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"Because I was a true weakling. Recklessness is something only those who have been bullied to the point of having nowhere left to run can do. As long as there’s an escape, people will keep running."

―Minami's conversation with Go, Leaving My Home Planet Earth.

Takeshi Minami (南 猛, Minami Takeshi) is one of the main characters from Return of Ultraman. He is a vice-captain of MAT and is designated as MAT member No.2.

History[]

Return of Ultraman[]

In the past, Minami grew up in a small village in Nagano Prefecture. He was reportedly called a "little rascal" (ジャミっ子, Jami-kko) and was a child who was bullied by his peers and looked down upon by others. However, one day, a bear appeared in the village. To prove his courage, Minami took a hunting rifle from a neighbor's house and confronted the bear. However, when he came face-to-face with the bear, he was so frightened that he couldn’t move, and the situation was ultimately resolved by a hunter. Despite this, the incident helped Minami build confidence and a determination that any problem can be solved if you set your mind to it. Those who had bullied him in the past also changed their view of Minami because of this event.

As an adult, he earned a 5th Dan in Judo and became an Olympic gold medalist in shooting. Due to his past experiences, he usually takes the initiative to stop any bullying he witnesses.

After joining MAT, Minami has taken on the role of looking after the team members, especially the new recruit Hideki Go, with whom he maintains a good friendship. In missions, he places great importance on teamwork and strives to balance listening to the opinions of other members before taking action.

One day, Go was in his room working on a model of MAT Arrow 2. It was a birthday gift for Jiro, whose birthday was the next day. At that moment, Minami happened to pass by. He knew that Go had been working on the model for Jiro and offered to help with the final painting.

Soon after, Captain Kato arrived at the scene and informed Go that the planned day off for the next day would be postponed. They needed to go to the MAT Technical Bureau in New York to collect the newly developed monster detector—Monster Sonar. Seeing this, Minami suggested that he could take on the mission instead. However, since Minami’s flying hours for the week had already exceeded 70, he was instructed to remain on ground duty. Captain Kato gave the orders to Go and then left. Go was disappointed that work had interfered with Jiro's birthday. However, the next day, Minami, without informing Captain Kato or Go, took MAT Arrow 2 to the Technical Bureau to retrieve the Monster Sonar. Although Captain Kato issued a one-month travel ban to Minami, he did so with a smile and did not reprimand him, recognizing Minami's dedication to his teammates.

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Minami's MAT Arrow No. 2 makes an emergency landing.

However, shortly after, Minami’s MAT Arrow 2 became uncontrollable due to a mysterious phenomenon, and communication with the base was lost. Captain Kato and the team deployed the MAT Gyro to search for Minami. After learning about Minami's disappearance, Go decided to return to the base to assist with the rescue. Since all other aircraft were under maintenance, he helped the repair crew with assembly work to get ready as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Minami, who had crash-landed on an uninhabited island, received help from a group of young researchers investigating underwater resources. These researchers told Minami that they frequently heard sounds resembling monster roars coming from the rocky hills. Although Minami was injured, he informed them that monsters were his area of expertise and, equipped with the Monster Sonar, went with the researchers to the source of the sounds.

Upon reaching the site, Minami and the others could indeed hear the monster's roar, but the Monster Sonar did not react. Minami then discovered a cave and, after investigation, concluded that the sound was actually wind blowing through a crack in the cave. However, when an earthquake caused the cave to collapse, the Monster Sonar started to react. Shortly after, a sleeping monster appeared in front of Minami and the others.

Minami and the others returned to the researchers' base and decided to seal off the cave where the monster was located. They planned to use dynamite meant for geological surveys to destroy the cave. However, Minami suddenly collapsed; he had contracted tetanus. The researchers then used the damaged MAT Arrow 2's radio to send an SOS signal to MAT.

At this time, Go had completed the assembly of the Matt Arrow 1. After receiving the notification about Minami's crisis, MAT prepared the serum. Go planned to deliver the serum to Minami and decided to fly to the uninhabited island with only enough fuel for a one-way trip. Meanwhile, the researchers followed Minami's instructions to place explosives in the cave in an attempt to entomb the monster. However, the monster woke up and destroyed the rock layers sealing it, resulting in the failure of the operation. The monster, Dangar, appeared on the surface and began to move. At that moment, Go arrived in the Mat Arrow 1 and immediately engaged in battle, but the fuel ran out and it crash-landed. Go tried to act with the serum but was immobilized as Dangar closed in on him. At this point, Go transformed into Ultraman Jack and fought the monster, successfully defeating it.

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Go went to the scene to rescue Minami and members of the investigation team who were stranded on the island.

Go successfully delivered the tetanus serum to Minami. Although the monster was defeated, the island experienced fissures and smoke, creating a dangerous situation. Soon after, Captain Kato and the others arrived quickly in the MAT Gyro, and Minami, Go, and the research team members were all safely rescued.[1]Monster Island S.O.S

On another mission, after receiving reports of underground disturbances in Aino Village, Gunma Prefecture—known for its sand and gravel production—and the unusual phenomenon of sand and concrete materials suddenly flying into space, Minami and Go went to Aino Village for an investigation. There, Minami recalled similar scenes from his own hometown.

Aino Village had been displaced due to tectonic movements, causing the entire village to rise and shift its terrain. Additionally, some previously unseen rocks had appeared. Suddenly, an earthquake occurred, and the monster "Zagoras" appeared, attacking the village elementary school before vanishing. Minami and the others took the rocks from Aino Village back for analysis and discovered that these rocks were actually meteorites from the legendary Planet Zagoras.

MAT then set up a command center in Aino Village and summoned the village representatives. They explained that Aino Village was situated on a massive meteorite from Planet Zagoras with a diameter of 3 kilometers. As Planet Zagoras was approaching Earth, the meteorite was being dragged along, and if no action was taken, the entire village would be pulled into space. MAT began evacuating the villagers. However, a boy named Rokuzo stole a MAT weapon, the MAT Gun from the command center. Rokuzo planned to use it on his own to fight Zagoras. Minami and Go searched for the boy and learned that Rokuzo had lost his father in the past, and his mother was away working. This led to him being bullied by classmates and neglected by teachers, earning him the nickname "little rascal."

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After seeing Rokuzo's courage, Minami decided to take him into the fight against Zagoras.

Having experienced similar situations in the past, Minami decided to take Rokuzo with him to fight Zagoras. Zagoras then appeared. Go and Minami split into two teams, with Rokuzo joining Minami to attack Zagoras. However, the enraged Zagoras caused the ground to collapse, leaving Minami and the boy immobilized. Ultraman Jack fought Zagoras, but eventually, the meteorite above the village began to rise into space with Minami and Rokuzo still on it. They clung tightly to a tree in an attempt not to be thrown off, but the tree eventually broke, and they were thrown into the air. Jack immediately used a protective barrier to rescue them and knocked Zagoras into the meteorite, ultimately defeating Zagoras. Afterwards, through his encounter with Minami, the lonely Rokuzo regained his smile.[2]Leaving My Home Planet Earth

During the final battle, he and the other members resisted Zetton II's attacks. At that moment, Alien Bat, realizing that MAT was not at the base, attacked the MAT headquarters, destroying all the core nuclear reactors of the facility. While Go piloted the MAT Arrow 1 to attack Zetton II, MAT split into two groups, with Minami and other members providing support from the ground.

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 at the shore before leaving the scene.The 5 Ultra Oaths

Gallery[]

Return of Ultraman[]

Miscellaneous[]

Trivia[]

  • Shunsuke Ikeda initially confirmed his role as Minami through discussions with the manager and Hajime Tsuburaya. He was originally one of the candidates for the role of Hideki Go.

References[]

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