Hayao Sato

"Kenji. Ultraman's most important task is finding balance."

―Sato enlightens young Ken.

Professor Sato
Data
Ultra	Ultradad
Transformation Item	Willpower
Type	Ally
Gender	Male
Family	Emiko Sato (wife) Ken Sato (son)
First Appearance	Ultraman: Rising
Portrayed by	Gedde Watanabe (English dub) Fumiyo Kohinata (Japanese dub)

Professor Sato is a supporting character in Ultraman: Rising. He is the estranged father of Ken Sato, as well as one of the world's foremost Kaiju experts. His real name is Hayao Sato, although in reality, he is the human form of the previous Ultraman, now known as Ultradad.

Conception

Design

According to The Art and Making of Ultraman: Rising, Shannon Tindle stated that the character's early design was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki. As development continued, he aimed to express a quieter and more vulnerable strength. To achieve this, he drew inspiration from Japanese actor Takashi Shimura. For Professor Sato's proportions, Tindle referenced the character designs from Pixar's The Incredibles, particularly the contrast in body shapes. He wanted Sato's aging figure to appear shorter, creating a visual contrast with Ken, who inherited his mother's taller build.

Character designer Keiko Murayama added that Tindle referred to the 1952 film Ikiru, especially the quiet melancholy of Shimura's performance. This sense of dignity and weariness, reflected through Sato's beard, age, and build, also influenced his Ultra form, "Ultradad."

History

Pre-Ultraman: Rising

For 30 years, Sato has been secretly active as Ultraman.

Little is known about Sato's past, except that he is the human form of Ultraman, Japan's long-time protector. He lived in Odaiba, Tokyo, with his wife Emiko Sato and their son Kenji, maintaining connections with the KDF and Dr. Onda. For three decades, Sato operated in secret as Ultraman.

One evening, shortly after Kenji's birth, Sato and Emiko were preparing curry when a report arrived that Gomora was attacking Shirokanedai. Jokingly, Sato remarked that it would be unfortunate to die without tasting the meal, to which Emiko replied that she would grieve, but the curry would not go to waste. Before that night, Sato's Color Timer would begin flashing after only a few minutes of battle. During the fight with Gomora, however, his determination to protect his family caused it to remain steady for the first time.

Sato and his son Kenji in the past.

As Kenji grew older, Sato placed high hopes on him, often reminding him that "Ultraman's greatest task is to find balance." He also encouraged his son to reflect on who he wanted to become. However, a sudden attack by Gigantron changed the family's fate. Fearing that his identity as Ultraman endangered them, Sato asked Emiko to take Kenji to the United States while he stayed in Tokyo to continue his Kaiju research and search for Kaiju Island. Twenty years later, Kenji realized his dream of becoming a professional baseball player, gaining fame in Major League Baseball under the name "Ken Sato." Because Sato was largely absent during his childhood, Kenji developed resentment and struggled to reconnect with him. Emiko, however, hoped for reconciliation, sending Sato recordings and medals from Kenji's games to keep him informed of his son's achievements. Several months later, Sato sustained injuries that temporarily prevented him from transforming into Ultraman. He contacted Emiko and Kenji, asking his son to inherit the Ultraman mantle and continue protecting Japan.

Not long afterward, Emiko went missing in an accident and remained unaccounted for. Sato converted their old family cabin into a laboratory to search for her, but despite years of effort, he was unable to find any trace.

Ultraman: Rising

Twenty years later, Sato secretly monitors the KDF's operations.

After Ken returned to Tokyo, he inherited his father's powers and became the new Ultraman, defending the city from Kaiju attacks. Despite this, the relationship between father and son remained strained. Sato monitored Ken's battles through each incident and repeatedly tried to contact him, urging him to take his duties seriously, but Ken ignored his calls.

One day, Sato watched from his laboratory as Ken, now a star player for the Yomiuri Giants, played in the opening game at the New Tokyo Dome. When Ken hit a home run, Sato cheered proudly. During the game, however, Gigantron appeared and attacked the stadium, targeting an object under KDF surveillance. Sato witnessed both Ultraman and Gigantron being struck by missiles and falling into Tokyo Bay.

Sato and Ken argue over their long-standing estrangement.

Afterward, Mina contacted Sato, urging him to visit the Ultra Base to check on Ken. When Sato arrived, Ken dismissed his concern and masked the cries of the Kaiju baby with loud music. Frustrated, Sato said, "The greatest creature on Earth is dead—the last of its kind—and you're throwing a party?" Ken angrily replied that his father had chosen his mission over family for the past twenty years and that he was now left to deal with the consequences. Sato explained that his actions were meant to protect his son, but Ken accused him of failing to look for Emiko after her disappearance. Sato finally said, "We both share the pain of losing her," and left Ultrabase that rainy night.

Sato comforts the injured Emi.

Later, KDF troops fired tranquilizers at the Kaiju baby, injuring its right arm. Ken escaped their pursuit and returned to Ultrabase, where he sought his father's help. Upon arriving, Sato provided the tranquilizer dart for analysis. Together with Mina, they determined that the baby had a humeral fracture and hematoma. To calm it, Sato used Ken's childhood toy "Ollie" and softly sang "Bingo."

Sato decided to remain at Ultrabase and assist Ken. Although Ken initially kept his distance, Sato showed him news reports of the KDF's large-scale search for Ultraman and the baby. He noted that unlike their usual operations aimed at eliminating Kaiju, this time the KDF wanted the creature alive—suggesting hidden motives. To aid in the baby's recovery, Sato and Ken began preparing it for life in the wild. In memory of his wife, Sato named the baby "Emi." As training progressed, the relationship between father and son gradually began to heal.

Soon after, Sato, Ken, and Mina piloted the Ultra Jet to a forest cabin that had been converted into a laboratory, once the family's former home. There, Ken came to understand the efforts his father had made to search for his missing mother and realized that Sato had always tried to keep their family connected. That evening, Ken asked his father about the responsibilities of being Ultraman. Sato explained that each battle carried uncertainty and risk, and his only goal had been to protect Ken and Emiko.

Sato and Ken reconcile.

Through years of research and work to bridge the gap between humans and Kaiju, Sato and Emiko had come to believe that being Ultraman was not solely about fighting but about maintaining balance. By caring for Emi, Ken achieved what his parents had long sought, leading to a quiet reconciliation between father and son. Their peace was short-lived. When KDF forces located Emi and launched a drone strike on the family, Sato was severely injured and fell into a coma. He was transported back to Ultrabase for treatment, but during the KDF's assault with Mecha Gigantron, the facility suffered massive damage, and Sato disappeared amid the chaos.

Sato, as Ultradad, saves Ken.

As Ken transformed into Ultraman to rescue Emi, Dr. Onda directed Mecha Gigantron to attack. Sato reappeared as Ultradad, intervening to protect his son and helping Gigantron break free from KDF's control. Renewed by his father's return, Ken joined him in a final battle against the Destroyer. During the fight, Ultradad used close-combat techniques but was injured when his weakened leg was struck.

At a decisive moment, Ultradad supported Ultraman's right arm, and together they released the Spacium Beam, defeating the Destroyer with assistance from Gigantron and Emi. However, Dr. Onda triggered the Destroyer's self-destruct system, endangering the Tokyo Bay area. Against his father's objections, Ken deployed a Force Shield over the blast zone to contain the explosion.

When the battle ended, Ken survived his injuries. In the film's closing scene, Sato, Ken, Emi, and Gigantron successfully located "Kaiju Island."

Gallery

Ultraman: Rising

Concept Art

Concept art by Sunmin Inn

Concept art by Keiko Murayama

Expression sheets, by Sandro Cleuzo

Concept art by Gabriel Gomez

Concept art by Marion Louw

Concept art by Marion Louw

Style Exploration, by Sunmin Inn

Character model, by Mark Anthony Austin

Miscellaneous

Trivia

Sato controls the Defense Turret.

• Sato owns some of KDF's old mechas, including Ultra Jet and Ultra Ship.
  • In the original plans for the film, Sato owned a Defense Turret. According to concept artist Khang Le and the illustrations provided in the concept art, it is an old technology hidden in Sato's forest cabin/lab attic.
• Director Shannon Tindle cites Dan Moroboshi as the inspiration for Professor Sato's character, being an Ultra who took human form after coming to Earth. This is briefly alluded to when he describes his wife as having shown him "what it means to be human."
  • In Shannon Tindle's responses to questions during the AMA, it was confirmed that Professor Sato is Ultradad's human disguise. He comes from the Land of Light.
  • The reference to Dan Moroboshi is further reinforced by the reason for his retirement as Ultraman being a leg injury, which parallels Dan's situation in Ultraman Leo.

Sato's vehicle.

• Professor Sato's car is a Mazda Cosmo Sport (L10B), which is the same model as the MAT Vehicle.
  • His license plate even references Ultraseven (M78-U7).
• Sato kept Ken's favorite childhood doll, "Ollie," as a memento to remember his son. Ollie is a character from the earlier work Lost Ollie, in which Shannon was involved.
  • Initially, when treating Emi, Shannon intended to use another character doll, Mattel's Sing-a-ma-jigs, as a substitute. However, due to not being able to secure the rights, John Aoshima suggested using Ollie instead.
  • As a result, the production team brought back Jonathan Groff, the voice actor for Ollie, to reprise his role. They also asked the composer, Scot Stafford, if he could incorporate the theme music from Lost Ollie into the scene, making it sound as if it was being played from an old pull-string toy.