Ultraman Wiki
Advertisement

"Stand up, stand up. Gamu!"

―Ishimuro looked at the fallen Gaia, The Cry of the Earth.

Akio Ishimuro (石室 章雄いしむろ あきお, Ishimuro Akio) is one of the main characters of Ultraman Gaia and is the commander of XIG.

Personality

Akio has a resolute character, outstanding insight, and first-class planning capabilities and provides accurate instructions to his subordinates and Gamu. In terms of dealing with high-level officials, he responds with an uncompromising attitude toward any issue of principle.

When carrying out missions, he often asks Tsutsumi to planning matters such as the combat operations of the commanding team. However, he sometimes went to the front line himself to command. Although he can make judgments based on various information, he does not seem to be very proficient in scientific topics.

In private, he has an interest in tea ceremonies and sometimes makes tea for Chiba or his team members to drink, and he is familiar with oriental culture.

History

Ultraman Gaia

Before joining XIG, Ishimuro was a member of the Defense Force Command Headquarters, in the past. Under the assignment of high-level officials, he served as the captain of XIG's aircraft carrier Aerial Base and the supreme commander who commanded the entire XIG team.

At first, he couldn't fully trust Gamu, who had just joined XIG, and took a harsher attitude towards him. However, with Gamu's active actions in the team making achievements, He started to have a strong trust in Gamu.

When Gamu was suspected by XIG of cooperating with Fujimiya, he temporarily deprived Gamu of his XIG status and expelled him from the team because Gamu did not trust the team. However, when he witnessed the scene of Gaia and Agul fighting together, he went to the front line, and based on the judgment of the situation, he concluded that the Radical Destruction Bringer wanted to use the huge power generated by the two Ultras during the battle to destroy the Earth. When he found the seriously injured Gamu, he also indirectly learned the truth that Gamu's other identity is Ultraman Gaia.

After the XIG team and Gaia, who gained new powers, successfully defeated Zoruim, he restored Gamu's XIG status. The Final Resolution

When Mokian destroyed the Aerial Base, he judged that the situation was not good for XIG. After arranging for all the members to evacuate from the base, he ordered the Aerial Base to be directly crashed into Mokian to sacrifice himself. However, at the last moment, he was saved in time by Gaia, transformed by Gamu, and returned to Earth safely. The Revenge of the Death God

In the final battle, he ordered Gaia missions to all XIG members to make Gamu and Fujimiya regain the power of the light of the Earth. Earth is Ultraman's Star

Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Dyna, & Ultraman Gaia: The Decisive Battle in Hyperspace

When Gamu, who returned to the original world, intended to drive XIG Adventureto another world, he acquiesced in Gamu's decision and agreed to carry out the running test of XIG Adventure. Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Dyna, & Ultraman Gaia: The Decisive Battle in Hyperspace

Ultraman Gaia: Gaia Again

In response to the Gakuzom incident, he assigned Yoneda to pick up Gamu, who was studying in college and asked him and Team Marlin to track the emergency signal from the bottom of the sea.

At the same time, he also asked Captain Tsutsumi to send Team Lightning to the front to fight Baiakuhe. He and the command room witnessed when Gaia returned, and he and Agul defeated Gakuzom. Ultraman Gaia: Gaia Again

Gallery

Ultraman Gaia

Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Dyna, & Ultraman Gaia: The Decisive Battle in Hyperspace

Ultraman Gaia: Gaia Again

Miscellaneous

Trivia

  • Ishimuro's original uniform was replaced in episode 20. According to Hiroyuki Watanabe, who played Ishimuro, the design of the new uniform was based on Colonel Edward Straker, who appeared in the British science fiction TV series UFO in 1970, and the livery of the Starship Enterprise crew from Star Trek.[1]
  • According to a 2021 interview with Hiroyuki Watanabe:[2]
    • He first accepted the role after his agency received an offer from Tsuburaya Productions.
    • During the early stages of filming Ultraman Gaia, Watanabe carefully considered the series' strong foundation. He aimed to maintain the balance of depicting Ishimuro's humanity without compromising on any character aspects, despite the show being labeled as a "children's program." Watanabe was determined not to dilute the original intent of the series.
    • During his first conversation with Sei Hiraizumi, Watanabe candidly admitted, "I can't act in children's drama." Hiraizumi responded, "It's okay if you don't." This encouraged Watanabe to retain complex language from the script, use native English pronunciation, and remain uncompromising in his performance. Watanabe also discussed similar thoughts with Takashi Ukaji, and they shared the same perspective.
    • Although this was Watanabe's personal interpretation, he believed that Ishimuro had known from the beginning that Gaia's true identity was Gamu Takayama. In his view, from the very start of filming, Ishimuro was aware of this fact, making him the only one who could truly understand Gamu's thoughts.
    • Additionally, Watanabe had a personal idea that Ishimuro might have once been an Ultraman himself but was now unable to transform due to certain circumstances. He had detailed discussions about this concept with Takeshi Yoshioka and directors Hirochika Muraishi.

References

  1. 雑誌『ウルトラマンAGE』Vol.12での渡辺のインタビュー
  2. Heisei Ultraman Mecha Chronicle pg 55

Advertisement