Ryo Sakuma is a character from Return of Ultraman. He is an orphan from Hokkaido.
History[]
Return of Ultraman[]
Ryo was born on April 5, 1958, in Esashi, Hokkaido, as the eldest son of a family engaged in mining. However, in September 1962, when the family moved to the Misaka mines, they were hit by the economic downturn, causing Ryo's father to lose his job and leave the family to go missing in Tokyo. One year later, Ryo's mother passed away from a serious illness. In order to search for his father, he wandered alone in Tokyo.
A year ago, when Ryo was attacked by Muruchi in an accident, he was unexpectedly rescued by Alien Mates, who then became his surrogate father. He lived with Alien Mates in a dilapidated wooden house by the riverbank, and during their time together, they developed a father-son bond.
Ryo being bullied by the kids
Due to the gradual erosion of Alien Mates' bodies by environmental pollution on Earth, Ryo often desperately digs holes by the riverbed, with the goal of excavating the spaceship that Alien Mates left buried underground. His hope is that one day he and Alien Mates can leave Earth and return to Planet Mates together. However, due to his unusual behavior, Ryo was discriminately attacked and abused by his peers, and even became a target of exclusion from the city.
In one incident, Ryo was bitten by a vicious dog, but the dog exploded into pieces under the covert attack of Alien Mates, making the townspeople who witnessed the situation believe that Ryo was an evil alien and continue to persecute him.
When Hideki Go learned of Ryo's life experience, he offered to help Ryo and Alien Mates. However, due to the distrust of Ryo in the town, they flocked to the river bank and began to attack Ryo. In the end, Alien Mates protected Ryo and got killed by humans. Ryo ends up crying with the body of Alien Mates.
After Ultraman Jack defeated Murchi, Ryo was once again alone and continued to try to excavate the spaceship by the riverbank. He believed that Alien Mates had simply returned to their own planet, so he was determined to dig up the spaceship and reunite with them on Planet Mates. In the end, Ryo's fate and whether he lived or died remain unknown. The Monster User and the Boy
Ultraman Mebius[]
Years later, Ryo is still trying to dig out the spaceship.
In the series, a teenage Ryo appeared in the memories of kindergarten principal Akiko. According to Akiko, even after Alien Mates had passed away, Ryo continued to dig for the spaceship alone without giving up on Earth and humanity. He hoped to become a bridge between the two planets and dreamed of a day when humans and Alien Mates could coexist in harmony. Ryo shared this dream with Akiko.
However, Ryo eventually disappeared without a trace and stopped appearing one day, and nobody knew what had happened to him since then. The Monster Master's Legacy
Gallery[]
Return of Ultraman[]
Ultraman Mebius[]
Trivia[]
- With the episode highlighting ethnic discrimination in Japan, Ryo is based on the Ainu people, an indigenous people from northern Japan, including Hokkaido.
- While Ryo is not explicitly stated to have Ainu ancestry himself in the episode, screenwriter Shozo Uehara stated as such in an interview.[1]
- Ironically, Ryo's actor later portrayed a bully in episode 31 of Ultraman Taro.
References[]