Kurata is a recurring character in Ultraseven. He is the captain of V3, one of the TDF's space stations, and an old friend of Ultra Guard captain Kaoru Kiriyama.
History[]
Ultraseven[]
When an Alien Iyros spacecraft approached Earth, Kurata and his V3 crewmates deployed in three Station Hawks to combat it. Two of them were destroyed and the craft managed to reach Earth and hide in the Chichibu Mountains, having ran out of a fuel. Kurata and a crewmember came to Earth in the last remaining Station Hawk, with Soga and Amagi coming to meet them in the Ultra Hawk No.1. However, the spacecraft fired at them from the ground, the damage requiring the Hawk No.1 to make an emergency landing and forcing Kurata to eject and leave his crewmate behind in their Station Hawk, which crash-landed and exploded.
Upon making it to the TDF base, he met with staff officer Manabe, mentioning that he had once again returned alone. He then reunited with Kiriyama, whom he had been in training school together. When the Alien Iyros revealed they had kidnapped Soga and Amagi and would return them if given fuel, Kurata was certain they would not honor the deal and told Kiriyama they should attack, wanting to avenge his fallen crewmates, but Kiriyama wanted to ensure his team's safety and they argued. After Kiriyama went to make the delivery in the Ultra Hawk No.3, Kurata decided to follow him, with Manabe asking him to protect Kiriyama and giving him a key to get to the Ultra Hawks. As Kiriyama handed over the fuel, the Iyros told him to land, but fired at him as he approached the ground. Kurata then arrived in the Ultra Hawk No.2 and the pair worked together to fight the spaceship, eventually managing to shoot it down.
As Kurata returned to V3, he and Kiriyama were unsure if they would ever see each other again, and agreed not to throw their lives away. The Man Who Came From V3
Following a mysterious explosion at the TDF's moon base, Kurata and Shirahama, one of his crewmates, as well as Kiriyama and Dan Moroboshi, headed to the moon to investigate. Kurata mentioned that he and Kiriyama last went to space together three years ago to wipe out the Alien Zamppa on Planet Hermes. Shortly after arrival, Kurata spotted Shirahama about to pull out the oxygen tube from his spacesuit and they scuffled, before he revealed he was an Alien Zamppa survivor who had taken Shirahama's place two days prior in order to get revenge on him and Kiriyama. When Kiriyama and Dan arrived, they quickly worked out Shirahama was an impostor because his gun was missing from its holster and the device he was holding had been used to cause problems with their Ultra Hawk. The duo fired at the alien, revealing his true form, before shooting again to finish him off.
The Alien Zamppa's monster, Petero, then appeared, and the trio split up to return to their ships and escape. Dan took longer to return as he transformed into Ultraseven to defeat it. Although Kurata had already departed from the moon, he began to turn around to rescue them, only for Kiriyama and Dan to pass him, teasing Kurata by asking him if he had forgotten something on the moon. Terror on the Moon
When an Alien Ghose ship came to Earth, Kurata notified Dan, who was patrolling in the Ultra Hawk No.2. However, Dan's exhaustion from all of his previous battles caused him to repeatedly miss, frustrating Kurata, who shot down the ship himself. When a second ship containing Pandon appeared, Kurata contacted the TDF base, telling them to engage it, but Dan's condition delayed him from alerting the other UG members immediately. During the fight, Amagi was kidnapped by the Alien Ghose and Dan managed to defeat Pandon as Ultraseven, but his condition worsened. Kiriyama felt V3 was responsible for not contacting them sooner, but Kurata retorted that it was the UG who responded slowly. Dan admitted it was him who received Kurata's message, and Kurata criticized him for now having made two blunders. The Biggest Invasion in History: Part 1
Upon learning that Dan had left the base, Kurata laughed and called him a coward. However, after Anne learned that Dan was Ultraseven and told the crew, he apologized to Dan as he piloted an Ultra Hawk with Soga, aiding Ultraseven in his final battle against Reconstructed Pandon. When the battle was won, Kurata stood and watched with the Ultra Guard as Ultraseven flew back home. The Biggest Invasion in History: Part 2
Powers and Weapons[]
- Piloting: Kurata is skilled in piloting both Station Hawks and Ultra Hawks.
Gallery[]
Ultraseven[]
Trivia[]
- Kurata calls Kiriyama the "mole" as a nickname.
- A similar character named Kaji, who was the captain of a MAT space station, was portrayed by Kurata's actor, Hiroshi Minami, in Return of Ultraman episode 18 "Ultraseven Arrives!".
- A character with the same name appears in the ULTRAMAN manga.