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Eisuke Wakura (和倉 英輔, Wakura Eisuke) is the captain of the Night Raiders. He is one of the major characters of Ultraman Nexus.

Personality[]

Wakura is a military man with a strong sense of responsibility and calm judgment. Despite his stern personality, he is gentle with his subordinates and is deeply trusted and loved by them. He possesses excellent combat skills, is loyal to his missions, and often shows concern for Komon's troubles in a strict yet warm manner.

Although his motto is to obey superior orders, he will also disobey them for justice when he learns the truth. At critical moments, he often demonstrates his literary expertise by commenting on others' evaluations. For example, he once used a quote from Nietzsche to criticize Mizorogi, and is familiar with the content of the "Revelation".

History[]

Pre-Ultraman Nexus[]

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Wakura leading the NR a year ago

Following the Shinjuku Incident in 2004, NR was established along with the creation of TLT-J, the Japanese branch of TLT. Eisuke Wakura was appointed as the leader of NR, with Shinya Mizorogi as the deputy leader. Shortly after joining NR, Wakura often led the team reliably in accordance with the illustrator's instructions. He also displayed commanding abilities to accurately assess situations and carry out operations smoothly in the fight against Space Beasts.

When Nagi joined NR, Mizorogi discovered that she had an incredible ability to sense Space Beasts vibrations, which couldn't be detected by TLT's equipment. He trained Nagi's combat skills based on this special trait. However, this also made Wakura worry that there might be a complete confrontation between them, but he chose to trust her nonetheless.

A year ago, Wakura led the NR team on a night raid of an abandoned factory. At that time, Nagi and Mizorogi lost contact after entering the factory alone. Subsequently, a huge fire and explosion occurred at the factory, causing Mizorogi to go missing, with only Nagi returning alone. Despite this incident, Wakura remained steadfast in leading the NR team to continue to fight against threats.Apocalypse

Half a year ago, NR rescued Shiori Hiraki during a battle against Arakunia, and she became a new member of NR.Shiori - Lost Memories -

Ultraman Nexus[]

At the beginning of the series, with Kazuki Komon joining the NR team, he became Komon's life mentor when he joined the team. Unlike the stern Nagi, Wakura often motivated and guided the lost Komon, giving him guidance and support.

As NR engaged in fierce battles against the Space Beasts, Wakura initially held a dangerous view of the existence of Ultraman when he first appeared on Earth. However, unlike Nagi, he later established a relationship of trust with Ultraman and Komon through their contact. He once encouraged Komon, saying, "Protect the Ultraman you believe in."Rush - Strike Formation -

During the Dark Faust incident, when talking to Nagi, he expressed his concern that Komon minds might fall into darkness like Mizorogi, but he insisted that Komon would definitely come back from the darkness with composure.Clairvoyant - Illustrator -

Eisuke Wakura 30

Wakura salutes Himeya

Before a mission, Wakura revealed Mizorogi's past to Komon, giving him a deeper understanding of Mizorogi's character. As they learned the true identity of Ultraman during a mission, Wakura did not share the same suspicion as others towards Jun Himeya, but instead began to trust him.Apocalypse

During the battle in the "Land of Death," Wakura and other members of NR witnessed the intense battle between Himeya and Mizorogi. In the end, Wakura paid his respects to Himeya, who disappeared in a flash of light, for his brave performance.Hero

When he met Mizorogi again, Wakura immediately inquired about Himeya's condition. As he was increasingly influenced by Komon's focus on saving lives, he began to feel angry about TLT's missions that involved using city residents as bait.

When Sara Mizuhara from TLT North America branch visited TLT-J for an investigation, the members of NR decided to invade the servers of TLT North America headquarters to search for information related to Unknown Hand. During the search, they accidentally discovered an Ultraman that had never been seen before, as well as disaster footage related to the Shinjuku incident. At the time, Wakura and the members of NR were confused until Sara provided an explanation. It turned out that Ultraman had already appeared in 2004, and the Shinjuku incident was also caused by Ultraman and Beast the One.Blockade - A.D. 2009 -

Upon learning that Ren Senjyu was captured by TLT for human experiments, Wakura was persuaded by Komon's appeal to rescue Ren. Before the rescue mission, they demanded that Yoichiro Matsunaga stop the human experiments on Ren, but Matsunaga refused. Unable to tolerate such human rights abuses, Wakura and the team forcefully broke into the laboratory and successfully rescued Ren, then left the Fortress Freedom.Revolt

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In the disintegrated NR, only Wakura is left to fight

After Ultraman defeated Izmael, the members of NR returned to their original positions. A few months later, the light was transmitted to Nagi, signaling the start of Mitsuhiko Ishibori/Dark Zagi's ultimate plan. First, he attacked Shiho, then Wakura was severely injured while protecting Komon. When he found out that Ishibori, whom he had trusted all along, was the mastermind behind all the events, he was shocked.

As the situation escalated, Nagi and Komon were also involved in the Lethe. Wakura, the only one left, decided to pilot Chrome Chester Delta to confront Dark Zagi, but was shot down in several fights. Fortunately, he was saved by the Ultraman, which Komon had transformed into. Finally, he and Nagi watched Ultraman Noa's battle on the street.

A year later, Wakura continued to serve as captain, leading the other three members to fight Space Beasts on the streets of the city.Bond - Nexus -

Gallery[]

Ultraman Nexus[]

Miscellaneous[]

Trivia[]

  • According to a 2021 interview with Tamotsu Ishibashi:[1]
    • Before starring in Ultraman Nexus, Ishibashi had appeared multiple times as a guest actor in various Ultraman series. At that time, he and his family lived in a residential area near the Toho Building, which housed the studio used for filming the Heisei Ultraman series. He once took his children to visit the studio, and shortly after, he received an invitation from Tsuburaya Productions to play the role of Wakura.
    • When asked about his first impression of Wakura, Ishibashi thought of him as a "samurai or a wolf-like figure." However, Wakura turned out to be a calm and composed leader, serving as the team’s coordinator. He sometimes appeared almost robotic, with precise thinking and actions.
    • Drawing from his experience playing lead roles in other television dramas, Ishibashi further developed Wakura's character. He made an effort to understand each script and establish a consistent image of Wakura during filming, while following the detailed emotional guidance provided by the director. However, instead of constantly revising his performance for each episode, he focused on conveying the appropriate emotions based on the context of each scene, incorporating feedback into his subsequent performances.
    • Regarding outdoor filming, Ishibashi admitted that wearing the team uniform was very hot and physically exhausting. However, the studio environment was cool, so he regularly exercised, such as jogging and walking, to maintain his stamina. Another memorable experience for him was filming the scenes in the Chrome Chester, where he had to act as if he were fighting space beasts, even though he didn’t know exactly what he was up against. He had to rely on the director's instructions, like "aim here," to perform those scenes effectively.

References[]

  1. Heisei Ultraman Mecha Chronicle pg 87

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