Ultraman the Next

Ultraman Noa was following The One throughout 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).

Becoming the Next
Arriving on Earth and merging its life with F-15 pilot Shunichi 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.

Facing the One
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.

Advent to Junis Mode
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 landed, 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
Ultraman Noa, who appears in this film is the same one who was once the Next.

Stats
{{#tag:tabber| Anphans=

{{Nihongo|Anphans|アンファンス, Anfansu}}, The Next's default mode, it has all the basic powers attributed with Ultramen. As the default mode it is the first form Maki fought in against the One's third form, unlike other Ultra hosts Maki fought in Ultra form but did not have Ultraman's knowledge to guide him meaning he had to discover all of his abilities as he went along. This form was purposely designed to seem incomplete, implying that unlike normal ultra forms, this one is simply a result of Maki and the Next's unfinished merger. The Next's abilities in this form can be seen as underdeveloped.
 * Height: 10 m - 40 m
 * Weight: 2.5 tons - 26,000 tons

Techniques

 * Flash Travel : Next can traverse vast distances as a ball of light.
 * Stratos Edge : The blades on Next's arm, they can be charged with energy through concentration to perform the Phase feather or be used as cutting blades. Their name is often mistaken for the name of the Next's Specium Ray like attack.
 * Phase Feather : Next's basic attack, an arc shaped burst of energy fired using the blades on his arms. It is the predecessor of the Phase feather attack used by Nexus, to the point the look almost the same.
 * Elbow Cutter : Like their name suggests, the light swords are blades, with concentration they can be charged with the same energy used for the phase feather and used to slice through things.
 * Acceleration : Next can move quickly as a glowing blur of light.
 * Assimilation : Next can fuse with a human host, reviving them if they are dead and granting them abilities such as increased strength, durability and well as ESP.
 * Size Change :Next can grow in size, at the same time moving at super speed
 * Mode Change : Next can change into Junis Mode while at the same time moving at super speed and changing his size

Junis= Junis Junis (ジュネッス, Junessu), The Next's evolved form, this form offers greater strength and speed to that of Anphans mode. The Next retains all the powers of his previous form but they are now more powerful versions of his prior form's. His Stratos Edge blades have evolved to become more powerful. It is the precursor of the Armed Nexus later seen in Nexus. This form is first used in the last battle against The One when he grew to his second last form and rampaged in the city. Maki transformed while increasing his size and using acceleration to save a little girl and her mother from a falling building. It is in this form the Maki and Ultraman complete their assimilation with each other only to separate shortly after the battle was won.
 * Height: 40 m
 * Weight: 26,000 tons

Techniques

 * Lambda Thrasher : Next can now fire another version of the Phase Feather attack in the form of much larger arcs using both hands or by charging up the attack.
 * Elbow-Ray-Storm : Also known as the Final Light or Stratus Edge by fans, it is the Next's Specium Ray like beam, vaporized the space beast called The One. Its name comes from how it is performed, by Next bringing together his Stratos Edge Blades located by his elbows, then pulling them apart when fully charged and then placing them in the classic cross position. Unlike normal Ultra Beams, the particles do not flow evenly, instead in an oscillating fashion. It has the feature of causing the target to break down at the molecular level into glowing blue particles, a trait inherited by the later 'Ray-Storms' used by Nexus.
 * Flight : Like any Ultra the Next can fly under his own power, but Maki only discovered this in Junis mode.

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Transformation
Unlike most Ultras and his succeeding form, The Next doesn't use any manner of device to transform. Maki transformed by pure will although the first time may have been due to the blow he received and the light was trying to save his life. Afterwards he transformed by his own volition. The proceed begins with his eyes glowing red and the Next's energy lines appearing all over his body as it glows, the light turns blue and he transforms. The blue also appears when he changes back.

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. It is an interesting coincidence since the Next was designed to look like a 'mutant ultraman'.
 * The Next's Anphans form was deliberately designed to appear 'incomplete' or underdeveloped which runs in the name anphans which ultimately means childhood.
 * Next's two forms are another reference to Utraman, Anphans had a rough rocky texture to simulate the texture of the face on earlier Ultraman costumes used during the first series and Junis is smooth to imitate the suits used later in the series.
 * Another Allusion to the Original Ultraman is Next's beam, called the Elbow Ray Storm, it is fired in the classic position and may be a form of the Specium ray given the Next is a re-imagining of Ultraman.
 * Unlike his succeeding forms, Next experienced the three minute rule, but for a different reason than expected. Because his merger with Maki Shunichi was incomplete, he could be active only for a short time before the two were onset by great pain and fatigue. When the two completely merged this limit disappeared.
 * Unlike most ultra hosts, save a few, Maki was in control of both forms, because of their incomplete merger, the minds of Maki and Ultraman only met in short dream like intervals. Until the end when the two fully merged, Maki had discovered all of his abilities by accident. His situation is thus different from all the following Deunamists and all other Ultra hosts.
 * Of his three forms Noa's voice is only heard by Shunichi during their final dream state.

Sea Also
ULTRAMAN (2004 film) Ultraman Nexus Ultraman Noa