Master of Darkness is the fifty-first episode of Ultraman Tiga.
Synopsis[]
The world is thrown into chaos when Zoiger appear on Earth. Then the powerful demon Gatanothor emerges to shroud the planet in darkness.
Cast[]
- Daigo Madoka : Hiroshi Nagano (V6)
- Rena Yanase : Takami Yoshimoto
- Megumi Iruma : Mio Takaki
- Seiichi Munakata : Akitoshi Otaki
- Masami Horii : Yukio Masuda
- Tetsuo Shinjoh : Shigeki Kagemaru
- Jun Yazumi : Yoichi Furuya
- Souichiro Sawai : Tamio Kawachi
- Tetsuji Yoshioka : Ken Okabe
- Naban Yao : Ichiro Ogura
Guest Actors[]
- Tomoki Miura : Kazuki Tsuji
- Boy : Takashi Shimizu
- D3 Block Security Team Member : Satoru Tateishi
- Evacuee : Tatsumi Nikamoto
- GUTS Wing Blue Tornado Squad Member : Brad Warner
- Yoshio Suzuki
- Hideaki Ishikawa
- Ryo Fujita
- Tomoya Tanaka
- Koichi Umeda
- Etsuko Yoshida
- Michiru Horii : Misato Hayase (uncredited, photo only)
Voice Actors[]
- Ultraman Tiga : Yuji Machi
- Children Overseas : Kazue Ikura
- Father Overseas : Kozo Shioya
- Narrator : Issei Futamata
Suit Actors[]
- Ultraman Tiga (Multi Type and Power Type): Koji Nakamura
- Gatanothor: Hisataka Kitaoka
Appearances[]
Ultras[]
- Ultraman Tiga
- Multi Type
- Power Type
Kaiju[]
Home Media[]
- Ultraman Tiga Volume 13 features episodes 49-52.
Trivia[]
- This episode, along with episode 52, "To the Shining Ones," was co-written by Masakazu Migita, Keiichi Hasegawa, and Chiaki J. Konaka. The collaboration was proposed by producer Masato Igita. Konaka voluntarily took on the role of project lead and also handled negotiations with the director, special effects director, and producer.[2]
- In early 1997, as the series reached its midpoint, the team faced a major challenge: how to integrate different creative perspectives. The three main writers held extensive discussions in a series of meetings, exploring many of the show's core themes. They often disagreed but also found common ground on how to address these challenges.
- For the script, Migita and Hasegawa each wrote sections, which were then combined with Konaka's portions. Hasegawa specifically wrote the scenes involving Horii and Shinjou trapped in the Dolphar 202.
- When creating Gatanothor, the writers wanted a final enemy that felt truly impactful. Konaka believed that just making it smart or strong wasn't enough. Inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos, he designed Gatanothor as a “world-ending evil god.” The team also felt that simply destroying the base wasn't meaningful, so they showed the fall of TPC and Earth being swallowed by darkness.[3][4]
- Konaka said the original plan was for several Zoigers to attack and destroy the Dive Hangar. But since the Dive Hangar model was badly damaged, most of the scene was made by compositing. This concept was later referenced in the final arc of Ultraman Gaia during the Aerial Base's destruction.
- In a 1997 interview, Hirochika Muraishi said filming overlapped with V6's stage rehearsals. Hiroshi Nagano had to leave early for rehearsals and return late at night. The control room scene was finished around 3:30 AM. To save time, the other actors had to avoid mistakes—no retakes or extra rehearsals were allowed.[5] The actors got only a brief plot explanation and one rehearsal. They were given new instructions that were different from usual, making filming tense as they adjusted quickly.
- The stone statue of Tiga was created by Hideo Miyagawa, who handled the model design and repairs. Busy with other projects, Miyagawa asked producer Masato Oida to use a 1-meter PVC Tiga figure displayed at Tsuburaya Productions' sales department. Oida ordered a new one from Bandai. The figure, made of foam PVC with a metal frame, was taken apart by Miyagawa, who changed its pose and repainted it to look like stone.[6]
- In the script for episode 51, there was a depiction of Yazumi reporting that multiple Zoigers had attacked Osaka, Niigata, and Kagawa respectively.
- The final two episodes of Tiga were filmed alongside the first episode of Ultraman Dyna. As a result, Koji Nakamura was the only suit actor in Tiga, since Shunsuke Gondo was busy filming Dyna.
- This episode was later featured in Ultraman Retsuden episode 16 "The Ruler of Darkness! Gatanothor Appears!!".
References[]