The Phantom Dash

The Phantom Dash
Ultraman Tiga, episode 15
Information
Airdate	December 14, 1996
Directed by	Kyota Kawasaki
Written by	Kazuo Tsuburaya (original draft) Junki Takegami
Special Effects Directed by	Koichi Takano Kyota Kawasaki
Viewer Ratings	7.4%
Continuity
Previous	The Released Target
Next	Resurrected Friend

The Phantom Dash is the fifteenth episode of Ultraman Tiga.

Synopsis

The monster Gazort powered up and appeared once again. Gazort, attacking a passenger plane carrying Mayumi's boyfriend, Takuma, an auto racer, went on a rampage near the airport. GUTS struggled greatly, and Mayumi, who had come to welcome Takuma, was also in danger. At that moment, a man stepped forward to lure the monster away!

Cast

• Daigo Madoka : Hiroshi Nagano (V6)
• Rena Yanase : Takami Yoshimoto
• Megumi Iruma : Mio Takaki
• Seiichi Munakata : Akitoshi Otaki
• Masami Horii : Yukio Masuda
• Tetsuo Shinjoh : Shigeki Kagemaru
• Jun Yazumi : Yoichi Furuya
• Mayumi Shinjoh : Kei Ishibashi

Guest Actors

• Takuma Aoki : Takuma Aoki
• Stewardess : Kimiko Nemoto
• Police Officer : Masafumi Horii

Voice Actors

• Ultraman Tiga : Yuji Machi
• Narrator : Issei Futamata

Suit Actors

• Ultraman Tiga:
  • Multi Type: Shunsuke Gondo
  • Power Type: Koji Nakamura
• Gazort II: Hisataka Kitaoka

Appearances

Ultras

• Ultraman Tiga

Kaiju

• Gazort II

Home Media

• Ultraman Tiga Volume 4 features episodes 13-16.

Trivia

• Events from this episode later became a background element for Ultraman Dyna episode 19 "Bird of the Phantom Dream."
• Starting with this episode, the opening sequence was updated to include GUTS' mechanical vehicles for the first time. These included the Artdessei, Peepar, Dolphar 202, Snow White, among others.
• Guest actor Takuma Aoki, who was a rider for the Tsuburaya Racing Team at the time, appeared in this episode thanks to the team's involvement.
• This story was originally aired in episode 16, in chronological order. However, after Hiroshi Nagano injured himself during a V6 dance rehearsal, it was aired earlier than planned. This change also introduced a new opening scene in which Daigo and Shinjoh crash theGUTS Wing 1.
  • The crash site is located on Kurara Island, which also appeared in episode 2.
• According to Junki Takegami, the original concept was a love story between Mayumi and Takuma. Kazuo Tsuburaya, who provided the story outline, requested that it include a touch of fantasy, which led to the final version.
  • The original draft featured a different monster, but as it resembled Gazort, the team decided to use Gazort instead. Originally, Gazort appeared earlier in the story, but the pacing was revised to create suspense around its arrival. This also helped to integrate the subplot involving the Shinjoh siblings, adding dramatic depth.
• In the episode, Takuma's flight is named "Gorigan Air 206." Takegami requested a fictional airline name that wouldn’t resemble any real carrier.
  • The word "Gorigan" comes from the 1966 film Nippon Ichi no Gorigan Otoko (The Greatest Gorilla Man).
  • The flight number '206' was a reference to the Ultra Q episode 27 "The Disappearance of Flight 206."