Osamu Tezuka's Mighty Atom manga was a big hit in Shonen Magazine, which led to this loose adaptation for television. The first 13 episode story arc concerned an evil organization called the ZZZ Gang, who kidnap prominent world peace activist Albert Leon and his daughter Michelle. As with many of the earliest Japanese superhero shows, American Saturday matinee serials are an obvious influence, but this formula is filtered through such a uniquely Japanese viewpoint; it's also hard to understate how eerie and just downright weird this adaptation is. Case in point: that scene halfway through episode 5 where the ZZZ comic relief goons hold an impromptu jam session on the secret poison gas island.