A group of scientists are sent to explore a new volcanic island. Months pass with no signal from them, that's when the Science Patrol is sent to investigate and rescue any survivors. What they find is like nothing anyone ever expected, the island is populated by huge monsters (Red King, Chandlar and Magular) and all but one of the scientists have been killed. While most creatures within the expedition to the Lawless Monster Zone were vicious, Pigmon was not. It helped the injured sole survivor by giving him food, and led the Science Patrol to him when they arrived on the island. The reason for the monsters' appearance is that the magnetic field on the island is off-balance, causing creatures to mutate. The island was later named "Tatara Island."
Two giant monsters were seen fighting called Red King and Chandlar. Once Red King defeated Chandlar by tearing off a limb/wing and throwing the dismembered limb/wing, as well as some rocks, at him, the monster fled and was never seen or heard from again. Magular, a burrowing monster, apparently survived the episode almost unnoticed, but was eventually killed by the Science Patrol. Red King killed Pigmon by creating an avalanche of rocks. Shin Hayata transforms into Ultraman to fight the monster. Once Ultraman appeared, Red King was defeated without the need for the Spacium Beam (except for when Ultraman used it on a rock Red King was about to throw at him). After being thrown around a few times, Red King was paralyzed. The SSSP had a moment of silence for the scientists and Pigmon, before leaving the island.
The script for this episode was a collaborative effort between Tetsuo Kinjo and Shozo Uehara. Uehara joined the series as a writer starting with Ultra Q episode 21 "Space Directive M774." The episode was directed by Hajime Tsuburaya, who had last directed the series opener, "Ultra Operation No.1." In terms of production order, this episode was filmed immediately after the first, making it another consecutive directorial effort by Hajime Tsuburaya.[2][3]
According to an interview with the episode's writer, Shozo Uehara:[4]
"The Monster Anarchy Zone" was described as a "gift" from Kinjo to himself. Kinjo had said, "If we show a lot of monsters in the first episode after summer vacation, the ratings will definitely go up. Make it your achievement." However, Kinjo often lamented the lack of budget during Ultraman's production. When Uehara asked, "Is it okay to feature so many monsters?" Kinjo explained, "The key is to limit the number of monsters on screen at once. If too many appear together, it'll cost more. Instead, make it a tournament—pair them off two at a time, and let the final winner face Ultraman."[4]
Kinjo also decided to include Garamon, popular among children, saying, "This time, let's make Garamon an ally of humanity." Initially skeptical, Uehara asked, "Can such a big monster really befriend humans?" Kinjo replied, “It looks scary because of its size. Check out the plush toy in storage—it's actually adorable." After seeing the toy, Uehara agreed, leading to the creation of Pigmon.[4]
This episode showcased four monsters and one special creature, the highest number of appearances in a single episode of the series. However, apart from Red King, which was a completely new design, the other monsters were repurposed from existing materials—a strategy adopted to reduce costs and ease production burdens:
The script for this episode was written after the series title had been finalized as Ultraman. According to documentation, the first draft of the script was completed on April 19, with the second draft printed on May 6. By April 1, the production announcement for Ultraman had already taken place. This timeline indicates that when Uehara began writing the script, the series was no longer titled Redman.
In the second draft of the script, Dr. Iwamoto appeared only as a voice but was still part of the story.[6]
For the scene where Spiran was burned, an actual model of Suflan was set on fire. According to assistant director Shohei Tojo, the flames nearly spread to the surrounding trees where Suflan was suspended. In a moment of quick thinking, Tojo removed his jacket and smothered the flames, preventing a larger fire.
Some scenes in the script were ultimately cut from the final episode:
Ide accompanied Muramatsu and Hayata, encountering both Suflan and Pigmon. At the same time, Arashi and Fuji teamed up to repel Magular.
Pigmon's balloon, described as a "sonic balloon" during the script preparation phase, was designed to slowly ascend into the sky after Pigmon's death.
A small tombstone for Pigmon was placed next to the graves of the three Weather Station staff members. The entire Science Patrol gathered to pay their respects, honoring Pigmon as a "the little hero."
Regarding the design of Red King, Tohl Narita revealed that Kinjo envisioned it as a "King of Red," with a massive and imposing presence. However, to enhance its sense of scale, Narita opted for a silver design instead of red, aiming for a spatially expansive effect. He chose a conical shape for the body and suggested filming from low angles to emphasize its grandeur. Kinjo approved this idea, remarking, "Red also represents danger, so we can see it as a dangerous king."[4]
Narita then consulted Ryosaku Takayama about the design, who replied, "If Kinjo approves, there's no problem." To enhance the visual impact, they painted Red King's grooves blue.[4]
The Red King suit was completed and delivered to the set, but an unexpected alteration occurred on-site. The crew applied yellow paint over the pearl base coat, resulting in a metallic golden sheen rather than plain yellow due to the pearlescent effect. Narita was reportedly unaware of these last-minute changes to the paint job.[7]
In the Ultraman postscript work Ultraman Kaiju Legend: The 40 Year Old Truth, a scene from this episode was featured as part of Ultraman's recollections. It highlighted Muramatsu's lesson to Hayata about the importance of nature.
