Tarantula Ultra Q.
were two giant spider kaiju from episode 9 ofSubtitle: Large Spider
History[]
Ultra Q[]
At some undisclosed time before the episode, a rich man became obsessed with spiders and started collecting them in his mansion. Those who knew the man nicknamed him Baron Spider. On the night of his daughter's wedding, she was bit by a tarantula her father had imported. In her shock, she ran out of the house and into the surrounding marshlands, never to be seen again. This drove the man mad, turning him into a recluse who believed his daughter had come back to him as one of the spiders he loved so much.
One night, two men were working in a lighthouse when one of them received a call about their light malfunctioning. He went up to the bulb in order to investigate, but was attacked by a massive Tarantula. The other man heard the scuffle and went to investigate as well, but was scared off by the Tarantula and ran away.
Later that night, a group of six people (Jun, Yuriko, Ippei, Kyoko, Takehara, Hayama) seek refuge in a mansion near the lighthouse after Ippei and Takehara fell into the marsh. While in the abandoned mansion, Jun remembers the tale of Baron Spider, to the displeasure of the others. Yuriko and Kyoko tend to Ippei and Takehara, while Jun goes upstairs to sleep, and Hayama checks out the wine cellar. As Jun lies down, he finds a massive Tarantula staring back at him from the ceiling.
Hayama returns from the cellar with a bottle of booze, and Jun tries to warn the others of the Tarantula he saw. The others are dismissive, thinking he's just trying to scare them but Jun stands firm. Takehara asks for water, so Hayama tries to hand him the bottle. Takehara drops it, so Hayama goes back to the wine cellar for another bottle while Kyoko fetches a cup of water for him. Hayama enters the cellar and is attacked by another massive Tarantula. The Tarantula webs him in place, but his screams alert the others, so they come to his aid (save for Ippei and Takehara). Kyoko, who was too far away to hear the screams, is attacked by the Tarantula from the cellar, who had snuck away when they heard the others coming.
The group finds the webbed Hayama and Kyoko before returning to Takehara, only to find the Tarantula from upstairs sneaking up on Takehara. The group attack the Tarantula, Jun dealing the mortal blow with a knife to the thorax. The group flees the mansion with the second spider in close pursuit. Upon reaching their cars, Jun is successful in driving over the monstrous arachnid's legs, killing it. When the spider expires, the mansion crumbles into the swamp leaving nary a trace of its existence.
Trivia[]
- Tarantula is one of the monsters that makes up Belyudra's body in Mega Monster Battle Ultra Galaxy: The Movie.
- To avoid being burnt, the actors that got sprayed in the face with the spider's webbing (actually hot melted styrofoam) wore fireproof nylon over the tops of their heads, as evidenced by their hair being unusually flat in some scenes.
- The Tarantulas were to be modified and used as titular antagonists of the unproduced Ultraman episode "Sea Tarantula". They were to inhabit an unknown island shrouded in fog and whose webbing had a decomposing effect upon metal.
Data[]
- Stats
- Length: 5 m
- Weight: 100 kg
- Origin: Tokyo suburbs, Ishizaki headland
- Powers and Weapons
- Webbing: The Tarantulas can create webs and cocoon prey.
- Tactics: The Tarantulas are seen acting in a stealthy manner, sneaking up on prey and hiding in shadows.
- Mansion Link: The Tarantulas are implied to have some form of connection to the mansion, as it crumbles once they are slain.