Ultra Stats

Height: micro-40 meters
Weight: 35,000 tons
Flight Speed: mach 7
Running Speed: 700 kph
Home Planet: The Land of Light, Nebula M78
Human Forms: Dan Moroboshi; Masaki Kazamori (1990s)

Transformation Item: Ultra Eye
Teams: Ultra Garrison (Urutora Keibitai), part of TDF (Terrestrial Defense Forces) -- Captain Kiriyama, Dan Moroboshi, Amagi, Furuhashi, Soga, Anne Yuri; also MAC (Moster Attack Crew) in 'Ultraman Leo'; the 1994 Ultra Garrison -- Captain Furuhashi; Tohgoh, Lisa, Kaji; and the 1998-1999 Ultra Garrison -- Commander Shigeru Furuhashi, Captain Sanshiroh Shiragane, Masaki Kazamori, Takuma Mizuno, Satomi Hayakawa, Rumi Honjoh, Keisuke Shima
Episodes: 49 (Episode Guide), or 48, if you don't include the notoriously unacknowledged episode 12, plus eleven direct-to-videos of the 1990s.
Air Dates: October 1, 1967-September 8, 1968

Weapons

* Emerium Ray: concentrated stream of energy fired from the beam lamp on his forehead.
* EyeSlugger: the innovative removable fin on his head, which turns into a energy boomerang he can control with his telekinesis.
* Wide Shot: His most powerful weapon, emitted by crossing arms in an L-shape.
* Knuckle Beam (also known as Bolt Beam): fired from his knuckles... used against the Guts-seijins.
* Capsule Monsters: A cache of monsters he hides in a small compartment, which Dan uses when he is unable to transform. The five are Windam, Mikuras, Agira, and two others never used.
* I've also seen him throw knife-like beam cutters at Godora-seijin, and fire blasts of energy from the palm of his hand at the Guts spaceship. He also had a string-like energy beam, with which he played tug-of-war with Fake Ultraseven.



From a very different line of Ultraman, Seven was darker, redder, and more serious and intriguing than the original. There were genuine issues of morality, and Seven had to deal with the stuggles and consequences of mistakes, broken promises, and adherence to duty, while he battled a constant stream of aliens and their monsters.

Although the special effects were primitive by todays standards, 'Ultraseven' gets credit for having a lot of creatively designed monsters and aliens. Naas was a flying snake that curled up into a space ship. Chiburu-seijin was a bulbous egg-shaped dude with three tentacles. Petello was a sputtering thing that looks like an elephant turd. Iron Rocks was a shipwreck gone bad. Crazygon was a walking car-demolition machine gone berserk. Some hallmark monsters of the series include King Joe (Pedan-seijin robot that is stronger than Seven, but miraculously can be destroyed by the Garrison), Guts-seijin (cute parakeet monsters with very low-pitched voices), Eleking, Pitt-seijin, and KYOHRYUH SENSHA (Dinosaur-Tank, which was, well, a tank-riding dinosaur) .

His Eye Slugger slices and dices.

Seven was also perhaps the only Ultraman to never, ever receive help from one of his brothers during his original series, even though he was beat up pretty bad (including getting crucified, having his arm run over by Dinosaur-Tank, being stomped by Crazygon, and being smacked upside the head by Bandon). He had a cache of capsulized monsters in his pocket (the original Pokémon?)

Dan Moroboshi is his human form. Unlike the original Ultraman, Seven doesn't merge with a dead human so that he can stay on Earth. He merely borrows the appearance of an admirable human he had encountered in the past, Jiroh Satsuma. This occurence is revealed in episode 17, when Dan finds out that Satsuma had been trapped in a mine that was caused by the mysterious underground city of Yuhtom. Dan has a flashback to when he saw Satsuma rock-climbing behind a partner... when they had trouble with their equipment, Satsuma whipped out a knife and cut the tether between them to save his partner, if not himself. Seven just happened to be poking around on the mountain at the same time, saw what was happening, and rescued the falling Satsuma.

You KNOW Anne had the hots for our guy Dan. Even though their relationship is never officialized, it is one you could really care about. Dan loses his Ultra Eye on several occasions, usually to aliens disguised as pretty women. Ultraseven is always a sucker for a pretty gal.

Though it is now often said to be the best of the many Ultra series, it wasn't considered as such by fans during its original run. When he is compared to the original 'Ultraman,' the Japanese equivalent of the Nielsen ratings dropped from 30% to 20%. Given the costs of production, Tsuburaya Productions decided that Seven would be the last.

Because they thought that Seven was to be the end of the Ultra series, Tsuburaya Productions pulled out all the stops and put all of their heart and soul into the two-part series finale. Dan and Anne practiced their dramatic farewell scene many times, and Anne wears this long wig so that her hair would dance with a gust of wind the moment Dan reveals his true identity to her.

After the series wrapped, Tsuburaya Productions went on to produce other non-Ultra shows, like 'Mighty Jack' and 'KAIKI DAISAKUSEN'. During this two-year moratorium, Seven did another tour of duty on 'Ultra Fight' which ultimately revived the franchise and made possible 'The Return of Ultraman.'

Seven remains one of the most popular Ultramen. He shows up in every series in one form or another, through 'Ultraman 80.' Dan Moroboshi is called back to duty as the captain of MAC in 'Ultraman Leo', an honor that is not on the resume of any other human form of an Ultraman (actor Moritsugu Kohji also plays the captain of MYDO on the second 'Ultraman Zearth' movie).

And of course, Seven is so popular that he gets his own 1990s version of direct-to-video specials. Targetted at adult afficionados who grew up watching the original series, they are full of homage shots, continuities, and popular old nemeses (including Pitt-seijin, Guts-seijin, Metron-seijin, King Joe, and Nonmalt). Furuhashi is now an Ultra Garrison Commander, and a lot of the same mechas are used (including the Ultra Hawks). The Garrison car (the Pointer), however, is newly updated. Even the opening theme music remains the same, though the silhouettes used in the opening animation have been updated. There Garrison members are fresh new faces, two of which are female (and they kick much ass). So is Dan, with longer hair and considerably wider pants. The younger and leaner Masaki Kazamori eventually replaces Dan as the human form of Ultraseven.

Find out about the origins of Ultraseven.
Trivia

Two theme songs were created for 'Ultraseven.' Two hundred children were asked to pick the better of the two. The one we know and love is the one that made the cut.

In Showa 40 (I believe that's 1965), Yuriko Hishimi, the actress who played Anne in Ultraseven, won 2nd place in the Miss Tokyo contest.

According to Seven's Superior, Ultraseven's real name is "Kohten-kansoku'in 340-goh," The rough translation is "Stationary Post Observer #340."

Dan Moroboshi has an alien anatomy... in the last episode, he won't let Anne x-ray his injured body, fearing that his alien origin would be discovered.

In the second American translation, for TNT, scenes of graphic violence were are often cut. Monsters often do not blow up into smithereens, and the Eye Slugger is commonly edited out, since rolling heads, chopped limbs, and spurting body fluids is not standard children's fare in the U.S. A notable exception is Episode 12, where Spell-seijin is sliced in half. Sometimes, the action would be over after a monster falls on the ground. Humor is added to the dubbings to make for a much lighter tone. The funniest thing, though, is when Dan transforms with his "Task Mask" (Ultra Eye), he says, "MM HMMM!!" In the Japanese original, he either says nothing, or says "JUWA!" which doesn't make much more sense, come to think of it.

Kohji Moritsugu, the actor who played Dan Moroboshi, also supplied the voice of Ultraseven in the original series (this is in contrast to Susumu Kurobe... Hayata... who did not supply the voice of Ultraman). The reasoning behind this is that Dan is not a borrowed human host like Hayata was... Dan IS Seven, so they should have the same voice.

Have you ever noticed that all of the voices on 'Ultraseven' look dubbed? And I'm not talking about the TNT English-dubbed version... I'm talking about the Japanese original. That's because it IS dubbed, for reasons unkown to me. I guess it was easier to mix sound that way, or something.

Alas, Shohji Nakayama (Captain Kiriyama) passed away of pneumonia at the age of 70 on December 1, 1998.

Cameos

Episode 12: Hiroko Sakurai, the actress who played Akiko Fuji in 'Ultraman' as a guest role (this episode was banned in Japan for reasons other than the reappearance of Fuji).

Episode 47: Shohji Kobayashi (the actor who originally played Captain Muramatsu in 'Ultraman') plays a drunken man who returns home late at night to discover that his wife, child, and neigbors do not recognize him, because they've been replaced during the night by the Hook-seijin.

Episode 48-9: Seven's Superior is rarely acknowledged in the Ultraman "canon," but he exists nevertheless. He tells Ultraseven that it's time to return to Nebula M78, or risk death on Earth from the damage to his battle-worn body. This, of course, just before the full-scale invasion by the Goth-seijins.

Crossovers

Ultra Fight:
All 195 episodes

Ultraman Jack:
Episode 18: Delivers the Ultra Bracelet to Jack so that he can defeat Bemustar.
Episode 38: Appears with Ultraman to save Jack from execution by the Knuckle-seijin. Brief appearance by Dan Moroboshi in Ultra Garrison uniform.

Ultraman Ace:
Episode 1: Appears with Zoffy, Ultraman, Jack, and Ace to merge the latter with Hokuto and Minami.
Episodes 13-4: Crucified with Zoffy, Ultraman, and Jack, on the planet Golgota, by Ace Killer.
Episode 26-7: Trapped with his four brothers by Hippolito-seijin and turned into a bronze statue.
Episode 31: Versus Bakutari
Episode 44: Replenishes Ace's power after he loses it to OniDevil.

Ultraman Taro:
Episode 1: Appears with the Five Ultra Brothers to assist the Ultra Mother in giving birth to Ultraman #6.
Episode 5: Escorts King Tortoise and Mini Tortoise to M78. Episode 25: Along with the other Ultra Brothers, merges with Taro so that, with their combined purity of soul, he can plunge into the flames of the Ultra Tower for one minute to acquire the Ultra Bell. They all carry the Ultra Bell back to Earth, and Taro rings it, so that it dissipates the dark cloud of Mururoa that has enveloped the Earth.
Episode 33-4: Appears with the Six Ultra Brothers against Tempera-seijin. Moroboshi Dan also appears with his fellow human forms.
Episode 40: The Ultra brothers get beat up by Tyrant, a vengeful monster created by parts of many past monsters.

Ultraman Leo:
Series: Dan Moroboshi is the leader of MAC, and serves as Gen's mentor.
Epsode 1: Seven's leg is broken by Red Gillas, Black Gillas, and Mamga-seijin. The Ultra Eye is damaged and Dan can no longer transform into Seven.
Episode 29: Anne Yuri and Dan meet again... she tells him she's been raising the alien child, Uri, who has become the monster Uringa. Episode 34: Dan receives ball monster Sevenga. Briefly appears as Seven for reasons I don't know as yet.

Ultraman 80:
Episode 44: Well, okay, it's not really Seven... it's Delusion Ultraseven, a doll that becomes a monster when infused with a young boy's anger. The upshot of this is that you get to see Seven duke it out with 80.

Ultraman Zearth:
In the second movie, Kohji Moritsugu (Dan Moroboshi) has a cameo as the captain of MYDO.

Ultra Stats

Height: 40 meters
Weight: 35,000 tons
Flight Speed: mach 5
Running Speed: 800 kph
Home Planet: The Land of Light, Nebula M78
Human Form: Hideki Goh

Transformation Item: None
Team: MAT (Monster Attack Team) -- Captain Katsuichiro Katoh (Episodes 1-22) Captain Ryuh Ibuki (Episodes 22-51), Hideki Goh, Takeshi Minami, Fumio Kishida, Ippei Ueno, Yuriko Oka
Episodes: 51 of 'The Ultraman Who Returned' (Episode Guide)
Air Dates: April 2, 1972-March 31, 1973

Weapons

* Specium Ray: Plus-style.
* Ultra Bracelet: A multi-purpose weapon that could be used like the Eye Slugger, but could also transform into a lance, cross, shield, light reflector, etc... it could even piece back together a dismembered Ultraman.
* Ultra Slash (Yatsuzaki Kohrin)
* Cinerama Shot (L-style)
* Fog Beam
* Shooting-Star (ryusei) Kick
* and a beam he shoots from his eyes.

Very, very, very Seventies. A nameless Ultraman for over twenty years, "Shin-Urutoraman" (new Ultraman), Shin-man" (new-man) or "Urutoraman Nisei" (second-generation Ultraman) was finally rechristened Ultraman "Jack." Also nice because now we don't have to refer to Ultraman as "shodai-man" (Original-generation Ultraman) in order to distinguish him from Jack. "Ultraman Jack" is actually a recycled name... it was originally going to be Ultraman Taro's name, which was changed at the last minute when "hijacking" became a negative buzz-word in Japan.

You have to give this rip-off of the original some credit for reviving the series after a two-year hiatus following 'Ultraseven' (not including the facetious 'Ultra Fight' shorts), creating a consecutive four years of Ultra shows, the longest run to date.

Truth be known, the original concept of 'The Ultraman Who Returned' was in fact the return of the original Ultraman. However, from a merchandising point of view, it made more sense to create an entirely different character. So they did, but didn't change the name of the show. Gotta love marketing departments.

There were a lot of similarities with the original... Jack even looked almost exactly like the original Ultaman, save the red lines that outlined the red patterns of his outfit, the white neck, and the shorter shorts. MAT had orange uniforms... no doubt an homage to the Science Patrol.

But there were a lot of innovations too. There were cameos by his predecessors, Ultraseven and Ultraman. Seven also came back to give Jack a new weapon... the multi-purpose Ultra Bracelet. Good thing, too. Jack was the first in a fine tradition of Ultramen who had the misfortune of being dismembered (he was frozen by Snowgon, who then cracked off his limbs and smacked off his head)... miraculously, the bracelet was able to reassemble and revive Jack.

Jack was also the first Ultraman to have to fight more than one kind of monster at once (unless you count Seven in Ultra Fight).

Jack had a cool, very energetic "hyah" (the noises he makes when he fights).

The tall and lanky Goh was the first to have a life outside of his monster-fighting career, including being a car mechanic and aspiring race-car driver, and having a girlfriend. Of course, the girlfriend came with an annoying younger brother, Jiro. Jiro had a way of stumbling onto monsters in very contrived ways. Perhaps getting rid of Jiro would have been the easist way for MAT to eliminate Japan's monster problem. Goh's dream is to become a race car driver. This dream is shattered when he is killed by a rampaging Takkong while trying to save a stupid little boy and his dog. His partner burns the race car they had just finished building as an offering to the dead Goh. Imagine everyone's surprise when Goh returns from the dead, having been given a new life by a new Ultraman.

Most of the monsters were uninspired, with the great exceptions of Twin Tail (a caterpillar-like monster who stands upright with head toward the ground), Priz-ma (a floating prism), and Kodaigon (a walking Japanese armor). Seagoras and Seamons introduced the monster family concept. There were some lame homage monsters, including Detton (similar to Telesudon), Baltan-seijin Jr., and Zetton II. Black King was perhaps the coolest upgade of Red King. He was a tuff guy.

Though overshadowed by the two predecessor series, Jack should by no means be underestimated... after all, it only took him a few seconds to kill the largest monster in the universe--the infinitely large, star-swallowing Vacuumon--simply by poking around in its stomach.

Ultraman "Jack" is to leave Earth after defeating Bat-seijin and Zetton II in the final episode, but before he does, he gives Jiroh five pledges.

* To not go to school on an empty stomach.
* To air out the futon on days when the weather is good.
* To watch out for cars when walking on the street.
* To not rely on the strength of others.
* On dirt, to play by running around barefoot.

Since Jiroh had lost his older siblings in a previous episode, Goh was all he had left... so these pledges were intended to give him strength.

Goh transforms into Ultraman on a beach, right before Jiroh's eyes, and takes off into the sky.

The success of 'The Ultraman who Returned' ensured the immediate return of Ultraman in a new series, 'Ultraman Ace'.
Cameos
Episode 18: Ultraseven delivers the Ultra Bracelet to Jack so that he can defeat Bemstar.

Episode 38: Ultraman and Ultraseven save Ultraman "Jack" from crucifixion at the hands of the Knuckle fleet.
Crossovers
Ultraman Ace:
Episode 1: Appears with Zoffy, Ultraman, Seven, and Ace to merge the latter with Hokuto and Minami.
Episode 10: A fake Hideki Goh.
Episodes 13-4: Crucified with Zoffy, Ultraman, and Seven, on the planet Golgota, by Ace Killer.
Episode 26-7: Trapped with his four brothers by Hippolito-seijin and turned into a bronze statue.

Ultraman Taro:
Episode 1: Appears with the Five Ultra Brothers to assist the Ultra Mother in giving birth to Ultraman #6.
Episode 25: Along with the other Ultra Brothers, merges with Taro so that, with their combined purity of soul, he can plunge into the flames of the Ultra Tower for one minute to acquire the Ultra Bell. They all carry the Ultra Bell back to Earth, and Taro rings it, so that it dissipates the dark cloud of Mururoa that has enveloped the Earth.
Episode 33-4: Appears with the Six Ultra Brothers against Tempera-seijin. Hideki Goh also appears with his fellow human forms.
Episode 40: The Ultra brothers get beat up by Tyrant, a vengeful monster created by parts of many past monsters.
Episode 52: Gets his ColorTimer stolen by monster Dorobon.

Ultraman Leo
Episode 34: Delivers monster ball Sevengar to Dan Moroboshi. On his way, Ashuran slaps a magic mask on his face, which he wears even as Hideki Goh.
Episodes 38-9: Appears with Zoffy, Ultraman, Ace, and the Ultra Father, in a rumble with Leo and a fake Astra over the stolen Ultra Key... the issue is resolved by Ultraman King and the real Astra.

Ultra Stats
Height: 40 meters
Weight: 45,000 tons
Flight Speed: mach 20
Running Speed: 1,000 kph
Home Planet: The Land of Light, Nebula M78
Human Form: Seiji Hokuto and Yuhko Minami

Transformation Item: Ultra Rings
Team: TAC (Terrible Monster Attacking Crew) -- Captain Goroh Ryuh, Seiji Hokuto, Yuhko Minami, Ichiroh Yamanaka, Kohzoh Yoshimura, Tsutomu Konno, and Noriko Mikawa
Episodes: 52 (Episode Guide)
Air Dates: April 7, 1973-March 30, 1974

Weapons

* Metallium Ray: L-style.
* Punch Laser: Fired from the Beam Lamp on his fin.
* Space Q: A ball of energy gathered at the hole in his fin, used against Ace Killer and Jumbo King. In his battle with Ace Killer, his energy is near depletion, and gets energy from his four brothers in order to use this weapon.
* Ultra Guillotine: A standard slashing laser beam or ring, with many other variations (Vertical Guillotine, Guillotine Shot).
* Flash Hands: An energized chop.
* Timer Shot: Fired from his Color Timer.
* Star shurikens: Like ninja stars.
* Ultra Knife: A physical blade Ace could generate by force of will.
* Ace Barrier
* Circle Barrier

Very cool Ultraman. Ace takes the genre in a different direction. For a while he was a hermaphrodite (it took a man and a woman to change into him... giving Ace the courage of a man and a woman's love for peace). Ace also has a lot of neat laser weapons. There is a recurring villain (the Yapool), and there are a lot more guest appearances from the other brothers. Zoffy visits frequently, as does the Ultra Father. The five (Zoffy, Ultraman, Seven, "Jack," and Ace) are now known as the Five Ultra Brothers (gokyohdai), and they come together on at least three occasions. And finally, the monsters (KAIJUH) are now Yapool creations known as "Super Beasts" (CHOHJUH).

Ace has one of the most interesting head profiles... his head fin has a great big hole in it and a Beam Lamp up front. Other than Ultraseven's detatchable fin, Ace's is probably the most useful fin. The Beam Lamp can fire his Punch Laser, and the hole is a place where energy can be gathered, stored, or released (it is the nexus for his most powerful weapon, the Space Q). It is also where he emits Ultra Signs into the sky to communicate with other Ultramen.

Ace is also the first Ultraman to introduce hand-waving as part of the laser-emitting ritual. To fire his Metallium Beam, he must first twist his torso to the left and snap to center. This type of action was influenced by other Tokusatsu series of the day.

The Five Ultra Brothers arrive on Earth together in episode 1, where they resurrect Hokuto and Minami. Ace gives them the Ultra Rings and merges with them... whenever the need arises, he tells them, the rings will shine and they can transform into Ultraman Ace.

As for the circumstances of their death, Hokuto is originally a bakery employee who is delivering bread to a children's hospital in his van. He tries to prevent the bread from being destroyed by Yapool's first creation, Velokron, but his van and said bread are destroyed by the fire-breathing monster. Velokron then starts attacking the hospital. Hokuto runs there to see Minami trying to save a wheelchair-bound kid. He jumps into a tanker truck and does a suicide run, killing himself and scaring Velokron away. Minami is also dead for some reason.

Hokuto and Minami are both born on July 7th. Hokuto has a goofy personality, which is a grand departure from his constipated predecessors. Minami is a lot more gentle and reticent (but she wields a mean gun when necessary!). They often make googlie eyes at each other.

At first, Hokuto and Minami jump up in the air to transform, by spinning and touching their rings together (the Ultra Touch), but they stopped doing that, because it was feared that children might hurt themselves trying to imitate the move. In episode 2, they jump up together with motorcyles for a "Rider Touch" (influence of 'Kamen Rider,' perhaps?). When Hokoto is in a spaceship and Minami is still in the TAC base in episode 14, he and Minami transform by touching their rings to their respective video monitors.

Minami leaves halfway through the series, in episode 28, and Hokuto has to change into Ace by himself from then on. Minami is actually from the Moon, and when Ace defeats Lunatyx, her mission on Earth is done. In episode 29, a child named Dan is added to the cast. He has the special ability to see the Ultra Star with his naked eyes even in the daytime, and thus qualifies to be the sixth Ultra Brother. This is a notion that was brushed away with the introduction of Ultraman Taro, I assume.

Coming straight off of 'The Ultraman Who Returned,' it is surprising to see how much cooler the CHOHJUH designs were, during the beginning of the series. They are more colorful and powerful. CHOHJUH is officially translated as "Terrible Monsters" (TAC, as mentioned above, stands for Terrible Monster Attacking Crew), but a more direct translation of the characters could be "Super Beasts," or "Mega Beasts." Vaxxim, Doragorii, Ace Killer, King Crab, and Black Pigeon, to name a few. Since these are all creations of the Yapool, some are equipped with missiles, like Velokron. One drawback about the CHOHJUH is that they are rather hyperactive, and tend to move a lot faster than monsters. A particularly dreadful example of this is when Baraba's eyes are knocked out of their sockets... the film speed is increased and Baraba jumps all over the set. Cameos of several monsters from previous series include Muruchi II, Metron-seijin Jr. (complete with hip bell-bottoms), and Woo.

In the last episode, a Yapool disguises himself as the child of Simon-seijin and reassembles parts from previously defeated CHOHJUH (Corwa, Steal-seijin, Unitang, Mazarius, et al.) to create a grand masterpiece, Jumbo King. As the kid of Simon-seijin, Yapool takes advantage of Takeshi, a kid who tries to protect him. Hokuto sees through this ploy, and must reveal his true identity as Ultraman Ace to win Takeshi's trust. Ace defeats Jumbo King and bids the Earth adieu.

Cameos

Episode 1: The Five Ultra Brothers merge Ace with Hokuto and Minami.
Episode 5: Zoffy sees Ace's Ultra Sign (SOS), and saves him from being trapped underground by Giron-jin and Aribunta. Zoffy lets him borrow the Ultra Converter, a wristband that restores Ace's energy (and changes his blinking ColorTimer back to blue).
Episodes 13-4: The Four Ultra Brothers are crucified on the planet Golgota by the Yapool. The Yapool send all five fake Ultra Signs to get them to gather at Golgota, where they fine crosses with their names written on them. The temerature then drops precipitously, and they begin losing power. The Four give Ace their remaining power to go back to Earth, to defend it from CHOHJUH Baraba. Ace protests, not wanting to abandon his brothers, but Ultraman slaps him to his senses, saying they will sacrifice themselves to let the younger Ace go and fulfill his mission to protect the Earth. After Ace leaves, the other four get sucked onto the crosses. However, Ace can't fight Baraba effectively, because the Yapools taunt him with images of his brothers stuck on the cross, threatening to finish them off. Meanwhile, Yapool then introduces Ace Killer, who sucks the Four Ultra Brothers of their Specium (Ultraman), Emerium (Ultraseven), and M87 (Zoffy) energies, as well as the Ultra Bracelet (Ultraman "Jack"). Ace Killer uses these to destroy the Ace Robot for practice as the brothers look on helplessly (I believe this is the first time the M87 Beam is ever used on TV). The upper brass at TAC send Hokuto to Golgota with a bomb to destroy the entire planet (and the Four Ultra Brothers with it), but Hokuto changes to Ace, destroys the bomb, gets energy from his Brothers (where do they keep getting more energy? I thought they were sucked dry on at least two occasions previously...) to create the Space Q to defeat Ace Killer, frees his brothers, return to Earth, and destroy Baraba.

Episode 23: Zoffy versus Giant Yapool.
Episode 26-7: The Four Ultra Brothers are turned into bronze statues along with Ace by Hippolito-seijin... saved by the Ultra Father.
Episode 31: Ultraseven versus Bakutari
Episode 35: Zoffy versus Dreamgillas
Episode 38: A revived Father appears as Santa Claus to help defeat Namhage and Snowgillan. He brings back Minami for a visit.
Episode 44: Ultraseven replenishes Ace's power, which was lost to OniDevil.

Crossovers

Ultraman Taro:
Episode 1: Appears with the Five Ultra Brothers to assist the Ultra Mother in giving birth to Ultraman #6.
Episode 25: Along with the other Ultra Brothers, merges with Taro so that, with their combined purity of soul, he can plunge into the flames of the Ultra Tower for one minute to acquire the Ultra Bell. They all carry the Ultra Bell back to Earth, and Taro rings it, so that it dissipates the dark cloud of Mururoa that has enveloped the Earth.
Episode 33-4: Appears with the Six Ultra Brothers against Tempera-seijin. Hokuto also appears with his fellow human forms.
Episode 39: Minami shows up with the Ultra Father, who makes mochi with Taro after defeating Mochiron.
Episode 40: The Ultra brothers get beat up by Tyrant, a vengeful monster created by parts of many past monsters.

Ultraman Leo:
Episodes 38-9: Appears with Zoffy, Ultraman, Jack, and the Ultra Father, in a rumble with Leo and a fake Astra over the stolen Ultra Key... the issue is resolved by Ultraman King and the real Astra.

Ultra Stats

Height: 45 meters
Weight: 50,000 tons
Flight Speed: mach 15
Running Speed: 1,000 kph
Home Planet: The Land of Light, Nebula M78
Human Form: Santa Claus
Position: Great Space Garrison Leader



Weapons

* Father Shot
* Ultra Array: An Ultra device from which he can emit a flash beam.
* Timer Shoot
* Ultra Shower
* A couple of spinning laser boomerangs
* Smoke he emits to put out fire and revive Ultraman Ace, who was killed by Hipporito-seijin's tar.


Superior to even Zoffy in the Space Garrison, this imposing, big-horned, big-boobed guy redefined the Ultra "Brothers" as children, and made the series even hokier than ever (if this is possible). His "hyah" fighting sound is a low, fatherly rumble. He could even turn into Santa Claus, or make mochi on the moon.

He travels a great distance to Earth to save the Five Ultra Brothers from death. Hipporito-seijin had encased them all in tar. Being weakened by the long flight, he is quickly defeated. However, before he expires, he removes his Color Timer and throws it in the air... it emits a red beam that revives Ace. Filled with fury, Ace defeats Hipporito-seijin and throws the Timer in the air again to revive his four brothers. It's an unprecedented scene, with all four Color Timers beeping at once with their own characteristic sounds (note that poor Ultraseven doesn't have a Color Timer, and therefore cannot contribute to the cacophony). The mourning brothers return the Ultra Father to space, where the narrator says he will become a star (a new one in fact appears in the sky).

Regardless of his new stellar status, the Ultra Father is resurrected and returns to fight another day. Haven't seen the episode, so I don't know how, but I've pretty much concluded that there is no real way to permanently kill an Ultraman for good anyway.

Appearances
The Ultra Father as Santa ClausUltraman Ace:
Episode 27: Saves the Five Ultra Brothers from Hippolito-seijin.
Episode 38: A resurrected Father appears as Santa Claus to help defeat Namahage and Snowgillan. He brings back Minami for a visit.


Ultaman Taro
Episode 39: On the moon. Helps Taro make mochi with defeated monster Mochiron. Again brings Minami back for a visit.
Episode 40: vs. Tyrant.
Episode 51: vs. Rindon

Ultraman Leo:
Episode 38: vs. Babalou-seijin.

Ultraman 80
Episode 38: I believe the only help he offers is some words of encouragement.

Ultra Stats

Height: 53 meters
Weight: 55,000 tons
Flight Speed: mach 20
Running Speed: 1200 kph
Home Planet: The Land of Light, Nebula M78
Human Form: Kohtaroh Higashi
Transformation Item: Ultra Badge
Team: ZAT (Zariba of All Territory) -- Captain Yuhta Asahina, Kohtaroh Higashi, Shuhhei Aragaki, Jiroh Nishida (leaves for space station V9), Tadao Nanbara, Tetsuya Kitajima, Assistant Izumi Moriyama.
Episodes: 53 (Episode Guide)
Air Dates: April 6, 1974 - April 5, 1975

Weapons

* Storium Ray: A unique T-style weapon... after some major arm-waving and the charging up of his entire body, Taro rests the fist of his vertical right arm to the open palm of his horizontal left arm.
* Neo-Storium Ray: A plus-style variation of the Storium Ray.
* Ultra Dynamite (explodes his own body, vs. Katan-seijin.
* Swallow Kick
* Atomic Punch
* Scarlet Beam
* Taro Bracelet: Converts into a lance. Fires blue rings of light (Set Beam).
* King Bracelet: An upgrade of the Taro Bracelet delivered by the Ultra Mother. Converts into a muzzle for Birdon, a plastic blue bucket filled with water for waking up drunken monster Beron, and a "magic hand." Fires a Bracelet Beam.
* Hero Ray.
* Fire or fire water from his hands (he's used the water to turn monster Gongoros into an immobile two-dimensional object, which Taro then wiped away with his hands as though he were wiping off a window)
* Push-Turn Beam: A laser sheild he uses to push back Arindo's attacks
* Foot Beam: A red laser he fires from his feet at Roadra.
* Taro Tornado: a tornado Taro creates to capture Roadra and cause him to explode.
* Blue Laser: Against Dilemma.
* Arrow rays he fires from both hands simultaneously.
* Revive Beam (Episode 51)
* Ultra Slash-like ring of light (episode 47).
* Cosmo Miracle Beam: a powerful laser he shoots from his armpit (well, okay, from his raised arm and the side of his body, including his armpit) after combining with his five other brothers... used only in 'The Ultraman Story' movie against Grand King.

Taro seems to be the least serious of all Ultra shows (unless you count the parody movies of Ultraman Zearth and the infomercials of Ultraman Nice).

The actual child of the Ultra Mother and the Ultra Father, he is ostensibly one of the strongest Ultramen, although he seems to get killed a lot and receives a lot of help from his mother. And father. And all of his brothers. Taro gets his head chopped off by Enmargo in Episode 14, and gets killed by Birdon in Episode 18.

Higashi has the hots for the gal who lives in the same house where he has taken residence (a ZAT home-stay of sorts). He is a boxer, and he is about as head-strong as Scrappy-Doo. In Episode 1, he bravely (some would say foolishly) rides on the foot of the monster Astromonse. From what I understand, this is to pay homage to "Arabian Nights," but I wouldn't know.

The most salient feature of ZAT is that they concoct a variety of outlandish strategies to defeat monsters (even more so than the Science Patrol), such as using pepper to get Live King to sneeze (since he swallowed Higashi and a dog), or carrying Mini Tortoise in a giant basket. Also, ZAT is by far the most garish. The "Rabbit Panda," their souped up van, is particularly over the top. The Sky Whale, their air fortress, has a cool name, but is as thin as a stick. In addition, this is the first time the women wear a different uniform than the men. Unfortunately, the role of the ZAT female is very similar to Uhura's on Star Trek, except that Uhura probably never had to serve green tea. I haven't seen too many episodes of "Taro," but so far, it seems Izumi is given little to do. The women from all preceding series seemed to be much more active (especially Minami, who could turn into Ultraman Ace!). This is a far cry from Oka, who beat up her male teammates when they were possessed, or Fuji, who knocked down buildings with her bare hands. Fortunately, the recent Ultra shows all have strong women (GUTS of 'Ultraman Tiga' even has a female captain!).

Very few of the monsters, if any, are memorable. Live King sort of seems like he could be, with his portly belly and interminable laughter. Birdon kills Taro and Zoffy, so that's kinda cool. And of course it takes all Six Ultra Brothers to defeat Tempera-seijin. Balkie-seijin has the dubious distinction of being based on a reject design for upcoming hero Ultraman Leo. Repeat monsters from the past include a yellow Eleking (from Seven), Bemustar (from Jack), Belokuron (Ace), Sabotendar (Ace), Giant Yapool (Ace), Mephiras-seijin (from Ultraman), and Tyrant (a chimera of a lot of monsters from the past). To get away from the chohjuh concept established in Ultraman Ace -- the "terrible monsters" that were supposed to be stronger than ordinary monsters -- it was established in Ultraman Taro that the new monsters were even stronger still. This fact was quickly established by having new monster Astromonse beat up and swallow whole poor OilDrinker, the last of the chohjuh.

The series breaks from the opening credits tradition by using real images of ZAT machines, instead of the cool silhouettes.

In the end, Higashi turns in his badge, so to speak. He returns the Ultra Badge to the Ultra Mother in the last episode, kills Balkie-seijin without help from anyone, and heads off to walk the Earth.

Trivia

Ultraman Taro was going to be named Ultraman Jack, but hijacking became a negative buzz-word in Japan about that time, so they deep-sixed the name at the last minute (which was recycled in the '90's as the rechristening name of New Ultraman). Taro was also going to be called Ultra Jack, Ultraman 6, Ultraman Fighter, Ultraman Z (pronounced "zet"), and Ultraman Star.

Taro is the distaff cousin of Ultraseven, which explains why the two Ultramen look so much alike (their moms are sisters). However, I like to tell people that Taro is really the love child of the Ultra Mother and Ultraseven. After all, the Ultra Father wasn't present when Taro was given life in episode 1... but there in the background was Seven (along with his four other brothers, of course). Hmm...

With 53 episodes, 'Ultraman Taro' is the longest of the canonical Ultra series (which excludes the 195-episode 'Ultra Fight'). The reason behind his longevity, it is said, is because the start-up of successor series 'Ultraman Leo' ran behind schedule.

In the Thai-produced Ultra movie, 'The Six Ultra Brothers vs. the Monster Army,' stock footage of the birth of Ultraman Taro is blatantly ripped and modified from the to serve as the resurrection of the dead Kochan into the white monkey god, Hanuman. When Kochan transforms into Hanuman, the image of Hanuman is superimposed on Taro.
Cameos
Episode 1: The Five Ultra Brothers preside over the Ultra Mother as she gives birth to Taro. (Higashi is in a clear, plastic dome, surrounded by the Five Ultra Brothers. There's a lot of hand-waving and lights, and the sound of a baby crying, and we go right into the usual Ultraman Taro transformation).
Episode 3: The Ultra Mother rescues Higashi, who is trapped under Live King. She also heals Taro's messed up arm.
Episode 5: Ultraseven helps transport MiniTortoise to the Ultra Star, along with KingTortoise.
Episode 18: Zoffy is killed by Birdon after Taro is defeated.
Episode 19: Zoffy and Taro are resurrected by the Ultra Mother.
Episode 20: The Ultra Mother.
Episode 24: The Ultra Mother tells Taro to return to the Land of Light.
Episode 25: Taro returns to the Ultra Planet, also known as the Land of Light, 3,000,000 Light Years from earth. There, the other Ultra Brothers merge with Taro so that, with their combined purity of soul, he can plunge into the flames of the Ultra Tower for one minute to acquire the Ultra Bell. They all tow the Ultra Bell back to Earth, and Taro rings it, so that it dissipates the dark cloud of Mururoa that has enveloped the Earth. Also a rare opportunity to see Ultramen hug each other and do a huddle.
Episodes 33-4: Higashi invites the Five Ultra Brothers to Earth for a reunion. All of the former human forms return (except for Yuhko Minami). They do battle against Tempera-seijin. A great finale with all firing their weapons in unison.
Episode 39: The Ultra Father makes mochi with Taro after they defeat Mochiron. Guest appearance by Minami Yuhko, the former better half of Ultraman Ace.
Episode 40: The Five Ultra Brothers are defeated by Tyrant. The Ultra Mother and the Ultra Father make an appearance as well.
Episode 47: Gorgosaurus II: Gorgosaurus is borrowed from 1973's Episode 29 of 'Mirror Man.' I think this is the only time a monster is directly and blatantly borrowed from outside of the Ultra series (other than Dustpan -- also from 'Mirror Man' -- in the Thai-produced movie)
Episode 51: The Ultra Father, versus Rindon.
Episode 52: Dorobon steals the ColorTimer of Ultraman "Jack."
Episode 53: Higashi returns the Ultra Badge to the Ultra Mother.

Crossovers

'The Six Ultra Brothers vs. the Monster Army,'
Taro and gang, along with the Ultra Mother, play second fiddle to the white monkey god, Hanuman, in this Thai-produced monster mash.

The Ultraman Story
Taro figures prominently in this tale, which alters the story of his origin so that you get to see Taro when he is a child, growing up with and trained by his parents, the Ultra Father and Mother (originally, he was born a full-fledged adult in episode 1 of his series). He also joins with the Ultra Brothers to defeat Grand King.

Ultra Stats

Height: 40 meters
Weight: 32,000 tons
Flight Speed: mach 10
Running Speed: 600 kph
Home Planet: The Land of Light, Nebula M78
Human Form: Lady in Green
Position: Silver Cross Army Leader
Weapons

* Mother Ray: A healing beam, which she used to fix Taro's broken arm in his fight against Live King.

Wayne's Comments
Her human form is the Lady in Green, a school-crossing guard. She tends to Kohtaroh Higashi's wounds with her scarf after he falls off of the flying Astromons, which is what you see him wear when in ZAT uniform. They instantly remind each other of mother and son. She also gives the Ultra Badge to him as good-luck charm. He then promptly gets killed when his plane is knocked out of the sky in battle. With the Five Ultra Brothers present, she gives Kohtaroh life as the sixth Ultra warrior, Ultraman Taro. Although the Ultra Father was not present for this ceremony of sorts, he is given credit for being the male parent of Taro. This is why Taro has horns, too.

She doesn't seem to do much more than healing and reanimating. Which is a bummer because it's great fun to watch Ultra women kick butt. I think Amia was pretty weak, too (but I haven't seen any episodes of 'The Ultraman,' so I wouldn't know). At some point after 1980, there must have been a women's liberation movement in the Nebula M78, because we were blessed with Yullian and Ultrawoman Beth.

I recently saw the Thai-produced Ultra movie, 'The Six Ultra Brothers vs. the Monster Army,' where the Ultra Mother does some more giving birth and healing and reanimating. Kochan takes a bullet in the face and dies after valiantly trying to prevent the statue of a god from being stolen from a bunch of thugs. The Ultra Mother sticks her hand into a box, and it emerges from the sky on Earth and spirits the body of Kochan away as his friends look on. I speak from total ignorance here, but I think this must be some Thai religious imagery or something... anyway, it's pretty cool and original for the Ultra universe for this sort of thing to happen. But the originality ends there. In stock footage that was blatantly ripped and modified from the birth scenes of Ultraman Taro, the Ultra Mother (with Zoffy, Ultraman, "Jack," and Ace) transforms and resurrects Kochan into the white monkey god, Hanuman. Since when did Ultramen get into the business of creating gods???

The Ultra Mother has her own song... a ballad of sorts. It's really cheesy.

Interestingly, the Ultra Mother's costume was not finished in time for episode 1 of 'Ultraman Taro,' which is why they did her as a silhouette. They used a normal Ultraman costume, and stuck pigtails and massive boobs on him (much larger than in the final design, which you can see for comparison by scrolling up this page). So there you have it, the one and only instance where you can see Ultraman in drag.

In the 'Ultraman Taro' series, it was in fact a man inside that shapely Ultra Mother costume. Word is that he put in considerable effort to move in a lady-like way.

And by the way... why does the Ultra Mother's son, Taro, look more like Ultraseven than he looks like the Ultra Father? Hmmm... The official word is that the Ultra Mother and Seven's mother are sisters.


Appearances
Ultraman Taro:
Episode 1: Gives Higashi the Ultra Badge, and gives birth to Ultraman Taro.
Episode 3: Saves Higashi from getting squashed by Live King, and heals Taro's messed up arm.
Episode 19: Resurrects Taro and Zoffy, who had been butchered by Birdon.
Episode 20: Versus Flying Ridron.
Episode 40: Versus Tyrant.
Episode 53: Higashi returns the Ultra Badge.

Ultra Stats

Height: 52 meters
Weight: 48,000 tons
Flight Speed: mach 7
Running Speed: 600 kph
Home Planet: Nebula L77
Human Form: Gen Ohtori
Transformation Item: Leo Ring
Team: MAC (Monster Attacking Crew) -- Captain Dan Moroboshi, Gen Ohtori, Ichiroh Aoshima, Akio Kuroda, Kiyohiko Akaishi, Junko Shirakawa, Haruko Momoi.
Episodes: 51 (Episode Guide)
Air Dates: April 12, 1975 - March 28, 1976

Weapons

* NONE.: Just kidding. He doesn't have a traditional cross-armed "-ium" weapon.
* Ultra Shot: A yellow burst he fires from his hands after jumping in the air.
* Shooting Beam: A red beam he fires from both arms outstretched (powerful enough to destroy the Black Star).
* Timer Shot: A blue beam from his ColorTimer.
* Kirimomi kick: Very much like Jack's Ryuhsei kick... his foot burns red and he can kick monsters' heads off.
* Energy Light Ball: A red fireball he shoots from his right arm.
* Leo Crossbeam: Red energy bolt he shoots from the Beam Lamp on his forhead.
* Ultra Double Flasher: A devastating red bolt of energy that Leo could fire when he joins hands with his brother, Astra.
* Ultra Double Spark: A bluish beam Leo and Astra fire together that can repair the broken Ultra Key.
* The Ultra Mant: A multi-purpose cape given to him by Ultraman King in Episode 26, which he normally hides in the blue band he wears on his left arm. The Mant can make monsters smaller, and can turn into an umbrella (Episode 26... don't ask).

Leo helmed the last series of the golden era of Ultraman, when monster shows were waning in popularity with the advent of giant robot animation shows, and special effects like rubber monster suits and miniture buildings were deemed extravagant due to the "Oil Shock" and inflation that Japan (and the world) was experiencing in the mid-Seventies. The economizing showed, and the live-action franchise was put on hibernation for four years after Leo ended.

The show got off on a bad start... the previous series, 'Ultraman Taro,' was extended from 52 to 53 episodes because pre-production of 'Leo' was running behind schedule.

There were several conceptual gimmicks used to freshen up the post-Taro series. Unlike all of the other headline Ultramen, Leo is from Nebula L77 in the Leo zodiac, which is about 700,000 light years away. His planet was destroyed by Magma-seijin, so he adopts Earth as his new home, which he vows to protect (making Leo conceptually a lot like Superman, who lost his home of Krypton). Dan Moroboshi (Ultraseven) is brought back as the captain of MAC. However, since Magma-seijin's Gillas monsters mangled Seven's leg (we actually get to see his leg being twisted around and hear bones being cracked), Dan was no longer able to transform (his Ultra Eyes melt and burn), and he hobbled around haplessly with a crutch for the rest of the series. Plus, he gained weight and grew a moustache. He thus developed a master/disciple relationship with Gen (cheesy comparisons are made about them and the setting and rising suns). Gen training to learn the Kirimomi Kick was very similar to when Hideki Goh learned how to do the Ryuhsei Kick in 'The Return of Ultraman' so that he could defeat King Saurus III. As you can see, the entire concept of the series is pretty grim and depressing. In fact, every episode opens with the explosion of L77, to remind us of just how much it sucks to be Gen. Until episode 13, the opening credit music is pretty much about the end of the world, adding to the dark milieu.

Leo also has only two minutes and forty seconds to fight, unlike all of his three-minute predecessors (although his fight sequences in Episode 1 and 2 were interminably long) and he was the first headline Ultraman to lack an "-ium" weapon. In fact, at the beginning of the series, he completely lacked laser weapons, and had to kick and punch his foes into submission with his martial art skills. He has been known to rip chimneys off of buildings and turn them into Nunchucks. And finally, the ornate, top-heavy crown design on his head and the keen Fonzie sideburns made him the roccocco of Ultramen (believe it or not, his crown was toned down from initial designs (Balkie-seijin, the bad guy from the final episode of 'Ultraman Taro,' is based on a reject design of Leo).


The "train with Dan to overcome the enemy using karate techniques" formula became the pattern of the first half of the series, which alienated traditional fans. Episode 17 has the dubious distinction of being the first Ultra episode to ever dip into the single digits in the ratings statistics.

This wake-up call evoked a creative push to reinvigorate the series. Leo starts using lasers (in a move in the opposite direction that can be considered overkill, he even uses a full-body laser). His brother Astra shows up on several occasions, and together they can fire the powerful Ultra Double Flasher. And then there is the introduction of the living legend, Ultraman King. King shows up in only three episodes, but his appearances are very significant. He gives Leo his "Ultra Mant," a multi-purpose cape that Leo usually hides in an armband. Episodes 26 through 32 encompass the "NIPPON MEISAKU" series, or Japanese Masterpiece series, drawing upon Japanese folklore mythology for plotlines. Episodes 32 and 33 were directed by Nobuo Nakagawa, a master of mystery movies. Producers talked with fans who visited the studio for their input, and their ideas were incorporated (for example, the return of Magma-seijin, and the ball monster Sevengar for Dan). Then there is what I like to call the Ultra rumble, in which a fake Astra steals the Ultra Key. The Leo brothers and the Ultra brothers get into a big fight over this. Finally, in a radical move, MAC is annihilated in Episode 40 by Commander Black of the BlackStar (I'm not sure what happens to Dan Moroboshi). It was the most traumatic moment I've ever seen in an Ultra series! The last eleven episodes are devoted to the invading BlackStar UFO monsters that are sent to Earth everytime Commander Black calls for one through a crystal ball he is always carrying around. This was a bold move, since most of the monsters were strung from wires and demanded tricky special effects.

Gen is a gymnastics instructor on the side, which creates an opportunity for there to be the requisite little children. He's very intense. Dan is harsh when it comes to training his disciple, and must save him on many occasions using his Ultra Telekinesis.

MAC is one of the most radically different Ultra support teams. As mentioned above, the captain is Dan Moroboshi, who is Ultraseven deprived of his ability to transform. MAC also has a flowing membership... members get killed off and replaced with frightening rapidity, which is way more realistic than the typcial ensemble cast. To top it all off, MAC gets annihilated mid-series (Episode 40). There are (were) bases in orbit above North and South America, Africa, Noterthern Europe, and Japan (of course). This is in addition to numerous land-based bases as well. Interestingly, the MAC song sings about the MAC Mole and the MAC Shark, but these machines were never used in battle on the series (although the Shark makes an appearance in the opening credits after episode 28).

The L77-destroying arch-nemesis Magma-seijin played a surprisingly unimportant role in the series (other than the first two episodes, and an episode where he seeks revenge for having his amorous advances rejected by Rolan, the "most beautiful monster in the world"... Rolan actually looked really awful in my eyes, but I'll chalk that up to the Oil Shock economizing). There are no memorable monsters from this series that I can think of, and the UFO monsters are particularly low-budget-looking. A particular disappointment for me was that Dan didn't use his cache of Capsule Monsters at all (though Windam and Mikuras were gone, I believe Agira was never killed). Ultraman Jack did deliver Dan the "Monster Ball," which could turn into Sevengar for one minute, but Dan used Sevengar only once against Ashuran.

After the destruction of MAC, Gen is unemployed, as far as I can tell, and stays at the home of Tohru and family. Gen goes running a lot with Tohru, and encourages him to run all the way to the sea one day. The UFO monsters continue to attack the Earth, and one of the women living in the house starts wondering if the reason why Earth is always being invaded is because Leo is there. Tohru then defends Leo, saying he likes and wishes to protect humans. Gen starts to question whether or not there is some validity to what she is saying, and whether or not it's time for him to move on.

In Episode 50, Commander Black receives UFO monster Bunyo, a weak but cunning fella, who uses his antennae to detect that Gen is an alien (and therefore Leo). Gen lets Bunyo bind his arms with a space rope to save the mother of his household, who was held in a hostage situation. Gen is taken before Commander Black, and his identity is revealed. Gen transforms, but the bindings prevent him from growing to giant-size. He is frozen, and Commander Black and Bunyo hack him to pieces with a saw, throwing the pieces away in a cemetary. Maybe it's things like this that prevent the Ultra series from being broadcast in America... Leo is of course resurrected, by Ultraman King.

In the final episode, Commander Black sends for the ultimate UFO monster, Black End. The monster sounds like he is beckoning Gen by calling out his name, "Leo, Leo!" Leo can't transform, though, because he is with Tohru. Bored with this fruitless effort, Commander Black and Black End disappear. Even Tohru begins to have his doubts about his hero because of the no-show, and starts thinking that maybe Leo really IS a liability for Earth. When Black End returns again, Gen reveals to Tohru his true identity, and transforms in front of the child to confront Black End. While Leo struggles with Black End, Commander Black grabs Tohru as a hostage. Leo can't make a move lest his friend be hurt. At that moment, a bunch of Tohru's friends attack Commander Black, and they bite and hit and trample him... he lets go of his crystal ball, which is used by Leo to kill Black End. A pretty grusome scene, as the Commander melts away in front of these murderous yet heroic little tykes.

His work done, his identity revealed, and reassured now that the little kids can defend themselves, Gen leaves Tohru's household to travel and get to know this big blue planet that is his second home planet. Tohru runs to the sea to watch Gen sail away into the sunset.
Cameos
Episode 1: Leo saves Ultraseven from certain death at the hands of Magma-seijin and the Gillas brothers. Ultraseven's leg is damaged and Dan Moroboshi can no longer transform into him. They develop a mentoring relationship. As the MAC captain, Dan plays a recurring role.

Episode 22: Astra joins Leo in the fight against brother monsters Galon and Little.

Episode 26: After being shrunk by Pressure-seijin, Leo is rescued and resized by Ultraman King. They defeat the alien together and King gives Leo the Ultra Mant.

Episode 29: Yuriko Hishimi reprises her role as Anne from the Ultra Garrison of 'Ultraseven.'

Episode 30: Hiroko Sakurai (Fuji from 'Ultraman') plays the human form of Rolan, the "most beautiful monster in the world."

Episode 33: Astra, against Akumania-seijin.

Episode 34: Ultraman "Jack" delivers a monster ball to Dan Moroboshi, but monster Ashuran slaps a mask on him. For some reason that I don't understand, Ultraseven makes an appearance as well.

Episode 36: Astra, against Atlanta-seijin.

Episode 38-39: Leo defends fake Astra from Zoffy, Ultraman, Ultraman "Jack," Ultraman Ace, and the Ultra Father in the ultimate Ultra rumble, after fake Astra steals the Ultra Key, which causes The Ultra Star to head on a collision course toward Earth. Ultraman King reveals that this Astra is in fact Babalou-seijin in disguise. Leo and the real Astra repair the broken Ultra Key with their Ultra Double Spark.

Episode 46: Astra, against Hanglar.

Episode 50: Ultraman King uses a beam from his hands to resurrect Leo, who is dismembered by Bunyo.

Episode 51: Ultraseven appears in Gen's dream.

Crossovers

None.

Astra is the twin brother of Ultraman Leo. They are the only two survivors of the Galactic Lion System in constellation L77, after the Magma aliens invaded and destroyed the system. According to Dennis Lee, Astra was rescued by Ultraman King from the Magma. Astra retains the chain and leg cuff from his captivity. An Ultraman manga series notes that Astra's captors (presumably the Magma aliens) surgically altered Astra, explaining the differences between him and his brother.

Leo and Astra together can shoot a devastating red lightning-like bolt from their joined hands. Astra could shrink to microscopic size and attack a monster from within by growing, causing the creature to explode.

Ultra Stats

Height: 50 meters
Weight: 49,000 tons
Flight Speed: mach 10
Running Speed: 800 kph
Home Planet: Nebula L77


Weapons

* Ultra Double Flasher: A devastating beam that he and Leo could fire together. Also able to repair the broken Ultra Key.


The brother of Ultraman Leo, Astra was a way to breathe some life into the sagging Ultraman Leo series. The chain on his leg is a reminder of his days of captivity at the hands of Magma-seijin. Even Ultraman King could not remove this bind.

Appearances

Ultraman Leo:
Episode 22: Helps Leo defeat brother-monsters Galon and Little.
Episode 33: Versus Akumania-seijin.
Episode 36: Versus Atlanta-seijin
Episodes 38-9: Imprisoned by Babalou-seijin, who then disguises himself as Astra and begins a big fight between the Ultra brothers and the Leo brothers.
Episode 46: Versus Hanglar.

Ultra Stats

Height: 58 meters
Weight: 56,000 tons
Speed: He gets around by teleportation
Home Planet: King planet

Weapons

* Ultra Hammer: A magical hammer that is used to resize a shrunken Leo.
* Ultra Mant: A multi-purpose weapon that is given to Leo.
* A beam he fires from the jewels on his torso.

The legendary Ultraman who lives by himself on the planet King. No one's ever seen him before. We haven't seen him since.

He appears a scant three times with Ultraman Leo, and saves his butt in a big way each time.

Except for the freakish Ultraman Agul, King is the least red of all Ultramen. He is also the only one to have red eyes (other than Ultraman Powered when pissed).

Appearances

Ultraman Leo:
Episode 26: Versus Pressure-seijin. Resizes a shrunken Leo with the Ultra Hammer and gives him the Ultra Mant.
Episode 39: Reveals to the Ultra Brothers and Leo that the Astra who stole the Ultra Key was actually Babalou-seijin in disguise.
Episode 50: Miraculously resurrects Leo, who was hacked to pieces by Bunyo and Commander Black.

Ultra Stats

Height: micro-120 meters, but usually 70 meters
Weight: 50,000 tons
Flight Speed: mach 8
Home Planet: U40
Human Form: Chohichiroh Hikari
Transformation Item: Beam Flasher
Team: Science Garrison (Kagaku Keibitai) -- Captain Akiyama (Episodes 1-27), Captain Gondoh (Episodes 28-50), Chohichiroh Hikari, Tobe, Marume, Hoshikawa, Pigu the Robot.
Episodes: 50 of 'The Ultraman' (Episode Guide)
Air Dates: April 4, 1979-March 26, 1980

Weapons

* Planium Ray: A ball of light swung from his arm, which starts off in a typical Ultraman L-configuration.
* Astro Beam: A series of stars he can fire from the AstroSpot on his forehead.
* Little Ray: Shrinks monsters.
* Ultra Needle
* Rocking Spark
* Boomerang Guillotine
* Ultra Warrior Combined Ray (used with other Ultra Warriors)

I don't know too much about Jonias, except that he is animated (movie appearance and group photos aside), and paved the way for the following year's 'Ultraman 80' live-action revival.

I do know that unlike the M78 Ultra brothers before him, he is from U40, which is a sister-planet of Earth 2,000,000 light years away, with a civilization similar to our ancient Greece. The surface of U40 is beautiful and green, but there are over 9,000 technologically advanced cities underground. Normally, U40's inhabitants look like humans, but they are able to transform using an energy called UltraMind, which can be called their origin of life. The power of the UltraMind converted their cell structures and they evolved into Ultra Humanoids. There are seven of these who are able to grow to giant size. (Jonias, Elek, and Loto are among these). Joe also has a sister named Amia.

You can imagine the advantages that animation has over live action. Joe can do all sorts of stunts that other Ultras before him could not do. He can also have lots of guest Ultramen or tons of monsters in one episode without busting anyone's budget. Futhermore, the monster designers, whose creativity is not hampered by the need to conform to man-in-rubber-suit concept, can let their imaginations run loose in a way that was never possible before. For example, Sprial in episode 2 is a sentient typhoon. Islanda from episode 18 is an 816 meter behemoth. Skeldon from episode 30 is a skeleton monster that Stegon from episode 10 of 'The Return of Ultraman' could only dream to be. And there are numerous mutiple-headed dragons and bug monsters that actually look cool (heads doesn't look like they are doubling for someone's hands).

Despite the unlimited possibilities and potential that come with animation, the quality here is piss poor, and a giant wasted opportunity. This is not surprising, since it's hard to churn out 30 minutes of solid work each week. But there is a strong resemblance to the style used in that more famous anime, UCHUH SENKAN YAMATO, known on this side of the puddle as 'Star Blazers.' Later animation attempts, like America's Ultraman USA, was similarly unsatisfying. In the end, it becomes obvious that Ultraman is meant to be in live action. 80's Saxium Ray looks so much cooler than Joe's Planium Ray.

With some effort and determination, you can find the first four episodes of 'The Ultraman' dubbed in English as "Ultraman II." I've seen the video being sold at Amazon.com. I don't think it's really worth the bother, though.

Poor Joe. All too often, this forgotten soldier is excluded from mainstream Ultramania. Although the noted exception is that he is given a place with the other Ultras as a live action suit when everyone meets before Ultraman King in the movie 'Ultraman Monster Grand Battle' , and even gets his own fight sequence, Joe is the first Ultraman to not even be a part of the same traditional timeline (In the first Ultraman 80 episode, it is noted that monsters have not appeared on Earth for five years, which puts us back to the days of Ultraman Leo). Red King III and Baltan-seijin V appear in Ultraman 80, which means that Red King and Baltan-seijin in 'The Ultraman' just don't even count. Many Ultraman specials and retrospectives ignore Joe's existence. The 120-meter Jonias can stomp on any human-sized Kamen Rider, but does he make an appearance on Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider? NOO! Is that rude, or what?

Guests

Elek, Loto, Amia
Also, a multitude of other U40 Ultramen
Cameos
Movie: "Ultraman Monster Grand Battle" (live action)

Ultra Stats

Height: ?
Weight: ?
Flight Speed: ?
Running Speed:?
Home Planet: U40

Like Jonias, an Ultra Warrior from U40. One of eight from U40 who can grow gigantic in size. U40 is a sister-planet of Earth. Normally, its inhabitants look like humans, but they are able to transform using an energy called UltraMind.
Weapons

* Elekrium Ray

Appearances

The Ultraman: Various episodes

Height: ?
Weight: ?
Flight Speed: mach 7
Running Speed:?
Home Planet: U40

Like Jonias, an Ultra Warrior from U40. U40 is a sister-planet of Earth. Normally, its inhabitants look like humans, but they are able to transform using an energy called UltraMind.
Weapons

* Lotoralia Ray

Appearances



The Ultraman: Various episodes.

Ultra Stats

Height: ?
Weight: ?
Flight Speed: ?
Running Speed:?
Home Planet: U40

Younger sister of Jonias, from U40. U40 is a sister-planet of Earth. Normally, its inhabitants look like humans, but they are able to transform using an energy called UltraMind. Amia can't grow to giant size.
Weapons

* Amiasher Ray

Appearances

The Ultraman: Various episodes.

Ultra Stats

Height: 50 meters
Weight: 44,000 tons
Flight Speed: mach 9
Running Speed: mach 1.3
Home Planet: The Land of Light, Nebula M78
Human Form: Takeshi Yamato
Transformation Item: Bright Stick
Team: UGM (Utility Government Members) -- Captain Kazuki Ohyama, Chief Junkichi Itoh, Takeshi Yamato, Hiroshi Tajima, Emi Johno
Episodes: 50 (Episode Guide)
Air Dates: April 2, 1980 - March 25, 1981

Weapons

* Saxium Ray: L-style.
* Buckle Beam: A cool weapon 80 fires from his beltless buckle.
* Straight Flash: Fired from his fingertips.
* Ultra Arrow Shot: A stream of laser arrows.
* Double Arrow: A more powerful version of the above.
* Spiral Shot: Green energy pulses shot from both hands hands.
* Ultra Ray Lance: A beam javelin.
* Eyespot: Beam shot from his eyes.
* Medical Ray: Has healing powers.
* Hulahoop Ray: Huh?
* Ultra Reduction: He can shrink to any size.
* Ultra Thunder
* Ultra High Frequency
* 400-mon Kick: "mon" is a Japanese shoe size, I think.
* Moonsault Kick: A more powerful version of the above.
* Rebound Mirror: A force field of energy.
* Ultra Dynamite Ball: Spinning fast, 80 can turn into a human cannonball.
* Can lock arms and spin with Yullian to create a deadly windmill with their bodies.


Ultraman 80 came to Earth as one of the newest members of the Ultra Space Garrison, in the form of Takeshi Yamato. After a five-year hiatus since the departure of Ultraman Leo, monsters started reappearing again (notice how the animated Ultraman Joe is ignored in this time line).

Yamato's theory was that monsters were born of human wickedness, hatred, or sorrow. He decided to become a teacher at Sakura-ga-Oka Middle School, and served as a science teacher, as well as the home room teacher responsible for 1st Year, E Division. He is absolutely dedicated to his students, for he is there to teach them not just about science, but also about life. Unfortunately, he has a penchant for being late, so he does things like promising his students to walk to class on his hands if he is late next time, or even promising to resign as a teacher (episode 2). He even starts up a band with his students and jams on an electric guitar (episode 7). His over-enthusiasm quickly wins the loyalty of his students, but often makes him an easy target for the prim Deputy Schoolmaster Kumi Nozaki. Yamato loves rice omlettes and orange juice. He also loves Kyohko Aihara, the gym teacher, but loses all confidence in himself and sense of composure in her presence.

Yamato dons an orange and silver suit to moonlight at UGM after school and on Sundays. He got the job from Captain Ohyama because they were both present at a park in episode 1, looking for signs of new monster activity. Ohyama was happy to meet someone who believed in the re-emergence of monsters... even his own team members had their doubts, since none of them had any combat experience like their veteran captain. At school, only Principal Kennosuke Hayashi knows of Yamato's extracurricular activities.

80 has one of the more difficult human situations of any Ultraman. The narrator reminds us, sometimes more than once per episode, that if anyone finds out he is Ultraman 80, he must leave Earth. Yet, he must still balance UGM and school, all the while hiding his true identity, while nursing a crush on Miss Aihara. It is no wonder that he is often running to get to class on time. One has to wonder when he has time to grade papers. Though determined to teach his students about responsibility and integrity, he has to lie and break promises constantly to maintain this secret multiple personality.

Fortunately for Takeshi, the writers of the series seem to blow off his school life after episode 12, when he botches a date with Miss Aihara. I haven't seen all of the episodes yet, but the school plays a far smaller role, to be sure. Takeshi seems to become a full-time UGM member.

In retrospect, 80 monsters were very conservative. None of the monsters were wildly original, but they had the elegant simplicity of monsters from the original 'Ultraman'. They were created by Kaimai Productions. In fact, Eizoh Kaimai, the head of the company, made a conscious effort to not have the monsters be too scary. A lot of vintage 'Ultraman' monsters return toward the end of the series, including Red King, Gomorrah, and a couple of Baltans. Also, Barrack Ship is reminiscent of the monster ship, Iron Rocks, of 'Ultraseven.' Tetsuon is a lot like Kanegon.

Guest appearances from previous Ultra beings is extremely rare in this series, which is a clear departure from the excesses of 'Ultraman Taro.' 80 is also distanced from the Ultra Brothers concept... by and large, he is a lone warrior, and for the most part, he takes care of himself just fine.

Late in the series, in episode 43, 80 is joined on Earth by the queen of the Land of Light (the Ultra Star), Yullian. She originally comes to Earth to warn 80 that the Great King Galtan is planning to assassinate him, but she ends up sticking around for awhile, and joins UGM. She even gets to transform and fight in episode 49.

Ultimately, 80 and Yullian do return home. In the final episode, UGM destroy the monster all by themselves. Good for them! According to Mohammed Ariffin Bin Tajuddin, "In the end, all the UGM members knew that Yamato and Yohko were 80 and Yullian as both of them wish farewell to their friends. Yamato and Yohko change into 80 and Yullian as they both return to M78."

Sadly, a follow-up series was not created in 1981. Instead, Tsuburaya used a comic book idea to create Andro Melos, a mysterious armor-clad Ultra warrior, for use in 'Televi-kun' magazine.
Cameos
Episode 38: The Ultra Father, although the only help he gives 80 is some words of encouragement.

Episode 44: Ultraseven, well, sort of. 80 does battle with an Ultraseven doll that comes to life.

Episode 49: Yullian saves his butt when he's getting beat up by Plazma and Minazma.

Episode 50: Yullian returns home with 80 in this final episode.

Crossovers

'Ultraman Story': A young Ultraman Taro watches footage of 80 fighting Red King to learn how to become an Ultra warrior. This movie throws the original series timeline out the window, since 80 came to Earth long after Ultraman Taro retired.

Ultra Stats

Height: 47 meters
Weight: 36,000 tons
Flight Speed: mach 7.7
Running Speed: ?
Home Planet: The Land of Light, Nebula M78
Human Form: Ryohko Hoshi
Transformation Item: Bright Bracelet
Team: UGM (Utility Government Members)

Weapons

Can lock arms and spin with Ultraman 80 to create a deadly windmill with their bodies.


Less than 8000 years old, this queen of the Land of Light is one of the youngest Ultra warriors.

Note that she doesn't have a Color Timer. This is because her her original mission was not to be hanging around on Earth... she was originally coming to tell Ultraman 80 to return home, when she crash-landed here after being chased by the Great King Galtan. Suffering from amnesia, she is saved by Takeshi Yamato and taken care of by Emi of U.G.M., and given the name "Ryohko Hoshi." Grateful, she gives Emi the bracelet she is wearing. Unfortunately, this bracelet is proof that the bearer is the Queen of the Land of Light. The Great King Galtan mistakens Emi for Yullian, and abducts her, the *******. Unfortunately, Emi gets killed by one of the Garagara-seijins (minions of Galtan). According to Mohammed Ariffin Bin Tajuddin, "She was struck by a spear in her back while she blocked Yamato, saving him from certain death. Galtan then enlarged himself and Yamato changed into 80 and he went on to destroy Galtan... Before dying, Emi wanted Yohko to replace her position.Yohko promised to do so. Thus, Emi died as both Yamato and Yohko swear they will protect the earth. Emi also knew that Yamato was Ultraman 80 before she died." As Ryohko, Yullian joins U.G.M. as an apprentice, which is why her uniform is red and white instead of the typical orange.

Later, against Ultraman 80's protests, Yohko uses the Bright Bracelet to transform and saves him from certain death by joining him in the battle against the Plazma and Minazma combo. He later reprimands here for doing so... he was prepared to die, and didn't want to risk both of them getting killed, because without 80, Yullian would have to be the protector of Earth. Although Yullian is the queen of his home planet, it is interesting to note that Yamato speaks down to Yohko (using hierarchical Japanese).

In the original version of the fight sequence, Yullian conspicuously doesn't have a voice (no hya's, yah's, tah's, or shuwa's). However, in the 'Ultraman Zoffy' movie, a female voice is dubbed into the recycled footage. She mostly says "yah."

Adds Mohammed, "In the end, all the UGM members knew that Yamato and Yohko were 80 and Yullian as both of them wish farewell to their friends. Yamato and Yohko change into 80 and Yullian as they both return to M78."

Appearances

Ultraman 80:
Episode 49: Versus Plazma and Minazma.
Episode 50: Last episode. U.G.M. destroys Margodon all by themselves. Yullian goes back to M78 with 80

Here is Wayne Koizumi's description of these characters:




Andro Melos(Zoffy)


Andro Mars


Andro Wolf


Andro Flor

Part of the "Ultra Super Legend" (Urutora Choh-densetsu) which was originally not a TV series. It was featured exclusively in "Televi-kun," a monthly book for boys, and depicted live-action costumes on elaborate sets. "The Ultra Super Legend" started in the May, 1981 issue, soon after "Ultraman 80" went off the air. Televi-kun also included a standard manga to explain the details.

The story begins with the reappearance of powerful new versions of old Ultra arch-nemeses... sent by the "Gua Empire," which was headed by Juda (Juda made a reappearance in that Ultraman Taro movie).

Ace Killer (from Ultraman Ace) was the first monster to reappear, and he throws Zoffy into a black hole.

Soon thereafter, a mysterious new hero Andro Melos appears. Protected by a new green and silver space armor, the "Cosmo-tecter," Andro Melos defeats Ace Killer. [Andro Melos also has detachable Eye Slugger-style weapons that can be combined to form the Double Lancer.]

Subsequent reappearing monsters include Gora (from U. 80), a trio of Magma-seijins (from U. Leo), the ubiquitous Baltan-seijin, Mecha-Baltan, Nackle-seijin and Black King (from U. Jack), and King Joe (U. 7).

Utraseven was also defeated and became missing in action. At about the same time, the red and silver Andro Wolf comes to save the day. Andro Wolf has a couple of detatchable shoulder blades called "Sword U's." Since Wolf's mouth and eyes resemble Ultraseven's, one begins to wonder... is Wolf Ultraseven? For that matter, is Melos Zoffy?




Well, Melos and Wolf defeat Juda, who turns out to be a robot. Melos reveals that he is indeed Zoffy, but since he and Wolf save Ultraseven from captivity, it is obvious that Wolf is defeinitely not Ultraseven.

So then the Gua Empire sends a new menace, Mordo, who commands Gina and a revived Juda. They attack with HUGE Monster Battleships that resemble popular former Ultra monsters. These things are way bigger than your standard-sized Ultraman. The Monster Battleships include Gieronia (which looks like Gieron-seiju from U. 7), King Jorg (like King Joe from U.7), and Bemuzun (Like Bemuster of U. Jack).

Enter the orange and silver Andro Mars, who uses a button on his left arm guard to become gigantic. Mars is joined by Wolf and a new green and silver Andro Melos who is not Zoffy. In fact, this new Melos goes by the name Bunowa, if I remember correctly. They are joined by Andro Furol, the white-armor-clad female Andro warrior. Her mission is to guard a secret, ultimate weapon hidden in Antarctica.

Furol was protecting the "Grand Tecter," an upgraded Cosmo Tecter that Andro Melos wore in his final battle with Gua... it increased the his power by ten times.

The "Televi-kun" saga lasted about two years. Toward the end of this run, 41 ten-minute TV vignettes were produced under the title "Andro Super Warriors" (Andro choh-senshi), and were broadcast five times a week in the Greater Tokyo area. Since it's main method of publicity was a monthly children's magazine and it lasted only about a month, the show came and went with little fanfare.

[end of Wayne's submission]

The manga translated by Viz Communications titled "Battle of the Ultra-Brothers" shows a different Andro Melos. Also protected by a super-suit of armor, Melos, of the Andromeda branch of the Space Patrol, saves Zoffy and the rag-tag remnants of the Ultra-warriors from the dreaded Jackal. This Melos has an arrogant brother, Fightas, who challenges Ultraseven to a duel, and loses in death.

Andro Melos(Zoffy)



Ultra Stats

Height: 50 meters
Weight: 55,000 tons
Flight Speed: mach 15

Weapons

* Double Lancer: A stick with two Eye Sluggers on the ends.
* others TBD... my memory is hazy!

Enter the orange and silver Andro Mars, who uses a button on his left arm guard to become gigantic. Mars is joined by Wolf and a new green and silver Andro Melos who is not Zoffy. In fact, this new Melos goes by the name Bunowa, if I remember correctly.

The three Andros are joined by Andro Flor, the white-armor-clad female Andro warrior. Her mission is to guard a secret, ultimate weapon hidden in Antarctica, from the clutches of Gua and his army. Andro Melos serves as the leader of the four Andro warriors.

At this point, a bunch of monkey men started running around the story, and as a young teen, I became quite fed up with the whole nonsense. So I stopped collecting 'Televi-kun,' which, in retrospect, is most unfortunate, because now I don't know how it all really ended... and a little more patience would have gotten me through! Fortunately, there are a few sources out there that I can use to piece together the ending...

In Antarctica, Andro Flor was protecting the "GranTecter." The GranTecter is the Ultimate weapon, greatly desired by Gua. It's an upgraded CosmoTecter that Andro Melos wore in his final battle with Gua... it increased the his power tenfold.

Gua is a combination of Juda, Gina, and Mordo.
Andro Super Warriors
The "Televi-kun" saga lasted about two years. Toward the end of this run, 41 ten-minute TV vignettes were produced under the title 'Andro Super Warriors' (Andro choh-senshi), and were broadcast five times a week in the Greater Tokyo area. Since it's main method of publicity was a monthly children's magazine and the show lasted little over a month, it came and went with little fanfare.

The origins of Andro Melos date back to a manga (Japanese comic book) by Mamoru Uchiyama.

Andro Wolf

Ultra Stats
Height: 50 meters
Weight: 48,000 tons
Flight Speed: mach 15
Weapons

* Sword U: The fins on his shoulders detach to become boomerang cutters.
* others TBD... my memory is hazy!

The speedier of the CosmoTecter-clad Andro warriors. See the Andro Melos page for background.

Appearing shortly after the disappearance of Ultraseven, for awhile, there was speculation that Wolf was in fact Seven in CosmoTecter. He even has Seven's eyes and mouth.

However, as it were, Wolf is a true Andro warrior.

Andro Mars

P/s=I will upload it later..

Andro Flor

Ultra Stats
Height: 47 meters
Weight: 43,000 tons
Flight Speed: TBD

Weapons

* Flor Barrier

Wayne's Comments
The female CosmoTecter-clad Andro warrior. See the Andro Melos page for background.

Andro Flor protects the ultimate weapon, the GranTecter, which is hidden on Earth's Antarctica of all places.

She is the Queen of the Andro people.

She has telekinetic powers, I think.

"Flor" is the suggested Anglicization of FURORU, by Patsy Zukav. She believes Tsuburaya had something floral in mind when naming the female Andro warrior. Possible, though we have no evidence to back this up. I had been calling her "Andro Furol" in the past. Either is fine by me.

Ultra Stats

Human Forms: Chuck Gavin, Beth O'Brien, Scott Masterson
Transformation Items: None... when in danger, a light shines in their eyes, then envelops their entire bodies, and the Ultra warriors emerge.
Team: Ultra Force -- Walter Freeman, Chuck, Scott, Beth, and a trio of robots (Ulysses, Andy, Sampson); also assisted by Dr. Susan Rand
Episodes: 1 (pilot)
Air Dates: Unknown


The one and only animated American Ultra series, which never made it past the pilot episode.

The monster planet Sorkin of Nebula M78 explodes, and afterwards some Sorkin Monsters head for Earth. Three Ultra warriors come after them, and form Ultra Force with the cooperation of the U.S. government.

The Earthling hosts, who are U.S. Air Force pilots, merged with the Ultra warriors during a stunt exercise accident, in which they should have all died.

Ultra Force is based in Mt. Rushmore. The Ultra Force Mother Ship can use its solar mirrors to give the Ultra warriors more energy.

Susan Rand gets it on with Scott, and convinces him not to kill Sorkin monsters indiscriminately.

Cameos

None
Crossovers

None

Height: micro - approx. 79 meters
Weight: 0 - approx. 68,000 tons
Flight Speed: unknown
Running Speed: unknown
Human Form: Chuck Gavin

Weapons

* An energy bubble, in which he can trap monsters.

The leader of the Ultraman USA trio. An older Ultra warrior, with much combat experience and an air of calm.

Height: micro - approx. 76 meters
Weight: 0 - approx. 54,000 tons
Flight Speed: unknown
Running Speed: unknown
Human Form: Beth O'Brien

Weapons

* Ultra Spout: A laser weapon she can fire from her hands when she is above a body of water.

The light and quick member of the team.

Height: micro - approx. 82 meters
Weight: 0 - approx. 68,000 tons
Flight Speed: unknown
Running Speed: unknown
Human Form: Scott Masterson

Weapons

* GRANIUM RAY: Plus-style.

The strongest of the three.

Ultra Stats

Height: 60 meters
Weight: 58,000 tons
Flight Speed: Mach 26
Running Speed: ?
Human Form: Jack Shindo

Transformation Item: Delta Plasma
Team: UMA (Universal Multipupose Agency) -- Captain Arthur Grant, Jack Shindo, Charles Morgan, Jeane Echo, Lloyd Wilder, Kim Shaomin

Episodes: 13 of 'Ultraman: Towards the Future" (Episode Guide)
Air Dates: December 23, 1991 - January 4, 1992 (first Japanese broadcast)

Weapons

* Burning Plasma: Balls of energy with which Great zaps his enemies.
* Finger Beam: A needle beam he fires from his figertips.
* Star Beam: A cutting ray he shoots from his fingertips.
* Palm Shooter
* Knuckle Shooter
* Great Slicer: A blade of energy.




This is the Australian interpretation of everyone's favorite red and silver guy. He's like most other Ultramen, except that his time on Earth was limited to three minutes because of air pollution. Another difference is that Great looked like his skin was made out of spandex, rather than the more familiar rubbery stuff. It's great for seeing the Australian countryside, along with kangaroos running about. Perhaps one of the only Ultra series where you can find potted cacti in the home base.

The monsters looked like they could have benefitted from receiving a larger budget allocation.

I recently had the rare pleasure of seeing some episodes in the original English language as God (or at least Australia) intended. Episode 4 illustrates how much fun this can be. Lloyd Wilder calls Shindo, the human form of Ultraman, a "fruitcake." Bet you'll never see THAT in a Japanese Ultra show.

Cameos

None.

Crossovers

None.

Ultra Stats

Height: 55 meters
Weight: 58,000 tons
Flight Speed: Mach 27
Running Speed: Mach 9.99
Jumping Distance: 1800 m
Human Form: Kenichi Kai

Transformation Item: Flash Prism
Team: W.I.N.R. (Worldwide Investigation Network Response): Captain Edland, Kenichi Kai, Theresa Beck, Rick Sanders, Julie Young
Episodes: 13 of "Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero"(Episode Guide)
Air Dates: April 8 - July 1, 1995 (first Japanese broadcast)

Weapons

* Mega-Specium Ray
* Powered Slash


Powered is perhaps one of the coolest looking Ultramen, and is the only live-action American attempt at the franchise to date (Ultraman USA was an animated version that also didn't fly). Though his red-on-silver lines are similar to the original Ultraman's, his muscles are defined and chiseled... he even has cheekbones. His blue eyes burn red when he is worked up. The other cool thing about his eyes is that his are the only ones that were designed to hide the little eye holes that allow the dude inside to see out of the mask (a black line runs all the way around his eyes). Powered is also one of the few TV shows in the U.S. to have an Asian-American as the main hero, and the only Ultra series with an African-American captain.

Unfortuantely, my praise for the show ends there. It tries too hard to be a remake of the original, using better looking versions of Ultraman, the monsters, and the planes. The plotlines of each story are pretty similar too, except not as interesting. And of course, as with any American show, the violence is toned down considerably.

I've only seen a few episodes, but it was heart-breaking to see Gomorrah, one of the most powerful and memorable monsters in the original (who warranted the only two-parter in the entire series), reduced to a lethargic nothing who forfeits the fight and goes back to sleep. Weirder still, this incarnation of Red King has a mate, and is also ultimately defeated by Dorako. That's just wrong! Red King is one of the baddest of the bad boys in the Ultra mythos.

Trivia

The actor who played Kenichi Kai is Kane Kosugi, the son of martial arts expert Sho Kosugi.

Cameos
Episode 13: Unknown warriors come to take Powered home.
Crossovers
None.

Ultra Stats

Height: 58 meters
Weight: 59,000 tons
Flight Speed: Mach 30
Running Speed: unknown
Home Planet: The Land of Light, Nebula M78
Human Form: Genki Kagura

Transformation Item: Estorator
Team: HEART (Hi-tech Earth Alert and Rescue Team) - Captain Minato, Genki Kagura, Uematsu, Hino, Nana, Ayumi, Secretary Fujiwara
Episodes: 12 planned (episode guide of the first four episodes) Video Release Date: November 22, 2000

Weapons

* Magnium Ray
Ultra Multi Beam
Ultra Eddy Beam


A young, brave warrior of the elite YUHSHI SHIREI BU (Warrior Command Group). Neos was originally designed to appear in a new series with Ultraseven21 in the mid-90's, but this did not materialize (a two-Ultraman series concept that was used later in 'Ultraman Gaia'). Details about this original series proposal below.

Despite the original rejection and no hope of their own series, Neos and Seven21 seemed to have been accepted into the Ultra canon immediately, and had been used in group photos and live-action shows beginning in 1995.

Fortunately, after the success of several Ultra projects that ensued, the Neos/Seven21 concept was dusted off and repackaged as a direct-to-video series... Tsuburaya Production's Millennium project. Much of the staff are being rolled over from working on the recently-completed 'Ultraseven' videos. Filming was slated to commence 6/14/2000, and the first four episodes are to be released on DVD and VHS on November 22, 2000. Twelve 30-minute episodes are scheduled. Zoffy (and only Zoffy) will be making appearances, thus establishing that these are the first new Ultra heroes in a long while to be a part of the original Ultra universe.

Set in the year 200X, the series will be about "love, courage, and 'ROMAN'". 'Roman' is a Japanese false cognate that defies translation. Several of you have suggested that it is translated as "romance," but this is not the case. It refers more to "otoko no roman," or the 'roman' of a man. It kind of has to do with the dreams and aspirations and trials and tribulations of what it is to being a man, or being human. But it has nothing to do with the mushy stuff that happens between couples.

Moreover, like the name of the support team, the theme of the show wil be all about "HEART." HEART is formed when mysterious things start happening on Earth due to the influence of dark matter.

All I know is, this support team had better have a cool monster-destroying strategy code-named the "HEART Attack", or I will be severely disappointed. Then again, we never did get to see a Big MAC Attack in Ultraman Leo, so I'd better not get my hopes up too high.
Trivia

Though a pilot was produced and songs recorded, the show was at first rejected by TV stations because there was little real substance to differentiate Neos or Seven21 from past Ultramen (the heroes are clearly quite retro). This may have been a blessing, because Tsuburaya Productions went back to the drawing boards and came back with was a radical departure, Ultraman Tiga, who reignited the franchise's fire. Interestingly, Tiga had the first female captain to helm an squadron in an Ultra series... this was a salvaged concept that was originally envisioned for Neos. Another thing stolen by Ultraman Gaia from Neos is the name of a transformation item... Neos was originally going to transform with something called the Esplender.

Cameos

Zoffy

Ultra Stats

Height: 56 meters
Weight: 57,000 tons
Flight Speed: Mach 26
Running Speed: unknown
Home Planet: The Land of Light, Nebula M78
Human Form: had no fixed human form, but had the ability to take on different human forms as the need arises.

Weapons

* Adrium Ray
* Verzard: An Eye-Slugger type boomerang blade
* Rejia Shot

A member of the Space Garrison and the UCHUH HOANCHOH (Space Security Department). When he was about to be assigned to the Earth, some emergency prevented him from leaving his post. So the Security Department requested assistance from the Warrior Command Group. They sent the younger Ultraman Neos, and Seven21 ends up being more of a backup for Neos.

Ultraseven21 (pronounced "Ultraseven two-one") was originally designed to appear in a new series with Ultraman Neos, but this never materialized (a two-Ultraman series concept that was used later in 'Ultraman Gaia').

Seven21 seems to have been accepted into the Ultra canon, however, and is used in group photos and live-action shows.

Appearances

None

Zearth (pronounced "Zay-ahs") is a "distant relative" of the Ultra-family from a planet in Galaxy Z95. Zearth's mission is to "clean up" the Earth and the universe. Unfortunately, Zearth is still in training ... in fact, according to one source, he "is actually a dropout from [the] Ultra backup warrior team!" The first appearance of Zearth, in fact, proves this; he cannot seem to aim his energy attacks correctly, and he has a major phobia over getting dirty (believe it or not). His baptism by fire is to combat an invasion from the star Benzene. The first indication of this invasion is the disappearance of several items containing gold, including a golden statue of the original Ultraman.

Like his predecessors, Zearth spends most of his time in a human identity, that of Katsuto Asahi, a trainee at the MYDO gas station. (Katsuto is actually a human form created by Zearth, much as Dan Moroboshe was a form created by Ultraseven.) The gas station, however, is a hidden "front" for the Mysterious Yonder Defense Organization, the "science patrol" of Zearth's time. Their responsibility, like many others before them, is to defend the planet against alien invasion and monsters native to Earth. Like Zearth, though, MYDO tends to be something of a joke. They tend to demolish their vehicles every time they go out, and nearly kill themselves as well.

Katsuto changes to Ultraman Zearth using an electric toothbrush. In his Ultraman form, he has three main attacks: the Speshusshura Laser Beam (fired much like Ultraman's Specium beam), the Zearth Kick, and the Zearth Chop. According to the afore-mentioned source, Zearth is also in training to use several other attacks, including the Zearth Scan, the Super Zearth Scan, the Ultra-stretch, the Ultra-rewind, and the Ultra-blender; none of these is shown in the first movie.

The "official" Ultraman Zearth Home Page (English version at http://www.mydo.com/mydo/ index_E.html) has lots of extra information about this movie, including details on the computer generated flying scenes.

The first Ultraman Zearth movie, made to commemorate Ultraman's 30th anniversary, was shocking, if you expect to see serious action. It's a comedy, made as a comedy. Even the name MYDO, I'm told, comes from the phrase "Maido arigatou gozaimasu," used by Japanese gas station attendants as a way of saying, "thank you for patronizing us every time." Keeping that in mind, the movie is quite entertaining.

In the previous version of this FAQ, I came down a little hard on the movie. Here, with a rebuttal, is Matt Thorn, who provided a significant amount of information for this FAQ:

I was disappointed that you seemed to not appreciate Zeas/Zearth. If it seemed like a joke, it's because it *is* a joke. The whole thing is a parody, just made for fun. Here are some examples.

* The name MYDO comes from the word "maido," which literally means "every time." "Maido" is an abbreviation of "Maido arigatou gozaimasu" ("Thank you [for patronizing us] every time"), and is shouted by enthusiastic gas station attendants as customers drive off.

* The "Chief" of MYDO and the little MYDO member with an effeminate manner who always teases Asahi are the famous and wildly popular comedy pair, Tunnels. On their own TV shows, they have done various parodies of TV hero series.

* Whereas most of the Ultra Clan is from "Hikari no kuni" (the "Land of Light"), Zearth is from "Pikari no kuni" (the "Land of Flash"). This is supposed to sound silly.

* The name of MYDO's gaudy aircraft is "Sky Fish."

* "Benzen" (the evil but style-conscious alien) is the Japanese pronunciation of "Benzene," and "Kottenpoppe" is just nonsense.

* The man (apparently a retiree) who is left stranded in his fishing boat in the middle of an empty lake is Shohji Kobayashi, who played the Commander in Ultraman. And of course it's Susumu Kurobe, who played Hayata in Ultraman, who here plays the security guard who pulls a device from from his jacket and dramatically holds it aloft, as if to transform, only to lower it and reveal it to be a flashlight.

* Desperate to confirm that she really did see the Sky Fish morph out of the billboard, the anonymous housewife, played by Hiroko Sakurai (Akiko Fuji of Ultraman), gathers a bunch of housewives, all armed with cameras. Unfortunately, just as the Sky Fish is about to appear, a coin drops, and the greedy houswives instinctively look down and miss the appearance.

* You might notice that the pose for Zearth's Speshusshura Beam is the reverse, left to right, of that for Ultraman's Specium Beam. Apparently this this is because Zearth practiced it in a mirror... (And the name "Speshusshura" is supposed to sound silly.)

* Asahi, who is always mumbling "swatch, swatch," discovers by accident that he can get a free soda from the vending machine by doing the Speshusshura pose and saying "swatch." While his comrades are out being pounded by Kottenpoppe, Asahi spends hours extracting free sodas before finally stopping and asking himself, "What the hell am I doing?"

* Zearth/Asahi is neurotically fastidious. He can't bear to be soiled in the least. His comrades constantly tease him about this, and the girl (who's name has slipped my mind) tells him, in effect, that a real man doesn't mind a little dirt. Benzen discovers this weakness and paralyzes Asahi by covering is face with black ooze. Unable to transform because, he believes, the stuborn filth is preventing him, Asahi remembers the girl's words and, in one final toothbrushing frenzy, successfully transforms.

* The Commander's interaction with the computer is also hilarious, with plenty of e-mail-style ASCII faces. When he realizes that the use of the Speshusshura Beam will result in the destruction of the Earth, and the computer informs him that Zearth has just left to battle Kottenpoppe, the commander's face twists and he says, "Yabai," which translates roughly as, "Holy [$#!+]" (minus the obscene tone).

I watched the movie again, and I have to say to Matt, "you're right." I did appreciate the comedy once I accepted the fact that it was supposed to be in there.

Jim Cirronella, founder of Club Daikaiju, informs me that Zearth is a brand of gasoline, and Benzen is a form of pollution caused by combustion engines. Kottenpoppe is the sound a specific sound-effects machine makes.

Zearth's story continues in his second movie, subtitled "The Battle Between Light And Shadow." The movie opens with Zearth being trashed by a dark Ultraman, Ultraman Shadow. In frustration, Katsuto quits Mydo and joins a martial arts school, where he is assigned to kick a ball tied high in a tree. Meanwhile, Shadow, controlled by a female Benzene, captures humans for enslavement. Katsuto must find his confidence and conquer Shadow (who turns out to be a robot). Zearth conquers Shadow using a new power, the Super Spesheshurra Beam, fired by rotating his crossed hands X-style.

One other significant detail of the Ultraman Zearth movie is in several famous guest stars. Virtually all of the original Ultraman cast appears in the movie. The actress who originally played Fuji plays a housewife who constantly tries to prove there's something more to the MYDO gas station than just a gas station, but fails to get anyone else to see the SkyFish coming out of the MYDO sign. "Arashi" appears as a reporter, weilding a microphone with the original star-and-arrow symbol of the Science Patrol. (This is something of an inside joke, as the actor, Sandayu Dokumamushi, hosts a radio talk show in Japan.) "Ito" (or "Ide" from the original Japanese) is now a photographer who witness another gold-stealing incident. And "Captain Muramatsu" is now an elderly fisherman who gets to walk home after the Benzene and his pet monster steals the water from the lake. "Hayata" is now a guard in the Japanese equivalent to Fort Knox (yes, he hefts his flashlight much like a Beta Capsule). The second Zearth movie again features these fine actors (except for Capt. Mura, who passed on between movies ... he's shown in a photo in Ito's room), plus at least two from Ultraseven: Ann ("Donna" in TNT's version) as a passer-by rooting for Zearth in his final showdown with Ultraman Shadow, and Dan as the new captain of Mydo. According to Chan Heng Yip, the reporter in the final sequence is the actor who played Ultraman Jack's human host, Hideki Goh. There may be other past Ultra-actors in the crowd, but these are the only ones I've been able to verify as of this writing.

Ultra Stats


Height: 60 meters
Weight: 54,540 tons
Flight Speed: mach 19.9
Running Speed: mach ??
Home Planet: The Land of Pikari in Nebula Z95

Human Form: Asahi
Transformation Item: an Electric Toothbrush
Team: MYDO (Mysterious Yonder Defense Organization) -- ???; the captain in the second movie is played by Kohji Moritsugu (Dan Moroboshi a.k.a Ultraseven)
Movies: 2
Release Dates: ??

Weapons

* Speshushula Ray: X-style.
* Cross-Speshushula Ray: X-style.
* Capsule Monster Miraclon: A gift to Zearth from his father.

Ultraman Zearth is a parody Ultraman. He hails from The Land of Pikari in Nebula Z95. He dislikes dirt. He transforms with an Electric Toothbrush. His human support group disguises itself as a gasoline stand, for which our hero is a janitor. He has a big red face, so he really stands out in group photos with other Ultramen.

Cameos

The movies include cameos by most of the original Science Patrol from "Ultraman." Arashi is a helicoptor reporter (which is not too far from what he currently does in real ilife), Hayata is a night watchman (who holds his flashlight up like a Beta Capsule), Fuji (the only woman who ever catches the MYDO plane taking off from a secret base exit, which happens to be a billboard), and Captain Muramatsu, as a fisherman.

The second movie featured "Digital Kanegon," which was a take on the original Kanegon from 'Ultra Q.' It also featured Kohji Moritsugu (Ultraseven) as the captain.

Crossovers

None.