Choichiro Hikari is the main protagonist of The☆Ultraman. In the series, he encounters Ultraman Joneus on his way from a space station to Earth, and merges with the Ultra.
History[]
Pre-The☆Ultraman[]
Hikari who serves as a member of the EGG3 space station.
Hikari was once an astronaut working at the space station EGG3. During one mission, EGG3 encountered a meteor shower, and a small meteorite penetrated the station's outer wall, striking Hikari. Though he regained consciousness quickly, the station was damaged, and his spacesuit began to fail due to oxygen depletion, causing breathing difficulties.
At the same time, a Goglan larva, which had hatched from an egg after being exposed to cosmic rays, attempted to destroy EGG3. Despite his breathing difficulties, Hikari ignored his own danger and managed to repel the larva, successfully protecting the station's crew. During this event, Ultraman Joneus, who was on his way to Earth, witnessed Hikari's bravery and chose him as his human host and partner on Earth.
The☆Ultraman[]
Hikari meets Ultraman Joneus.
On his journey back to Earth, Hikari learned that the United Nations' Earth Defense Army had already established a Science Guard Party in various regions around the globe. He was selected to join the Far East team. However, during his return trip, Hikari encountered a mysterious light. When he regained consciousness, he found himself face-to-face with an alien identifying itself as Ultraman. Ultraman informed Hikari that to warn Earth of an impending crisis, he had made contact through the light and had sent a warning via Ultra symbols. Finally, in a third form of contact, Ultraman himself descended to Earth. Unable to remain on Earth in his true form for long, Ultraman proposed to merge with Hikari, sharing his body. After this extraordinary encounter, Hikari awoke in his spacecraft, believing he had just experienced a dream, and continued his journey to Earth.
After arriving on Earth, Hikari and the Science Guard Party received an immediate dispatch order. While preparing for the mission, Hikari accidentally dropped a star-shaped brooch-like object. Mutsumi picked it up and returned it to him, but Hikari had no memory of it. The mission involved investigating a massive iceberg that had drifted from Antarctica to the Far East region, with the goal of collecting ice samples.
Hikari transforms into Ultraman Joneus for the first time.
However, upon the team's arrival, the iceberg suddenly began to move, and from it emerged Seagra. The Science Guard Party attempted to stop Seagra’s attack, but their defenses were quickly breached. To make matters worse, three more Seagras emerged from the iceberg, pushing the situation to a critical point. At that moment, Hikari heard the same voice as the one from the alien he had encountered in space. The voice instructed him to pick up the Beam Flasher and place it on his forehead.
Following the voice's guidance, Hikari was instantly enveloped in light and successfully transformed into Ultraman, defeating all four Seagras. After the battle, Hikari realized that his experience in space had not been a dream. Ultraman confirmed that he now resided within Hikari, though this fact was to remain a secret between them.Birth of a New Hero
After a series of battles, Hikari, being Ultraman’s human host, frequently trained to maintain his health. He also grew closer to his team members. One day, while the team was reviewing footage of Ultraman's fights against monsters, the conversation shifted to speculation about Ultraman's true identity. Pigu and Marume suggested that Ultraman might be human, while Mutsumi believed that Ultraman’s identity could be someone closer to them than they thought.
Despite the praise for Ultraman, Hikari began to doubt his ability to save others, feeling his efforts went unrecognized.
At the end of the meeting, Captain Akiyama emphasized the importance of not letting down their great ally, Ultraman, and continuing the fight against monsters. However, Hikari struggled with the fact that he couldn't reveal his identity as Ultraman. While people are usually proud of their achievements, the one who became Ultraman had to remain silent. During the discussion, Marume pointed out that Hikari often disappeared at crucial moments and coldly remarked that the team could operate just fine without him.
Meanwhile, a botanical garden conducting radiation-based breeding experiments became the site of a Goglan appearance, prompting the Science Guard Party to investigate. The staff presented an object resembling a plant seed, but Hikari immediately recognized it as the meteorite he encountered while working at the EGG3 space station. In reality, the object was a Goglan egg that had hatched due to the effects of the radiation experiment, and Goglan was now wreaking havoc in the city. Hikari prepared to transform into Ultraman but hesitated at the last moment. Ultraman asked him why he wasn’t transforming, and Hikari responded that he wanted to fight using his own strength.
At this moment, Goglan began moving toward a gas tank. Marume ordered Hikari to stop the monster, but during his hesitation, Goglan shot down Marume's aircraft and attacked the gas tank, causing an explosion. Hikari blamed himself for Marume's injury and the city's destruction due to his indecision. Meanwhile, Goglan, thought to have been incinerated in the explosion, underwent a transformation, cocooning itself and hatching into a butterfly-like form, ready to fly away.
Feeling a deep sense of responsibility, Hikari took off in a jet to stop Goglan, but the monster generated strong winds, damaging the aircraft and causing it to crash. While attempting to escape using a parachute, Hikari failed and crashed hard onto the ground. Hikari tried to reach for the Beam Flasher, but with broken bones, he was unable to move. Just as he was about to give up, Ultraman spoke to him again, revealing why he had chosen Hikari as his human host. Finally, Hikari managed to retrieve the Beam Flasher, transformed into Ultraman, and successfully defeated Goglan.You Are Ultraman
One night, while the Science Guard Party members were observing celestial bodies, Hikari was summoned by Ultraman and, through a telescope, observed Joneus’ home planet, Planet U40. A few days later, the monster Gerada appeared in South Africa, delivering a devastating blow to the Earth Defense Army. During the mission, Hikari attempted to transform into Ultraman, but Ultraman warned him that Gerada was unlike any monster they had faced before. Despite the warning, Hikari transformed and, although he secured victory, he was left unable to continue due to exhaustion from depleted energy.
As Gerada's remains morphed into a new form, Janyur, Ultraman tried to continue the fight but was forced to retreat, as his energy was entirely drained. The Science Guard Party was left shocked by this turn of events. After Janyur disappeared, Hikari, severely fatigued, was rescued from the battlefield. Upon investigation, the Earth Defense Army discovered that these monsters were actually "Spirit Parasite," entities transformed by assimilating reptiles like lizards and snakes. Hikari realized this transformation mirrored his own relationship with Ultraman and sought advice from him.
Hikari's death.
Due to the intense toll on Hikari’s body, Ultraman advised him to rest. However, during the next mission, after hearing Ultraman' plan to defeat the Spirit Parasite, Hikari disregarded his condition and piloted the remaining combat jet to join the battle against Bedran. Midway through, following Ultraman' instructions, Hikari diverted to a radio telescope to send a distress signal to U40. Bedran noticed this and attempted to stop Hikari, prompting him to transform into Ultraman to buy time. Yet, in this battle, Ultraman’ energy was completely depleted, causing his body to vanish. When the team arrived at the scene, they found Hikari on the brink of death. At that moment, a saucer from U40 appeared overhead. The craft left the team with one message: "Do not give up hope," before departing from Earth with Hikari aboard. This is the Ultra Star! Part 1
Under U40's technological treatment, Hikari was resurrected.
The saucer carrying Hikari eventually arrived at U40, a planet two million light-years from Earth. There, Hikari underwent a revival procedure, successfully restoring his life. He was introduced to the Ultramen of U40— Amia, Elek, and Loto. Shortly after, they accompanied him to meet the Supreme Leader of the Ultra People, the Great Sage. During the meeting, Hikari expressed his gratitude for being revived and inquired about the condition of Ultraman, with whom he had merged. The Great Sage explained that Joneus’ energy was completely depleted and that he was currently undergoing treatment in the medical bay, unable to stabilize enough to meet Hikari. It was then that Hikari learned that Joneus, whom he simply referred to as "Ultraman," was actually the strongest warrior of U40 and had a name of his own.
At that moment, a massive disc-shaped warship appeared in the skies of U40, unleashing a swarm of fighter jets to launch an attack. On the ground, numerous defense towers sprang into action, firing back at the jets. Loto and Elek instructed Amia to evacuate Hikari quickly, and they used devices similar to the Beam Flash to transform into two Ultras. Under Amia’s guidance, Hikari took an elevator down to an underground high-tech city, where the leaders of the Ultra People were monitoring the battle on the surface. Despite Loto and Elek's valiant efforts, the surface suffered significant damage. However, the disc and fighter jets suddenly ceased their attack and vanished.
Under Amia's guidance, Hikari learned about the history of U40.
Amia and Elek decided to return Hikari to Earth, but Hikari still had lingering questions about the identity of the attackers and the status of Joneus. To address his concerns, Amia took Hikari to the "Experience Dome," where the history of U40 and the Ultra People was explained. After learning everything, Hikari mentioned that the Spirit Parasites on Earth, might be connected to the Bader Group. He reported this to the Great Sage, theorizing that the possession behavior of the Spirit Parasites might be facilitated by the "Ultra Mind," which could have been stolen by the Bader Group. At that moment, Bardel’s planet began approaching U40, prompting U40 to immediately mobilize its underground forces, preparing for battle on both the surface and in space.This is the Ultra Star! Part 2
Witnessing U40’s disadvantaged position in the war, Hikari expressed his desire to fight, but Joneus had not yet recovered. Observing this, Amia secretly took Hikari to the hangar of her personal space fighter. The two collaborated to pilot the fighter and successfully shot down several Bardel fighters. However, they soon came under enemy fire, forcing Amia's craft to make an emergency landing. At that moment, Hikari heard Joneus’s voice echoing in his mind. It turned out that Joneus’s body had already healed. Hikari rushed back to U40 and hurried to the medical bay, where he witnessed Joneus undergoing treatment. Like other Ultra Peoples, Joneus appeared human, but due to backlighting, Hikari couldn’t see his true form. Joneus introduced himself to Hikari once again and merged with him once more.
Hikari meets Jones in his human form for the first time.
Subsequently, Joneus rescued Amia from the clutches of the Bader Group and reclaimed the Ultra Mind, returning to U40 to engage in battle. With the Ultra Mind sealed within a barrier, the power of the Bardel diminished. In the end, U40 achieved a resounding victory in its conflict against the Bader Group. Meanwhile, on Earth, Janyur III appeared. Due to the Ultra Mind being reclaimed by U40, Janyur III also weakened. The Science Guard Party launched an all-out attack, successfully defeating the possessed Spirit Parasite. Ultimately, the U40 disc returned Hikari to Earth. However, according to the rule that “Earthlings must not know of U40's existence,” Hikari's memories of his experiences on U40 were erased. This is the Ultra Star! Part 3
Afterward, Amia, who had developed feelings for Hikari, traveled to Earth in hopes of meeting him. She interacted with Kyoko Kodaka and Hikari, who eventually regained his memories of U40 through Joneus’s abilities, allowing him to reunite with Amia once more.The Female Ultra Warrior
One day, Earth observed a supernova explosion that occurred when a star burned out. However, the explosion was detected in the direction of U40. Hikari quickly began calculations on his computer and found a 97.25% probability that the explosion originated from U40. Concerned, he felt a growing sensitivity despite Joneus's attempts to calm him down.
Hikari and Amia's reunion.
To help Hikari change his mindset, Captain Gondo assigned him to assist an investigation team in Antarctica with geological exploration. At a depth of 3,000 meters underground, the team discovered a massive object exceeding 300 meters in size. Hikari suspected it was man-made rather than a monster. At that moment, a large spaceship approached Earth from the direction of U40, prompting the Science Guard Party to deploy the Super Murdoch. However, they came under attack. Hikari transformed into Joneus and rescued a small ship whose pilot was Amia. She informed Hikari that the Heller Empire had invaded U40 and mentioned the possible existence of “Ultria” on Earth, which could counter their forces. It was evident that the Heller Legion was also aware of Ultria's existence.
Joneus was convinced that Ultria was buried beneath Antarctica and instructed Hikari and the team to head there. The Heller Legion released Gomons in Antarctica, engaging in battle with Joneus, Amia, and the Super Murdoch. Suddenly, the massive warship Ultria emerged from the Antarctic ice. Amia boarded the battleship and defeated Gomons.Ultra Star U40's Crisis! Ultria's Mystery?
After learning about the Heller's Soldiers from Amia, the Science Guard Party pledged their support to U40 and gained command of Ultria. When Hikari reunited with Amia on the ship, she expressed her obligation to return to U40 after completing her mission. Concerned for Amia, Hikari urged her to stay on Earth, but Joneus, merged with Hikari, persuaded him to let Amia go on her mission to protect U40.
As the Heller Legion approached Japan, Ultria launched into action and engaged in fierce combat against the enemy fleet in space, ultimately destroying their warships. During the Heller Legion's assault, Hikari transformed into Ultraman Joneus, joining forces with his teammates to defeat the enemy flagship.Giant Ultra War! Huge Warship Ultria's Sortie
Soon after, the Heller Legion launched an unprecedented and fierce attack on Earth. While the Science Guard Party was engaged in battle aboard the Ultria, they discovered that a Heller Legion warship might be malfunctioning and was forced to make an emergency landing. Soldiers on the ground were shocked to find that the Heller soldier carrying a bomb was actually Amia. It turned out that Amia had infiltrated the Heller Legion’s forward base on Saturn's moon Titan, setting a bomb to deliberately force the warship to land.
Upon learning of the situation on U40, the Science Guard Party decided to launch a joint strike against the Titan base, fighting for both Earth and U40. Ignoring the defense forces' orders, Gondo resolved to attack the Titan base, marking the official start of the showdown between Earthlings, Ultraman, and the Heller Legion.To The Ultra Star! Part 1: The Female Warrior's Information
Amia proposed a covert operation to infiltrate the Titan base. Marume requested to accompany her, but Gondo chose to bring Hikari instead. Marume suspected Gondo of giving Hikari special treatment and intended to investigate Hikari’s mysterious behavior. Meanwhile, Hikari pondered Gondokapu’s reasoning for selecting him, while Amia jokingly suggested it was because Hikari was Joneus. Ultimately, the Science Guard Party launched an assault on the Heller Legion's Titan base, receiving support from U40 warriors like Erek and Loto, and successfully defeated the monster dispatched by Roygar. However, Amia was unfortunately captured and taken to the Heller Legion-occupied U40.To The Ultra Star! Part 2: The Frontline Base's Destruction
On the way, Malmo and Tobe speculated that Hikari was Ultraman Joneus, and calculated the probability based on Hikari’s actions and those of Joneus, resulting in an over 99% likelihood that Hikari was indeed Joneus. Meanwhile, Ultria completed its distorted travel through hyperspace, arriving approximately 10 million kilometers from U40. After evading numerous floating Ultraman time bombs in space, Ultria sustained damage.
The Science Guard Party descended toward U40, but Heller, the ruler of the Heller Legion, retaliated by using Ultra Mind to fire a powerful beam from the ground. Joneus deduced that this was an attack from Ultra Mind and realized that escape was impossible. Hikari suggested pretending to be under attack to force their way into U40. Following Gondo's instructions, they deliberately damaged Ultria's engines, forcing it to crash-land on U40 while simultaneously sabotaging the Heller Legion’s defensive towers.
In order to assist the U40 soldiers, Jones and Hikari acted separately.
After Ultria exploded, the Science Guard Party successfully escaped. Joneus expressed his desire to support his struggling teammates in space, warning Hikari not to rely on him before flying into the cosmos. Meanwhile, Heller became aware of Joneus’s fusion with a human and sought to discover which member of the Science Guard Party had merged with him. He welcomed them into the base and surrounded them, taking Amia and the Great Sage as hostages and demanding that the Science Guard Party surrender Joneus’s human form to force him to reveal his true identity.
Almost certain that Hikari was Joneus’s host, Heller urged Hikari to transform, but Hikari was unable to do so as he had just separated from Joneus. At that moment, Amia charged at Heller but accidentally pressed a button on the machine, causing the Great Sage, who was pinned to a cross, to be atomically disintegrated.To The Ultra Star! Part 3: U (Ultra) Fleet's Large Fierce Battle
Seeing Joneus fighting valiantly in space, Heller began to waver. In that moment, Gondo attempted to escape, expressing their underlying reliance on Ultraman. The Science Guard Party resolved to fight using their own strength and began to disperse. Hikari and Gondo made their way to the Heller City defensive tower. When Gondo instructed Hikari to destroy the control panel, Hikari successfully did so but was blown away by the explosion. As Hikari slammed into the ground, a protective light enveloped him, while Captain Kondo was restrained. It was then that Heller summoned the giant monster Makdatar to execute all members of the Science Guard Party. In that critical moment, Hikari awoke at Joneus's call and merged with him once again.
Transformed into Joneus, Hikari launched a counterattack. Heller commanded Makdath to launch an assault, just as reinforcements from U40 arrived. In a coordinated effort, Makdath was defeated, prompting Heller to order Heller City to surface and escape. Amia, rescued by Joneus, retrieved the data card containing the atomic arrangement of the Great Sage, successfully reviving him. Heller City collapsed under Joneus's assault, and Heller perished in the resulting explosion. Ultimately, Hikari and Joneus reclaimed the source of the Ultra Mind and secured the future of U40 from Heller's grasp.
After the battle, Joneus and Hikari parted ways. Since the Ultraman of U40 could transform from a humanoid form back into Ultraman, Joneus demonstrated how to revert to his original state.
After the final battle with the Heller Empire, Hikari and the other members bid farewell to Joneus and Amia who left Earth.
Meanwhile, with peace restored on Earth, Hikari and Joneus pledged to believe in their own strength rather than rely on others. Witnessing humanity's triumph over the Heller Legion, Joneus and Amia bid farewell to Hikari before departing from Earth. To The Ultra Star! Conclusion: Towards Peace and Victory
Transformation[]
Beam Flasher: This device allows Hikari to transform into Ultraman Joneus. He first charges the Beam Flasher with energy and places it on his forehead. Then, a bright light will cover him and transform him into his Ultra form.
Powers and Weapons[]
- Combat Training: Hikari is a trained marksman and combatant.
- Piloting: Hikari is skilled in piloting rockets and fighter jets.
- Beam Flasher: Hikari can transform via the Beam Flasher.
Gallery[]
The☆Ultraman[]
Miscellaneous[]
![Promotional poster drawn by Kazuhiro Ochi in 2019[1]](/wiki/File:ULTRAMAN_1979_2019.jpeg "ULTRAMAN 1979 2019.jpeg (264 KB)")
Trivia[]
- Hikari is the first animated protagonist in the Ultraman Series.
- Hikari is the second Showa Ultra's human host that only appeared in just one series and he was never seen again. The first was Kotaro Higashi in Ultraman Taro.
References[]