Ultraman the Next

Ultraman Noa was following The One throught space, however the space beast escaped from him, and fell to Earth, taking the form of a human and was running around wild. Ultraman Noa, upon entering Earth's atmosphere, lost many of his powers, even altering his appearance into the form known as Ultraman the Next (ウルトラマン・ザ・ネクスト, Urutoraman za Nekusuto).

History
Arriving on Earth and merging its life with F-15 pilot Shun'ichi Maki, the being slowly grew within him. After the Japanese self-defense force lost the One, they brought the man under custody, believing he could be the one to lure the beast back. The plan worked, but The One had increased in power and size right before their eyes! However, trapped in a cell beneath the floor, Maki began change. Blowing the door off and emerging, the human was swatted like an insect and sent flying into the wall where his change began to go full force.

Maki transformed into the Next, a humanoid warrior from the stars. The two titans battle raged within the warehouse, but when the creature threatened Sara’s life, Next dove in front of the tail, taking several whips before forcing the creature into retreat where it broke through the wall and vanished into the wilderness.

When Sara and Maki met up with the creature, it lashed out again after tricking Sara. The fight between the two was once again raging, but when it became evident that he could not defeat the hero, the beast absorbed a swarm of rats and grew into an even bigger form! Once the monster escaped, it began to attack the city. By the time Next came out of the hole, buildings were burning and falling. One building was about to fall on a young girl and her mother.

Rushing toward the falling building that was going to crush the young girl and her mother, Next evolved into his next form. The super being propped himself under the structure and held it up long enough for the pair to escape, but The One saw this and attacked. The battle for the city, and possibly the world, started yet again. When the creature began unleashing balls of energy from its jaws, Next took to the skies.

After absorbing a flock of crows, The One followed vigorously. The two warriors began to dog fight, dodging and attacking one another until the monster used its tail to hold the giant still and pull him in. It began to bash the hero and feed on his energy until the air force arrived, attacking the monster and allowing Ultraman to escape and hit the fiend with two energy cutters, severing its wings and sending the beast falling to the ground.

Once landing, the red and silver giant had little trouble. Using his most powerful attack, the Final Light, the space beast was vaporized.

Ultraman Nexus- Later Years
, Ultraman Noa

Many years after the Next finished his battle with the One, he merged with other humans, and recovering some of his powers, became Ultraman Nexus. After he merged with Kazuki Komon, he obtained all of his powers, and became his Ultraman Noa, his true form, and defeated his sworn enemy, Dark Zagi, and then stayed on earth to defeat the Space Beasts, with Kazuki Komon as his host.

Ultraman Zero The Movie: The Revenge of Belial
It is unkown if the Ultraman Noa in this film is the same one who was once the Next.

Anphans mode


Next's default mode, it has all the basic powers attributed with Ultramen

Powers/Abilities

 * Flash Travel : Next's can traverse vast distances as a ball of light.
 * Phase Feather : Next's basic attack, an arc shaped burst of energy fired using the blades on his arms.
 * Speed : Next's can move quickly as a glowing blur of light.
 * Transport Sphere : Next can traverse space in a red sphere of light, similar to the first Ultraman.
 * Merging : Next can fuse with a human host, reviving if they are killed and granting them abilities such as increased strength and durability and well as ESP.

Junis Mode


Next's evolved form, the form offers greater strength and speed and all the powers of Amphans mode.

Powers/Abilities​

 * Phase Feather : Next can now fire this attack in the form of much larger arcs using both hands or by charging up the attack
 * Final Light/ Stratus Edge : Next's spacium ray like beam, vaporized the space beast called The One.

Trivia

 * It should be noted that, Eiji Tsubarya's original intention for Ultraman was for the silver parts to represent space metal and the red parts to represent organic parts,resembling a robot with some flesh. Thus the Next is based off of what Ultraman was intended to look like.
 * Unlike his succeding forms, Next experience the three minute rule, but for a different reason, because his merger with Maki Shunichi was incomplete, he could be active for a short time before the two were onset by great pain and fatigue. When the two completely merged this limit disappeared.