Mai Midorikawa(ミドリカワ・マイ, Midorikawa Mai) is a member of Super GUTS who serves as a communication person. She is the one who nicknamed Dyna. She is 18 years old at the start of the series.
A cute, bubbly, loud cadet-type with little combat experience. She gets peoples' attention by saying 'neh-neh-neh,' and has the amazing ability to hide multiple items behind her back, only to whip them out in rapid succession. She seemed to develop feelings for Asuka in the series but only sees him as a teammate instead.
Her friendship with Ryo Yumimura is very good, the two are like sisters. Additionally, she has a tendency to easily develop affections for handsome men. Throughout the series, she is frequently attracted to many charming individuals, including aliens and even robots, such as Yusaku Himuro and Haruchika Aoki.Winning ShotBird of the Phantom Dream
In 2016, Mai joins Super GUTS as their Computer Expert under the recommendation of the General Computer Technology Agency’s Chief Jun Yazumi.[1]
Utraman Dyna[]
Mai named the new giant of light "Ultraman Dyna".
When Shin Asuka's jet was shot by multiple Spheres and was stranded in space, he was taken to the TPC Hospital where Mai took care of him. After TPC Base on Mars was attacked by Darambia, Super GUTS went to Mars to destroy the Monster. After Kohda and Asuka's jet was blasted down, Asuka got out and mysteriously transformed into a Giant of Light. After they got back to base, Mai decided to name the giant Ultraman Dyna.A New Light (Part 2)
In a remote mountainous area, a mysterious flying object crash-landed. The TPC quickly retrieved the object and began investigating the unconscious alien crew member they found inside. Although the alien wore a mask, its appearance was almost identical to that of a human. Mai was intrigued by the alien and kept an eye on it. Soon, the alien woke up and introduced itself as Shion, a planetary surveyor from the Krea Nebula.
Super GUTS began questioning Shion, but while he introduced himself to Mai, he refused to speak to Ryo Yumimura. Tsutomu Nakajima noticed that Shion understood Earth's language and believed the alien had a clear intention. Meanwhile, a kaiju appeared in the city. Ryo was about to leave to deal with the threat when Shion, who had been silent until then, finally spoke. He claimed he could sense hostility from Ryo and wanted to talk to Mai instead. Later, Asuka and the others attempted to subdue the kaiju, Gyanzar, with an electromagnetic net, but Gyanzar managed to disappear.
Meanwhile, Mai, who had observed the interactions between Ryo and Shion, decided to talk with Shion to learn more about his situation. Shion revealed that he was sent to confirm the existence of Earth's human population, but an unexpected accident occurred during his mission. Despite this, he managed to reach Earth to fulfill his mission. While Mai fully trusted Shion, the other team members, particularly Ryo, were suspicious, believing that Shion was hiding something.
Mai was exploited by Alien Krea.
Among the team, only Mai truly believed in Shion, and as she continued to interact with him, her trust in him deepened even further. Shion even gifted her a beautiful stone. However, that night, the stone Shion had given her began to emit light, causing Mai to unconsciously operate her computer. The stone was a device capable of remotely controlling people. Under Shion's influence, Mai unknowingly transmitted secret data from TPC's main facilities directly to him.
Ryo and Asuka, who had been monitoring the situation, arrived at Shion's location just as his scheme was uncovered. Realizing his plan had been exposed, Shion attempted to flee. Ryo managed to destroy the stone that Shion had used to control Mai, successfully rescuing her and preventing further data leakage. However, Shion used his immense strength to break free from Asuka's grasp and escaped. He boarded his spaceship, which had been feigning malfunction, and took off, summoning Gyanzar to assist in his escape.
Ryo pursued Shion's spaceship in the GUTS Eagle Gamma. Confronting Shion, Ryo asked what he truly thought of Mai. Shion responded with a laugh, saying, "If the universe were full of people as kind as Mai, we could easily conquer it." Meanwhile, Asuka, piloting the Alpha, engaged Gyanzar in battle. During the fight, Asuka was nearly shot down but transformed into Ultraman Dyna to continue the battle. However, Gyanzar's energy beams ignited the surrounding forest, threatening to engulf the TPC base in a massive wildfire. Dyna managed to defeat Gyanzar with his Solgent Beam and then extinguished the forest fire using the Ultra Water Current.
Seeing that defeat was imminent, Shion declared to Ryo that he would return another day and tried to escape. But Ryo, angered by Shion's betrayal of Mai's pure-hearted feelings, fired a missile, shooting down Shion's spaceship. Ryo deliberately tells Mai a lie, saying that Shion has returned to his home planet—a lie that will eventually be uncovered. Later, Ryo confides in Asuka, revealing that, deep down, she too had wanted to believe in Shion.The Kind-Hearted Target
One day, in an effort to further expand human space exploration, Super GUTS launched the experimental artificial sun unit NSP Campanella into space. However, at the same time, the Antarctic underwater base "Ice Castle" was attacked. This caused an abnormal rise in the Antarctic water temperature. If this continued, the entire world could be submerged. The Super GUTS members aboard the mobile fortress Clarkov NF-3000, which was in space, immediately headed towards the Antarctic. As this was Mai’s first mission as a frontline team member, she felt nervous.
Mai's first time participating in a mission as a frontline member.
During the investigation in the Antarctic waters, Ryo and Kouhei Kariya detected unusual phenomena. At that moment, Mai confirmed the occurrence of a shockwave at the location of Ice Castle, indicating an explosion had happened. Clarkov attempted to communicate with Ice Castle to confirm the situation, but the response was that everything was normal. However, Mai was convinced that something had happened at Ice Castle. The acting commander, Dr. Egiri, expressed doubts about Mai's report and questioned its accuracy. Seeing Mai’s insistence, Toshiyuki Kohda suggested to Dr. Egiri that they grant a one-hour extension and allow Mai and Ryo to use the GUTS Marine to check the situation at Ice Castle. Noticing Mai's nervousness, Ryo carefully assisted her.
When Mai and Ryo arrived at Ice Castle, they found it in a state of destruction. They rescued the sole survivor, Ejiri, and contacted Clarkov to prepare for their return. However, Kariya's tone during their communication suddenly changed. This was actually Sufume using synthesized voice. Even the response from Ice Castle was sent using synthesized voice by the enemy. Sufume claimed that Earth had recently attracted attention in space and declared himself the rightful ruler of the planet. He summoned Digon within Clarkov. Even Ultraman Dyna was struck by freezing gas from Reicubas and turned into a block of ice.The Clarkov Won't Surface! Part 1
Under Sufume's scheme, it took control of Clarkov, causing the artificial sun to approach Earth. The TPC was forced to send the fighter squadron "Passion Red" to destroy the artificial sun. However, upon receiving orders from Sufume, Reicubas attacked, resulting in the destruction of all Passion Red aircraft. On the GUTS Marin, Mai was investigating how to regain control of Klarcov. After some research, she and Ryo discovered a terminal that could access Klarcov's main computer but found no external means to infiltrate it.
Meanwhile, Nakajima, who was aboard Klarcov, proposed activating the self-destruct mechanism as a last resort. The plan was to destroy Klarcov with the self-destruct device to stop the guidance signal. During this time, Ryo came up with the idea of using underwater missiles to reach the terminal at Klarcov's drainage port. Mai was frightened by the idea of using underwater missiles, but Ryo reassured her that, while programming wasn't her specialty, she could take over if Mai was too scared.
Mai and Ryo got into an argument about how to regain control of the terminal in Clarkov.
However, when they saw that Clarkov's self-destruct device had been activated, with only 15 minutes left before it would explode, there was no time to hesitate. Mai, frightened, admitted that she couldn't do it. She said she wasn't as brave as Ryo, had never fought before, and wasn't even qualified to be a member of Super GUTS. At that moment, Ryo slapped her.
Ryo said to her, "Is this what you call the hand of a brave person?" In reality, even she was very afraid of facing crises and death; however, "only one’s self can overcome these fears." Encouraged by Ryo, Mai bravely entered the missile and infiltrated Clarkov. Mai admitted that she was still very nervous and scared. At that moment, the unconscious Ejiri began to sing "Kimi Dake o Mamoritai," which led Ryo and Mai to join in singing the song together, turning it into a source of inspiration. Ryo also reiterated to Mai that if there was a reason to fight, it was to "protect others." This gave Mai renewed courage, and through the underwater missile, she successfully reached the terminal. During this process, she informed Kouda that they needed to counter the hacker attack from Sufume.
As a member of Super GUTS, Mai overcame her fear.
In the end, Mai restored control of Clarkov’s computer and also successfully defeated Digo, who had tried to attack her. Kariya then immediately used the restored Clarkov’s launch function to fire a cannon and expel Sphume from Clarkov. Kouda and Nakajima deactivated the timer on the self-destruct device before it exploded. Dyna also used the Revolium Wave Reverse Version to create a mini black hole, defeating Reicubas.
After the incident, everyone visited Ejiri’s family, and Mai came to understand the true meaning of "fighting to protect others."The Clarkov Won't Surface! Part 2
On the Saturnian moon Solbino, TPC dispatched the exploration robot TM-39, commonly known as "Lovemos." Its activities were broadcast daily on television, and people were captivated by the adorable Lovemos. Among them, Mai became its number one fan, even getting distracted at work to watch Lovemos's live updates.
One day, Lovemos discovered a mysterious statue shaped like a brass instrument in the ruins of Solbino and heard a "song" emanating from the statue. Shortly afterward, the TPC landing craft responsible for transporting Lovemos to Solbino exploded. Lovemos was recovered and investigated, but all of its functions had ceased. TPC believed that the IC installed in Lovemos contained information related to the incident and ordered Super GUTS to investigate.
Mai dates Lovemos in a fantasy.
Tsutomu Nakajima attempted to access Lovemos's IC but was unable to do so no matter how hard he tried. At this point, Mai entered her affectionate words and password for Lovemos, which caused it to reboot. When Mai asked Lovemos what had happened on Solbino, Lovemos responded that it had destroyed the TPC landing craft and communication system.
Lovemos explained that it had engaged in destructive activities because it had heard a "song." Following Mai's instructions, Lovemos replayed the audio, but Mai could only hear wind. Subsequently, Lovemos took control of TPC's main computer and disappeared. Lovemos then integrated itself with TPC's machinery to create " Satan Lovemos." Captain Hibiki launched in Guts Wing No. 1, which had lost computer control in the maintenance dock. Meanwhile, Asuka attacked Lovemos from the ground and transformed into Ultraman Dyna.
Dyna, changing to Miracle Type, used high-speed movement to evade Satan Lovemos's attacks but was eventually restrained. Super GUTS tried to suppress Lovemos's rampage by making it hear the mysterious "song" from the instrument-like statue recovered from Solbino, but this had the opposite effect. Toshiyuki Kohda believed that Mai could access Lovemos's IC because of her love for it, so he had Mai play the mysterious instrument. As a result, Satan Lovemos's fusion was undone, and Lovemos returned to normal. Lovemos asked Dyna to destroy it, but Dyna refused, ending the battle and flying away. Mai watched Dyna and expressed her gratitude.The Singing Investigation Robot
One day, Nakajima’s new weapon, the "Specium Cannon," was completed, leading Mai and Asuka to head to the Mars base for its reception. Before their departure, Super GUTS held a briefing. During this, Nakajima suddenly muttered, “If we have such a powerful weapon, aliens might come to complain.” Nakajima's words proved to be the catalyst for the events that followed, as an alien did indeed come to complain. The alien, who claimed to be the most disliked in the universe, was General Zoaka from the Alien Reguran.
To prevent Earth from falling into the hands of aliens, Super GUTS decided to prepare for battle and ensure the reception of the Specium Cannon. Asuka and Mai launched into space, but at that moment, a giant comet bomb appeared from outer space. This was Zwoqah’s next attack—“the Stone Throwing Plan.” The TPC cruiser from the Mars sector attempted to intercept it but failed.
Although there was consideration to return Asuka and the others to Earth, Asuka decided to cooperate with the Mars base to destroy the asteroid fragments. The two landed at the Mars base and met with Commander Masayuki Nahara and the development chief, Masami Horii, who was also a former GUTS member.
Mai becomes the driver of Mountain Gulliver 5.
Due to the short range of the Specium Cannon, it could not destroy the meteorites from the base. Therefore, Horii decided to show them the giant robot he had prepared—the Mountain Gulliver 5. Due to a design flaw, the cockpit of the Mountain Gulliver 5 was cramped and could only be operated by someone like Mai, who was smaller in size. Despite Mai's refusal to board, she was forcibly put into the Mountain Gulliver 5 and launched. Subsequently, General Zoaka’s disk appeared, preventing attacks on the meteorites. Since the Specium Cannon could only fire three shots and could not be used to attack enemies, Mai had no choice but to fight back with the Mountain Gulliver 5’s fists, successfully destroying the disk.
Although Asuka wanted to assist Mai, the Kitty Squad led by former GUTS member Rena Yanase was dispatched to support Mai. However, despite Mai's attempts to destroy the giant meteorite with the Specium Cannon, it was too large to be destroyed. At this moment, the Space Pirate Ship Akebonomaru with a skull mark appeared on the Art Decay, with former GUTS members Seiichi Munakata and Tetsuo Shinjoh arriving as space pirates to offer aid.
Despite their efforts, the Mountain Galliver 5 was damaged and the Specium Cannon was destroyed under the enemy’s fierce attack. Asuka launched the GUTS Eagle Alpha from the Mars base to assist. Surrounded by the disks, he transformed into Ultraman Dyna and used the Solgent Ray to clear the disks and meteorites. However, the enormous meteorite could not be destroyed even by Dyna’s rays. Dyna attempted to push the meteorite away from falling onto Mars. At this time, the Mountain Galliver 5 piloted by Mai joined in to support Dyna. However, a small meteorite struck Dyna’s head, causing him to lose consciousness.
The Mountain Galiva 5 shook Dyna's shoulders. Then, the face of the Mountain Galiva 5 transformed into Mai's likeness. It turned out that everything before was just Asuka’s dream. Asuka had overslept and was late for the mission, while Mai had come to wake him up. When they turned around, they saw their angry leader, Captain Hibiki Gousuke, standing there.Ephemeral Dream
When Asuka and Ryo were captured by the Black Buster Corps on their way to Mars, Mai received a transmission from a space observation satellite, indicating a mysterious event on Pluto that caused the celestial body to be engulfed and disappear. This prompted the other members of Super GUTS to board the Clarkov NF-3000 and head to Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons.Final Chapter I: A New Shadow
Due to TPC's conventional weapons being ineffective against Gran-Sphere, the Neo Maxima Cannon was authorized for use by high-ranking officials at headquarters. However, Gran-Sphere was advancing towards Earth at an accelerated pace and was also approaching Ganymede. Additionally, Neo Gaigaraid emerged from Gran-Sphere and began launching attacks against TPC in an attempt to destroy the Neo Maxima Cannon. To buy time, Mai took action and engaged in battle. Following the confrontation between Dyna and Neo Gaigaraid, the Clarkov NF-3000 successfully fired the Neo Maxima Cannon at Neo Gaigaraid and Gran-Sphere, but the weapon's power was still insufficient to eliminate Gran-Sphere.Final Chapter II: Solar System Annihilation
All members of Super GUTS gaze at the distant Ultra Star, firmly believing that Asuka will return someday.
After the weakening of the gravitational field, Super GUTS temporarily withdrew to regroup. Asuka informed Mai and the other members that he was, in fact, Dyna. Despite the shock among the team members, Super GUTS chose to believe in Asuka and began collaborating with Dyna to prepare for the final assault.
Before Asuka departed, Mai bid him farewell and explained the meaning behind the name "Ultraman Dyna." She revealed that it represented "dynamic," "dynamite," and "My beloved Dyna."
Ultimately, Gran-Sphere was successfully defeated. The planets that had been engulfed by Gran-Sphere safely returned, and humanity overcame the danger of extinction. However, Asuka did not return. Amidst their sorrow, Super GUTS glimpses a bright star in the distant space. The team members pledge to catch up with Asuka, who is still moving forward somewhere, and are confident that they will see him again one day. Final Chapter III: Toward Tomorrow...
Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light[]
Mai in Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light.
In the film, Mai takes on a more crucial role. After battling Gelanda on the Moon, the members of Super GUTS are invited to the bridge of the Prometheus, which is docked at Cryomos Island. The Prometheus is controlled automatically by computers, without a pilot. Dr. Rui Kisaragi, the head of development, requests Super GUTS's assistance in acquiring behavioral pattern data from excellent pilots.
Asuka Shinn, who enters the data measurement capsule, is reminded of the terror from previous battles with monsters, leading him to fall unconscious. When Asuka wakes up, a mysterious spaceship appears and begins attacking the island. Asuka and Mai head to the battlefield, with Asuka urging Mai to seek safety. However, Mai, being a member of Super GUTS herself, insists on fighting alongside Asuka, which leads to Asuka scolding her. Mai is left alone, watching Asuka depart.
Asuka transforms into Dyna, but suddenly, control of the Prometheus is seized, causing it to levitate. The Monera aliens aboard the spaceship use Dr. Kisaragi, who controls minds, to declare war on humanity and transform the Prometheus into the battle robot “Deathfacer.” Dyna engages in battle with Deathphaser, but due to Dyna’s action patterns being read, his attacks are easily blocked. Dyna tries to counter with the Solgent Ray, but memories of being wiped out by the Neo-Maxima Cannon cause him to feel fear and attempt to escape. At the same time, Mai goes to an underground factory to retrieve the XX-Bazooka, searching for Asuka. When Cryomos Island suffers massive damage and explodes, Mai, who is trapped in the base, is severely injured and ultimately loses consciousness.
Mai fell into a coma during the Deathfacer incident.
Mai’s injury causes Asuka to feel guilty and demoralized, but he grows through the encouragement from Hibiki and Megumi Iruma, and together with Ultrmaan Tiga, defeats Queen Monera. On the hospital bed, Mai, now in a coma, silently prays.
Mai does not appear in the film, but The Complete Works Magazine revealed that Mai is currently a ZERO Training School instructor and discovers Nozomu Taiga's talen.[2]
Counterparts[]
Ultraman Mebius & the Ultra Brothers[]
A woman with the same surname and appearance makes a brief appearance in the film. She serves as the secretary to the mayor of Kobe, Matsunaga. During her appearance, they are the main guests aboard the Port Island Line during its trial run.
As part of the limited series Ultra Female Member Series launched by Bandai Network, the Mai action figure is produced in 1/6 scale, and its accessories include a helmet.
Gallery[]
Utraman Dyna[]
Mai's first appearance
Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light[]
Ultraman Dyna: The Return of Hanejiro[]
Miscellaneous[]
Trivia[]
Mai is the one that gave Dyna his name and because of this, she is sometimes referred to as "Dyna's Godmother" (ダイナの名付け親, Daina no nadzukeoya).
Mai's actress, Mariya Yamada had once dated Takeshi Tsuruno, Asuka's actor. Of course, they never ended up in love with each other, which in fact was referenced by their characters in the series.
While Mai seems to have finished school education, in real life, her actress is a high school drop-out.
Mai was meant to have her return in Ultraman Saga. This never made out due to her actress Mariya Yamada being pregnant at the time of the recording.
According to Mariya Yamada in a 2022 interview, before she played Mai, she had already starred in the late-night drama Moon Spiral, produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the previous year. It was this connection that led to her being invited to participate in Ultraman Dyna.[3]
At the time, Yamada had very little acting experience, so when portraying Mai, she didn't rely on logic but rather used her intuition to sense what kind of performance was needed in specific situations. She honed her skills under the guidance of more experienced actors around her. The series was shot on film, which meant that the cast couldn't afford to do multiple retakes. This sense of urgency had a positive impact on Yamada. Additionally, the demanding schedule helped her improve steadily throughout the process.[3]
She also received assistance in refining her acting from Ryo Kinomoto, who played Captain Gousuke Hibiki. Through discussions with him, she learned how to act from an emotional standpoint.[3]
Hiroki Midorikawa, who played the role of Yamada's younger brother.
Yamada believes that the biggest turning point in her portrayal of Mai came during episodes 25 and 26, which she considers her greatest breakthrough. In the later stages of the series, the staff even arranged for Yamada's younger brother to make a guest appearance, which was a special moment for her.Farewell Hanejiro[3]
Regarding the relationship between Asuka, Mai, and Ryo, Keiichi Hasegawa mentioned that romantic themes are not very suitable for grand, dramatic TV series. Asuka and Ryo's relationship is depicted as one of professional collaboration or close, like-minded partners. However, during the writing process, particularly in the final trilogy, there was a desire to set up a proper farewell for Asuka. Since Mai was more like a younger sister, Ryo's important role was therefore arranged.[4]
Initially, Hasegawa thought that Ryo was more suitable for depicting Asuka's romantic feelings. However, after watching Warriors of the Star of Light, he also felt that Mai was a good choice. This caused him to waver between the two directions he had written. However, after discussing it with Kazuya Konaka, he decided to go with the direction of "Ryo and Asuka." As for Warriors of the Star of Light, it portrays Mai's feelings toward Asuka.
