The
Overview
TAC is a defense organization aimed at combating entities more powerful than ordinary monsters, known as "Terrible-Monsters". The organization's headquarters are located in New York, with its South Pacific International Headquarters situated on a remote island in the South Pacific. It also has branches in the Far East, Europe, and Africa, with a weapons development department.
The primary mission of this organization is to monitor the activities of Terrible-Monsters around the world day and night, conduct tactical research, and develop new weapons. However, due to the conspiracies of the Yapool, TAC often finds itself in passive situations. In such circumstances, there are often mutual doubts among the team members, and there is less investigation into reports and lawsuits from citizens.
Additionally, regarding the relationship between TAC and MAT, TAC seems to possess a MAT document. This document records the roster of MAT team members and their related records of combat with monsters.Duel! Ultraman Ace vs. Hideki Go
History
Ultraman Ace
After MAT suffered devastating blows from the Alien Bat, Earth's peacekeeping responsibilities were transferred to TDF. However, when the Yaapool dispatched Verokron for a destructive onslaught, TDF's forces also suffered heavy losses.
In order to swiftly respond to the threat posed by Terrible-Monsters, an organization named "TAC" was established with the assistance of scientific elites. The series primarily focuses on seven members of its Far East division in Japan. This team collaborates with Ultraman Ace, who arrived on Earth, to combat the threat of Terrible-Monsters.Shine! The Five Ultra Brothers
However, when the identity of one of the members of TAC, Yuko Minami, was revealed to be a Moon people, she left the team after the defeat of the Lunaticks by the team and Ace. To commemorate her departure, the members of TAC finally burned Yuko's uniform.Goodbye Yuko, Sister of the Moon
In the final battle against Jumbo King, despite TAC's all-out attack, Jumbo King ignored it and destroyed half of the city, claiming it would leave if Alien Simon was handed over. TAC prepared a new weapon, the "Cell Disintegration Missile", to intercept, but Jumbo King still managed to destroy the defense barrier.
When Alien Simon's true identity as a member of the Yapool race was revealed, TAC member Seiji Hokuto believed that if things continued, humanity would lose trust and kindness towards others. He revealed to his team that he was actually Ultraman Ace and transformed into Ace to defeat Jumbo King and Yapool. After expressing his wishes to the TAC members, Ace, unable to revert to his human form, left Earth. Subsequently, TAC did not appear in the series again. The new defense team was taken over by ZAT.You Are the Ace of Tomorrow!
Bases
Far Eastern Branch Base
The Far Eastern Branch Base [4] is in Yamanashi Prefecture in between Aokigahara and Fuji Five Lakes. The base's facilities are cleverly camouflaged by using the terrain and natural ostensibly, while the entrance is disguised as the weather station.
The main command room is located underground (bathroom facilities are also directly connected to the main room), it includes a library of ancient literature references, various laboratories, a shooting training field, the central atom power chamber, the hangar of large hand made missiles. A Terrible-Monster radar, a variety of welfare facility buildings, a general conference building, and a research building all exist on the ground-level portion of the base.
In addition, for protection against Terrible-Monster attacks, the base has been enhanced with defenses of the very best equipment, such as a large-scale field gun, and 4-twin and 16-twin rocket launchers. In spite of its top defenses, Terrible-Monster and aggressive space-aliens have managed to compromise its security, leading the base's front grounds to become a battleground between the invaders and Ultraman Ace.
Others
- Communications Central Facility : This facility is located inside the Tokyo Tower and is likely the central hub for communication with headquarters and various divisions.
- TAC Third Research Institute [4]: This is a building facility where TAC conducts research on developing new rocket engines.
- TAC No.1 Radar Base : This base houses TAC headquarters' main radar system.
- TAC No.2 Radar Base Unitang. : This base, located on the shores of Donghu Lake, was later destroyed by
- TAC No.3 Radar Base : This base implemented a diode SPD development plan to enhance equipment performance, but it was later destroyed by Unitang.
- TAC Base Power Plant [4]: The power station supplies a large amount of electricity to the Far East headquarters base. A bomb was placed here by Space Mask.
- Secret Road No.3 [4]: This is TAC's dedicated underground tunnel highway, used for transporting diode SPDs to TAC's No.3 Radar Base and connecting various facilities with the Far Eastern Branch Base.
- Kasumi Pass Factory [4]: This is TAC's weapons factory that focuses on developing V7 missiles. It is connected to Far Eastern Branch Base via the Hotarunga Bypass and includes a mountain underground tunnel known as "TAC SR-7 Kasumi Pass Center."
- Space Station No.5 : This is TAC's space station, floating in satellite orbit. During the conversation, it was revealed that the space station was destroyed by Cox's spaceship.
- Jupiter 2 [4]: This is TAC's atmospheric observation satellite. It once had a gas creature implant gas Gorgon eggs, and after being assimilated by gas Gorgon, it lost track and later crashed into the gas storage tank area.
Members
Main Team
- Main article: Goro Ryu
Goro Ryu [5] is the 35-year-old captain of the TAC Far East Branch. Goro always try to capture things from a scientific point of view with calm deposition.
- Main article: Ichiro Yamanaka
Ichiro Yamanaka [5] is the sharpshooter of TAC, dual wielded TAC Guns with pin point accuracy. His fiancee Maya Takashina is killed by Alien Metron Jr.
- Main article: Tsutomu Konno
Tsutomu Konno [5] is a rocket enginner and former policeman. In episode 15, Konno goes on vacation to see his niece. During the vacation King Crab appears.
- Main article: Kozo Yoshimura
Kozo Yoshimura [5] is described as a walking encyclopedia on space aliens and other life forms. In episode 16, he goes on vacation to meet his family and meets a friend who is then mutated by Yapool into Cowra.
- Main article: Seiji Hokuto
Seiji Hokuto [6] is the human host of Ultraman Ace. He trusts Yuko Minami more to deal with Terrible-Monster threats. He along with Yuko are suspended from TAC during Vakishim's reign.
- Main article: Yuko Minami
Yuko Minami [7] was the human host of Ultraman Ace. She trusts Seiji Hokuto more to deal with Terrible-Monster threats. She along with Seiji are suspended from TAC during Vakishim's reign. She leaves TAC in episode 29 so she could go to the moon.
- Main article: Noriko Mikawa
Noriko Mikawa [5] serves as the team's communication liaison. She is also the team's explosives expert. She often encounters mysterious phenomena during solo missions and occasionally participates in actual combat.
Other Staff
- Main article: Yoichi Kaji
Yoichi Kaji [5] (episodes 1 - 3, 5 - 14, 16 - 27, 31): A scientist working for TAC. He is a experienced weapon designer and knows intel on Terrible-Monsters.
Takakura [5] (episode 14): Commander of the TAC South Pacific Headquarters. Sends Hokuto to bomb Planet Golgotha where the Ultra Brothers are. Goro Ryu and the rest of TAC beat up Takakura after Hokuto's plane won't detach the missile to destroy Golgotha.
Takakura is portrayed by Isao Yamagata
.
- Main article: Maya Takashina
Maya Takashina [5] (episodes 7, 8) is the fiancée of Yamanaka and also serves as the communication officer at the TAC missile base.
Arsenal
Attire
- TAC Uniform : TAC uniforms are durable and offer heat and cold protection.
- TAC Helmet : It has a built in communication device, the captain's has black stripes. It is the only helmet in the Showa era not to have a visor.
- TAC Space Suit : A spacesuit with high gravity resistance.
- Goggles : Special goggles developed to protect the eyes from the light emitted by Terrible-Monsters.
Equipment
- TAC Gun [8]: Standard equipment of all the TAC members. The guns cartridges can be between light fire, compressed air, and explosive bullets.
- Portable Communication Device [8]: A tool for members to communicate with headquarters, available in two models, wristwatch and small walkie-talkie.
- Big Laser 50 [8]: A large cannon developed by Kaji, emitting a beam 50 times stronger than a regular laser.
- TAC Bazooka [8]: A new type of rocket launcher.
- SP-72[8]: A small missile launcher modified from the SP-70 laser gun used by MAT.
- Ultra Laser [8]: A laser gun used by Alien Antira, later becoming a managed weapon of TAC.
- Miniature Gun : A palm-sized compact pistol.
- Grenade Launcher-Type Gun : A large firearm resembling a grenade launcher.
- V09 Pistol [8]: TAC's compact pistol.
- Small Anesthetic Gun [8]: A small firearm capable of inducing anesthesia in the target.
- Electro Gun [8]: A land-based weapon with cannon-like destructive power and a gun barrel, used by several weapons development researchers under Kaji's leadership.
- Cell Destruction Missile - Cell Destruction Gun : Large missile weapons capable of cell destruction.
- Mortar [8]: A weapon used in land combat, capable of launching high-explosive shells.
- U.S. M1 Carbine : A semi-automatic rifle carried by sentinels at the 3rd radar base and TAC base power station.
- Gas Rounds [8]: Ammunition loaded with tear gas.
- Brooch Bomb [8]: A silver star-shaped chest pin bomb.
- Brooch with Gas Sprayer Function [8]: A chest pin equipped with a powerful poison gas internally.
- Special Pendant [8]: A tool used for detection, equipped with built-in cell and blood type measuring devices, and a wireless transmission capability for sending investigation results.
- Analyzer : A device used for analyzing monster behavior.
- Type 14 Pistol : A small handgun.
- Maria 1 & 2 [8]: Large missiles used to destroy the mysterious star Goran. No.1 was destroyed by Alien Metron Jr. before launch, and its design blueprint was burned. Based on Kaji's memory, No.2 was quickly manufactured.
- RX Missile [8]: Launched from the bottom of the TAC Falcon for targeting Gammas.
- Steam Evaporation Missile [8]: Developed by Kaji's team, contains drugs capable of evaporating water, used against Sabotendar.
- Superluminal Missile No.7 [8]: Two-stage powerful missile used to destroy Planet Golgotha. Designed by the TAC South Pacific headquarters, capable of exceeding the speed of light to enter the negative universe. The second stage, "First Rocket," requires a pilot for guidance and separates to control the rocket when nearing the target.
- Large Air-to-Ground Missile [8]: A missile used by TAC space for ground attacks against target objects.
- Large Missile for Super Beast Attack TAC V7 (VII) Missile [8]: A powerful weapon assisting Ultraman Ace, capable of demoralizing Hotarunga. The existence of the V9 in the same series was confirmed but not used in the series.
- Arrow Air-to-Air Missile [8]: The missile suggested by Member Yamazaki during the Jumbo King countermeasure mission was rejected due to the target being located in an urban area.
- Flame Bomb : A missile capable of launching flame attacks against its target.
- Nitrogen Bomb : Deployed against the transparent-bodied King Crab.
- Underwater Bomb Dreamgillas hiding in the lake. : Deployed on the TAC Falcon for attacking
- Underwater Time Bomb : Planted by Hokuto at the bottom of the lake, used to force the Dreamgillas to materialize again through the explosive impact.
- Freeze Bomb : Once projected onto Gasgegon, causing temporary freezing of the entity.
- Gas Neutralizer Gasgegon as a neutralizing agent to prevent ignition. : Deployed into the gas emitted by
- Silver Shark [8]: Considered the strongest weapon against Terrible-Monsters. It is a large laser beam cannon typically mounted on TAC jeeps, capable of defeating powerful adversaries in a single shot, such as Firemons, who had previously bested Ultraman Ace. However, this weapon lacks a recharge mechanism, preventing continuous firing.
- In Ultraman Mebius, two Silver Shark G are stationed at the GUYS Japan's Phoenix Nest Base.
- Golden Hawk [8]: Red rapid-fire laser cannon that caused enormous damage to Onidevil.
- Space Missile [8]: A super weapon used against the Sabotendar, capable of significantly reducing the enemy's attack power.
- Cell Decomposition Missile [8]: A giant beam cannon capable of causing cell decomposition.
- Artificial Solar Ray [8]: Equipment used to irradiate and heal injuries sustained by Hokuto and Minami inside the TAC facility after being showered by radioactive rain.
- Interdimensional Penetration Device [8]: Equipment used for entering interdimensional space. Kaji stated it applies the principle of the "Mebius Ring" to humans. Hokuto successfully used this device to enter the interdimensional space.
- Net-Throwing : A massive net-like object launched from the bottom of the TAC Falcon.
- Diode SPD : Approximately the size of a thumb, equipped with crystal diodes, possessing the functionality of ten thousand crystal diodes.
Mecha
TAC Falcon [8]: A large fighter attack aircraft that serves as a mobile command center on the scene. It is also known as the Super Large Aircraft Carrier .
- Stats
- Length: 210 m
- Width: 103.5 m
- Weight: 50,000 t
- Max Speed: Mach 6.6
- Crew: 6
- Main article: TAC Arrow
TAC Arrow [8]: TAC's flagship single-seat combat attack aircraft.
- Stats
- Length: 18 m
- Width: 14.5 m
- Weight: 20 t
- Max Speed: Mach 7.7
- Crew: 1
TAC Space [8]: TAC's ultra-high speed combat spaceplane. It can be distinguished from the Arrow by its larger overall size, its different wing shape compared to the Arrow, its twin-seater configuration, and its ability to fly both within a planet's atmosphere and in space.
- Stats
- Length: 15 m
- Width: 14.5 m
- Weight: 15 t
- Max Speed: Mach 8.8
- Crew: 2
TAC Panther [8]: A specialized vehicle for TAC members, equipped for ground patrol, espionage, and communication tasks. It features excellent detection capabilities with radar and high-performance communication equipment. The rear trunk can carry weapons and diving gear.
The prototype of this vehicle is the Toyopet Corona Mark II 2nd 2000GSS (RX21).
- Stats
- Length: 4.3 m
- Width: 1.6 m
- Weight: 1.2 t
- Max Speed: 155 km/h
- Crew: 5
TAC Jeep [8]: TAC's dedicated Jeep is primarily used for ground operations in mountainous areas and transporting small to medium-sized weapons to the scene. The vehicle itself is also equipped with the Silver Shark as its primary weapon.
Duckbill [8]: TAC's submarine, mentioned only in background settings and the lyrics of the opening song, but does not appear in the series.
- Stats
- Length: 25 m
- Width: 16 m
- Weight:80 t
- Max Speed:
- 960 km/h (in the air)
- 90 km/h (ground)
- 30 km/h (underground)
- Crew: 6
Dolphin [8]: TAC's submarine, with only "Dolphin II" mentioned in background settings and the lyrics of the opening song, but this Mecha does not appear in the series.
Terrestrial Defense Force Fighter F-4 Phantom II. These jets would frequently mobilise to assist TAC, but were often shot down by enemy monsters and aliens.
: The conventional fighter jet operated by the TDF, the
Shinsei
: Japan's first manned spacecraft, where TAC was responsible for its maiden flight control. However, when returning from the moon to Earth, the ship was pursued by Yapool, resulting in a sharp increase in temperature inside the ship and ultimately crashing into the Earth's atmosphere.Gallery
Ultraman Ace
Miscellaneous
Trivia
- The background setting of TAC being established due to the complete annihilation of the original defense organization is a reuse of the planning setting proposed during the early development stages of Return of Ultraman but was not adopted at that time.[11]
- In 2021, to prepare for the 50th anniversary of the Ultraman Ace, the actors who had portrayed the TAC members: Keiji Takamine, Shunichi Okita, Mitsuhiro Sano, and Keiko Nishi asked a writer to help plan the event. The writer suggested creating a website called 'AceChannel' to promote activities related to tokusatsu. Following this, the group became active under the name "Our friends at TAC" and has since organized several TAC-themed offline events.[12][13][14]
References
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/character/tac/
- ↑ https://hicbc.com/tv/mebius/document/
- ↑ https://imagination.m-78.jp/contents/d2ViL1lvbWlfMDE1NTc%3D
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 10: Ultraman Ace, pg 12
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 10: Ultraman Ace, pg 15
- ↑ Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 10: Ultraman Ace, pg 13
- ↑ Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 10: Ultraman Ace, pg 14
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 8.16 8.17 8.18 8.19 8.20 8.21 8.22 8.23 8.24 8.25 8.26 8.27 8.28 8.29 8.30 8.31 8.32 8.33 Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 10: Ultraman Ace, pg 16-17
- ↑ https://cocreco.kodansha.co.jp/telemaga/news/zZ0os
- ↑ https://www.fukkan.com/fk/CartSearchDetail?i_no=68330499
- ↑ Return of Ultraman came back, pg 14
- ↑ https://x.com/tacechannel
- ↑ https://ameblo.jp/acechannel/theme-10114713546.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/@TAC-crue
Defense Teams | |
---|---|
Showa Defense Teams | SSSP | TDF (UG, MAT, TAC, ZAT, MAC, UGM) | Science Guard Party |
Heisei Defense Teams | UMA | WINR | HEART | Mydo | TPC (GUTS, Super GUTS, Black Buster Corps, Neo Super GUTS) | GUARD (XIG) | GOKAZOKU | SRC (EYES, Team SEA), JADF | BCST | TLT (NR) | UDF (DASH) | GUYS | DEUS | ZAP SPACY | Team U | UPG | UNVER (Xio) | VTL | AIB |
Reiwa Defense Teams | EGIS | GAF (STORAGE) | TPU (GUTS-Select) | SSSP | GGF (SKaRD) | KDF | GDF (SKIP) |
Other Defense Teams | Inter Galactic Defense Force | Space Patrol | MIGHTY JACK | SRI | SGM | Team Mouri | SAT | SAF | PAT | Koseidon Corps | MAT | SWORD | SSSP | USP | GIRLS |