Sayuri Tachibana Ultraman X. She is the vice-captain of Xio.
is one of the main characters ofPersonality[]
Tachibana possesses a serious and dignified personality. She is primarily responsible for team's intelligence analysis and operational planning, while also showing a motherly concern for her team members. When it comes to monsters posing a threat to humanity, Tachibana believes in taking decisive action, sometimes leading to clashes with Kamiki, who aims to "find a path of mutual understanding."
Even in her role as vice-captain, Tachibana doesn't simply follow Kamiki's orders. Her approach to operations always aims to minimize casualties, even if it means showing tolerance towards monsters that may pose a ruthless threat. However, when faced with a monster catastrophe, she ultimately believes that eliminating the monsters is an unavoidable outcome, given that the primary objective is, in fact, to save people's lives. Her perspective often aligns with the "rationality" that suggests logical and lower-risk defense strategies are the best choices, rather than relying on emotions to protect the Earth.
In the series, she bravely exercises emotional restraint, especially when faced with situations as a mother that can easily be swayed by emotions. Guided by the spirit of "accurate judgment is the best path," she strives to remain calm and make decisions rationally. However, her perspective gradually shifts after encountering a "Giant of Light."
History[]
Pre-Ultraman X[]
When she was young, Tachibana witnessed a disaster that left a profound impression on her, particularly the firefighters, female doctors, and nurses involved in the rescue mission at the disaster scene. This inspired her to pursue studies at a university with emergency and life-saving disciplines when she reached adulthood. After obtaining the necessary qualifications, she immediately applied to join the fire department and passed the entrance exam, volunteering to become a rescue team member.
After completing her training, Tachibana passed the entrance examination at the age of 24 and joined the Fire Rescue Task Forces. Her young age drew attention in the newspapers at the time. As a rescue team member, she later participated in large-scale disaster search and rescue missions. She married emergency physician Shogo 16 years ago, and the couple originally planned to immigrate to Canada. However, due to a Super Flare phenomenon event from the sun, she hurriedly returned to Japan and engaged in rescue efforts at monster disaster scenes and the rescue of affected individuals.
Due to certain reasons, Tachibana was compelled to live separately from her husband, who had already relocated to Canada as planned. However, they maintained a back-and-forth relationship between Canada and Japan, during which time they had two daughters, Kaoru and Michiru. Tachibana agreed to her husband's arrangement, allowing their daughters to live in Canada, where the occurrence rate of monster attacks was relatively low. Despite the considerable distance between them, they continued to nurture their love and care for one another, making constant efforts to maintain communication and emotional connections within their family.[1]
After the establishment of Xio, Kamiki was cautious about leading the team in a way that might lead to an excessive reliance on his own judgment and potentially result in a self-righteous approach. Therefore, he appointed Sayuri, who is known for her frankness and willingness to voice dissenting opinions as the vice-captain.
Ultraman X[]
In her debut appearance, Tachibana and Kamiki notified all team members to assemble in the command room and reported intelligence about a massive subterranean heat source moving in the S2-4 area. She then ordered Asuna to coordinate with the research team for a surface investigation. Subsequently, in real-time footage from the command room, she witnessed Demaaga beginning to wreak havoc in Umezawa City and immediately issued evacuation orders for the surrounding areas' residents. When Ultraman X appeared, she and Kamiki were astonished to witness his battle with Demaaga.A Voice From the Starry Sky
Throughout the series, she often stayed in the command room alongside Kamiki, primarily responsible for monitoring video feeds, retrieving data information, and regularly dispatching team members to the frontline for tactical missions or investigative operations. However, on some necessary occasions, she would personally lead the team in frontline command.
During an incident where Asuna and Daichi were dispatched to investigate the Underground People, Tachibana reprimanded Asuna for her lack of situational awareness in wearing high heels to the enemy's ambush location. However, after the mission concluded, considering Asuna's birthday, she and the other team members secretly pooled funds to purchase a new pair of shoes for Asuna.A Song That Calls the Night
At the start of the match between Team Nebula and the Dark Star Cluster, she watched the game from the command room. When Team Nebula achieved a remarkable come-from-behind victory, she displayed intense excitement but was left astounded by the heightened emotions of Kamiki.We Are Nebula!
When Kamiki hesitated about whether to attend his daughter Hiromi's wedding, Tachibana, after some inquiry, advised him to spend quality time with his family in the days leading up to the wedding, suggesting that he could go out for a meal with his daughter. During Kamiki's leave of absence, she temporarily assumed command responsibilities. When other team members inquired about Kamiki's relationship with his daughter, she revealed to them that Kamiki had not been in contact with Hiromi for a long time.
Shortly after, due to the appearance of Gomess in the S2-6 area, she informed Kamiki and relayed the message that the team was ready for action. On the second day when Gomess went into a deep sleep, in consideration of Kamiki's relationship with his daughter, she and other team members expressed support for him to attend the wedding.A Soldier's Back
During a media interview, when asked about her role as the vice-captain and how she deals with her subordinates, Tachibana mentioned that every member of Xio carries a strong belief in protecting the Earth. However, she also pointed out that such passion, if not controlled, can easily lead to impulsiveness and loss of rationality. Therefore, she and the captain work together to maintain composure and assist in assessing the situation. However, when facing the camera for an interview, she herself experienced nervousness. In the following days, as the questioning of the Kemur yielded no results, she delegated the interrogation process to Kamiki.
After the program aired, Tachibana dispatched the team once again to conduct radio wave investigations in the O-2 area and stayed in touch with her daughters, who were watching the show in Canada.Feature Report! 24 Hours Inside Xio
One evening, while on duty in the Xio command room, an inexplicable scene appeared in Tachibana's dream, jolting her awake from her slumber. In the dream, Tachibana's daughter was being stared at by a pair of terrifying large eyes, causing Kaoru to scream in fear. Tachibana hurriedly reached out to rescue her daughter but accidentally touched the Stone Fluegel. Upon waking up, she immediately contacted her family in Canada to ensure that all three of them were safe and sound.
In one mission, a menacing lifeform known as the Bugbuzuns appeared in Shinjuku, and Sayuri personally led the team to confront it. However, during the operation, she became trapped by falling ceiling debris as she attempted to rescue a civilian who had been attacked by the Bugbuzun. Meanwhile, Tachibana's family camping by a lake in Canada came under attack by Bemular, facing life-threatening peril. Hearing her daughter's cries for help and the deadly assault of the extraterrestrial creature, Tachibana found herself in a dilemma but had no intention of giving up. Just when all seemed lost, the Evoltruster appeared before her. Without hesitation, she seized it, transforming into a Ultraman. After transporting the injured civilian to the hospital, she immediately flew to Canada to battle Bemular and successfully defeated it.
Back at Xio headquarters, Tachibana tells the others that she was the one who transformed into Ultraman and went AWOL to save her daughters and defeat Bemular and believes that she was not fit for duty anymore despite the reassurances from Daichi and the others, who tell her that everything and everyone is alright. When Daichi asked about her feelings at that time, Tachibana replied, "I was just filled with a certainty that I could fulfill my mission," and candidly shared her belief that once becoming Ultraman, she must bear the responsibility of that mission.
Suddenly, Dark Thunder Energy emerged and caused one of the Space Beasts to grow to an enormous size. This resulted in X, who had gone to confront it, being locked in a fierce battle. To provide assistance to X, Tachibana informed Kamiki that she would temporarily leave her post. Subsequently, she transformed into Ultraman and rushed to support. Together with X, they successfully defeated Bugbuzunbrud within the Metaphield.
After parting ways with Ultraman, it seemed that Ultraman conveyed a message of "never give up," prompting Tachibana to relay this message to Daichi. Following this, the Evolthruster disappeared without a trace. When inquired about the name of the giant, Tachibana replied, "Bond... Nexus."Bond -Unite-
After Greeza descended upon UNVER's Nevada branch and caused destruction, it continued its path towards Japan through the western Pacific, despite encountering resistance in the North Pacific. However, the firepower employed against Greeza proved entirely ineffective. As a result, Greeza obliterated all UNVER forces deployed in its wake. When Daichi transformed into X and directly confronted Greeza, Asuna relayed the news back to the Xio command room, where Tachibana was shocked to learn the truth about Daichi being X.
However, when Daichi/X made a daring and all-out effort to strike down Greeza, he was absorbed into Greeza's body. Greeza's body then emitted numerous light points, leading to a massive explosion. After the smoke cleared, only a gigantic color timer remained at the scene.A Beautiful End
Upon detecting signs of life from X and Daichi within the color timer, Dr.Gourman mentioned his previous attempt to send Daichi's brainwaves into the computer space and intended to use that system again. Tachibana initially decided to go and rescue them but changed her mind when Asuna volunteered to enter. She and Rui then escorted Asuna out of the base, while other Xio team members continued their counterattack against Greeza.
When Asuna's thoughts finally reached Daichi, X was able to rejoin the battle. With the assistance of everyone and the Spark Dolls, they successfully defeated Greeza. This victory led to a joyful reunion with the safe return of Daichi, including Tachibana and the rest of the team. Curious about X's long-hidden secret, the team members inquired, and Tachibana instructed Daichi to compile a record of his experiences while fused with X. However, they didn't let their guard down for too long, as Kamiki ordered the team to return to the base immediately and resume operations. In the sky at that moment, a sky filled with the radiance of "rainbows and hope" had appeared.The Rainbow Land
Transformation[]
To transform into Ultraman Nexus, Tachibana removes the cover of the Evoltruster and raises it above or in front of her.
Powers and Weapons[]
- Training: Being the deputy captain of Xio, Tachibana is trained to operate various equipment and in combat.
- Dunamist Abilities: Although not shown on-screen, Tachibana should have had the abilities of other Dunamists while she was bonded with Nexus.
- Evoltruster: Tachibana can use this to transform into Ultraman Nexus.
Gallery[]
Ultraman X[]
Miscellaneous[]
Trivia[]
- She is the sixth in overall, and the third Dunamist that is able to transform Nexus into Junis and the first and only Dunamist not to be from the World of N.
- The development of Tachibana transforming in episode 20 was inspired by the fact that Tachibana did not have her own main episode in the series, as well as the incomplete transformation of Vice-Captain Nagi Saijyo, into Nexus in Ultraman Nexus. This connection arises from the commonality of having a female vice-captain.[2]
References[]
- ↑ 間宮 尚彦 (著), 円谷プロダクション (監修), バンダイ (監修) 『ウルトラマンX 超全集』徳間書店、2016年3月11日。ISBN 978-4091051530。
- ↑ 『別冊映画秘宝 特撮秘宝』 vol.3 pg 149–152