Aliens from the planet Cool have kidnapped a number of humans for experimental purposes leading to an impending invasion of the planet Earth. The Terrestial Defense Force is sent to investigate and meets a mysterious wanderer named Dan Moroboshi who helps destroy the invading alien forces. No one knows his true identity, but Moroboshi transforms into Ultraseven, a silver and red superhero from another galaxy committed to protecting the Earth from monsters and alien threats.
Plot[]
The Ultra Guard is ordered to investigate several mysterious disappearances, which are suspected to be the work of aliens. They are called together, and the captain, Kaoru Kiriyama, finds that two defence force members have also been mysteriously abducted. He takes this as a challenge by their enemies. Suspecting the aliens to be aware of their movements, he warns everyone to be on guard and notes that the enemy may be nearby.
Shigeru Furuhashi and Soga are deployed, while Anne Yuri and Amagi stay to study the actions of the enemy. While on the road, the former are stopped by a strange man, who tells them not to progress any farther. A police officer drives by and says nothing suspicious has been reported, and continues on despite Dan's warnings. His car vanishes.
Dan tells the two members of the Ultra Guard that the Cool Aliens have been gathering human specimens and experimenting on them for years, and now intend to move into their plan for Earth domination and destroy the Ultra Guard. Just then they are interrupted by bolts from the sky, and the two officers are wounded. They flee, with Dan at the helm, and return to base.
They report that they were attacked by an invisible spaceship. Just then, one of their screens is hacked and they are contacted by an Alien Cool. It tells them to surrender the Earth, or else the captive humans will be destroyed. After the leaders refuse to comply, the aliens begin their assault on Earth. At this direct assault, the leaders are completely unsure of how to proceed.
Anne Yuri suspects Dan might know something, and asks him how to defeat the aliens. He suggests that they spray the spaceship with paint to render it visible. Scientists work on making a device which which to do it, as radar tracks down the ship itself. When the device is ready, the Ultra Hawk No.1 departs with the team (as well as Dan) inside it. They manage to make the ship visible, and battle it. The aliens retreat, leading the Ultra Hawk to a rocky area where they manage to cause it to crash land.
Multiple small flying saucers emerged from the Cool Alien's spaceship and launched an attack. Dan, who successfully escaped, summoned Windom, which destroyed the saucers. However, the remaining saucers merged and fired a beam, forcing Dan to recall Windom into its capsule. Subsequently, he transformed into Ultraseven and infiltrated the spaceship at human size. He defeated the Cool Alien with his Eye Slugger and rescued the people.
After the crisis was averted, Dan officially joined the Ultra Guard. Thus began Ultraseven's battle to defend the Earth.
A handwritten draft of the original concept for this episode (reproduction)[1]
This installment underwent several revisions, evolving from an initial draft to "Final Draft 1" and then "Final Draft 2." Additionally, it was the fifth episode produced after the series officially began.[2]
During the planning phase, the project was given the tentative title Redman. At that time, Tetsuo Kinjo wrote a concept for the episode by hand, known as the "review draft." This document, written on official Tsuburaya Productions Planning Department stationery, has been preserved to this day.
The script cover.
The protagonist was originally named "Ultraman Junior" in early scripts, but the name was changed to Ultraseven to make the series a standalone. One draft included a scene in which Amagi looks up and says, "It's Ultraman!" followed by, "Wait, look closer, it's not!" Finally, he says, "Maybe... it's Ultraman reincarnated?"[3]
Additionally, Amagi and Furuhashi were the first characters to encounter Dan, rather than Furuhashi and Soga as in the final version.[3]
The original capsule monster was Miclas, who was replaced by Windom in the final version.[3]
In both the draft and Final Draft 1, Dan was recommended for the Ultra Guard. However, because of his identity as a "Wanderer" (風來坊, Yūhi no Fūraibō), Minister Yamaoka rejected him. When Alien Cool attacked, Dan proposed a countermeasure to Anne. After he persuaded her, she relayed the plan to Yamaoka. Yamoka agreed that if Dan's strategy succeeded, he would be accepted into the Ultra Guard.[3]
A major deleted scene from Final Draft 2 featured a conversation between Dan and Anne. Anne brought Dan to her quarters, the medical center, to thank him for risking injury to protect the Ultra Guard. She asked him what he wanted most. Dan replied, "Earth." Surprised, Anne repeated, "Earth?" Dan explained that he fought not only for the Ultra Guard, but also for the beauty of Earth itself. Anne responded, "That's just like you, Mr. Wanderer, always thinking on such a grand scale. Then, with all my gratitude, I give you this beautiful blue Earth."[3]
Although this exchange was cut from the final version, Anne's later line to Dan, "Your Earth is in danger," is believed to be a remnant of that scene. Yuriko Hishimi clearly remembers saying, "That's just like you, Mr. Wanderer," during filming, which confirms that the scene was shot but removed in editing. In a 2021 interview, Moritsugu and Hishimi reviewed the script and discussed the background of the scene. Hishimi explained that, since it was the first episode of the series, many elements had to be introduced, so the scene was likely removed to streamline the story.[4]
In the script, the enemy was not called "Alien Cool," but rather described as a blob-like creature.[3]
Another unused scene explained the origin of the name Ultraseven. After Dan officially joined the Ultra Guard, Captain Kiriyama remarked, "That makes six members now." The team joked that a "seventh member" had appeared, the giant who had saved them in their time of need. Inspired, someone suggested, "Let's call him Ultraseven!" The idea was met with laughter and unanimous approval.[6][3]
Then, the story shifted to Dan standing at the foot of Mount Fuji as he formally pledged his dedication as a member of the Ultra Guard. During his monologue, he declared:
"From today, I will serve under the name Dan, dedicating myself to the defense of Earth. My identity as an alien will remain an absolute secret, this is the iron law of the people of the M78 Nebula. But for the sake of this beautiful planet and the new friends I have made here, I vow to protect this world no matter the obstacles!"
In an interview with producer Ken Kumagai conducted by Yoichi Iwasa, Kumagai revealed that several scenes were cut during production for practical reasons.[3]
The conversation between Dan and Anne was mostly cut due to time constraints. Some staff were also concerned that it might make Dan seem like an invader. However, the real issues were pacing and runtime.
Director Hajime Tsuburaya cut the scene explaining the name "Ultraseven" because he felt the franchise was well-known enough that it didn't need to explain every detail. He wanted viewers, especially children, to wonder about the meaning of "Seven," much like the "Q" in Ultra Q sparked curiosity and discussion.
Tsuburaya was decisive when it came to production and editing. Kumagai recalled him saying, "If that's the case, let's just remove them entirely!" Kumagai praised Tsuburaya's firmness, saying it enhanced the episode's cohesion and impact.
In the opening scene, two police officers are killed by Alien Cool after ignoring Dan's warnings and continuing the chase. Shigeo Kato and Kenichiro Maruyama played these roles and later appeared in episode 5 in different roles. Originally, Maruyama was set to play the driver of the destroyed car and Kato was set to play a kidnapped civilian. However, their roles were switched during filming.
Franz Gruber played Staff Officer Bogarde. He only appeared in this episode, but he was originally planned to return in episode 18. Another officer who appeared only in this episode was Staff Officer Yanagawa, played by Akihiko Hirata, who had previously portrayed Dr. Iwamoto in Ultraman. Since his character's name was not mentioned in the episode, some sources refer to him as "Staff Officer Hirata."
Katsu Seto (瀬戸 克, Seto Katsu), who was a location bus driver at the time, played the driver of the destroyed car. Yuriko Hishimi recalled frequently talking with Seto while sitting in the front seat of the bus during outdoor shoots.
This episode was later featured in Ultraman Retsuden episode 85 "The Invisible Challenger! Ultraseven Appears!!."[8]
