The Black Star Cafe, unmarked on any maps, serves wonderful coffee. When the SSP take a visit, they soon learn that the owner and its regular customers aren't human.
Plot[]
Shibukawa and several VTL Squad officers investigate a crash site from a space trash. A lot of reports that space trash hits the Earth and that same time, several UFO's were picked up by their radars as they try to left the Earth. Among the weird things salvaged from that crash sites are extraterrestrial coffee beans and a patch resembling a white skeleton.
Meanwhile, news of a strange coffee shop called Café Black Star went viral on the internet. Whoever went to the coffee shop would forgotten its original location after leaving but at least still had the taste of delicious coffee in their mind. Believing this as a big scoop, they quickly rush out as Gai can simply watch their antics. Having circled the same location, they almost giving up until Shin comes up with a new invention that allows him to see another vicinity of light, revealing the shop to be concealed by some sort of supernatural ability as the group gets in.
Its manager thought that they try to catch the last ship, but finally realise them as different people. Only one drink available in the menu, which is a simple cup of coffee with the price of 1230 Yen. Naomi tries to ask about the shop not being on the map and Jetta try to get his milk but was silenced by the manager. Nonetheless, the SSP members are astonished by the coffee's taste. When Naomi spotted the pictures of Café Black Star's regulars, Jetta noticed one of them as Babaryu with the manager mentioned on how he was originally a hotheaded person before he changed. Upon being asked by Naomi, he mentioned his dream of Earth invasion, surprising his guests. While Naomi and Jetta stared a red teru-teru bozu as the shop's good luck charm, Shin try to gather the data of the shop but this results all three of them to be kicked out instead.
As they left, Gai comes in, with his expectations to track the coffee shop being true. Gai ask the manager if he saw Juggler in the shop again as usual but the latter denied it as such, even if he is aware of their feud being the symbolic battle between light and shadow. The female customer try to attack Gai with a zap of lightning but was stopped by the manager as he left and pats down the red teru teru bozu. Finally with all nuisances gone, the female customer reveal her disguise as an Alien Pitt and the pictures of the regulars being revealed the true forms. The Alien Pitt decided to catch the last ship since she wanted to taste his coffee for the final time. She is also his last customer as he will close the shop and departed from Earth as well. She try to offer him a ride in her ship, taking pity of his loneliness but the manager assures that he is with his red teru-teru bozu Nova. Relieving this, she mentioned that Dada's ship was hit by a small space trash, causing the coffee beans that the manager gave him as a present to fall behind. He remembers how he and his pet Nova arrived on Earth with the intent to invade it but instead settled down with a peaceful life and ironically, their trip was albeit halted by the increasing numbers of space trash on space. Aside from finding a new planet Pitt also try to search for a man.
As the manager closes his shop, Nova turned large and reminds him of their original goal to invade the Earth. The SSP saw the enlarged Nova and approaching the manager for this but he instead entered Nova and reveal his true form as Black Directive. Gai sees this and transform into Orb Burnmite to fight Nova. Despite its plain appearance, the monster is enough to pose as a bigger threat to the Ultraman. Orb and the SSP members begged him to stop but he refuses to return as the manager he was. After a skirmish fight, Orb assumed Orb Origin and destroy Nova with Orb Supreme Calibur.
Approaching the manager who is grieving over Nova's loss, Gai reminds him that Nova's actions are wrong and that even if its gone, he still has his customers. The manager smiles and disappears, leaving behind the front sign of his shop. At the SSP base, the team mourns for no longer being able to taste his coffee again. Shibukawa bust into their office and reveal a mysterious place called Ramen Black Star. Gai simply covers the lower half of his face with his book smiling, knowing that Black choose to continue his life on Earth.
Gai's Ultra Hero Special Study[]
Gai: Ultra Hero Special Study. Here's today's hero!
Gai: A warrior hailing from Planet L-77 from the Leo Constellation, Ultraman Leo. He used his mastery of space martial arts to defeat a variety of evildoers. And today's monster...
Orb: The space dinosaur Zetton. He's a fierce foe who gave Ultraman a rough time. The heat of his fireballs can reach an unbelievable trillion degrees! Be sure to watch next time!
In the scenes, where SSP enters the Black Star Cafe, there's is a deleted scene where Jetta asks the waiter where the menus are.
Home Media[]
Ultraman Orb Volume 8 features episodes 22-25.
Ultraman Orb Blu-ray BOX II features episodes 14-25.
Volume 8
Blu-ray BOX II
Trivia[]
Screenwriter Kyoko Katsuya recalled submitting six or seven story outlines for the series, one of which became the prototype for this episode. Ultimately, only the central concept "that an extraordinary world can exist within everyday life" was retained.[1]
The episode was inspired by Katsuya’s experience finding a hidden restaurant that served unforgettable food, though the owner never revealed the ingredients. This memory helped shape the story’s atmosphere. Early drafts were set at a food stall, but the location was eventually changed to a café.[1]
The design of Black Owner was influenced by Takafumi Tanibuchi, who suggested including a Noba. The small Noba wasn't part of the original script. At one point, there was a proposal to borrow one from the Kaiju Sakaba, but in the end, the team decided to create a movable prop.[1]
The idea of having Black Owner run a ramen shop at the episode’s end came from producer Sei Okazaki. Katsuya explained that he did not want the character to die and preferred ending the episode on a hopeful note.[1]
Director Ryuichi Ichino noted that episodes 16 and 17 were closely tied to the main storyline, so he wanted this episode to be lighter in tone while setting the stage for the finale. Knowing how the final episode would unfold, he asked himself whether some of the aliens remaining on Earth might try to escape. This led to the idea of a neutral space where aliens could coexist, which became the foundation of the script.[1]
Shoichiro Akaboshi was cast as Black Owner due to his friendship with Ichino. Akaboshi expressed interest in appearing, and Ichino agreed to craft a role that suited him. When asked about the café's name, Akaboshi joked, "Since my name means "Red Star (赤星, Akahoshi)," why not call it that?" However, the name was kept as originally planned. Coincidentally, Ichino and Akaboshi co-manage a café in Shimokitazawa called Pikaichi, which made the role feel especially appropriate.[1]
In one scene, where Gai and Black Owner reunite after a fight, the dialogue was adjusted on set. Ichino asked actor Hideo Ishiguro to add the line, "It was a good effort." Ishiguro agreed, and the brief exchange subtly shifted the scene’s mood.[1]
The café set was based on a real location. Although the on-screen counter and seating appear cramped, the actual café was spacious.[1]
The original plan called for a gathering featuring multiple alien species together. Due to production constraints, only Alien Pitt appeared in person; the others were shown in photographs. A cameo by Alien Babarue Babaryu was included as a nod to Takao Nakano's episode 9, "The Impostor Blues," which Katsuya admired.[1]
