Residents of the Land of Light

The Residents of the Land of Light (光の国の住人) or The people of the M78 Nebula (M78星雲人), are the race who live on Planet Ultra. They are beings of light who are known for their great powers and strong sense of compassion and justice, which motivates them to promote peace across the universe.

History
Within the original continuity, the Ultras were once a race of beings who resembled humans and lived on a planet located in Nebula M78. Their sun was nearing the end of its life, and it going out would mean the end of their race. Unwilling to give up hope, the planet's greatest scientific minds created an artificial sun called the Plasma Spark, which brought light to their planet once again.

The light from the Plasma Spark changed the people of the Land of Light into giant silver beings who had many wondrous abilities. The Ultras believed their powers should be used to bring peace and to protect others from harm, and in order to do this they created the Space Garrison. As the Space Garrison battled evil beings, various races such as the Babarue, Temperor, and Baltan aliens saw them as a threat and made attempts to destroy them.

One of the greatest threats to the Land of Light came from a being called the Emperor, who with an army of monsters and aliens attacked the Land of Light in an event known as the Great Ultra War. The Emperor conquered the Land of Light but the Ultras fought back and reclaimed their homeworld. The hero of this conflict was an Ultra named Ken, who would go on to become Father of Ultra. He dueled the Emperor in a battle that left both with matching wounds and forced the Emperor to retreat, not to be seen again for thirty thousand years.

The next great threat to the Ultras came from an Ultra named Belial. Belial was a veteran of the Ultra War and a comrade to Ken and Marie. After seeing the Emperor's might, his mind was consumed by a need for more power. When Ken, instead of Belial, was made the Space Garrison's Supreme Commander, Belial's pride led him to attempting to steal energy from the Plasma Spark for himself. However, his attempt failed as the power of the Plasma Spark was too much for him. For this crime, which could have destroyed Planet Ultra, he was exiled by his fellow Ultras. Shortly after his exile, an encounter with Alien Reiblood led to Belial being turned into a dark Ultra. He attempted to destroy the Land of Light and was defeated by Ultraman King, who then created the Space Prison to imprison him.

Many years later Belial was freed from his prison and waged war on the Land of Light once again. He was successful in removing the Plasma Spark, which resulted in the majority of Ultras on the planet being frozen. The remaining Ultras, along with the help of Rei and Ultraman Dyna, fought Belial at the Monster Graveyard. Belial was ultimately defeated by Ultraman Zero and the Plasma Spark was brought back to Planet Ultra, restoring life to the planet.

Basic Characteristics
An Ultra's average height is usually 130-160 feet (40-50 meters). Ultras have various abilities, most notably their ability to manipulate energy. They are able to fire energy beams from various positions of crossed hands, levitate objects, and create barriers. Ultras are able to fly and have displayed the ability to heal other beings through their light.

Since the Earth's atmosphere naturally filters out most of the light that hits it, an Ultra's energy supply is limited while they are on Earth. Some Ultra shows state the problem is that the Earth's atmosphere is too badly polluted to allow enough light through. Ultras do not have time limits in space or on planets lacking an Earth-like atmosphere.

Regardless of the reason, Ultras can only stay in their giant form on Earth for three minutes on average. Their Color Timer or Warning Light will turn red and begins to blink with increasing frequency as their power dwindles. To counter this time limit and stay on Earth indefinitely, an Ultra will almost always obtain a human form or merge with a host. If the host was recently deceased then the Ultra's powers will revive them, and they will then share a life force with the Ultra.

Ultras are difficult to permanently kill. Numerous times an Ultra has died, only to be revived by another member of their species or through other means. A large amount of energy is able to revive them, usually supplied by their human allies. It has been stated by Mirai that though it is possible for an Ultra to be revived, it is not a guaranteed event, meaning the phenomenon is almost miraculous in nature.

Anatomy

 * Ultra Armor: The skin of an Ultra. Its name comes from the fact that it acts like armor as much as it is skin. Each individual Ultra Armor is generally resistant to fire and lasers. Upon suffering a serious wound, particles of light may emerge from openings in the Ultra Armor. In the Showa continuity, every Ultra Armor was weak to the cold unless they had access to a direct light source. It is also stated that Ultras absorb heat and light through their skin to produce energy. For Ultras from M78, this is done mostly through the silver parts of their skin.


 * Inner Workings: It has been stated that the insides of Ultras are not pure energy. They have bones and organs not unlike humans and possess organs humans do not have, such as a color timer, beam lamp, or sluggers. It should be noted that the injuries of an Ultra translate between their Ultra and human forms, unless they are joined with a host. Several Ultras have been wounded in ways that imply organic inner workings. Some examples are: Taro, whose arm had been broken, Mebius being poisoned by Birdon, and Seven's compound injuries weakening his strength near the end of his series.
 * Immune Systems: Ultra have shown considerable immunity to diseases and biological weapons.


 * Inner Light: Besides their physical features, Ultras are composed of light. It seems that Ultras are able to convert the light they absorb into a form of particle energy. For example, when Ultraseven was captured by the Alien Guts, he requested the Ultra Garrison supply him with Magnerium energy delivered to him via his beam lamp. In Ultraman Nexus, it was shown that an analysis of an Ultra's inner light would allow their Ultra Beam to be replicated. TLT described Nexus's inner light as photo-electron particle energy. In the 2011 Ultraman Manga, the main character and his father both received the genes of the original Ultraman in the form of what is called the Ultraman Factor. They both have superhuman bodies which produce Specium energy used to power their battle suits.

Besides the literal inner light of an Ultra, there is also their spiritual light. Several times Ultras have been brought back from death by the energies of their bonds with others, or through a great deal of hope and determination being focused on them by a large group of people. This phenomenon has been coined a 'Nexus of Souls' by some circles of fans. When this phenomenon occurs between Ultras themselves, it often results in them merging into a more powerful Super Ultra.

Body Colors and Family Traits
Ultras are usually red and silver or blue and silver in color and have yellow, almond-shaped dome eyes. Ultra's bodies have one or two main colors, while the markings covering their skin are other colors. While a fair amount of Ultras across the multiple continuities have been mainly red, blue Ultras have appeared in later years.

In the Land of Light there are two main groups of Ultras, the red Ultras and the blue Ultras. Red Ultras have bodies that produce natural steroids which enhances their strength. Blue Ultras have natural mental abilities and better reflexes compared to their red counterparts. Because of these factors, red Ultras are more likely to join the Space Garrison, while blue Ultras often join the Space Information Center. In recent years it has been shown there are more blue Ultra candidates in the Space Garrison, perhaps due to Hikari's enrollment. There are also Ultras who have both red and blue colored bodies in the Land of Light, notably Ultraman Zero. It is said that these colors are called 'tribes' and are to Ultras what 'ethnicity' is to humans. There is also said to be another tribe, the Silver Tribe, which includes Ultras like Ultraman, Zoffy and Jack, whose markings are mostly silver, or at least half of their body is silver. At present there are three known 'Tribes' or ethnic groups of Ultras; the Red Tribe, who are mostly red, and which Ultras like Seven and Taro fall under, the Silver Tribe, who are near equal parts red and silver, the most famous of which is Ultraman, and the Blue Tribe, such as Hikari.

The markings on an Ultra's body as well as their facial appearance are determined by their bloodlines. An example of this is Ultraman Taro, who possesses the horns that appear on the males of Father of Ultra's bloodline. Taro and his cousin Ultraseven have extremely similar faces and markings. Zero has markings reminiscent of his father's markings and also has eye sluggers.

One oddity is that the similarities between Ultraman, Zoffy and Jack remain unexplained. Despite no stated genetic relations, the three look almost the same in terms of markings and their facial appearances. Even the fact that they are off the Silver Tribe does not explain this as Seven and Taro are family and not share such a close resemblance. A theory is that Ultraman and Zoffy were originally meant to represent the police division of the Space Garrison, with Seven representing the military division.

Longevity
Ultras have extremely long life spans, when compared to humans. Although Zero is more than 5000 Earth years in age during his first appearance, he is considered a teenager by Ultra standards. The oldest known Ultra in the Showa continuity is Ultraman King, at over 300,000 years old. Mother of Ultra, Father of Ultra, and Belial are around half his age. Ultraman Noa is more than 350,000 years old. Age apparently plays a role in how powerful an Ultra is.

Form//Type/Mode Change

 * Form/type change: A number of Ultras are able to change the color of their bodies and/or markings, which gives themselves alternate abilities or modifies their physical attributes. This ability was first seen with Ultraman Tiga. Through changing the color of his body, Tiga was able to alter his speed and power attributes to better suit whatever opponent he was facing.

The manner in which these changes are invoked is unknown, but fans have theorized that it may be tied to the Ultras' inner light.
 * Mode change: Although mode change is similar to form change, it can be seen as a temporary upgrade to the Ultra's body and/or powers. One example is Mebius' Burning Brave mode, which enhanced his speed and power. The Version Up in Ultraman Gaia can be seen as a permanent mode change.

Legendary/Super Ultras

 * Legendary Ultras: There are only three confirmed 'legendary' Ultras: Ultraman King, Ultraman Noa, and Ultraman Legend. What makes these three Legendary is not their might (though that does play into their legends), but that they are topics of legends among the Ultras or other races. King predates the people of M78 and may have played a part in their gaining of the power of Ultra. Until Leo, no modern Ultra had seen him. Noa is regarded as a god within his home universe because he fought evil all over it, and became known to the Land of Light when he and Zagi crossed over to the Showa universe. Legend and, perhaps to a smaller degree, Justice, is a figure respected by the god-like Delaxion and has a place in the legends of Alien Gyashi.


 * Super Ultras: Super Ultras are when an Ultra acquires powers that surpass the abilities of normal Ultras. Normally this is when they fuse, or take on the powers of multiple Ultras or beings, but there are some that are naturally at this state of being. As mentioned, King, Noa and Legend all showed abilities beyond the limit of normal Ultras, such as stopping a doomsday weapon, or defeating a very powerful opponent (though because it is hard to judge what is or isn't 'Super Ultra level, the category is left for beings that take on the powers of multiple Ultras/beings). The more common Super Ultras are those that fuse with the power of others. There is Glitter Tiga, who was empowered by the light of the children of the world, and defeated Ultras of Lulu Island, and in Superior 8 Ultra Brothers, by the hope and determination of mankind. Taro and Mebius both fused with other Ultra brothers to easily defeat an enemy that multiple Ultras could not and Legend was born of the fusion of Cosmos and Justice.
 * It is uncertain where Shining Zero stands, as he is neither a Legendary Ultra, but demonstrated abilities beyond the power of a normal Ultra.

Abilities

 * Ultra Beam: The majority of Ultras are able to fire an Ultra Beam from hands crossed in a T, L or even X style. This beam can also be fired in ways such as an outstretched hand or from a jewel on an Ultra's forehead. A basic Ultra Beam is powerful enough to destroy the average monster in one shot.
 * Light Bullets: A lesser form of their beam abilities, Ultras are able to fire small bursts of energy at a target. This technique is also known as Energy Bullets and Energy Blasts.
 * Strength: All Ultras have displayed enhanced strength. For example, they are able to lift monsters their own size over their heads and throw them. Ultras with red bodies have greater natural strength than Ultras of other colors.
 * Endurance: Ultras are considerably more durable than human beings. They have shown resistance to lasers, Ultra Beams, lasers, fire, and high temperatures. Showa Ultras have a weakness to cold temperatures.
 * Size Alteration: Ultras are able to change their physical size from microscopic to giant.
 * Mental Abilities: Ultras are able to communicate with their own kind and other beings through their telepathy. This telepathy is able to operate over long distances. A number of Ultras such as Taro are trained to use a form of telekinesis called Ultra Telekinesis.
 * Barriers: Ultras can erect energy barriers to protect themselves from enemy fire.
 * Flight: All Ultras have the ability to fly. They have also been known to fly interstellar and even intergalactic distances. Profiles on Ultras have stated that organs in their legs generate anti-gravity waves that allow them to fly.
 * Healing: Ultras who take on hosts are able to fully heal themselves between battles, while Ultras in human form are not able to heal as quickly. In addition to this, Ultras are able to externally heal other beings. Mother of Ultra is known as the greatest healer in the Land of Light and is the leader of the Silver Cross Corps, a division of Ultras dedicated to healing.
 * Assimilation: Ultras are able to share their life force with a human, fusing the two of them into one being. This act can revive a recently deceased person, though they will have to depend on the Ultra's energy to live.
 * Human Mimic: Instead of taking a host, an Ultra may take on their own human form. In principle, this body operates in the same way as a host body, and it shares any injuries the Ultra obtains in giant form. An Ultra may copy the appearance of another human being for their human form, or they may create their own appearance.
 * Teleportation: Some Ultras are able to instantly travel across great distances using teleportation. The trade-off for using this ability is a massive energy drain that leaves an Ultra weakened. In recent years, Ultras such as Ginga have shown the ability to teleport without a noticeable energy drain. This implies that the extent of this side-effect depends on the distance traveled and the user's skill.
 * Travel Sphere: Ultras are known for traversing space in the form of spheres of light, usually red or yellow in color.
 * Digitization: In Ultraman X, the titular character explained that he transforms himself into data when flying about in his travel sphere, implying that all Ultra do this. Several other Ultras have shown the ability to transform themselves into data.
 * Ultra Sign: A form of long distance communication between Ultras. Ultra Signs appear in the sky or space as a series of characters created from light. Usually only other Ultras can see them, with humans being unable to.
 * Ultra Twinkle Way: Ultras can create wormholes to quickly travel the vast distances of space.

Another Genesis
In this version the Ultra live in the Kingdom of Light, ruled by Ultraman King, from his private planet. In this Universe, the Ultras are less uniform in appearance, with some appearing organic and metallic, robotic, Angelic, similar to a merman, or a centaur. Their planet was destroyed be Belial, who in this version was sealed by King, in the very core of the planet. He destroyed it as he freed himself from his prison, killing many Ultras and scattering debris from the plane across the universe, creating monsters where they land. The abilities of these giants is not so uniform, but for while in general they have the same basic powers, they seem to posses their unique powers (at least those shown)

Ultraman Taro Manga
In the manga by Ken Ishikawa, the Ultras have a similar but different nature. In this version, the Ultras visited Earth in its ancient past, teaching primitive apes the basics of civilization. It was revealed that the Ultra Armor were suits the Ultra wore, as one removed their helmet, with their true selves being luminous human like giants. The light they shone transformed the apes into humanity. Taro would later shine this light when gravely injured, freeing mankind from the control of an evil alien. Beyond this and the fact that the Ultras used a flying saucer to get to Earth, there is no difference between them and the canon Ultras.