The Ultra Christmas Tree is the thirty-eighth episode of Ultraman Taro.
Plot[]
As people are getting ready for Christmas, Kotaro meets a young girl, Hitomi, whose parents were killed when Ultraman Taro fought against King and Queen Tortoise. The lonely girl treasures a crystal ball that the alien, Miracle, has given her to cheer her up. When held up to the sun, the crystal shows whatever the viewer most wants to see. However, Kotaro soon learns that another alien, Terrorist, has killed Miracle. Feeling attached to Miracle, Hitomi vows to take revenge.
Cast[]
- Kotaro Higashi : Saburo Shinoda
- Shuuhei Aragaki : Takahiko Tono
- Tadao Nanbara : Toyoyuki Kimura
- Tetsuya Kitajima : Hidesuke Tsumura
- Izumi Moriyama : Kiyoko Matsuya
- Saori Shiratori : Keiko Ono
- Kenichi Shiratori : Shinya Saito
Guest Actors[]
- Hitomi Aoyama : Mihoko Amano
- Hitomi's Parents
- Eisaburo Komatsu
- Setsuko Kawaguchi
- Alien Miracle : Dai Nagasawa
Voice Actors[]
- Alien Terrorist : Ikuo Nishikawa
- Narrator : Tetsuro Sagawa
Suit Actors[]
- Ultraman Taro : Hiroshi Nagasawa
- Kaiju: Toru Kawai
Appearances[]
Ultras[]
Kaiju[]
- Alien Miracle
- Alien Terrorist
- King Tortoise (Stock Footage Flashback)
- Queen Tortoise (Stock Footage Flashback)
Home Media[]
- Ultraman Taro Volume 10 features episodes 38-41.
All 13 Volumes Set cover
Trivia[]
- This episode is an adaptation of The Little Match Girl, a fact explicitly mentioned in the opening dialogue among the ZAT members. Unlike the predominantly comedic tone of Ultraman Taro, this story stands out for its unique and poignant narrative.
- This episode continues the events from episode 4 and episode 5. It indirectly references the battle between Ultraman Taro and King Tortoise, which led to the death of Hitomi's parents during the evacuation when a building collapsed.
- This episode, written by Shigemitsu Taguchi, explores a rare theme in the Ultraman series: remorse for human lives lost due to battles. It marks the first time the series directly addresses atonement for such sacrifices, challenging what is often considered a "taboo" within the Ultraman narrative. The inclusion of this theme was largely made possible by Taguchi's influence as the series' head writer. In the story, Taro seeks to atone for the indirect loss of Hitomi's parents during his past battle, he transforms Tokyo Tower into a massive Christmas tree.[1]
References[]