Ippei Ueno

Ippei Ueno (上野一平, Ueno Ippei) is one of the main characters from Return of Ultraman. He is a member of MAT and is designated as MAT member No.4.

History[]

Return of Ultraman[]

In the past, Ueno was an orphan who, when he was in danger on a mountain, was rescued by Dr. Koizumi, a leading authority in underground science. Since then, he has regarded Dr. Koizumi as a father figure. Later, he joined MAT.

As a member of MAT, Ueno is straightforward in expressing his emotions during battles. Although he is willing to risk his life to protect MAT, he sometimes shows an emotional side. While he may appear unstable at times, he is kind-hearted and possesses a firm will and courage, making him a young, impulsive, and passionate individual. He also has a belief in superstitions and divination, and his personality might be described as "lazy" by Takeshi Minami.

In the early part of the series, he initially showed a dismissive attitude towards Hideki Go’s opinions, considering them "foolish." However, he often protects Go, who is isolated within the team. During the incident where Twin Tail and Gudon attacked Tokyo, he tried to persuade the demotivated Go to rejoin MAT. Since then, he has maintained a good relationship with Go.^{Battle! Monsters vs. MAT}

During the investigation into King Maimai, Ueno once got lost in the forest and was blown away by King Maimai’s attack. Although he managed to hit King Maimai's right arm with a bomb-laden backpack, he was also blown away and ended up hanging from a tree, where he was not recovered by MAT members.^{Decisive Battle Under the Setting Sun}

One day, the Underground Science Center was attacked and buried underground. Following this, reports stated that Dr. Koizumi, a leading authority in underground science, had committed suicide in a lake. Ueno found it hard to believe the news of the doctor's death and subsequently received a call from the doctor's only daughter, Chidori, who was also his childhood friend.

Ippei Ueno e50 1 — Ueno and Chidori go to Pearl Lake where Dr. Koizumi committed suicide to investigate.

Chidori also couldn't believe the claim that her father had committed suicide and suspected there was another reason behind his death. Consequently, Ueno went to Chidori's university to investigate with her. However, a sudden small tornado lifted Chidori into the air. Fortunately, Ueno noticed in time and managed to ensure Chidori was unharmed.

Later, Ueno and Chidori arrived at the lake where Dr. Koizumi had disappeared. While walking along the trail, the ground beneath Chidori suddenly gave way, and she nearly fell off a cliff. Ueno once again pulled her to safety. Chidori expressed her concern that she had been encountering accidents everywhere she went recently. While the two were driving back in the MAT Vehicle, a landslide occurred. They narrowly escaped being buried under the debris at the last moment.

As evening approached, Ueno decided to protect Chidori at the MAT headquarters to avoid further disasters. Chidori tried to notify her university dormitory but discovered that the public phone booth she was in began being dragged underground, with the ground starting to engulf the booth. Worse still, when Ueno realized Chidori was in danger, he was suddenly attacked by a mysterious man with a gun. Ueno used the MAT gun to shoot at the man, stopping his actions and rescuing Chidori. When he rushed to see the man's face, he was shocked to find that the man was Dr. Koizumi. Ueno was stunned by the shooting of Dr. Koizumi.

Ippei Ueno e50 2 — Under the conspiracy of King Bockle, Ueno was framed as the murderer of Dr. Koizumi.

To make matters worse, Ueno suddenly experienced tinnitus and uncontrollably fired the MAT gun. At this moment, Go arrived at the scene. Ueno regained his composure and returned to the base, but Dr. Koizumi had already died, and a MAT gun bullet was removed from his body. While Captain Ibuki believed Ueno’s testimony that the other party had fired first, the higher-ups not only did not believe Ueno but also grew increasingly skeptical and dissatisfied with MAT, accusing the team of killing the authority in underground science.

Meanwhile, a photo of Dr. Koizumi heading towards the lake was accidentally taken. When the MAT members reviewed the developed photo, they saw a mysterious monster in front of Dr. Koizumi. The team speculated that Ueno had likely fallen into an enemy trap. Further investigation revealed that the bullet removed from Dr. Koizumi's body was very similar to a MAT gun bullet, but with a spiral pattern that was reversed. Therefore, the enemy’s target was Chidori, and Ueno was considered an obstacle.

Ueno, who had been confined in solitary, was eventually released. After seeing the monster’s photo, Chidori realized it was the "King Bockle" that Dr. Koizumi had been researching. She led MAT members to hand over the King Bockle materials stored in the dormitory. However, as King Bockle emerged from underground, the university dormitory was dragged into the ground. Ultraman Jack appeared, lifted the sunken dormitory, and began fighting King Bockle. Although Jack struggled against the enemy's high combat power, he started to counterattack based on Ueno's assistance and Chidori's advice about King Bockle's weakness—its use of ultrasonic waves for movement. By exploiting this weakness, Jack successfully paralyzed the monster’s sensory abilities and defeated King Bockle.

However, King Bockle was just one of the numerous Underground-man, and they continued to lurk menacingly, targeting the surface. MAT planned to use the information left by Dr. Koizumi to prepare for the next underground assailant.^[1]^{Invitation from Hell}

During the final battle, he and the other members resisted Zetton II's attacks. At that moment, Alien Bat, realizing that MAT was not at the base, attacked the MAT headquarters, destroying all the core nuclear reactors of the facility. While Go piloted the MAT Arrow 1 to attack Zetton II, MAT split into two groups, with Ueno and other members providing support from the ground.

With the help of MAT, Ultraman launched a counterattack. After an intense battle, he successfully defeated Alien Bat and Zetton II. Although MAT triumphed over their formidable foes, Go disappeared. All the MAT members mourned for Go at the shore before leaving the scene.^{The 5 Ultra Oaths}