Hiroshi Ban

Hiroshi Ban
Data
Type	Ally
Gender	Male
Age	43 year old
Family	Tsugumi Ban (daughter)
Affiliation	SKIP
First Appearance	Ultraman Arc episode 1 "Arc to the Future"
Latest Appearance	Ultraman Arc The Movie: The Clash of Light and Evil
Portrayed by	Koichiro Nishi Tony Oliver (English dub)

Hiroshi Ban is the chief of the Hoshimoto City Branch of SKIP.

History

Pre-Ultraman Arc

Hiroshi grew up fascinated by dinosaurs, proudly calling himself a "dinosaur kid." This passion led him to pursue geology and mineralogy, studying under renowned paleontologist Shinya Makino during university.

At Daiko Mountain Ridge, Hiroshi unearthed a massive prehistoric fossil, which Professor Makino initially dismissed, doubting such large organisms could exist in Earth's past environment. Their disagreement caused a rift. After the K-Day event confirmed the organism as a "kaiju," Hiroshi joined SKIP in 2014, determined to use his expertise to address the challenges posed by kaiju. He was assigned to various branches in Hokkaido, Miyagi, Niigata, and Tottori, before being appointed as the chief of the newly established Hoshimoto City branch.

Known for his enthusiasm and precise leadership, Hiroshi balances approachability with occasional bold decisions. Beyond his professional life, he has also built a family of his own.

Ultraman Arc

Three months later, under Ban's leadership, SKIP investigated "Monohorn," the horn of the Monogelos from the "K-DAY" incident. During the investigation, they detected a creature inside Monohorn, named "Oo-ze," which burrowed underground and parasitized the armored kaiju Shagong.

With help from GDF investigator Shu Ishido, the team discovered that the parasitized Shagong consumed calcium carbonate, Oo-Ze's nutrient source, mutating into a 50-meter-tall kaiju. It advanced toward Hayama Chemical Industries in Hoshimoto City, prompting Ban to order evacuations. He witnessed Ultraman Arc 's battle with Shagong. The next day, after receiving instructions from SKIP headquarters, Ban introduced Ishido as the team's new "Special Investigator." ^{Arc to the Future}

Several weeks later, a previously unknown kaiju fossil was discovered at Daiko Mountain Ridge in Hoshimoto City. Shortly after, the site was rapidly submerged, forming a large lake. The SKIP team arrived to investigate, where Hiroshi reunited with Dr. Makino, who was leading the fossil research.

Hiroshi reunites with Professor Makino.

Professor Makino determined the lake was actually an "ocean" based on the water's composition and salinity. While initial progress was slow, underwater exploration by Youpi revealed varying salinity levels, suggesting the water originated from an aquifer and mixed with sodium chloride to form seawater. Despite this, no kaiju evidence was found. When some team members suggested abandoning the investigation due to a lack of kaiju evidence, Hiroshi insisted on continuing. He stressed that the phenomenon's unnatural nature warranted further exploration to protect the evacuees and fulfill SKIP's duty. His determination inspired the team and renewed their morale.

Hiroshi revealed to Professor Makino his motivation for joining SKIP.

During a break, Professor Makino discussed the fossil Hiroshi had discovered years ago at Daiko Mountain Ridge. Hiroshi noticed his mentor had shifted from rigid views to embracing imagination in young researchers. This candid conversation resolved their past misunderstandings. Later, during breakfast, they watched in curiosity as Shu casually sprinkled salt on his egg—an action that unexpectedly sparked the theory that Hiroshi's fossil might belong to "Livyjira."

Hiroshi and Professor Makino theorized that, contrary to the previous belief that kaiju might draw seawater from an unknown source, a kaiju capable of producing salt could instead store water within the underground aquifers of the mountain ridge. Over time, this water would transform into seawater-like conditions. This kaiju could have then gone into hibernation in its lair.

As the lake's salinity rose, the SKIP team returned to Daiko Mountain Ridge for further investigation. With the first evacuation shelter reopening at 10 a.m., they resumed their work 30 minutes earlier. Hiroshi and Professor Makino were stationed on a small boat, while YouPi entered the tunnel through a gap in the debris. After thorough exploration, the salinity reached 35%, and Livyjira was discovered.

On the lake, Professor Makino and Hiroshi were attacked by Livyjira. Ultraman Arc appeared just in time to rescue them and battle Livyjira underwater. After its defeat, Hiroshi and Professor Makino continued their research on its habits and immersed themselves in the hypotheses of evolutionary knowledge. ^{Ocean on the Mountain Ridge}

Hiroshi happily watched Tsugumi's performance as a reporter.

During a student career experience event in Hoshimoto City, Hiroshi's daughter, Tsugumi, chose to pursue a role as a field reporter for a television program rather than following in the footsteps of SKIP. Seeing that, Hiroshi shows his fatherly side, and a certain melancholic feeling fills the air.

An unusual Gomess later appeared on Mt. Ratsuno, prompting SKIP to investigate. They advised the GDF to use citronella-acid-based tank rounds against it. However, during the operation the next day, they were shocked to find the attack completely ineffective. Even stranger, the Gomess began emitting anti-gravity waves and flew toward Ogami Town, where Tsugumi was on assignment. Due to these unusual abilities, the GDF designated it Gomess (SP).

Hiroshi saves his daughter from the disaster caused by Gomess (SP).

As SKIP assisted in the evacuation, Hiroshi found Tsugumi amid the chaos. When Gomess attacked a nearby tower, causing it to collapse, Hiroshi instinctively shielded his daughter. At that critical moment, Yuma transformed into Ultraman Arc, saving them both. The creature's disguise then faded, revealing its true form: Supekkio. After Arc defeated Supekkio, Tsugumi, inspired by her father's bravery and Arc's heroism, overcame her fright. She delivered a heartfelt on-camera report to her audience.

Hiroshi made Ultraman's flying pose.

Later, father and daughter reunited. Hiroshi praised Tsugumi's performance, proudly noting she hadn't stuttered. Reflecting on Tsugumi's growth, Hiroshi struck a pose reminiscent of Ultraman's flight gesture, looking to the sky with pride. ^{What is Passed Down}

As Yuma's increasingly erratic behavior raised suspicions, and anomalies were observed during the Guilebaku incident, Hiroshi and the other members of SKIP finally realized the truth— Yuma was Ultraman Arc. However, they could only watch helplessly as Yuma transformed once again to face Guilebaku, falling victim to the illusions created by its Dream Ray. ^{The Descending Dream}

Hiroshi and others witnessed Yuma leaving the Earth.

To rescue Arc and Yuma, SKIP analyzed Guilebaku's organs and discovered its electromagnetic wave properties. Rin developed an Onyxium Particle emitter to dismantle Guilebaku's barrier. while Hiroshi coordinated the operation and assisted Shu in advancing to the frontlines. After Sweed was defeated, Earth's crisis was averted. To save Arc's homeworld, Yuma decided to leave Earth, bidding farewell to the members of SKIP.

3 months later, as Shu was about to return to the GDF, Hiroshi and the rest of the team received a surprise call on the Kaiju Hotline—from none other than Yuma. ^{Time to Run, Yuma!}

Counterparts

Hiroshi's counterpart from "another universe" also appears in this series. In his own universe, this version of Hiroshi is a leader of the Rescue Team within GGFJ. ^{The Transcending Wish}

Gallery

Ultraman Arc

Miscellaneous

Trivia

• According to an interview with Koichiro Nishi, his interest in the Ultraman series was sparked when Ultraman Decker aired. At that time, he had discussed with his agent the possibility of appearing in the Ultraman series. Therefore, he was quite pleased to be cast as Hiroshi, though he did not expect to become a major character.
  • To avoid appearing too youthful, Nishi specifically stopped his muscle training and allowed himself to relax and return to a normal lifestyle. While portraying Hiroshi, he considered the balance with the younger actors. Despite his own experience as a hero character, he humbly said, “It's not good for an old man to stand out, especially in a series like this.”
• The character's name is derived from the name "Hideki Ban," which was used for the protagonist during the planning stage of Return of Ultraman.
• Hiroshi has a strong fondness for Shiba Inus and keeps photos of them in his office and on his desk. However, he is unable to own a Shiba Inu due to family members' allergies to dogs.
  • These photos feature Mu-chan, the pet dog of Takanori Tsujimoto, the director of the series.

• Koichiro Nishi previously portrayed Ryoga Hakua / Aba Red in Bakuryū Sentai Abaranger. As a nod to his past role, Hiroshi's character in the series is given the backstory of having been "enthusiastic about dinosaurs in his youth." This appears to be a tribute to Nishi's earlier performance.

• • In episode 18, when Hiroshi strikes guiding poses toward Ultraman Arc, one of his gestures closely resembles the iconic pose from Bakuryū Sentai Abaranger.
  • During a "transformation pose explanation" segment with the main cast and director, Nishi specifically incorporated movements reminiscent of Aba Red's iconic poses. In response, Director Tsujimoto humorously remarked, "Doing this might get us scolded by the higher-ups at Tsuburaya and Toei. This part could end up as a standalone feature in online news." That segment later became a trending topic on social media.
  • In a countdown event, when asked, "What is your favorite original armor?" Nishi answered, "Bakuryū Armor," using a font design similar to the Bakuryū Sentai Abaranger title for added flair.
  • While privately attending the Ultra Heroes EXPO Summer Festival, Nishi wore Ryoga Hakua's outfit, shared photos on social media, and received playful jabs from Director Tsujimoto.
  • Additionally, when Nishi appeared as a guest on the talk show Takaya's Room, he wore Ryoga Hakua's outfit underneath Hiroshi's costume. This led the host, Takaya Aoyagi, to tease him for his playful homage.