The Man in the White Mask

The Man in the White Mask
Ultraman Arc, episode 22
Information
Airdate	December 14, 2024
Directed by	Tomonobu Koshi
Written by	Masaya Honda
Continuity
Previous	Ultraman Arc The Movie: The Clash of Light and Evil
Next	Calamity Thrice

The Man in the White Mask is the twenty-second episode of Ultraman Arc.

Synopsis

A normal day, no different from any other...

During which a terrifying scheme was taking place...

What are the strange "things" noticed throughout this ordinary day?

And can those living in this world notice them...?

A strong enemy appears before of Yuma.

Shu Ishido's Diary

Expand to read Shu Ishido's diary entry.

Today, I went to the GDF HQ amidst the pouring rain. Despite my apprehension due to a recent experience, I was able to reach the HQ. When I reported to Mr. Nibuya about the incident in question, he said the following: "I don't think you're lying. But that's a story hard to believe." I wasn't particularly surprised to hear that.

Even as I was telling it, I couldn't swipe away the irritating feeling that I was talking about a dream, and not reality. This incident was impactful enough to shake the very basis of our world, so I think it should be thoroughly investigated. But who would believe that?

First the dent on SKIP's car disappeared, then it was Yuma's “umbrella”, then the phenomenon of “rain” itself, then SKIP's Hoshimoto City Branch, the Chief, YouPi, Rin, the injury of my right arm and even I, myself… Everything simply had never existed.

What a story…

Before everyone disappeared, I rushed to the GDF's HQ to report the anomalies we had noticed. However, I was shocked to realize I no longer remembered the way there. As I wandered around, the “Man in the White Mask” appeared in front of me. He wore a fully black suit and an expressionless mask.

I still don't know if he was an alien or a human with some special abilities. Whatever he was, the moment we met I lost consciousness and when I realized I was in a different reality. In this reality, I was a coffee trader delivering my products to the Chief's… Or should I say, former Chief's cafe. Rin and Yuma also worked at the cafe, and there was a picture of a Shiba Inu named YouPi decorating the place. "Was it a hallucination? A group hypnosis? Or maybe an attack from an unknown alien?" Normally I'd think of logical explanations like that. But at the time I didn't question anything and simply kept on existing in that world.

There was not a hint of fear or sadness in me. But it was a pretty sluggish daily life devoid of color. When I was telling all this to Mr. Nibuya, it seemed I had a distant look on my face, so he brought me back by calling my name like a teacher angry at his sleepy student. Despite seeming very strict, Mr. Nibuya is quite open-minded and understanding. However, in this instance he told me that he was going to have to look into it further before reporting it to the top brass.

I would have preferred if there was an immediate investigation, but I could not insist. Considering I currently have no evidence other than my own experiences, it can't be helped. One thing is for certain, though: Ultraman Arc has, yet again, saved us this time around. Arc appeared suddenly and shot his Arc Finalize towards something we could not see.

As soon as that “something” was destroyed, the gloomy surroundings were painted with bright colors and when I realized, we were back to our reality. My memory is still a bit fuzzy, so I have no information regarding that "something" or the “Man in the White Mask.” All that's left is the certainty that Arc has saved us.

Looking out the window, it seems the rain from this morning is still falling. I'm not sure if it's the humidity, but the injury on my right arm is hurting again. It's been a while since I wrote in this diary since my injury, and it seems I'm at my limit. If this was before the whole incident, both the rain and my injury might have upset me.

But not now. Even this injury that reappeared feels precious. It's proof that I fought alongside Yuma and the others, so I consider it a sort of medal of honor. The falling rain reminded me of that. We shouldn't just avoid fear and sadness. They encourage our growth, become proof of the bonds between people and are indispensable for life itself.

That's what I think now.

PS: Due to my injury, I was unable to hold my pen so I could not write about the cause of it. Having let it sit for so long, I'd like to take my time and write about it in detail someday.

Ask TsuPi

This week's "Ask TsuPi" is about Dreaming!

Yuma's Ultraman Arc Navi

Yuma's Ultraman Arc Navi #24

Today, Yuma mentioned his experience with Man in the White Mask, and introduces the kaiju of the following episode, Trigelos.

Cast

• Yuma Hize : Yuki Totsuka
• Shu Ishido : Sho Kaneta
• Rin Natsume : Kaho Mizutani
• Hiroshi Ban : Koichiro Nishi

Guest Actors

• General Store Clerk : Natsuko Suzuki

Voice Actors

• YouPi : Yuya Hirose
• Man in the White Mask : Masane Tsukayama

English Dub

• Yuma Hize : Paul Castro Jr.
• Shu Ishido : Micah Solusod
• Rin Natsume : Dani Chambers
• Hiroshi Ban : Tony Oliver
• YouPi : Brandon McInnis
• The Man in the White Mask : Sonny Franks

Suit Actors

• Ultraman Arc : Hideyoshi Iwata
• YouPi : Daiki Yazaki
• Man in the White Mask : Satoru Okabe

Appearances

Ultras

• Ultraman Arc

Kaiju

• Man in the White Mask
• Pillar

Trivia

• This episode features several references to the work of the Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte:
  • The full-body image of the Man in the White Mask closely resembles the men depicted in the painting The Meaning of Night.
  • The Man in the White Mask's appearance behind his mask, that of a man wearing a suit and bowler hat with his face obscured by an apple, is based directly on Magritte's most famous painting, The Son of Man.
  • After the Pillar disables Yuma's Arc Cubes, the silhouettes of two pigeons filled in with the imagery of a cloudy sky appear, which is a direct reference to Magritte's 1966 painting L'Oiseau de Ciel ("The Sky Bird").
  • The Pillar, being a giant floating stone object, bears a resemblance to The Castle of the Pyrenees.
  • The nighttime street scene is inspired by The Empire of Light. According to Tomonobu Koshi, the composition of The Empire of Light was suggested by cinematographer Satoshi Murakawa. The production team combined practical effects with the synthesis department's technology to achieve the final on-screen result.

• In this episode, the search engine used by Rin is named "Yapool!".
• The filter and color tones used in this episode are reminiscent of those seen in Ultra Zone and episodes of Neo Ultra Q.
• The photo of the pet dog YouPi shown by Hiroshi in the café is actually a picture of director Takanori Tsujimoto's pet dog, Mu-chan.
  • Initially, there were discussions about naming a coffee machine or a product in the café after YouPi. However, following a suggestion from Tsujimoto, the name was ultimately given to a dog kept by the station chief.

References