The series was originally marketed as ULTRAMAN Begins, before becoming just ULTRAMAN. It is a Seinen series, meaning it primarily targets adult male audiences, giving it room for dark and deep characters and situations.
The series received a motion comic release in 2014 and a 3DCG anime adaptation.
Synopsis[]
Cover of volume 1
Forty years have passed since the events of Ultraman, with the legendary "Giant of Light" now a memory, as it is believed he returned home after fighting the many giant aliens that invaded the Earth. Shin Hayata's son Shinjiro seems to possess a strange ability, and it is this ability, along with his father's revelation that he was Ultraman, that leads Shinjiro to battle the new aliens invading the Earth as the new Ultraman.
Volumes[]
| Vol. | Japanese Release Date | Japanese ISBN | English Release Date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8, 2012 | ISBN 9784864683012 | August 18, 2015 | ISBN 978-1421581828 |
| 2 | March 5, 2013 | ISBN 9784864683210 | November 17, 2015 | ISBN 978-1421581835 |
| 3 | September 5, 2013 | ISBN 9784864683418 | February 16, 2016 | ISBN 978-1421581842 |
| 4 | March 5, 2014 | ISBN 9784864683586 | May 17, 2016 | ISBN 978-1421581859 |
| 5 | November 5, 2014 | ISBN 9784864683784 | August 16, 2016 | ISBN 978-1421581866 |
| 5SP | November 5, 2014 | ISBN 9784864683777 | N/A | N/A |
| Limited release bundled with a sofubi figure of Ultraman Suit A-Type | ||||
| 6 | July 4, 2015 | ISBN 9784864684200 | November 15, 2016 | ISBN 978-1421586472 |
| 7 | December 29, 2015 | ISBN 9784864684224 | February 21, 2017 | ISBN 978-1421590608 |
| 7SP | December 29, 2015 | ISBN 9784864684231 | ||
| Limited release bundled with a sofubi figure of Ultraman Suit Ver. 7.2 | ||||
| 8 | July 5, 2016 | ISBN 9784864683012 | May 16, 2017 | ISBN 978-1421592725 |
| 8SP | July 5, 2016 | ISBN 9784864684668 | ||
|
Limited release bundled with a DVD special and ULTRASINGLES. The DVD contains:
| ||||
| 9 | December 29, 2016 | ISBN 9784864684866 | October 17, 2017 | ISBN 978-1421597577 |
| 10 | July 5, 2017 | ISBN 9784864685078 | May 15, 2018 | ISBN 978-1974700448 |
| 11 | December 5, 2017 | ISBN 9784864685290 | January 15, 2019 | ISBN 978-1974702596 |
| 12 | July 5, 2018 | ISBN 9784864685375 | June 18, 2019 | ISBN 978-1974705184 |
| 12SP | July 5, 2018 | ISBN 9784864685382 | ||
| Limited release bundled with a sofubi figure of Ultraman Suit B-Type | ||||
| 13 | March 5, 2019 | ISBN 9784864686242 | April 21, 2020 | ISBN 978-1974710553 |
| 14 | November 5, 2019 | ISBN 9784864686778 | October 20, 2020 | ISBN 978-1974714872 |
Characters[]
SSSP[]
- Main article: SSSP (ULTRAMAN)
Ultramen[]
- Shinjiro Hayata: The main protagonist. When Shinjiro was born, he was seen to possess a strange "Ultraman Factor" that makes him superhuman, with his mere grasp able to break bones and his leap allowing him to span buildings. When aliens begin invading Earth, Shin Hayata and Dr. Ide give Shinjiro a special Ultraman Suit to battle the monsters invading the Earth.
- Shin Hayata: Shinjiro's father and the original Ultraman. At the beginning of the story, he has been given the title of Minister of Defense. Although the Ultraman entity has left his body, and he only has vague memories of his time as Ultraman, he still possesses some Ultraman Factor within him that allows him to fight to some extent, but he returns to the sidelines after being hurt in the battle with Bemular. He is later given the Ultraman Suit "Ver. Z."
- Dan Moroboshi: A mysterious man who works with the Science Special Search-Party, but only seems to appear at the scenes of murders which an alien is the culprit. He feels that Shinjiro is too immature for the responsibilities placed on him as the new Ultraman. He is fitted with a special version of the Ultraman Suit called "Version 7.0". Moroboshi shares his name with the main character from Ultraseven.
- Jack: A human who lives in the Alien City who possesses powers rivaling that of the resident extraterrestrials, even winning in a boxing match against Red. He acts as an informant to Moroboshi. His real name is unknown. He possesses a bracelet that resembles the Ultra Bracelet used by Hideki Go to perform attacks as Ultraman Jack in Return of Ultraman. He is also fitted with a special version of the Ultraman Suit called "Jack Suit."
- Seiji Hokuto: A fellow student of Shinjiro's grade-school, he knows of Shinjiro's identity as Ultraman. Like Moroboshi, he is also fitted with a special version of the Ultraman suit called "Version A". Seiji shares his name with the main character from Ultraman Ace.
- Kotaro Higashi: A Japanese photographer who gains superpowers after a run-in with aliens, and becomes a hero known as Taro. After siding with the SSSP, he is also fitted with a special version of the Ultraman Suit called "Taro Suit." Kotaro shares his name with the main character from Ultraman Taro.
- Leo: One of the two survivors from the destroyed Planet L77. Leo is a former assassin from the Star Cluster Alliance with his younger twin brother, Astra. Together, they are even more skilled than Ace Killer. After their most recent mission, he and his brother join the SSSP. Leo shares his name with the eponymous hero from Ultraman Leo.
- Astra: One of the two survivors from the destroyed Planet L77. Astra is a former assassin from the Star Cluster Alliance with his older twin brother, Leo. Together, they are even more skilled than Ace Killer. After their most recent mission, he and his brother join the SSSP. Astra shares his name with the brother of the eponymous hero from Ultraman Leo.
- Rena Sayama: A popular idol around Shinjiro's age. She is a fan of both the original and the new Ultraman, dedicating her third single "Ultlove" to him. She has seemingly fallen in love with the new Ultraman, unaware that he is Shinjiro. Later in the story, Bemular gives her an Ultraman Suit for her protection. Her real name is "Marie." She shares her true name with Ultrawoman Marie.
Personnel[]
- Mitsuhiro Ide: A former member of the Japan Branch of the Science Special Search-Party , and now chief of the Institute of Science and Technology . He secretly has known that Shin has recently transformed into Ultraman to fight monsters, revealing this fact to his friend at the Giant of Light Memorial , the secret base of the Science Special Search-Party. He gives Shinjiro the Ultraman suit and reveals the truth about his father to him. Although he usually appears stoic, he is angered by the Alien Adacic's actions.
- Edo: The last of the Zettonian race, Ultraman's fierce enemies in the past. This time, he assists the Science Special Search-Party in their fight against the other more dangerous alien species, providing them with the technology of the Ultraman suits.
- Akiko Fuji: A former member of the Science Special Search-Party with Hayata and Ide, but is now Moroboshi's superior officer.
- Red: A resident of the Alien City who is a popular boxer, but has recently been dethroned by Jack. After that, he joins the SSSP with Jack. He resembles the monster Red King.
- Albert Wayans: A member of SSSP-USA, officially a part of DARPA. He is an old friend of Ide.
- Ken: A member of SSSP-China. He is also an old friend of Ide.
- Windom: An SSSP Combat Robot able to transform into a high-tech motorcycle and wield Wide Shots. It follows Moroboshi around.
- Sevenger: A colossal robot developed by Ide to assist the Ultraman in battle. Accidentally destroyed by Dan before seeing any action.
Kaiju[]
Unaligned[]
- Zetton: The bio-weapon invasion monster the Alien Zettons used to attack Earth before being defeated by Ultraman before the story. Now a figure in the Giant of Light Memorial.
- Bemular: An alien who appears in shadow to Shinjiro, allegedly in an attempt to bring the Earth into the Star Cluster Council. He also claims to be the first enemy, but his true reasons for his actions are unknown. He is named after the Ultraman monster Bemular.
- Alien Adacic: A mysterious alien hiding as a human on Earth, preying upon people in the guise of a serial killer, and one of Shinjiro's first foes as Ultraman. He resembles the Alien Baltans, which were designed after the Cicada Human from Ultra Q.
- Alien Igaru "Pigmon": A short alien that stalks the popular idol Rena Sayama.
- Alien Kadder: A petty criminal Shinjiro took down.
- Alien Bris: An alien assassin responsible for a string of murders. He resembles the Alien Metrons.
- Yapool: Seiji's guardian and backer.
- Biological Weapons: Biologically engineered alien beasts. The two that have appeared are similar to terrible-monsters Verokron and King Crab.
- Yuko Minami: The alien childhood friend of Seiji Hokuto, in hiding on Earth.
- Agent Adad: A mysterious alien who previously worked for the Star Cluster Council. He resembles Dada.
- Sam: An illegal alien immigrant in Hong Kong. He is friends with Adad.
- Black King: A monster who was rampaging in California until Jack defeated it. He resembles the monster Black King.
- Endo's Superior: Endo's superior officer nearly two decades before the story. He is an alien and the biological father of Rena.
- Kanae: The biological mother of Rena, also an alien.
- Black King II: Another Black King who was rampaging in front of the SSSP-J HQ until Windom defeated it.
Star Cluster Alliance[]
- Ambassador Mephisto: The Head of the Star Cluster Council operatives on Earth. He is an Alien Mefilas.
- Alien Awazo: A member of the Star Cluster Alliance, they are considered a lower race due to their standing and lack physical abilities.
- Ubarazu: The chairman of the Star Cluster Council.
- Black Directive: A member of the Star Cluster Council who has the task to eliminate the Leo Brothers. This is a clear reference to Black Directive from Ultraman Leo.
- Bioweapon Nova: A bioweapon of the Star Cluster Council sent to eliminate the Leo Brothers. This is a clear reference to Nova from Ultraman Leo.
- Alien Zarab: A subordinate of Mephisto who appears as Imit-Ultraman to destroy humanity's trust in Ultras. One of his predecessors did the same thing once long ago.
- Alien Adacic II: A second Alien Adadcic. He is a subordinate Mephisto who appears as Imit-Ultraseven to destroy humanity's trust in Ultras.
- Alien ???: A subordinate of Mephisto who appears as Imit-Zoffy to destroy humanity's trust in Ultras.
Ace Killer Squad[]
- Ace Killer: A contract killer employed by the Star Cluster Alliance and the leader of the Ace Killer Squad.
- Alien Nepenthes: The strategist of the Ace Killer Squad.
- Alien Woovelve: The vanguard of the Ace Killer Squad.
Star of Darkness[]
- Alien Pedan: The de facto leader of the Star of Darkness.
- Alien Druz: A ringleader for the beta testing phase drug distribution experiment.
- Rei: Dan's long-lost twin brother.
- Alien Dylar: A large muscular alien that had attacked Dan's family when he was a child and kidnapped Rei.
- Alien Bell: A skilled alien duelist capable of wielding four swords simultaneously. He is based on Alien Bell and Gumonga from Ultraseven.
- Alien Llubihc: An alien possessing control over gravity. It is based on Alien Chibull.
- Alien Bado: Alien footsoldiers of the Star of Darkness.
- Golden Fortress: The robotic invasion weapon of the Star of Darkness deployed in New York City. It is based on King Joe from Ultraseven.
Zetton Core[]
- Damned: Another surviving member of the Alien Zetton race and the elder brother of Edo. He is the leader of the Zetton Core and the one who commanded the Land of Light sealing operation. Like his brother, he also bears a calm and gentle manner, even in front of Shinjiro and Rena, but dressed in a white suit in contrast to the latter.
- Alien Temperor: Grandmaster of the order and the highest-ranking officer in the Zetton Core. He led the operation sealing the Land of Light ordered by the Star Cluster Council. Despite his status, the existence of Planet Temperor, where Temperor is said to come from, has yet to be confirmed. It is also said that he commanded another assault on the Land of Light long before the recent one. However, whether that battle actually took place remains unknown.
- Alien Valky: A former freelance killer hired by the Star Cluster Alliance to do their dirty work. Now a freelance guide who organized and ran a touring business, where rich, bored aliens on earth would pay to go on human-hunting excursions. She seems attracted to Kotaro, even briefly kissing him when she had the chance. Valky is a currently a member of the Zetton Core. She is a female iteration of Alien Valky from Ultraman Taro.
- Alien Guts: An order master of the Zetton Core, much more slender than the original. Guts is a wizard-like alien who uses cloning and teleportation abilities. Thanks to his outstanding analytical skills, he is the brains behind the order.
- Tyrant: An order master of the Zetton Core. This version of Tyrant is not a fusion of several monsters, but a single entity. He carries a hammer and a flail like the original one. Tyrant likes to use his strong body to engage in destructive hand-to-hand combat.
- Alien Nackle: An order master of the Zetton Core. He is a skilled fighter and strategist seemingly possessing some type of psychic power.
Civilians[]
- Main article: Secondary Characters (ULTRAMAN)
- Yosuke Endo: A police officer who unwittingly is drawn into the world of aliens living on the Earth during his investigations. His daughter is a huge fan of the original Ultraman.
- Kurata: Endo's junior partner.
- Mino, Saeki, and Ando: Alien Igaru's human companions and fellow fans of Rena Sayama.
- Mr. Maru: The janitor of the Ultraman Memorial.
- David Loomis: Kotaro's friend and partner in his journalistic pursuits.
- Shiro Maki: The chief investigator of a private scientific research institute. He is interested in Endo and Rena.
- Shiraishi: Rena Sayama's manager. His name is revealed in Chapter 89 of the manga, around the same time the ULTRAMAN (2019 anime) debuted.
- Kusanagi: An officer from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, also with the Public Security Bureau.
- Hashiya: An officer from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
- Kitagawa: The former Commissioner of Police in Gifu prefecture. He gave Endo his post in the Tokyo PD.
Ultraman[]
- Main article: Ultraman (ULTRAMAN)
Terms[]
- SSSP: Despite what the public believes the SSSP is still operating thanks to Mitsuhiro Ide, originally for the sole purpose of protecting Shin and Shinjiro. After the first appearance of Bemular, their goals changed to protecting the planet once again. Seven years from the story's present they entered Earth into the Star Cluster Alliance.
- Giant of Light's Memorial: The former SSSP-J base, its public appearance is a memorial dedicated to the battles of Ultraman and the original SSSP team. In truth it still serves as the base of operations for the SSSP.
- Ultraman Factor: The term referring the Ultra DNA present in both father and son Hayata, it is what gives them beyond human abilities. It makes their bodies sturdy to the point they are dauntless in the face of a normal person's assault and gives them incredible muscle strength that allows superhuman strength and jumping. Also, holders of this factor also seem to have Spacium energy present in their bodies which is used to power their suits.
- Ultraman Suit: A powered suit created by Ide, it is powered by Spacium to take advantage of the Ultraman Factor. Modeled after Ultraman it has a mechanical Color Timer, upon a drop in the energy consumption or output from the wearer it turns red and begins blinking like a real Color Timer. There are two models, the dark, helmet-less prototype suit worn by Shin and the more Ultra-like suit worn by Shinjiro. Both suits provide the user with extra protection and help to focus their Ultraman Factor abilities. The newer model is also armed with multi-purpose Spacium weapons and can fire a Spacium Beam. It is fired from the classic arm position form instead of being fired from the right hand it is fired from the left arm.
- Star Cluster Alliance: A collection of inhabited planets which joined together to form a political alliance. It can be described as a space UN and is headed by a Council. Edo, now runs the SSSP on behalf of the Alliance, most likely ever since Earth joined them. It was the Alliance that stopped any further attempts at invasion and destroyed all the monsters on Earth. However, due to Earth's joining this union it has become an open system allowing aliens to legally migrate to it. While most behave as civil beings and do not attract attention some require the SSSP to exterminate them, or at least stop them.
- Portals: Portals are special government run buildings all over the world, inside believed to connect to the pocket dimension housing the city of alien immigrants.
- Babel: The Star Cluster Council's base located on the Earth's Antarctic region, taking the shape of a colossal hovering sphere.
- Monster Graveyard: A dumping facility of the Star Cluster Council located in Antarctica, where the carcasses of the monsters they promised Earthlings to exterminate are dumped.
Motion Comic[]
ULTRAMAN Motion Comic launch ceremony (Megumi on the second right)
A limited-release colored motion comic version was released on Tsuburaya Productions' YouTube channel and Monthly Heros' YouTube channel in 2014.[2] Megumi Han was present among the attendees to the launch event and was given a chance to meet Ultraman Tiga, her favorite Ultra. Some episodes were rereleased in 2015 and 2016 for a limited time.[3][4]
Cast[]
- Shinjiro Hayata: Ryohei Kimura [2]
- Child Shinjiro, Seiji Hokuto, Yuko Minami: Megumi Han [2][5]
- Shin Hayata: Takayuki Sugo [2]
- Mitsuhiro Ide: Masashi Ebara [2]
- Bemular: Tsutomu Isobe [2]
- Rena Sayama: Maaya Uchida [6]
- Dan Moroboshi: Tomokazu Seki [6]
- Edo: Shigeru Ushiyama [6]
- Jack: Keiji Fujiwara [7]
- Yosuke Endo: Kazuhiro Yamaji [7]
- Red: Shirou Saitou [7]
- Akiko Fuji: Hiroko Sakurai [7]
- Agent Adad: Kazuhiko Inoue
- Alien Igaru: Kentaro Ito
Spin-Offs[]
After the release of the anime, the series led to a number of spin-offs. This includes:
- ULTRAMAN SUIT ANOTHER UNIVERSE
- Various video game crossovers
- Iron Saga
- Symphogear XD
- Vendetta
- Medarot S
- Knives Out
- ULTRAMAN: BE ULTRA
- Anime ULTRAMAN Novel
Gallery[]
Cover Images[]
Omnibus Covers[]
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ https://heros-ultraman.com/about/
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 https://www.dreamnews.jp/press/0000090085/
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-3234
- ↑ https://www.dreamnews.jp/press/0000126859/
- ↑ https://heros-ultraman.com/news/topics/20160616/post-291
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 https://www.dreamnews.jp/press/0000103431/
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 https://www.dreamnews.jp/press/0000115161/
| ULTRAMAN Chapters | |
|---|---|
| Volume One | 1. Legacy | 2. Nemesis | 3. Decision | 4. Fate | 5. Flash | 6. Encounter |
| Volume Two | 7. Pact | 8. Turn for the Worse | 9. Rehearsal | 10. Opening | 11. Enraged | 12. Catalyst | 13. Rhythmic | 14. Red Light |
| Volume Three | 15. False Image | 16. Visitors from Afar | 17. Tyrant | 18. Apprehension | 19. Being of Light | 20. Curse |
| Volume Four | 21. Cutting Light | 22. Stance | 23. Evolution | 24. Beginning | 25. Unlocking | 26. Dancer |
| Volume Five | 27. Curtain Rises | 28. Actual State | 29. Justice | 30. Retribution | 31. Rain Shower | 32. Mimesis | 33. Disorder | 34. Contact |
| Volume Six | 35. Ace in the Hole | 36. Uncanny Relationship | 37. Negotiation | 38. Leakage | 39. Rampant | 40. In and Out of Sight | 41. Unclean | 41.5. Truth |
| Volume Seven | 42. Accused | 43. Kitchen | 44. Trap | 45. Crucifixion | 46. Innocent | 47. Comeback |
| Volume Eight | 48. Gale | 49. Conviction | 50. Birth | 51. Intrigue Junction | 52. A New Gift | 53. From the East, the Light of Dawn |
| Volume Nine | 54. Miracle of Brooklyn | 55. Target of Power | 56. The Sun Rising in the West | 57. The Distance Between | 58. Hellfire | 59. No. 6 |
| Volume Ten | 60. To the West | 61. Mixed Power | 62. Project Jack | 63. Planet Exposed | 64. Fortress Descending from the Heavens | 65. Six Heroes |
| Volume Eleven | 66. Righteous Retribution | 67. Oath to Fulfill | 68. Deadly Touch | 69. Agitator | 70. Three Lights |
| Volume Twelve | 71. Creeping Changes | 72. Unwelcome Guests | 73. Flailing Universe | 74. Roaring Lion, Quiet Dog | 75. Swinging A Brittle Fist | 76. Transformation | 77. Shining Ring |
| Volume Thirteen | 78. Self-imposed Judgment | 79. The Black Directive | 80. Dauntless and Decisive | 81. Raging Lions | 82. Filling Smoke | 83. Illusion by the Name of Light | 84. Angel of Light |
| Volume Fourteen | 85. Hunter | 86. Approaching Light | 87. Puzzle | 88. Bright Red Flame | 89. Sneering Trickster | 90. He Who Does Not Love Light |
| Volume Fifteen | 91. 2 Min., 57 Sec. | 92. Tyrant of Light | 93. Truth Told With Lies | 94. Not Warriors of Light | 95. A True Warrior of Light |
| Volume Sixteen | 96. The Lions' Eyes Shine | 97. Trump Card | 98. Qualifications for Freedom | 99. A Name From a Faraway Galaxy | 100. Chorus of Cicadas | 101. Intersecting Emotions | 102. Marie |
| Volume Seventeen | 103. Sinking Sun | 104. Wandering Heart | 105. Poison for Progress | 106. Good Deeds Swung Down | 107. He Who Hunts Chaos | 108. Specium | 108.5. Mitsuhiro Dreams |
| Volume Eighteen | 109. Anger | 110. Unexpected Rain | 111. Distance of Justice | 112. Cigarette Smoke in a Shaft of Light | 113. Innocent Awe | 114. Patriot | 115. Spectacular Strike | 116. White Core |
| Volume Nineteen | 117. Duty Called Hayata | 118. Blow Wind, Come Storm | 118.5. Ultrafight | 119. The Raging Queen | 120. Binding Curse | 121. Noble and Precious Power | 122. Thunderclap | 123. Damned | 124. C |
| Volume Twenty | 124.5. Chapter 124.5 | 125. Chapter 125 | 126. Chapter 126 | 127. Chapter 127 | 128. Chapter 128 | 129. Oracle | 130. Chapter 130 | 131. Number 297 | 132. Chapter 132 | 133. Chapter 133 |
| Volume Twenty-one | 133.5 Chapter 133.5 | 134. Chapter 134 | 135. Chapter 135 | 136. Chapter 136 |