Closest to robots in that they are not built out of spare parts from humans, and they aren’t magically alive.
I always assumed they were just fast-growth clones.
Astro Boy is a Pinocchio. Ash from Alien is a Frankenstein. Hmmm...
I'm going to go with Frankensteins. They're all misunderstood and cursed by their own existence in a kinda Gothic way.