Tetsuwan Atomu is a live-action TV show created by MBS Productions. It originally aired from March 7, 1959 to May 28, 1960, predating the 1960s anime by 4 years.

The actors were Masato Segawa as the titular hero, Akio Tanaka and Gorou Morino as Dr. Ochanomizu, Yoshiko Tagami as Dr. Ochanomizu's wife, Hiroshi Kiyama, Yonehiko Kitagawa, and Chizou Kurata as Inspector Tawashi. Atom's father and mother are portrayed by Kin'ichi Shimizu and Harue Wakahara, respectively.

The series condenses the original's science fiction elements, more in line with the detective stories of the time, with a focus on fighting gangsters.[2] In the original, the story takes place in the 21st century, but according to Atom's dialogue in the second part finale, the series takes place in 1959, the same year as the broadcast.