Minami, while on patrol, observes a terrible-monster attacking a passenger plane. TAC didn’t see the terrible-monster, and concludes that the incident was an accident. Hokuto, in hopes of proving Minami right, starts an investigation on his own.
Plot[]
On patrol, Minami witnesses the sky crack open and a monster emerges. Destroying a bridge with a little boy on it, a passenger plane flies overhead and it, too, is destroyed. TAC investigates the wreckage and finds no sign of the little boy, nor the monster Minami described. Hokuto finds the yellow hat belonging to the boy which happens to have his name, Shiro Nakamori, printed on it.
Hokuto locates his parents and upon meeting the boy, realizes something is wrong with him after he swipes his gun and attempts to kill him with it! It's discovered the boy has been possessed by the Yapool, using him as a host for the monster Vakishim. Luring the main TAC members away with a decoy, Vakishim is sent to destroy the TAC headquarters at the base of Mount Fuji.
According to Masahiko Shiraishi, this episode was filmed in Kakio, an area that, at the time, consisted mainly of farmland and rice paddies, unlike the present-day Yomiuriland. A studio was located nearby, and Toei's outdoor filming lot was also in the area. At that time, Toei was filming Kamen Rider while Tsuburaya Productions was working on Ultraman Ace, with both productions taking place simultaneously.[1]
Yamagiwa shared that from Return of Ultraman onward, he worked closely with special effects director Kazuo Sagawa. Since the filming schedule prioritized the main production team, they had in-depth discussions about camera angles to ensure that the special effects shots complemented the live-action footage. Every time a rough cut of the episode was ready, the special effects team would watch it to align their shots with the main production.
Regarding the scene where Vakishim emerges from the sky, Taguchi revealed that it was Sagawa who asked the screenwriters what kind of shot they wanted. Akihiko Iguchi mentioned that Sagawa had referenced a similar scene from The Ten Commandments (1956), where the parting of the sea was achieved through compositing effects.
Iguchi further explained that due to the size of Vakishim's suit, it couldn’t be transported from Villagez Keizo’s studio to the shooting location. The solution was to cut the suit along the back, splitting it in half for transport.
Yamagiwa also mentioned that producer Ken Kumagai was quite troubled at the time due to production delays and budget cuts.
During the filming of the special effects scenes, Yamagiwa worked alongside Koichi Takano, Sagawa, and Shinichi Kamizawa. Sagawa had a unique technique for filming the planes, often making them flip or rotate to capture different angles. Taguchi recalled how Sagawa was often loud on set, while Takano, always a gentleman, would wear white socks and frequently doze off. Special effects work involved long wait times. Iguchi pointed out that Sadamasa Arikawa would arrive at the set every morning by 8 a.m., while the art department often worked late into the night, sometimes finishing around midnight or 1 a.m. Despite that, everyone had to arrive earlier than the director, typically by 7 a.m. Iguchi also recalled, "Sagawa would often shout, 'Call Iguchi!' But when I arrived, it would turn out there was nothing urgent."
Taguchi added that one of the requests for this episode was to avoid filming swimming pool (water combat) scenes in winter.
It is reported that due to the brutal narrative depicted in this episode, producer Yoji Hashimoto was on duty at TBS Television on the day of broadcast, recording viewer call-in feedback. During this time, an angry foreign mother, deeply disturbed by the storyline, called to complain vehemently, saying, "There is nothing more terrifying than a child turning into a terrible-monster! This is blasphemy; children are angels."[4]
For a brief moment when TAC are chasing Vakishim's human form, the Joan Baez song "A Song For David" can be heard.
This is the first episode that Ultraman Ace uses the grunts provided by Goro Naya, who also provides his speaking voice, as Ace reuses Ultraman's grunts by Masao Nakasone most of times in the series.
