Taeyong as Astro Boy

Is Taeyong's Astro Boy tattoo and his recent Instagram uploads clues for us as to who he feels he is?

Taeyong’s latest Instagram upload once again has left fans acting as super sleuths trying to decode meaning to his posts. This time it was fan art of a blond Taeyong with a white headband reminiscent of early 7th Sense days, and another image of Astro Boy- the famous manga character.

This isn’t the first time Taeyong has shared fan art on his Instagram and it once again serves to remind us how connected he feels to his fans. How appreciative he is of their efforts and art and how much he wants to share that appreciation publicly. The Astro Boy image however is possibly a clue to something else altogether.

First exposed during his ‘Moonlight’ solo performance at the NCT 127 The Link concert, the tattoo was promoted once again and visible on his person in his W Korea shoot where it appears twice on the front cover. Clearly Taeyong made waves with this tattoo and many were curious to discover more about it.

Recently at a fan-call, Taeyong was asked about his tattoos and their meaning. When asked about his ‘Astro Boy’ tattoo, he replied that it was Taeyong himself!

This analogy is very interesting as it means he somehow feels connected to ‘Mighty Atom’ in some way. Fans were quick to start making connections between Astro Boy’s profile and Taeyong.

So who is Astro Boy and how could Taeyong possibly relate?

Astro Boy, known in Japan as Mighty Atom, was created by Osamu Tezuka and was part of the Japanese manga series of the same name. Made into a series in 1952, it has experienced many incarnations and revivals including making it to English translation in 2002. Astro/Atom was created in the image of Tobio (Toby) by Dr. Umatero Tenma, Head of the Ministry of Science in a future world where robots co-exist with humans. Tobio died in an accident as a child, and Dr Temna sought to recreate Tobio and built Astro in his image complete with his basic personality traits with the intent of loving him as his own son. The grief soon took over him however, and he realized that Astro the robot could never replace his flesh and blood child. Realizing this, Tenma becomes more hostile and aggressive towards the robot and in some adaptations is said to lose his sanity sometimes even leaving the boy in dangerous situations. Eventually having had enough, Tenma sells Astro to Hamegg’s Robot Circus where he is forced to perform.

The new Head of the Ministry of Science, Professor Ochanomizu, notices Astro Boy performing in the circus and convinces Hamegg to turn him over to him. Ochanomizu takes custody of Astro Boy and treats him gently and warmly and soon realizes that he has superior powers and skills and the ability to experience human emotions.

Astro Boy is a pacifist with a strong sense of justice deciding what is right and wrong. He is protective of his family and friends and will risk his own life to protect them from harm. As a robot, he has a deep love for humanity. He always attempts to solve situations intelligently and with diplomacy. He has an extreme care for the preciousness of life. In a strange analogy, he is the perfect humanitarian- albeit one without being human at all.

The question now is, which parts of this story resonate with Taeyong enough to have him tattoo the figure on his abdomen? Getting a tattoo is a significant part of expressing one’s self via body art, and it is permanent. So this would not have been done lightly.

Overthinking, I am led to wonder if the ‘circus’ Astro Boy is asked to perform in is the entire Kpop wonderland and that Taeyong’s own ‘creation’ as an idol, was orchestrated by an individual with loving intent ( no names needed ) however, that connection has possibly become strained. Has the ‘creator’ realised that the idol can never be what he thought he was supposed to be? Much like Tenma realised that the robot could never replace his flesh and blood son?

Naturally these are my speculations and could mean nothing at all so please take these with a pinch of salt. The story of Astro Boy is a fascinating backdrop to a character that Taeyong feels a strong affinity with.

The question one may be left with is whether Taeyong the idol is indeed a creation of someone else? And with this creation much like Astro Boy’s creation, has he realized his own potential for greatness?

Are Taeyong’s fans representative of Ochanomizu? Saving him from the circus and giving him a loving supportive network to feel protected and nurtured? Are his fans the ones who helped Taeyong fully realize his greatness and potential as an artist? Much like Ochanomizu helped Astro Boy realize his powers for saving humanity?

I guess only one person knows this for certain. No matter what I speculate here, it’s fascinating to see how Taeyong perceives himself in this world. One thing can be certain- Astro Boy is a robot with human emotions and shows more humanity and love for humans than some humans do themselves. As a wonderful parallel, Taeyong has proven himself to be a formidable caretaker of the planet- animals, fish, plants and people; a true humanist. Maybe this is how he connects himself to Astro Boy.