Ryu Ibuki

"Go, the town is in a terrible state! Go, don't you understand?"

―Ibuki inspires Go, The Monster User and the Boy.

Ryu Ibuki
Data
Type	Ally
Gender	Male
Age	45 years old
Family	Yoko Ibuki (wife) Minako Ibuki (daughter)
Affiliation	MAT
First Appearance	Return of Ultraman episode 22 "I'll Kill This Monster!"
Latest Appearance	Return of Ultraman episode 51 "The 5 Ultra Oaths"
Portrayed by	Jun Negami

Ryu Ibuki is one of the main characters from Return of Ultraman. He is the second captain of MAT and is also designated as MAT member No.1.

History

Return of Ultraman

Ibuki was already an experienced warrior in the past. In addition to his expertise in close combat, he was also a renowned fighter pilot. As the superior of Katsuichiro Kato, the first captain of MAT, Ibuki took over Kato’s position when Kato was reassigned to the MAT space station from headquarters, becoming the team's second captain. However, Ibuki's arrival was delayed after Kato left Japan. Communications reported that he was involved in a monster battle at a garbage disposal site in New York, which increased the team's anticipation for the new leader's arrival.

When MAT members discovered that the plastic waste at the Yumenoshima garbage disposal site, which had recently experienced frequent earthquakes, contained a virus that consumed plastic, they decided to wait for the new leader before taking action. However, Hideki Go heard that a fire had suddenly broken out at Yumenoshima and went to the scene on his own, using the MAT Gyro to apply fire extinguishing agents. After completing his mission and returning to the base, he received a communication from Ibuki, who was in the airspace over the Pacific Ocean. Ibuki informed him that MS missiles should be used at the fire site, and the use of fire extinguishing agents was prohibited. When Go asked why the fire couldn’t be extinguished, Ibuki explained that there was a monster underground, and extinguishing the fire would cut off the oxygen supply, causing the monster to emerge from below. Ibuki then ordered that Go be grounded for three days for acting on his own.

Ibuki's first appearance.

At this time, news arrived that the monster "Gokinezura" had appeared at Yumenoshima. MAT members took off in the MAT Arrow, while Go decided to risk his retirement and join the battle. Even though Go transformed into Ultraman Jack and fought, he was injured on his right hand by Gokinezura's threads and struggled during the battle. At a critical moment, Ibuki, piloting the MAT Arrow 2 for the first time, arrived on the scene. Using his exceptional flying skills, Ibuki toyed with Gokinezura, entangling it in its own threads. When Gokinezura stood up again, Ibuki quickly launched missiles. Ultraman Jack then used the Spacium Beam to hit the missile in Gokinezura's mouth, causing the monster's head to explode and scatter.

Back at the base, Ibuki shook hands with each team member. Noticing Go's hesitation, Ibuki observed that Go's right hand was injured. Despite Takeshi Minami's best efforts to defend Go, Ibuki attributed the injury to a fall down the stairs and forgave him.^{I'll Kill This Monster!}

One day, Captain Ibuki's daughter, Minako, visited MAT along with a boy named Teruo, whom she had met at church. Although Teruo attended a school for the deaf and mute, he was actually an Alien Zelan disguised as a human. His goal was to eliminate Ultraman Jack’s human form, which is Go. Go, upon learning of his plan, lunged at Teruo but was stopped by the guards.

Ibuki trusted his daughter Minako and did not believe Go’s accusation that Teruo was an alien invader, as he did not want Minako to be influenced by prejudice or deception.

When Captain Ibuki inquired about the situation, Go honestly informed him, "That boy is an alien using a human guise." However, Captain Ibuki did not believe this and thought it was merely Go's delusion. When Go mentioned that it was dangerous for Minako to be near that boy, Ibuki firmly believed in his daughter and responded that Minako was a kind-hearted girl. "No matter what happens, this is just the pure friendship of children."

Subsequently, Plooma appeared at an elementary school in the city. Teruo was captured by the monster while still holding an advertisement balloon. MAT, unable to attack the monster, saw it escape, and Teruo was spared. In the hospital, Teruo provoked Go again, which led to Go being admonished and confined. He was even sent for a psychiatric evaluation, which came back normal. These events caused Captain Ibuki to reconsider Go's statements. Meanwhile, Teruo used a transmitter in his hospital room to control the monster, causing Plooma to reappear in front of the hospital. Go transformed into Ultraman Jack to fight the monster. As Ibuki watched the battle, he recalled Go’s earlier advice during his confinement: “If Ultraman is in crisis, capture that boy.”

Captain Ibuki decided to enter the hospital and begin searching for Teruo. Soon, suspicious noises came from the mortuary. Ibuki discovered that Teruo was operating a machine behind the altar. Panicked, Teruo shot strange beams from his eyes. Ibuki dodged the beams and fired at Teruo. Ultimately, when Captain Ibuki picked up the dying Teruo, his face had transformed into that of an Alien Zelan. This also allowed Ultraman to be freed from Plooma’s attack.

After the Alien Zelan incident, Captain Ibuki preferred to tell his daughter the harsh, sad truth rather than a gentle lie.

After some time, Ibuki and Go went to the church to pick up Minako. To spare Minako's feelings, Go suggested to Teruo that Hikio had gone to a distant foreign country, avoiding discussion of the recent incident. However, Alien Zelan had exploited Minako's innocence and kind heart to cause this situation. Ibuki told Go that he intended to reveal the whole truth to her. "A human child is a human child; One Shouldn"t idealize then as angels."^{In Between a Devil & Angel}

In an investigation into aliens involving a teenager named Ryo Sakuma, it was discovered that Ryo had been bullied and lost his family. He had once expressed that amidst the ruins, he found a warmth similar to that of a father. If that father were an "alien" and Ryo was therefore labeled as an alien and subjected to violence, severing such emotional connections would be absolutely unacceptable: "Japanese people have hands that create beautiful flowers. But if those hands hold a blade, there's no telling how crurl they can be. a blade...". To protect Ryo's safety, he ordered Go to guard Ryo.

Ibuki wearing a monk costume, encourages the frustrated Go to fight.

When Go witnessed several citizens killing Alien Mates during the mission and his sense of responsibility to protect others wavered, he appeared before Go in the guise of a monk, encouraging him to join the battle to stop Muruchi's actions.^{The Monster User and the Boy}

Ibuki and his family.

Due to long-term work, Captain Ibuki decided to take a vacation on the advice of MAT members. Since his wife Yoko’s hometown is in Shinshu, the famous "Omiwatari" phenomenon at Lake Renko, which occurs when the lake freezes in winter, is well known. According to local legend, in February, a deity crosses the frozen lake, creating a unique sound. The family drove to Shinshu, and upon arriving, they gathered together to chat and discuss MAT matters. Yoko’s father expressed great pride in his son-in-law being the MAT captain and mentioned that his daughter, Minako, would one day become a MAT member. Later, they decided to go to Lake Renko in the evening to view the Omiwatari, leaving Captain Ibuki at home to rest.

However, the Alien Grotes plotted to invade Earth, with Ibuki as their primary target for elimination. As the Alien Grotes stealthily approached Ibuki, Captain Ibuki began to contact MAT, which led to the failure of the Grotes’ assassination plan. Consequently, the Alien Grotes decided to shift the target to Ibuki’s wife and daughter, starting by enlarging the statues at the Renko Shrine. This led to the appearance of the demon Monster Kodaigon, and the villagers believed that the commercialization of the Omiwatari had angered the deity.

The crowd was thrown into chaos at the scene, and in front of Ibuki’s wife and daughter, a man appeared, claiming he would take them to safety. The mother and daughter followed the man, but as soon as they arrived at the shrine, the Alien Grotes revealed its true form. Meanwhile, MAT received footage from the Alien Grotes, who claimed to have kidnapped Ibuki’s wife and daughter and demanded that MAT disband. All MAT members then arrived in the village to prepare for a confrontation with the Alien Grotes and Kodaigon.

At the shrine, Minako and her mother were crying, and Kodaigon emerged from the lake once again. Captain Ibuki, who did not accept the Alien Grotes' demands, made a painful apology to his family for the greater good and ordered MAT to counterattack.

As the Alien Grotes attempted to attack Ibuki’s wife and daughter, Go transformed into Ultraman Jack. The Alien Grotes also began to grow in size and attacked alongside Kodaigon. After Ultraman Jack defeated the Alien Grotes, Kodaigon returned to its original statue form. After the battle, Captain Ibuki was reunited with his wife and daughter.^{Demon God Barks on the Moon}

During the final battle, he and the other members resisted Zetton II's attacks. At that moment, Alien Bat, upon realizing that MAT was not at the base, attacked the MAT headquarters, causing all the core nuclear reactors of the facility to be destroyed. While Go piloted the Mat Arrow 1 to attack Zetton II, Captain Ibuki and Yuriko Oka went to the stadium to rescue the kidnapped Jiro Sakata and Rumiko Murano. However, Alien Bat grew to a giant size. Go transformed into Ultraman and continued the fight.

With the help of MAT, Ultraman launched a counterattack. After an intense battle, he successfully defeated Alien Bat and Zetton II. Although MAT triumphed over their formidable foes, Go disappeared. All the MAT members mourned for Go. When Jiro and Rumiko expressed their belief that Go was still alive, Captain Ibuki nodded respectfully to them and left the scene with the other members.^{The 5 Ultra Oaths}

Gallery

Return of Ultraman

Miscellaneous

Trivia

• The actor initially considered for the role of Ibuki included candidates such as Yoshio Tsuchiya, but the final decision was to cast Jun Negami. At that time, Negami was a second-tier star with Daiei Film and was quite well-known among general audiences. His casting was a significant event in tokusatsu television. This decision was made following the instruction from TBS producer Yoji Hashimoto, who advised, "Do not use actors less popular than Nobuo Tsukamoto."
• Captain Ibuki's MAT uniform design differs from those of the other members. This includes a thin line on the sleeves and above the chest. This design change was proposed by Jun Negami with the aim of "clarifying the visual distinction between the captain and the other members."
• In the series, multiple plot points suggest that Ibuki is aware of Go's true identity as Ultraman Jack.
  • After a discussion with Tsukamoto at a symposium in 1987, series director Masanori Kakehi concluded that "Ibuki does indeed know." However, it was decided to portray the setting where "Ibuki does not know Go is Ultraman" in the actual footage.

Ibuki in a monk costume.

• In episode 33, Ibuki appears before Go in the guise of a monk, which is the biggest mystery of that episode.
  • In the script written by Shozo Uehara, Ibuki was originally portrayed in a normal appearance, and Go never mentioned "But I have a home in MAT and a father in you, Captain." in the script.
  • Director Shohei Tojo of the series stated that Jun Kono appearing as a monk was not in the script but was a decision made on set.
  • In the 2000 supplement edition of Risaku Kiridoshi's book "The Monster User and the Boy", there is an interview with Tojo. Tojo explains that the reason only Ibuki appeared from MAT in that episode was because he felt that secondary characters were not necessary for the story. However, after the completed work was reviewed by the television station, they wanted to include elements that would be more familiar to the audience. As a result, the female character from the bakery was added at the last moment.
  • The reason Ibuki appears in the guise of a monk is explained by Tojo: "This represents Go's inner world. Through transformation, he becomes Ultraman and maintains his mission. However, Go does harbor anger towards the public. It is very difficult for Go to become Ultraman after witnessing the ugliness of people. Therefore, we introduced Captain Ibuki as a father figure. However, Captain Ibuki was not aware that Go had become Ultraman, so he appeared in a different form. To Go, he is just a monk, but the audience knows he is the captain." To achieve this effect, the production team had him appear as a monk from the beginning of the episode to watch over the boy. Although he could do nothing, it was as if he was accompanying him.
• Jun Negami, who portrayed Ibuki, is married to Peggy Hayama, who later played the Mother of Ultra in Ultraman Taro. In episode 43, while Ibuki is on vacation traveling with his family, the car radio plays Peggy's signature song, "Nangoku Tosa wo Ato ni Shite." This also adds a humorous element to the scene, as Ibuki becomes embarrassed due to his obsession with the music.