Ultraman (character)

" Shuwatch!"

Ultraman's famous quote

Ultraman, also called Ultra Man, was the first "ultra-man" ever to visit Earth, and has used the name of his race as his soldier name.

History
Like many other ultra-men, the being called Ultra Man on Earth used to be a soldier stationed on a planet located in the nebula M78, "beyond the Fortieth Galaxy." But when their planet's primary disintegrated, they began to use an artificial sun that caused the inhabitants to 'evolve' into what the ultra-men look like today. He was a normal soldier who first came to Earth to protect it from various monsters that were threatening it after the radioactive archosaur Bemular, whom he was attempting to transport to M90 for disposal, escaped from him and headed for Earth. After a year of fighting, he finally met his match; an alien bio-warrior called Zetton. Though his powers were far greater than those of his enemy, Zetton attacked Ultra Man with a weapon the latter had not expected, which damaged his warning light and left him unable to measure with any accuracy how much energy he had remaining. He was escorted back to his home planet in the nebula M78 after this happened.

Personality
Ultra Man rarely engages in conversation, and whenever he does, it seems to be in a telepathic manner. In Episode 1, "Ultra Operation Number One," as he reveals who he is and what he must do to keep Shin Hayata alive, his discussion with the clearly unconscious Hayata while both are inside Ultra Man's damaged Travel Sphere can only be explained via telepathy. However, his conversation with the monster Mephilas does not follow this pattern. Ultra-Commander Zoffy also speaks to Ultraman in the final episode, "Farewell, Ultraman," while the two are inside Zoffy's Travel Sphere, though it is not clear if this is via telepathy as was the case earlier with the unconscious Shin Hayata. Otherwise, Ultraman does engage in vocalizations, specifically the shouts and barks he makes in reverberating human-like cries ("kiais") while fighting a monster. Although these sounds and other grunts of exertion are most common, Ultraman also has one oft-repeated, and now extremely iconic phrase that he clearly utters: "Shuwatch" (シュワッチ, Shuwatchihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Installing_Japanese_character_sets ?]), which he shouts when jumping into the air to fly. In Japanese pop-culture, "Shuwatch" or "Shoowatch" has been the phrase most associated with Ultra Man.

Ultra Man is one of the few Ultra-Crusaders who remains connected with his human host; in this case, Shin Hayata (Susumu Kurobe) still serves as a vessel for the mighty alien warrior, as seen in the Ultraman Mebius (character) series and movies.

Shin Hayata
Shin Hayata, the Science Patrol's brave, no-nonsense deputy captain, is Ultra Man's human host on Earth. When the radioactive archosaur Bemular attacked Earth, Ultraman's Travel Sphere crashed into Hayata's Delta VTOL. Ultraman merged their lives to keep Hayata from dying and gave him a microphone-like device he called a "beta capsule." Whenever he was in trouble, and the resources of the Science Patrol were not enough to help him, Hayata would ignite the beta capsule to transform into Ultra Man by using his right thumb to depress the red ignition button on the capsule's side.

Physical Attributes

 * Height: 40 meters
 * Weight: 35,000 tons (Earth gravitation)
 * Age: 20,000 Earth years old
 * Flight Speed: Mach 5
 * Jump Ceiling: 800 meters (2,600 feet)
 * Running Speed: 450 kilometers per hour (280 miles per hour)
 * Swimming Speed: 200 knots (230 miles per hour)
 * Physical Strength: Though never precisely measured in the stories, it is presumed to be enough for him to be able to lift (press) over 100,000 tons. He can lift a 100,000-ton tanker; Skydon was twice as heavy.

Techniques

 * Specium Ray (スペシウム光線, Supeshiumu Kōsen): Ultra Man crouches slightly forward and crosses his wrists together, with his right forearm vertical and left forearm horizontal in front of it, and the thumb edge of his hands facing his body, to shoot from the outer edge of his right hand a particle/light-ray that kills most opponents. The effect is either an explosion or a fatal burn. The ray can be reflected (see Alien Baltan II) but loses intensity once reflected. The ray can also be negated by similar energy (see Alien Mephilas). Specium is actually a substance found on Mars that itself is deadly to at least one monster species (the Baltans), as established in Episode 2 ("Shoot the Invader"). The specium ray--indeed all of Ultra Man's Specium-type energy attacks--may be based on that substance, but this is never stated as the case in the series. Regardless, the specium ray is, perhaps, Ultra Man's most powerful single weapon, and very few creatures are immune to it, such as Antlar, Keronia and Zetton. In Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider, Ultra Man uses it in conjunction with a giant Kamen Rider 1's Rider Kick to destroy Sasori-Gadoras, who had managed to absorb the ray earlier. (This weapon was used on nearly all opponents.) In Ultraman Mebius, he used this to destroy Mephilas' blasts. In the movie, he used this on Ukillersaurus, and combined it with Ultra Seven's Wide Shot in an attempt to defeat alien Guts.
 * Ultra Slash (ウルトラスラッシュ, Urutora Surasshu?), or Ultra-Shaken: Ultraman fires a saw-like specium-energy ring (a Cutting Halo (八つ裂き光輪, Yatsuzaki Kōrin?)) from his hand. This halo can slice his opponent in half. The Cutting Halo/Ultra-Shaken does have drawbacks, however: a Baltan alien was able to deflect a halo with his barrier, Gubira was lucky enough to catch a second Halo on his nose, rather than be sliced by it, and Keelar was just as lucky to catch a third Halo with his tail. Alien Mephilas destroyed a fourth Halo with his Bare Hand Beam, and a fifth Halo shattered after striking Zetton's barrier. In Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider, Ultra Man used this to sever Sasori-Gadoras' tail after Kamen Rider 1 had been struck. (This was used against Redking and Alien Baltan II, among other opponents.) In the Mebius movie, he used it cut Ukillersaurs's tentacles during the final battle. In Episode 47 of Ultraman Mebius(Urutoraman Mebiusu,2006), Alien Mephilas was able to evade a pair of the halos Ultra Man sent at him for a while, before shattering them with his bare hands.
 * Electrical Immunity: When attacked by Neronga in Episode 3 of the series, and by Alien Mephilas in Episode 47 of Ultraman Mebius, Ultra Man evidences immunity to electrical or lightning attacks. Not all Ultra-Crusaders have this immunity.
 * Ultra Attack Beam (ウルトラアタック光線, Urutora Attakku Kōsen?): By focusing energy from his left hand into a spiral energy beam around his right arm, then directing the energy at a target creature, Ultra Man can induce a temporal stasis, in effect paralyzing the target. This is a rare power, and Ultra Man only used it once, against Keronia in Episode 31, when the specium ray had failed him. Resembles a Karate "Seiken-zuki." Since he is not known to have employed this power more frequently, it must have been extremely difficult or strenuous for him to accomplish.
 * High Spin (ハイスピン, Hai Supin?): Ultra Nan can counter temporal/spatial attacks or can damage opponents by spinning rapidly in an upright position. The attack is remote, and does not involve beams, but it can rip space on a local level, cause remote explosions, or create immobilizing rings of force. He used it against Bullton successfully; he also used it against Zetton, who interfered with the attack.
 * Ultra Air Catch (ウルトラエアキャッチ, Urutora Ea Kyatchi?) Version I: Using narrow beams from his index fingers, Ultra Man can paralyze objects suspended in mid-air. This is followed by a Cutting Halo that divides in two to cut the suspended object into thirds. (He used this power against the second Red King 2, who had swallowed a quantity of bombs, so that he could carry the top third, containing the missing bombs, into outer space where they could explode harmlessly.) It is also called the Ultra Anti-Gravity Beam(Urutora Han Jūryoku Kōsen?).
 * Ultra Air Catch (ウルトラエアキャッチ, Urutora Ea Kyatchi?) Version II: With considerable concentration, Ultra Man can converge two parallel swirls of energy originating from his palms to lift an opponent off the ground and repel it. This power also may involve a remote attack, as it was followed by explosive destruction of the target. It was used against Keelar. Since employment of this power is extremely strenuous, Ultra Man does not exercise it often.
 * Ultra Psychokinesis (ウルトラサイコキネシス, Urutora Saikokineshisu?): Ultraman's telekinetic power. Used before the Ultra Air Catch Version I. It is also called Ultra Willpower (ウルトラ念力, Urutora Nenriki?).
 * Flight (飛行能力, Hikō Nōryoku?): Ultraman can propel himself in a controlled manner through the air. Apparently it takes little energy to do this, as he almost always is able to launch at the conclusion of a fight and get out of sight to change back into his human host. Book sources indicate this is possibly due to special jet boots, but that effect is never in evidence on the television programs.
 * Teleportation (テレポーテーション, Terepōtēshon?): In dire emergencies when flying to a location would be too slow, Ultra Man can teleport to it instead. Ultra Man used this power to return to Earth from Planet R, in order to combat an invading Baltan force in Episode 16. However, this power has a high energy demand and his warning light will usually turn red and/or begin to blink as soon as he arrives at his destination. In the English-language dubbed version only, a peculiar symptom of Ultra Man's preparation to teleport is manic laughter. When Ultraman teleports, he leaves behind Shin Hayata's body in its comatose state, and the two cannot re-merge until they are in sufficient proximity. Note: Despite the statement in the show that teleportation is a major drain of his energy, when Ultraman teleported from Planet R to Earth his warning light was still blue, and this was also after having destroyed Baltans on Planet R.
 * Ultra Current (ウルトラ水流, Urutora Suiryū?): Ultra Man can direct a high-pressure stream of water from his fingertips by touching his hands together. This may not actually be water from Ultra Man's body, but rather a forced condensation of water in the atmosphere channeled into a stream. It was used to kill Jamila, whose body was water-soluble, and to extinguish the fires caused by Pestar.
 * Dynamic Size Change (巨大化能力, Kyodaika Nōryoku?): Ultra Man can control his molecular structure, phasing from human-size to giant-size. He places his hands in front of his chest at 45 degree angles, thumb edge facing inward, and then sharply gestures outward. This is not the same as his transformation from human form as Hayata. He used it only once, to counteract the Dadas's micronizer ray.
 * Clairvoyance Beam (透視光線, Tōshi Kōsen?): Ultra Man's vision extends into a wider range of the electromagnetic spectrum than that of humans, at least into infra-red and ultraviolet, and probably further to include gamma rays and X-rays. One manifestation of this power is a beam of energy, resembling a spotlight, that is emitted from Ultra Man's eyes and which renders electromagnetic cloaking devices used by shielded objects and beings inoperative. (He used this power to spot the Baltan spaceship in Earth's atmosphere at night, and to spot the Dada when it attempted to remain invisible.)
 * Ultra Chop (ウルトラチョップ, Urutora Choppu?): A standard karate chop("sword hand"), though a more powerful version is accompanied by a flash of energy on impact. Ultra Man used an example of the latter to defeat the monster Jirass/Keyra. It is also called the Ultra Mist Cut (Urutora Kasumi Kiri?).
 * Ultra Punch (ウルトラパンチ, Urutora Panchi?): Ultra Man's "Ultra Punch" is a simple manifestation of his super-humanoid physical strength; it "has the power of 50 Indian elephants."
 * Ultra Kick (ウルトラキック, Urutora Kikku?): Ultra Man's "Ultra Kick," like his Ultra Punch, is a simple manifestation of his super-humanoid physical strength; it has impact because he "has a shoe size of 320 mon and Three-Fold Joints(Sanjū Kansetsu?)."
 * Ultra Swing (ウルトラスウィング, Urutora Suwingu?): Essentially a slingshot-like ball-and-chain maneuver, Ultra Man's Ultra Swing consists of his swinging an opponent around several times before letting go of that opponent. He used it against Keronia and defeated the first Redking and Terresdon with it.
 * Ultra Eye Spot (ウルトラアイスポット, Urutora Ai Supotto?): When Alien Baltan II's barrier deflected his Cutting Halo/Ultra Shaken, Ultra Man used this eye beam to neutralize the barrier. It is also called Ultra Discernment(Urutora Gankō?).
 * Slash Ray (スラッシュ光線, Surasshu Kōsen?): In his battle against Alien Mephilas, Ultra Man used this line of chevron-like bolts fire from his fingertips while the two where in flight, and Mephilas countered with his Bare Hand Beam, which resulted in Ultra Man being temporarily blinded.
 * Operation: Star of Ultra (ウルトラの星作戦, Urutora no Hoshi Sakusen?): In Return of Ultraman Episode 38, Ultra Man and Ultra Seven used this tactic to free Ultraman Jack.
 * Shield: Ultra Man, like most Ultra-Crusaders, can generate a blue shield in front of himself by putting his hands together, separating them, and bringing them to the ground to create a shield that can deflect beam attacks. As stated before, most Ultra-Crusaders can do this as well.
 * Ultra Separation (ウルトラセパレーション, Urutora Separēshon?): In the 1996 movie Revive! Ultraman, Ultra Man created four duplicates of himself to fight various monsters simultaneously.
 * Marine Specium Ray (マリンスペシウム光線, Marin Supeshiumu Kōsen?): A rainbow-colored specium ray used to defeat Zetton in Revive! Ultraman.
 * Energy Transfer Beam: In Ultraman Tiga Episode 49, Ultra Man used this to replenish Ultraman Tiga's stamina.
 * Final Cross Shield (ファイナルクロスシールド, Fainaru Kurosu Shīrudo?): In the prologue of Ultraman Mebius & Ultraman Brothers, Ultra Man, Ultra Seven, Ultraman Jack, and Ultraman Ace used this to imprison U-Killersaurs and Yapool in the sea at the cost of their ability to transform.
 * Energy Exposure (エネルギー照射, Enerugī Shōsha?): In Ultraman Mebius and Ultraman Brothers, Ultra Man, Ultra Seven, Ultraman Jack, and Ultraman Ace gave energy from four directions to Ultraman Mebius, who had been imprisoned by the alien Guts.
 * Giga Specium Ray (ギガスペシウム光線, Giga Supeshiumu Kōsen?): In the PlayStation 2 video game Ultraman: Fighting Evolution Rebirth (released in 2005), Ultra Man, who had been pummeled by the Chaos Specium Beam (Kaosu Supeshiumu Kōsen) of Chaosroid U (Kaosuroido Yū) (but survived) and empowered by the light of the Plasma Spark, used this extremely powerful version of the specium ray to destroy Chaosroid U and save the "Ultra-World" from the alien Mephilas's invasion.

Transformation
Beta Capsule Transformation: Ultra Man's cohabitation within Shin Hayata's body is not entirely unlike the religious or spiritual concept of possession. However, Ultra Man does not attempt to control Hayata's decision-making. Hayata's mind and spirit control his body under ordinary circumstances. Yet it is possible, as evidenced by the many close calls to Hayata's life, that Ultraman can intercede in some way to protect Hayata's body, presumably in the form of accelerated healing of injuries as Hayata would be injured in some episodes. However, injuries that Hayata sustains are not transferred to Ultra Man when Hayata ignites the beta capsule, and Hayata can still be shown as wounded when Ultra Man reverses the change. Also, when Shin Hayata was hypnotized by underground aliens in an effort to control Ultra Man, the plan failed since they had not counted on the fact that Ultra Man would be immune to their mind control. Only the beta capsule can trigger the physical transformation from Shin Hayata to Ultra Man. Where the beta capsule goes when Ultra Man is active is not known, but during his first battle with Gomora (Gohora in US version) the beta capsule was somehow separated from him by a strong attack from the monster. This also revealed that the beta capsule only works for Hayata, as Hajime, the child who retrieved the capsule, depressed its igniter switch and nothing happened to either the child or Hayata. When Hayata ignites the capsule, Ultra Man does not have to appear precisely where Hayata was standing, but he usually does appear very close to that location, and often, but not always, in a similar pose. Should Hayata be inside a building when he ignites the beta capsule, Ultra Man can choose to appear from within it or outside of it, even projecting himself during transformation through the specially-reinforced walls of Science Patrol Headquarters. One occasion demonstrates the variability: Hayata was atop a building during a mission where Alien Baltan was attacking, and the beta capsule fell out of his reach and landed on a ledge below. With Hayata needing to transform immediately and having no way to reach the device safely, he took an extraordinary gamble and threw himself headfirst off the building, but he managed to grab the capsule and ignite it as he fell. Ultra Man then appeared on the ground, safely standing on his feet. Ultra Man changes back to human form by beaming a spiral of energy from his hands to a point on the ground. Hayata's body materializes within this spiral, and Ultra Man's body vanishes. The only episode that showed Hayata split from Ultra Man and laying in a coma was when Ultra Man teleported from a planet on which he had destroyed some of the Baltans back to Earth so that he could finish off the rest of them. For unknown reasons, Hayata's body was left behind in a deep coma state, possibly in stasis, until Ultra Man returned. Either the teleportation power somehow split them apart or else Ultra Man left Hayata's body behind to maintain the secret identity.

Known vulnerabilities
Despite all these amazing powers, Ultra Man has one main weakness: Since Earth's atmosphere leaches away his solar energy, Ultra Man can only physically exist on Earth for approximately three to five minutes of Earth time. To signal this, a warning light in Ultra Man's chest (called the Color Timer [(カラータイマー, KarāTaimā?]) in the Japanese-language version) starts out at blue. At the 1 minute mark it starts to blink, and then turns red and blinks faster at the two minute mark. Some sources have given 2:10 as the mark where the timer begins to blink. If the Color Timer/warning light goes out completely, then Ultra Man will "never rise again." Obviously, at whatever point the blinking begins, Ultra Man typically has only a short amount of time left to defeat his foe and return to his human host. However, Ultra Man has occasionally been able to extend his operating time by flying towards the Sun and "recharging." It should be noted, though, that in "Human Specimens Five And Six," the episode where he fought the monster Dada, Ultra Man was clearly well beyond the three-minute time limit on his activities and his warning light was not blinking very rapidly, so while Dada was back in the building chasing the humans, Ultra Man could have flown to the sun to recharge off camera or else the warning light is not an automatic timer but more along the line of a fuel gauge and that as he was standing around scanning for Dada, he was using minimal energy. In the 2006 movie, Ultraman Mebius and the Ultra Brothers, it was stated that Ultra Man, Ultra Seven, Ultraman Jack and Ultraman Ace had sealed the monster Yapool behind a barrier at the cost of being unable to transform again due to the constant energy drain needed to maintain the barrier. They told Mebius that if they transformed again while the barrier was up that they risked permanent destruction. However despite this, and the fact that all their warning lights began flashing soon into the battle, time limits and risks of actual destruction were not in evidence. With the destruction of the barrier and Ultra-Commander Zoffy and Taro reenergizing the four of them, they were all restored to their full power. This would seem to support the idea that the color timer/warning light acts more as an energy gauge and that the three-minute time limit that Ultra-Crusaders operate under on Earth is more of an average time limit before they risk total energy expenditure and possible permanent destruction of the Ultra-Crusader, rather than an absolute. Also, the classic line, "If the light stops completely it will mean that Ultra Man will never rise again" was more for dramatics then anything else. When Zetton defeated Ultra Man, his warning light was still faintly blinking, but he was too drained to fight, and he collapsed and would have had his warning light go out completely had Ultra-Commander Zoffy not arrived to replenish his energy. Subsequent Ultra-Series have had other ultra-men experience total energy loss and their warning lights and eyes going dark, yet still being revived by an infusion of energy. However, it is likely that once the warning light goes out, the time needed to infuse new energy into the dying Ultra-Crusader is short, and that Ultra-Crusader's permanent destruction is still possible.