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Synopsis

Wonder 3 is an Osamu Tezuka work presented as a black-and-white anime following three extraterrestrial operatives dispatched to Earth to judge whether the planet poses a danger to the wider universe and thus warrants destruction. Their means of annihilation is a spherical device with two antennae, referred to at times as an anti-proton bomb, solar bomb, or neutron bomb. The agents—initially humanoid—assume the forms of a rabbit, a horse, and a duck after adopting specimens of Earth fauna; they are known as Captain Bokko, Nokko, and Pukko. While on Earth they traverse the world in the Big Wheel, a tire-shaped vehicle capable of extreme speeds and designed to operate on land and water, and with adjustments to function in the air. The narrative addresses social and environmental concerns uncommon for animated series of its era, notably themes related to ecology and poverty, as the agents' mission brings them into contact with human society and its challenges.