[4] It involves the adventures of three agents from outer space who are sent to Earth to determine whether the planet, a potential threat to the universe, should be destroyed.
Landing on Earth, the characters take the form of a rabbit, a horse, and a duck, and make friends with a young human boy.
[5] The series was first published in print format as manga in Japan in 1965, and then spawned an animated television version, with different stories.
The series tackles a number of issues that were unusual in animated cartoons of that period: in particular, ecological concerns and poverty and racial diversity.
The series also features Shinichi's older brother, Kōichi, who is a member of the secret intelligence agency "Phoenix", formed to protect the peace of the world.
The Wonder 3 are initially repulsed by the violence of the earthlings, especially Pukko, but gradually change their thinking after being touched by the kind personality of Shinichi.
Although Pukko is in favor of this as much as ever, Bokko puts off the order as long as possible, and eventually decides to disobey the council's decision.
Although dozens of Phoenix agents fight the Amazing 3 in their saucer, they are unable to destroy it, and Shinichi appeals to Bokko, Nokko, and Pukko to take him back to their home planet to plead Earth's case.
Shinichi is given a chance to plead Earth's case and the council offers him the opportunity to stay on their planet with all the rights and privileges of other citizens.
She is capable of great powers of telepathy, telekinesis and hypnosis, has extremely sensitive hearing, and can also control the inner workings of machines by pressing her ears against them.
Voiced by: Fuyumi Shiraishi (Japanese); Bobbie Byers (English) Nokko (ノッコ, Ronnie in the American version) is capable of creating inventions incredibly quickly, and is intensely speedy and tough in his horse appearance.
Voiced by: Yasuo Kojima (Japanese); Neil Patrick (English) Pukko (プッコ, Zero in the American version) is a curmudgeon with an occasional heart of gold, can generate shockwaves with his wings, and is also quite a capable guitarist.
Shinichi's girlfriend Kanoko also figures prominently in the manga, but is absent from the anime, possibly because her presence would have detracted from Tezuka's plan for the ending of the series.
Voiced by: Kazuko Sawada (Japanese); Kurt Nagel (English) Kōichi Hoshi (星光一, Hoshi Kōichi, Randy Carter in the American version), Shinichi's older brother, is a secret agent for an organization called Phoenix, whose cover is a manga artist.
He sometimes uses guns, but primarily relies on martial arts and his watch, which contains a small hammer and chain, a radar, and a flashlight, which can also be used as a beam to blind his opponents.
Kōichi joined Phoenix in order to avenge the death of a friend (who had previously been Agent P77) who had been killed by Interspy.
The Japanese theme (sung by a group called Vocal Shop) was considerably more playful and complex than the American version.
[citation needed] There was a brief report from the 2000 Anime Expo in Anaheim, California, that Studio Pierrot and a newer company called Digital Manga were considering the idea of teaming up and producing a new version of the series to be streamed on the Internet.
The English dubbed version had aired on KCOP-TV in Los Angeles from 1967 to 1970. as of June 2020, 30 of the 52 translated episodes have been found.