Astro Boy, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astro_Boy_(character)) created by Osamu Tezuka in 1951. Tezuka was heavily influenced by Western animation, but it definitely has its own life (and predates the Internet by some years).

Dragonball by Akira Toryima and Gensomaden Saiyuki by Kazuya Minekura are manga adapted from/inspired by the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en.