A Game Changer! Here Comes Zoffy is the twenty-third episode of Ultraman Ace. Zoffy also appeared for a short time in this episode.
Synopsis[]
A peculiar elderly man is seen brainwashing children by performing a strange song-dance. This is all part of a plan devised by the Yapool to bring children to an alternate dimension and end humanity. Hokuto jumps into the alternate dimension on his own. The final battle with the Yapool begins!
Cast[]
- Seiji Hokuto : Keiji Takamine
- Yuko Minami : Mitsuko Hoshi
- Goro Ryu : Tetsuro Sagawa
- Ichiro Yamanaka : Shunichi Okita
- Tsutomu Konno : Masaaki Yamamoto
- Noriko Mikawa : Keiko Nishi
- Kozo Yoshimura : Mitsuhiro Sano
- Yoichi Kaji : Katsumi Nakayama
Guest Actors[]
- Strange Old Man/Yapool : Shoji Oki
Voice Actors[]
- Ultraman Ace : Goro Naya
- Yapool : Tatsuhiko Takada
- Zoffy : Keisuke Yamashita
- Narrator : Shin Kishida
Suit Actors[]
- Ultraman Ace : Shoji Takeuchi
- Giant Yapool : Isao Zushi
Apperances[]
Ultras[]
Kaiju[]
- Yapool
- Strange Old Man
- Giant Yapool
Home Media[]
- Ultraman Ace Volume 6 features episodes 21-24.
2004 release
Box Set cover
2010 release
Trivia[]
- The original draft called for Ultraseven to make a guest appearance.
- According to Tadashi Mafune, who served as both the director and writer of this episode:[1]
- While the concept of the Yapool beings originated from Shinichi Ichikawa's vision, Mafune interpreted them differently. In his view, the Yapool were not extraterrestrial entities residing on a celestial body but rather a manifestation of humanity's inner consciousness. As long as humanity exists, the Yapool will never truly disappear.
- Mafune intended the episode to explore the theme of mind control. He reflected on his experiences during World War II, recalling how children were discouraged from studying and instead forced to craft bamboo spears, being told to use them to target American soldiers and even to prepare for self-sacrifice.
- This idea is echoed in the episode through a chilling moment when an old man declares, "The sea is blue? No, the sea is yellow!" The children, in turn, repeat, "The sea is yellow." Mafune noted that while it might be understandable if the children only said this out of fear of the old man, the truly terrifying part was that they actually saw the sea as yellow. This, he explained, is the essence of brainwashing.
- Mafune revealed that his personal experiences of narrowly surviving the war deeply influenced the story. He emphasized that this episode was not about the Yapool themselves but rather a drama exploring human relationships and the impact of collective psychological manipulation.
References[]