon rainforest against a smuggling organization chopping down hundreds of trees.

In 2020, an AI writer-artist made by Kioxia was tasked to make a new "Tezuka" manga called Paidon [ja], which takes place in a futuristic apocalyptic society, which was released in the magazine Morning on 27 February 2020.

Outside of the building's entrance, there are imitations of the hands and feet of several characters from Tezuka (as in a true walk of fame) and on the inside, the entry hall, a replica of Princess Knight's furniture.