Ah! The Giraffes and Elephants Turned to Ice!!(あっ！ キリンも象も氷になった！！, Ā! Kirin mo Zou mo Kōri ni Natta) is the fiftieth and final episode of Ultraman 80, marking the end to televised Ultraman Series shows of the Showa era.
Following this episode's release, a protracted semi-hiatus would occur over the course of the next decade and a half. During this time, the only new television instalments of the franchise were made overseas in the United States (Ultraman: The Adventure Begins & Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero) and Australia (Ultraman: Towards the Future), with all other additions to the franchise being in the form of feature films, spin-offs, anime OVAs, reference books and video games.
With Plazma and Minazma no more, it seems that the Minus Energy's last stand was successfully halted by 80 and Yullian. All of a sudden, the space monster Margodon arrives and begins using his powers to freeze Tokyo solid! UGM reveal a surprising secret; they know the truth behind Takeshi Yamato and Ryoko Hoshi's identities and those of the Ultras. With the Minus Energy threat having been all but completely eradicated by the Ultras, 80 and Yullian leave it to UGM to fight Margodon, who reveal a new weapon that should make defeating the monster a breeze.
This episode explores a key theme in the Ultraman Series: humanity's reliance on Ultraman. Unlike other episodes where 80 intervene in the final battle, this story focuses on Yamato's resolve and the combined efforts of Captain Oyama and the UGM team. It emphasizes the importance of humans learning to stand on their own.[2]
Originally, Margodon was meant to be a planet-destroying threat with scenes of the South Pacific and African continent freezing. Due to production limits, these scenes were cut, and the story was limited to Nanbara City. The episode title, "Ah! The Giraffes and Elephants Turned to Ice!!," likely references the scrapped idea of the African savannah freezing.
Early series cast members Daisuke Muso, Shuhei Nitta, and Eri Ishida, who originally played main UGM members, make guest appearances in this episode.
The episode also features guest appearances from original UGM cast members Daisuke Muso, Shuhei Nitta, and Eri Ishida. Although Ishida left the main cast in episode 43, she was invited back for a cameo as "Android Emi" in the finale, a role she gladly accepted.[3]
In a 2024 interview, Hatsunori Hasegawa, Eri Ishida, and Sayoko Hagiwara shared behind-the-scenes stories.[4]
Although Ishida had left the cast, her poster remained in the dressing room during the finale shoot. The male cast was especially impressed by her—Hagiwara recalled Masaaki Daimon, who played Ito, jokingly calling her ""Linda Rondstadt" because of her beauty. After filming, the cast held a wrap-up celebration together.
According to Do You Love Ultraman 80?, producer/director Kazuho Mitsuta came up with the episode's concept. Toshiro Ishido recalled how Mitsuta and producer Kiyoshi Nomura discussed the story over inexpensive oden near TBS. With the series ending and a tight budget, Ultraman 80's transformation and battle scenes were likely cut for financial reasons.
According to producer Kazuho Mitsuta, as stated in the same book:[5]
During the series' planning, Mitsuta planned to direct about a third of the episodes himself. However, with producers at Tsuburaya already overloaded, he had to take on the role. Initially, he hoped to direct multiple episodes, but once production started, his workload left no time. In the end, he directed only the final episode, as there was no need to prepare for a following one.[6]
The episode's ending isn't a tragic goodbye but shows Ultraman "returning to the Land of Light for urgent reasons." It was meant to leave viewers expecting his return in a few years. Back then, it was believed that even if this series ended, a new Ultraman Series would follow within two or three years.
Mitsuta said that during Ultraseven' production, there was a feeling of finality—as if it might be the last time to tell that kind of story. But with Return of Ultraman and four more series, followed by The☆Ultraman and Ultraman 80, it seemed the franchise would go on indefinitely. At the time, there was no strong sense of an ending; in hindsight, that hope was probably too optimistic.
This episode features the insert song "Kokoro wo Moyasu Aitsu -Takeshi Yamato no Uta-" as its ending theme. According to the Uchusen Vol.6 special feature, Mitsuta had already decided on this song early on.
Sayoko Hagiwara recalled that in the final scene, where she walks through Shinjuku with Hasegawa, she wore an outfit chosen for her, not her own preference—she had wanted something cuter.
This episode is one of the few in the Ultraman series to reuse the background music Victorious Battle(勝利の闘い) from The☆Ultraman.
This episode aired in the United States on TOKU on April 28, 2017.
