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Return of Ultraman (帰ってきたウルトラマン, Kaettekita Urutoraman) is a tokusatsu SF/Kaiju/superhero TV series, and is the fourth entry in the Ultraman Series.

The series can be watched on Roku, Tubi, Pluto, and Prime Video.

Production

Eiji Tsuburaya had originally intended for the Ultraman Series to end with the 1967 series Ultraseven, but Ultraman proved to be too popular a character to keep down. After Eiji Tsuburaya's death in 1970, his son Hajime Tsuburaya (who took over Tsuburaya Productions until his own death in 1973) revived the Ultraman Series with Return of Ultraman.

An earlier plot featured the original Ultraman returning to Earth to resume the fight against aliens and monsters. However, in a last minute change, a new yet similar character was introduced - "New Ultraman" (新ウルトラマン, Shin Urutoraman), or just "Returning Ultraman" (帰ってきたウルトラマン, Kaettekita Urutoraman), who would later become much more widely known as "Ultraman Jack" (ウルトラマンジャック, Urutoraman Jakku) in 1984 and beyond. The name was decided on in a contest held by Bandai where children chose his name.

This series is a follow-up to the original Ultraman and Ultraseven, which were retconned to take place within the same timeline.

Synopsis

In a fight between two giant monsters named Takkong and Zazahn, young race car driver Hideki Go is killed while trying to rescue a little boy and a dog from the falling rubble. His valiant sacrifice is noted by everyone, even his friends and the new defense force MAT, but an unseen being also takes notice. Looking over Go is the "New Ultraman", who is so touched by Go's actions that he decides to combine his life force with that of Hideki, thus bringing him back to life. Hideki Go then joins MAT and fights alongside them and Ultraman against monsters and alien invaders.

Characters

MAT

Others

Ultras

Kaiju

Cast

Suit Actors

Music

Opening Theme
  • Kaettekita Ultraman (帰ってきたウルトラマン, Kaettekita Urutoraman, lit. "Return of Ultraman")
    • Lyrics: Kyōichi Azuma
    • Composition: Koichi Sugiyama
    • Artist: Jiro Dan, Misuzu Children's Choral Group

Home Media

In 2002, Tsuburaya began re-releasing Ultraman to Ultraman Leo on Japanese boxsets. Return of Ultraman got a boxset. There is also a DVD release made by the Malaysian company VGB Network. It came out in 2013, and contains Malay, English, and Chinese subtitles. A few grammatical errors were made, as VBG is not a American company.

Mill Creek released the series to Blu-ray on February 25, 2020 with English subtitles. As with the company's other Showa-era Ultraman Series titles, a SteelBook and a standard edition with part of a spine mural were offered.

Movies

Manga

Main article: Return of Ultraman (manga)

A manga series by Akira Mizuho (水穂 輝, Mizuho Akira) ran in Bessatsu Shōnen Sunday from May to December 1971.

Gallery

Trivia

  • Originally, Ultraman Jack was meant to be Ultraman, who would have returned to Earth as referenced by the show's name, Return of Ultraman, but this decision was scrapped and he was made into a separate character out of respect to the late Eiji Tsuburaya, who passed away in 1970. However, the name of the show still remained "Return of Ultraman".
    • In the original concept for Return of Ultraman, Hideki Go was meant to use the Beta Capsule to become Ultraman Jack, like how Shin Hayata transformed into Ultraman, but this decision was also scrapped.
    • Return of Ultraman is the first series to contain an advertisement break featuring the logo.
  • In 2014, Hideaki Anno proposed a Return of Ultraman film to Tsuburaya Productions.
  • Among the Showa era Ultraman Series, Return of Ultraman is the only one not to be streamed at Tsuburaya Productions' YouTube channel during its 50th anniversary in 2021.
Productions
Showa Series Ultra Q | Ultraman | Ultraseven | Return of Ultraman | Ultraman Ace | Ultraman Taro | Ultraman Leo | Ultraman 80
Heisei Series Ultraman Tiga | Ultraman Dyna | Ultraman Gaia | Ultraman Cosmos | Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy | Ultraman Nexus | Ultraman Max | Ultraman Mebius | Ultraseven X | Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle | Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle: Never Ending Odyssey | Neo Ultra Q | Ultraman Ginga | Ultraman Ginga S | Ultraman X | Ultraman Orb | Ultraman Geed | Ultraman R/B
Reiwa Series Ultraman Taiga | Ultraman Z | Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga | Ultraman Decker | Ultraman Blazar
Outside of Japan Ultraman: The Adventure Begins | Ultraman: Towards the Future | Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero | Ultraman: Rising
Original Video and TV Special Ultra Fight | Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider | Ultra Super Fight | Ultraman Nice | Heisei Ultraseven | Ultraman Neos | Ultraman: Super Fighter Legend | Ultra Idemitsujin | Ultra Zone
Showa Movies Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature | Ultraman, Ultraseven: Great Violent Monster Fight | The 6 Ultra Brothers vs. The Monster Army | Ultraman (1979) | Ultraman: Great Monster Decisive Battle | Ultraman ZOFFY: Ultra Warriors vs. the Giant Monster Army | Ultraman Story
Heisei Movies Ultra Q The Movie | Revive! Ultraman | Ultraman Zearth | Ultraman Zearth 2 | Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna | Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Dyna, & Ultraman Gaia | Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey | Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact | Ultraman Cosmos 2 | New Century Ultraman Legend | Ultraman Cosmos vs. Ultraman Justice | New Century 2003 Ultraman Legend | ULTRAMAN (2004) | Ultraman Mebius & the Ultra Brothers | Super 8 Ultra Brothers | Ultra Galaxy Legends The Movie | Ultraman Zero The Movie | Ultraman Saga | Ultraman Ginga Theater Special | Ultraman Ginga Theater Special: Battle Royale | Ultraman Ginga S The Movie | Ultraman X The Movie | Ultraman Orb The Movie | Ultraman Geed The Movie | Ultraman R/B The Movie
Reiwa Movies Ultraman Taiga The Movie | Ultraman Trigger: Episode Z | Shin Ultraman | Ultraman Decker Finale | Ultraman Blazar The Movie
Spin-Offs Andro Melos | Ultraman Zearth: Parody Chapter | Revival of the Ancient Giant | The Return of Hanejiro | Gaia Again | Ultra Q Kaiju Legend | Ultraman Kaiju Legend | Hikari Saga | Armored Darkness | Ghost Rebirth | Ultraman Zero vs. Darklops Zero | Q - Door to Another Dimension | Killer the Beatstar | Ultra Zero Fight | Ultra Fight Victory | Ultraman Orb THE ORIGIN SAGA | Ultra Fight Orb | New Generation Heroes | The Absolute Conspiracy | Sevenger Fight | The Struggle of Special Section 3 | The Destined Crossroad | Continued Ultra Fight | Shin Ultra Fight | Return of Special Section 3 | Ultraman Regulos | Ultraman Regulos: First Mission | Ultraseven IF Story | SKaRD Break Room
Rebroadcast Shows Ultraman Retsuden | New Ultraman Retsuden | Ultraman Zero: The Chronicle | Ultraman Orb: The Chronicle | Ultraman New Generation Chronicle | Ultraman Chronicle: ZERO & GEED | Ultraman Chronicle Z: Heroes' Odyssey | Ultraman Chronicle D | Ultraman New Generation Stars
Informational Ultraman The Prime | ULTRAMAN ARCHIVES | Ultra Science Fantasy Hour | Ultra Fight Club | UlSummer Information Station | Ultra Information Center | Professor Teruaki's "Blazar Kaiju Academy" | Super Power! Ultra Encyclopedia! | Ultra Construction Tour | THE ORIGIN OF ULTRAMAN | Ultraman 4K Discovery
Docudramas Fly in the Sea Breeze! Ultraman | The Men Who Made Ultraman | My Beloved Ultraseven | The Man Who Wanted to be Ultraman | The Kaiju Club | The Two Ultramen
Other Series Kaiju Booska | Captain Ultra | Mighty Jack | Fight! Mighty Jack | Operation: Mystery | Chibira-kun | Mirrorman | Redman | Triple Fighter | Emergency Directive 10-4·10-10 | Iron King | Horror Theater Unbalance | Fireman | Jumborg Ace | Mirror Fight | Army of the Apes | Pro-Wres no Hoshi Azteckaiser | Dinosaur Expedition Born Free | Dinosaur Great War Izenborg | Star Wolf | Dinosaur Squadron Koseidon | Anime-chan | Gridman the Hyper Agent | Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad | Moon Spiral | Cyber Girl Telomere | Booska! Booska!! | Otasuke Girl | Mirrorman REFLEX | Bio Planet WoO | Mirror Fight 2012 | Gridknight Fight
Anime The☆Ultraman | Ultraman Kids | Ultraman Graffiti: Wild! Ultra Country | Ultraman: Super Fighter Legend | Ultra Nyan | Ultra Nyan 2: The Great Happy Operation | Ultraman M78 Theater Love & Peace | Gridman the Hyper Agent: boys invent great hero | The・Ultraman: Jackal vs. Ultraman | Kaiju Sakaba Kanpai! | Kaiju Girls | SSSS.GRIDMAN | ULTRAMAN (2019) | Kaiju Step Wandabada | SSSS.DYNAZENON | KAIJU DECODE | GRIDMAN UNIVERSE
Outlaw Content Space Warriors 2000 | Project Ultraman | Ultraman The Animation | Ultraman: A Little Journey on Earth | Fun... English with Ultraman | Young Ultraman | Ultraman Big Transformation | Sinic Q | Red Jade | Dragon Force: So Long Ultraman | Dragon Force: Rise of Ultraman
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