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Ichiro Yamanaka (山中 一郎, Yamanaka Ichirō) is one of the main characters from Ultraman Ace. He is the vice-captain of TAC Far East branch.

History[]

Ultraman Ace[]

Ichiro Yamanaka 1

Yamanaka's first appearance.

Yamanaka is the vice-captain of the TAC Far East Branch and is regarded as the "big brother" figure within the team. He is the most skilled marksman in the group, particularly adept at rapid firing, and often carries two TAC guns. However, his personality is somewhat anxious and boisterous, and he frequently scolds Seiji Hokuto loudly. Despite this, he is inherently a kind person who cares deeply about his teammates and sometimes volunteers for dangerous missions. Additionally, he shows a caring side, such as when he offers help and special training to Hokuto during a period of discouragement.

As a realist, Yamanaka usually approaches sudden mysterious phenomena with skepticism, often doubting the accounts of his colleagues and witnesses. This skepticism frequently leads to conflicts with Hokuto, and he even goes as far as questioning and scolding him, never believing anything Hokuto says. However, once he learns the truth, he is quick to acknowledge it, even if he doesn't typically change his attitude. At times, he also demonstrates a willingness to go to any lengths to achieve his goals, even if it means protecting the Earth at any cost.

Ichiro Yamanaka e7 01

Yamanaka and his fiancée Maya.

He was once engaged to Maya Takashina, who worked in the TAC communications unit. However, during an invasion incident, TAC observed the mysterious star Goran approaching Earth. If a collision were to occur, Earth would not survive, and humanity was given only seven days. To intercept Golan, TAC initiated the operation to launch the interstellar ballistic missile "Maria 1."

As the launch preparations were completed and TAC members were returning from the command tower to the base, Yamanaka passed by his fiancée, Maya, who had been assigned as the communications officer in the command tower. Yamanaka gave Maya the engagement ring as a protective charm. However, when the launch countdown began, the ground suddenly shook, and a Alien Metron Jr.. appeared from beneath the earth, destroying Maria 1. The attack damaged the command tower and caused a fire. Although Maya narrowly survived, Metron Jr., now the size of a human, appeared and took her life and body. When TAC arrived at the command tower, Yamanaka rushed into the burning structure to save Maya, but it was no longer her—it was Metron Jr. impersonating Maya. Metron Jr., using Maya’s appearance, attempted to extract information from Yamanaka.

Ichiro Yamanaka e7 02

Under the manipulation of Alien Metron Jr., Yamanaka became the target of his use, which even caused divisions within TAC.

Despite this, the blueprints for the Maria missile were not destroyed, and TAC decided to build Maria 2. However, Yamanaka unknowingly revealed this information to the disguised Metron Jr. This led to Metron Jr. detonating the arsenal’s vault where the Maria missile blueprints were stored. Hokuto discovered Metron Jr. in the base and opened fire on him, but the alien managed to escape. Hokuto then noticed that Maya had injured Metron Jr.’s right arm earlier and realized that Metron Jr. was impersonating Maya. He aimed his gun at her, but Yamanaka saw this and confronted Hokuto. Hokuto insisted, "Maya has already been killed by the Metron alien," which enraged Yamanaka, causing him to strike Hokuto.

Meanwhile, as Metron Jr. continued his covert activities, the Terrible-Monster Doragory also appeared near the base. Faced with two enemies at once, Hokuto and Yuko Minami transformed into Ultraman Ace and trapped Doragory within an atmospheric fissure using the Ace Barrier. However, since they decided to use the Ace Barrier, which consumes half of their power and causes one of them to collapse, Minami’s strength was severely drained, rendering her unable to fight. Simultaneously, Metron Jr. initiated his sabotage inside the TAC base. When Hokuto returned to the base, he claimed that the damage was caused by Metron Jr. disguised as Maya, but no one believed him.

With only three days remaining until the collision between the mysterious star Goran and Earth, Yamanaka, who continued to care for Maya, noticed something unsettling in her words: "If Hokuto says I'm an alien again, shoot him." Despite this, Yamanaka still believed Maya was genuine and decided to take her on a tour of the highly confidential Maria 2 manufacturing plant. Hokuto and Minami were responsible for guarding the factory. Although Hokuto and Yamanaka had a disagreement, Minami suggested that if Maya was willing to surrender the ring she was currently wearing, she would be allowed to pass through. Maya immediately responded, "Sure, here you go," and the ring in question was the engagement ring Yamanaka had given her.

Ichiro Yamanaka e7 04

Yamanaka discovers the true identity of Alien Metron Jr., thereby confirming the truth behind his fiancée's death.

When Yamanaka questioned Maya, she suddenly seized a TAC gun from his holster. However, as a quick-draw shooter, Yamanaka swiftly drew another TAC gun and fired, causing Maya to fall and reveal her true identity as Metron Jr. Metron Jr. then grew to a massive size and began to cause destruction. At the same time, Doragory, following Yapool's orders, also resumed its attack. Hokuto and Minami transformed into Ultraman Ace and fought against the two enemies, but they struggled in the 1-on-2 situation. At this point, the Muruchi II appeared, putting Ace in a 1-on-3 predicament. When Ace dodged a charge attack from the Muruchi II, Muruchi II collided directly with Doragory. Enraged, Doragory tore off Muruchi II's lower jaw, killing it.

Although the situation shifted from 1-on-3 to 1-on-2, Ace still struggled against the formidable Metron Jr. and Doragory. In the end, Ace decided to use the "Ace Barrier," the ultimate measure, to trap Metron Jr. and Doragory within an atmospheric fissure. Although the crisis was temporarily averted, Minami suffered severe exhaustion from repeated use of the "Ace Barrier" and eventually lost consciousness. She was then taken to the medical room.[2]Monster vs. Terrible-Monster vs. Alien

Afterward, Hokuto and Kozo Yoshimura set out on patrol and discovered that Metron Jr. was trapped in a blue capsule and in a dormant state due to the "Ace Barrier." Hokuto reported this to Captain Goro Ryu via radio, and Ryu instructed him to continue monitoring. However, Yamanaka could not accept this order because his fiancée had been killed by Metron Jr. He incited Tsutomu Konno to take action without the captain’s permission and attempted to attack Metron Jr.

Ichiro Yamanaka e8 01

Yamanaka was blinded by revenge for Maya's death, causing him to almost mess up the mission against the mysterious star Goran.

While Yamanaka and Konno attacked Metron Jr. with TAC arrows, Hokuto tried to stop them, but Yamanaka continued the assault, ultimately causing the capsule to break open and awaken Metron Jr. Metron Jr. then attacked both the TAC arrows and Hokuto, forcing Hokuto and his team to retreat. Upon returning to the base, they were reprimanded by Captain Ryu. Yamanaka argued that his judgment was not wrong, but Ryu emphasized that their most important task was to complete Maria No. 2 and destroy the mysterious star Goran.

At this time, Minami was in critical condition, and the approach of the mysterious star Goran triggered natural disasters, worsening the situation further. Meanwhile, unusual vibrations near the secret base where Maria 2 was being constructed caused the effects of the Ace Barrier to dissipate, leading to Doragory’s revival. TAC members fought to protect Maria 2 against the revived Doragory. The preparations for Maria No. 2’s launch also began, but at that moment, Metron Jr. appeared.

Ignoring the TAC members’ attacks, Doragory and Metron Jr. advanced towards Maria 2. Hokuto and Minami transformed into Ultraman Ace and split Metron Jr. in half, successfully defeating it. However, this attack drained a significant amount of Ace’s energy, leaving him exhausted and vulnerable to Doragory’s attacks. In this critical moment, TAC successfully launched Maria 2. With the demon star Goran successfully destroyed, sunlight that had been blocked by Goran once again reached Earth. The solar energy restored Ace’s strength, allowing him to defeat Doragory and complete the destruction of Goran, thus averting the extinction crisis for Earth.[3]Life of the Sun Is the Life of Ace

During the Baraba incident, when Hokuto was assigned as the pilot of the manned missile due to Commander Takakura's vengeful personnel decision, Yamanaka stepped up, attempting to replace Hokuto as the missile pilot. Upon discovering significant defects in the missile, Yamanaka was infuriated by Commander Takakura's reckless orders and eventually expelled him from the base.5 Stars Scattered in the Galaxy

When the Alien Hipporit demanded the surrender of Ultraman Ace, Yamanaka initially showed support for giving up Ace. This decision was influenced by the ordinary citizens who agreed with the Hippolytan's demands. However, he was immediately reprimanded by Captain Ryu with the shout, "You fool!" and received a severe scolding. Captain Ryu explained that even if Ace were surrendered, Earth would only face enslavement afterward.Total Defeat! The 5 Ultra Brothers

During a mission, a mysterious spaceship destroyed Space Station No. 5 and attacked Earth. TAC immediately launched an interception. However, Hokuto, piloting a TAC Arrow, suddenly experienced tinnitus after being exposed to the red light emitted by the spaceship, leading to physical weakness and operational errors that nearly caused a crash. Although the spaceship was eventually destroyed by the TAC space fighters piloted by Yamanaka and Konno, Hokuto faced severe reprimand from Yamanaka due to the mishap.

Yamanaka suggested to Captain Ryu that Hokuto be reassigned from flying duties to ground work. When Hokuto expressed a desire to continue flight training, Yamanaka informed him that training would start at sunrise the next day. Meanwhile, TAC held a brief party to celebrate their victory over the enemy. The team sang the "TAC no Uta" and reveled in their triumph, but Hokuto, having been scolded, could not fully enjoy the celebration.

Due to the severe tinnitus, Hokuto overslept and missed the flight training with Yamanaka after returning home that night. When he was woken by an angry call from Yamanaka, Hokuto hurriedly stated he would go to work immediately and rushed to the irate Yamanaka. Under Yamanaka’s supervision, Hokuto began the flight training. Dan Umezu, noticing this, went to watch with a young boy named Akira, who had been weakened by a high fever the previous day and was rescued by Dan and Kayoko Umezu. Akira predicted that Hokuto’s TAC Arrow would crash and pointed at it. As a result, the TAC Arrow did indeed begin to malfunction according to Akira's prediction. Dan, realizing that Akira was causing the fighter to lose control, attempted to stop him, but Akira revealed himself as the Terrible-Monster "Coakes" and disappeared.

Hokuto once again found himself in a dangerous flight situation. Dan later reported to TAC that Akira was actually the Terrible-Monster. Hokuto claimed the malfunction was caused by the monster, but the team did not believe Hokuto and Dan. As a result, Hokuto was reassigned to ground duties.

The next day, the enormous Coakes appeared and began destroying the city. To rescue his teammates, who were also trapped by the red light, Hokuto risked disobeying orders. Although he successfully saved his teammates, he was shot down. He transformed into Ultraman Ace to challenge Coakes but struggled due to the paralysis rays emitted by Coakes. When the Ultraman signal appeared in the sky, Ace, who understood that Cox's rays were emitted from his fingertips, ultimately succeeded in defeating the formidable enemy. Yamanaka also cleared up the misunderstanding with Hokuto and apologized to him.[4]With Hopes in the Star of Ultra

TAC 032

TAC's last appearance.

During the final battle with Jumbo King, he and other TAC members learned that Hokuto's true identity was Ultraman Ace. After a fierce battle, they witnessed the moment when Ace finally defeated Jumbo King. However, unable to transform back into his human form, Hokuto conveyed his wishes to the TAC team before departing from Earth. Against the backdrop of the setting sun, the members bid farewell to him.You Are the Ace of Tomorrow!

Ultraman Mebius: Anderes Horizont[]

During the battle against the second invasion of the Alien Shaplay army, while GUYS' crew members and Ultraman Mebius were busy dealing with their monster Albino Giradorus, a certain "Yamanaka guy" (ヤマナカ某, Yamanaka bō) from GUYS' Investigation Department rushed into them alone.

Armed with nothing more than a pair of modified SSSP Super Guns, the investigator successfully gunned nearly all of them down, with only a single escapee getting away.

Although the identity of this individual was not fully confirmed, given his status as a double-gunned marksman, it can be speculated he is no one else other than the veteran ex-TAC member Ichiro Yamanaka. Ultraman Mebius: Anderes Horizont

Gallery[]

Ultraman Ace[]

Miscellaneous[]

Trivia[]

  • Yamanaka is the first Defense Team member in the Ultraman series to be equipped with dual pistols.

References[]

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