Celebrating he first character to be made a resident of a city in Japan

Today, April 7th, is the canonical birthday of "Tetsuwan Atomu", known worldwide as Astro Boy, the iconic robot hero created by manga pioneer Osamu Tezuka. As I've shared previously, there is also a related anniversary on January 1st annually, the day Astro Boy debuted. 

The April 7th birthday celebration comes from a clever link between fiction and reality: the Astro Boy stories, which debuted on this day, April 7th, in 1952, are set in the future. In the stories Atomu is said to be born exactly fifty years later, on April 7, 2003. When that real‑world date finally arrived, fans across Japan honored the moment with special events, exhibitions, and tributes to Tezuka’s enduring influence.

What I didn't know is that Astro Boy was the very first anime character to receive an official style resident certificate in Japan. It's not legally binding, just symbolic. He was made a resident of Niiza City, in Saitama Prefecture, because Tezuka Productions is located in Niiza City. Since then, many others have also been made residents of cities, but Astro boy remains one of the most famous and culturally significant.