Super Weapon R-1

"That's a sad marathon that you keep running as you cough up blood."

―Dan Moroboshi

Super Weapon R-1
Ultraseven, episode 26
Information
Airdate	March 31, 1968
Directed by	Toshitsugu Suzuki
Written by	Bunzo Wakatsuki
Special Effects Directed by	Toru Matoba
Continuity
Previous	Showdown at 140 Degrees Below Zero
Next	Operation Cyborg

Super Weapon R-1 is the twenty-sixth episode of Ultraseven.

Synopsis

R1, a weapon made for attacking other planets to protect Earth, was fired. The target was Planet Gyeron, a planet observed to have no form of life. The experiment was successful, but Dan was not happy for excessive strategic development of weapons by human being. Before long, there was a shadow flying to Earth from Planet Gyeron. It was Star Bem Gyeron, mutated from the radiation of R1!

Cast

• Dan Moroboshi/Ultraseven : Kohji Moritsugu
• Anne Yuri : Yuriko Hishimi
• Shigeru Furuhashi : Sandayu Dokumamushi
• Kaoru Kiriyama : Shoji Nakayama
• Soga : Shinsuke Achiha
• Amagi : Bin Furuya
• Takenaka : Kenji Sahara
• Ueno : Yoshio Katsube

Guest Actors

• Ritsuko Maeno : Nami Tamura
• Professor Segawa : Junichiro Mukai

Voice Actors

• Space Observation Vessel No. 8 : Akira Shimada
• Narrator : Hikaru Urano

Suit Actors

• Ultraseven : Koji Uenishi
• Star Bem Gyeron : Kunio Suzuki

Appearances

Ultras

• Ultraseven

Kaiju

• Star Bem Gyeron

Home Media

• Ultraseven Volume 7 features episodes 26-29.

1999 release

2009 release

Trivia

• This episode is a satire on the Nuclear Defense Strategy during the Cold War.
• There are two confirmed scripts for this episode, though they differ notably from the final version in several key plot elements: TDF, but this role was later given to Staff Officer Takenaka in the final version. The draft also introduced a scientist named Kiriya Claire , who was eventually reworked into Dr. Ritsuko Maeno.
  • Claire, in the draft, expresses deep remorse over the irreversible choices she's made. In contrast, Segawa is portrayed as someone consumed by a blind, almost fanatical faith in science.
  • The draft's ending features a quiet exchange between Claire and Yamaoka. Yamaoka remarks, “Dan keeps talking nonsense, like, 'That's a sad marathon you keep running as you cough up blood.'” Claire responds, “Minister Yamaoka, is humanity truly foolish enough to keep running such a marathon?” The scene closes with both characters lost in thought. This dialogue was removed from the final cut.
  • The final scene also changed: in the draft, after Yamaoka orders Segawa to halt weapons development, Segawa silently walks him to the command center before parting ways. In contrast, the aired version ends with Dan watching a squirrel and silently thinking, “Stop, it's enough, you too…”
  • The battle against Star Bem Gyeron differs as well. In the broadcast version, Seven struggles due to an injured hand. Instead of the final version's flower field, the script originally set the fight in a landscape of deathly white ashes.

Comparison between Urakami Cathedral and the ruined church scenery in this episode.

• One scene features a miniature model designed to resemble the Urakami Cathedral, which was destroyed in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Although the cathedral was rebuilt in 1958, the original no longer existed when the episode aired. Its imagery was deliberately included to emphasize the episode's anti-nuclear message.
  • The production design, led by art director Senk Ikegami, was informed by photographs and other visual references. According to Kiyoshi Suzuki, the team's goal was to “portray the beauty of Earth.” This led to the inclusion of elements such as graveyards and flower fields. Ultimately, a simple flower field was chosen to visually underscore that theme.

• According to Satoshi Higashino, based on accounts from either Noriaki Ikeda or director Kazuho Mitsuta, this episode corresponds to episode 19 of Ultraman 80, titled "Order to Destroy the Rogue Star." During his time working on the series, screenwriter Bunzo Wakatsuki specifically requested to write an episode inspired by this one. His attachment to it stemmed from being unable to forget the death scene of Star Bem Gyeron, which deeply moved him.
• In March 2011, following the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the scheduled rebroadcast of this episode on Family Gekijo (March 20) was canceled due to its subject matter. It was later aired during the 2012 rerun on Wowow and has since been included in subsequent re-releases and broadcasts.
• The figurative statement quoted by Dan, "That's a sad marathon that you keep running as you cough up blood", was later used in the Heisei Ultraseven 1999 episode, "Legends and Glory", to cite the TDF's ongoing implementation of the Friendship Plan aggression plot following Furuhashi's demise at the hands of Alien Valkyrie.
• Researcher Tsu Aoyama noted that the episode makes rare and repeated use of Toru Fuyuki's music track M49, titled "Sadness of Death." The piece is featured four times throughout the episode—an uncommon frequency for a single track:
  • Dan and Furuhashi discussing the Super Weapon (03:09–04:16)
  • Anne reflecting on Dan's words after learning of Planet Gyeron's destruction (07:00–07:30)
  • Dan expressing regret while flying in the Ultra Hawk (09:10–09:24)
  • The hospital scene involving Dr. Segawa, Dr. Maeno, Takenaka, Kiriyama, and Dan (22:27–24:37)
• Other tracks used include M-14 "Monster," which plays during Star Bem Gyeron's arrival. M-14 is a variation of M-15, featuring a bass-heavy timpani solo. When Ultraseven defeats Gyeron in the flower field, the series' main theme plays. Composer Fuyuki later said he didn't remember why that specific track was chosen. Finally, when Takeuchi suggests halting the R2 project, M49 fades out and is replaced by M55, titled "Joy of Relief."

• In a 2022 interview, Kohji Moritsugu shared his thoughts on the episode:
  • He said it left the deepest impression on him. At the time, still in his twenties, he didn't fully grasp the weight of Dan's lines. Looking back, he's struck by how effortlessly Dan delivers such powerful words. He noted how the presence of weapons changes people, and remarked that the “sad marathon” metaphor echoes the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.
• A trailer for this episode was released on September 1, 2023 as part of a series of trailers created to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Ultraseven, that also promoted the episode being made free on TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION for a month.