Rechallenge from the Year 2020(2020年の再挑戦, Nisen Nijū-nen no Sai Chōsen), also titled Do-Over in the Year 2020, is the eighteenth episode of Ultraman Z.
While investigating the curious case of a vanishing monster, Haruki meets Kaori, a mysterious woman glaring at an old ferris wheel. Meanwhile, people are going missing from the town one after another...
What's the truth behind the case? And just who exactly is Kaori?
Haruki and Yoko were assigned with their SAA Units to confront Pagos in Kirimoto City. Before any of them could react, Pagos disappeared in an instant. Members of MRC investigated the location where Pagos vanished, while Haruki ran into a young woman in his patrol as they bonded over an old Ferris wheel in Kirimoto. The young woman's name is Kaori, and she pleaded with Haruki to kill her before she disappeared. Back at STORAGE headquarters, four disappearance cases were reported at the same time as Pagos. In all four videos, Haruki discovered that Kaori was there when each of these incidents happened.
Haruki and Yoko went to the Ferris wheel, but as they split, Yoko was hunted by an unseen being, and disappeared. Haruki found Kaori at Yoko's last known location, where the young girl revealed that she was manipulated by an alien. The alien reveals himself to be Kemur, a member of a race of aliens who kidnaps humans to prevent their aging process. In 1966, 54 years ago, another Kemur went to Earth to kidnap human victims. Though this Kemur was foiled, other members of the race would target the planet, attempting to succeed where he had failed.
During one of these raids on Earth, a lone Kemur was merged with Kaori by accident instead of devouring her. Instead of this predicament being a disadvantage, this particular Kemur used Kaori as his cover to kidnap humans when his kind decided to restart the operation after a long time, with the alien's vitality meaning Kaori didn't seem to age. Kaori still had some degree of free will, and at times had attempted to rebel against the Kemur's plans.
Kemur ran outside to plant a bomb on one of the Ferris wheel's cars. Through Kaori, Haruki learned that Kemur intends to mix his Erasing Energy Source with rain clouds to perform a mass abduction on Kirimoto City, using the bomb as a distraction so his plan could be enacted. Haruki transforms into Z, and after assuming Delta Rise Claw Z struggles to fight Kemur without hurting Kaori, but the Beliarok offers his assistance to split them apart. While Kaori stopped the bomb, Z split the human/alien hybrid apart with Beliarok and kills Kemur before disposing of the bomb into a pocket dimension, saving the Ferris wheel. All the people Kemur kidnapped returned safely, even Pagos, who appeared confused by his ordeal, and burrowed underground to safety.
According to Yuka, Pagos's arrival was due to him being attracted to the energy waves emitted by Kemur's Erasing Energy Source, while revealing that the first Kemur's attack 54 years ago was stopped by a group of civilians working together with police officers. Hebikura gave them the honor of STORAGE's predecessor for their bravery against Kemur. Kaori was visited by Haruki in the hospital, and despite her memories being fuzzy from the incident, she decided to live a normal life by adjusting to the modern era.
Z: STORAGE rebuilt Alien Barossa's King Joe into a good robot.
Haruki: Pedanium Guided Missiles, Pedanium Hammer, the Pedanium Particle Cannon... It's got a ton of strong weapons, right, Mr. Z?
Z: That's why it requires a pilot with an equally strong heart!
Ultraman Z and Ultraman Zero Voice Drama[]
Train Your Head!(頭を鍛えろ!, Atama wo Kitaero!)
Before Z attends an examination, the younger Ultraman learns the differences between Kemur and Alien Zetton from Zero as both of their appearance are nearly the same.
Pagos' appearance and kidnapping took place in the vicinity of Fuchu Station.
The Ferris wheel is an actual prop instead of CGI.
Haruki's complaint to Yoko about eating his pudding at the end of the episode was his actor, Kohshu Hirano's ad-lib.
According to an interview with the episode's writer, Jun Tsugita:[3]
The original concept involved Dr. Kanda's grandson appearing in the story. He would summon Kemur to clear his grandfather's name. However, the idea couldn't be fully developed within the allotted time. Later, director Takanori Tsujimoto proposed a new concept that introduced Kaori, allowing the story to unfold more naturally.
For Kemur's appearance, Tsugita and Tsujimoto decided to have it speak while fused with Kaori. Although it might seem clichéd for the antagonist to explain its motives, this remains a classic and effective storytelling device.
Originally, the storyline was much darker: Kaori, appearing in the present day, was unsure if the modern world was worth saving. In the end, although she changes her mind, she ultimately chooses to sacrifice herself and disappear. However, during a meeting, Kiyotaka Taguchi remarked, "Not everything from the past is good, and the present world isn't necessarily bad." After hearing this, Tsugita reflected that although he personally appreciates the benefits of the present, he often focuses on its flaws in his creative work—a one-sided view he decided to revise. As a result, he made adjustments to the second half of the story.
The episode's ending was a natural outcome based on the original conclusion. The scene where Kaori pretends to have lost her memory and secretly says, "Thank you, Ultraman," was a moment Tsugita had long wanted to write.
According to an interview with Takanori Tsujimoto:[3]
In the scene where Haruki meets Kaori for the first time, the original script used the line, "What is your name?" Following a suggestion from Kohshu Hirano, it was changed to, "Could I have your name?" Although Tsujimoto initially worried the line might sound flirtatious, Haruki's delivery during the test shoot made it feel bright and natural.
When Kaori reveals her true self, backlighting was primarily used to create an eerie mood. Since Kemur's appearance is brief, the sense of unease was conveyed mainly through Kaori's change in performance, allowing the audience to feel Kemur's presence. A blend of male and female voices was used to heighten the unsettling atmosphere.
The merging of Kaori's consciousness with Kemur was initially intended to be shown through a hologram effect. However, the team instead chose to visualize Kaori's powerful emotions, which ultimately subdued Kemur. During filming, both Kemur and Utagawa performed on set, with the glowing body effect achieved through compositing.
In typical monster stories, a separated Kemur would be destroyed in an explosion. However, this episode ends ambiguously, leaving viewers to wonder whether it perished or was transported elsewhere.
