Furuhashi returns from Hokkaido after learning his mother wants him to quit the Ultra Guard. Refusing to give up his job, he accepts a mission to investigate a recent plane collision in the Arctic and gets tangled in an alien plot. Trapped in the Hawk-3 and set to collide with a passenger airplane, he comes to a grim realization - that he must sacrifice himself to save countless others.
Plot[]
Ultra Guard member Furuhashi is called to Hokkaido by his sister, who claims that their mother is ill and wishes to see him. Learning that this is actually a ruse to get him to work on their family farm, he turns around and leaves. Meanwhile, in the Arctic, a TDF scout plane suddenly loses control and collides with a passenger jet, leaving no survivors.
Staff Officer Takenaka orders Kiriyama to investigate, and he assigns Furuhashi on the mission. Furuhashi's mother calls Ultra Guard HQ and tells him that she's in the area and wishes to meet with him. Dan, Soga, and Amagi all offer to take over for Furuhashi on the mission, but he rebuffs them and departs on the Hawk-3.
Dan and Anne escort Furuhashi's mother to a nearby hotel and learn of her intentions. While en route to the accident zone, Furuhashi loses control of his auto-pilot, and then ultimately control over the entire Hawk-3. A passenger plane carrying 300 passengers suffers a similar malfunction and is redirected to collide with Furuhashi. Dan is called back to HQ and ordered to head after Furuhashi.
Kiriyama gives Furuhashi the order to eject from the Hawk-3 after priming it to self-destruct in six minutes. Furuhashi complies, but the ejection device malfunctions, trapping him on the doomed craft. Kiriyama grapples over the ethical dilemma of ordering Furuhashi to go through with the self-destruct and orders Anne to bring his mother to HQ.
While headed towards the Arctic, a watchtower operated by Alien Cannan nearly afflicts Dan with the same malfunction, but he forces an emergency landing and investigates the tower on foot. Furuhashi's mother is brought into Ultra Guard HQ and put in contact with her son. Opting not to tell her about his impending death, he simply claims to be on routine patrol and the two have a pleasant conversation.
Dan summons Windom to investigate the watchtower, but the aliens scramble its electronic brain and it attacks him instead. Dan transforms into Ultraseven and attempts several times to knock Windom out of its trance, only for it to be defeated by a second beam from the watchtower. The tower reveals itself to be a disguised Alien Cannan ship and attempts to escape, but Ultraseven destroys it with his Wide Shot, restoring the affected ships back to normal. Furuhashi is able to swerve out of the passenger plane's way at the last second and stops the self-destruct timer.
He returns to HQ and learns that his mother has gone home. Kiriyama orders him to patrol the area, and while flying over Hokkaido airspace, he wonders why his mother left without saying a word. A vision of her helps him realize that she finally accepts his place in the Ultra Guard, and he calls HQ to report a beautiful sunset over Hokkaido before flying back.
In this episode, it is revealed that Furuhashi's given name is "Shigeru." According to the original script, the character was supposed to be named Keita (圭太), but the name was later changed to Shigeru (盛/シゲル), inspired by lighting staff member Shigeru Arai. The kanji for "Furuhashi" is "古橋." Initially, the character's surname was written as Goro (五郎).
Mitsuta explained that the episode's focus on Furuhashi and his family background reflected the idea that professions like the Ultra Guard, or even work in the film industry, are difficult to pursue without family support. Drawing from his own experience, Mitsuta acknowledged that he owed his career to his mother's support. He introduced Furuhashi's mother and sister into the story and commissioned Shinichi Ichikawa to write the script.
The episode was originally planned to be filmed in Hokkaido, but budget constraints and logistical issues led the team to film in Nagano Prefecture instead. Scenes of the train traveling through the mountains were filmed along the Koumi Line, with the Yatsugatake Mountains as a backdrop. The homecoming scene at the beginning was filmed at Nobeyama Station , which is now defunct, on the former Koumi Line. The railway bridge sequence was shot between Kiyosato and Nobeyama, offering a distant view of the Yatsugatake range.[3][4]
The radio conversation between Furuhashi and his mother was inspired by Mitsuta's experience. He recalled telling his mother over the phone that he had been chosen as the director of Ultra Q and laughing together. Later, he wondered if she had been crying on the other end of the line, which inspired the scene in which Furuhashi's eyes glisten with tears.[5][6]
Dokumamushi noted that Haruyo Ichikawa, who played Furuhashi's mother, was a renowned pre-war actress who had co-starred with Chiezō Kataoka. He was delighted to have such a distinguished actress in the role.
In the opening scene, Furuhashi returns to his hometown in Hokkaido. He sits in the train car with his coat collar turned up, deliberately modeling his appearance after Ken Takakura. Even Dokumamushi asked director Mitsuta, "Can I perform like Mr. Ken?" Furuhashi's mother calls him "Shigeru" for the first time in the episode, which pleases the staff.[7]
The battle only features Windom due to lack of budget for a new kaiju.[8]
Ichikawa admitted that he never had a particularly close relationship with his mother and had no experience reconnecting with her after leaving home. He wrote the script based on stories he had heard and his imagination, creating an idealized mother-son relationship.
He compared this sentiment to that of the young kamikaze pilots of World War II, who, despite their deadly orders, thought things like "I just want to see my mother one last time" and "I want to be in my mother's embrace." These emotions appear throughout their letters. Through Ultraseven, Ichikawa aimed to convey a fraction of these feelings. In retrospect, he described this ambition as sincere, albeit somewhat embarrassing, of his younger self.
The original draft of this episode was titled "Self-Destruction Order" (自爆命令, Jibaku Meirei). Though some details and scenes were altered, the overall story remained mostly unchanged.
One significant difference was Furuhashi's reason for joining the Ultra Guard. Furuhashi's mother told Dan that Furuhashi had a friend who was murdered by aliens. He vowed to avenge his friend's death and planned to resign from the Ultra Guard and return to the ranch afterward. She then revealed, "The reason I'm here today is because of Furuhashi's decision!" This made Dan wonder, "Is Furuhashi planning to die?"
When Kiriyama issues the self-destruction order, a crew member asks, "What if the escape system fails?" Kiriyama replies, "Whether or not the escape system works, if the Hawk doesn't self-destruct, the civilian aircraft won't make it." He adds, "This isn't about a tour group versus the Hawk—it's three hundred lives against one. There's no need to give Furuhashi an order. I already know what he's about to do."
Another difference appears in the scene where Kiriyama orders that Furuhashi's mother be brought to the command room. Unlike the final version, in which she complies, the draft version shows her refusing outright. She firmly states, "I will not go! I don't know what happened to Goro, but it's not my place to intervene. If my son has made up his mind, I don't want to weaken his resolve by appearing before him."
In one scene, Furuhashi gradually loses consciousness. In front of him, waves of light surge forward. In the distance, an avalanche rumbles as snow begins to collapse. Amid the falling snow, a child runs to rescue a small dog. The child's mother catches up with them, embraces them, and shields them as they crouch on the ground. Snow continues to fall, eventually covering their shoulders. The roar of the avalanche fades into silence. A tear rolls down Furuhashi's cheek as he murmurs, "Mother..."
Before returning to Hokkaido at the end of the episode, Furuhashi's mother has a conversation with Anne. "I've lost," she admits. "I'll have to manage the ranch on my own for now." Just then, a jet roars overhead. Stepping out of the car, Furuhashi's mother asks Anne, "Isn't that a plane from the base?" Anne questions, "You can't see it—how do you know?" Furuhashi's mother smiles quietly and says, "By the sound... I can tell." The scene closes with the two of them gazing upward as Hawk No.1 and No.3 soar through the sky.
In this episode, Furuhashi's mother is watching sumo wrestling on TV in her dorm. The announcer calls out, "Yoritaoshi—Kashiwado wins!" This references Kashiwado Tsuyoshi, the 47th yokozuna. However, the match between Taihp Koki and Kashiwado did not actually occur as shown—the broadcast was added in post-production.
According to Tsuyoshi Aoyama's research, episode 24 was filmed between January 6 and 25, 1968, during that month's sumo tournament. Because the series used post-dubbing, however, the exact date of the sumo match and its broadcast remains uncertain.[11]
This episode was temporarily made available on the official Ultraman YouTube channel two days after Ultraman Z episode 6 "The Man Returns!" aired, due to both featuring Windom.[12]
As part of Bin Furuya's Christmas celebration, a special talk event was held on December 8, 2024. At the event, Sandayu Dokumamushi and Haruyo Ichikawa, who played his younger sister Mana Furuhashi, reunited for the first time in 58 years in the presence of director Takashi Mitsuta.[13]
Enver Altenbay is believed to have made a brief cameo as an unnamed airplane passenger.[14]
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