Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle is the first season of the Ultra Galaxy TV series and the 21st entry overall in Tsuburaya Productions' long-running Ultraman Series. It is an adaption of the arcade game Mega Monster Battle: ULTRA MONSTERS. The show released on BS11,[1] making it the first entry in the franchise to be shown on a pay-per-view service, from December 1, 2007 to February 23, 2008. On December 20, 2008, a second season titled Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle: Never Ending Odyssey premiered. Both seasons later aired on TV Tokyo starting from October 1, 2009 to lead up to the film's release.[2]
On July 25, 2017, TOKU announced that the series and its second season would air in the United States on its channel with English subtitles beginning August 31, 2017.[3][4]
This show can be watched on Tubi and Roku.
Production[]
Development[]
Series of promotional posters.
In 2006, the TV series Ultraman Mebius launched its first online-exclusive spin-off, Ultraman Mebius Side Story: Hikari Saga. This was the franchise's early move into internet-based media. After the main series ended, the story continued to be made into more films, which were released on DVD in 2008 and 2009. This change towards storytelling across different platforms set the stage for this series.[5]
In 2007, there were some problems with TV scheduling and sponsorship in Japan. This meant that the Heisei Ultraman series stopped for a while after Mebius. Even so, Tsuburaya Productions was already planning new projects to keep the franchise going. In April 2007, a new arcade card game Mega Monster Battle: ULTRA MONSTERS was released. It was made by Bandai's Card Division and was the next game in Mebius. Players could buy monster cards and use them in arcade battles all over Japan. The game quickly attracted a large number of players and was successful for four years.[5]
Development had actually begun in 2006, given the project’s scale and budget. Around this time, Tsuburaya Productions began exploring ways to adapt the game's concept into a visual format. If production costs could be managed, focusing on the monsters' unique appeal rather than traditional hero figures would offer a fresh creative direction for the post-Mebiusera.[6]
Like the game, this series centered on battles between iconic monsters from across the franchise's history as its main theme.
Hiroyasu Shibuya of Tsuburaya Productions, who had also worked on the Ultra Galaxy Mega ULTRA MONSTERS game, began planning a related visual project in 2006. After Mebius wrapped in January 2007, Shibuya started preparations for the new series, aiming to blend the Ultraman franchise’s core traits with the game’s mechanics. By emphasizing the monsters’ presence and linking the show to the arcade platform, the production sought to enhance cross-media engagement.[6]
Concept[]
With limited funding, the production adopted a compact format featuring a small cast and a sci-fi setting on the edge of the universe. The story introduced a mysterious cosmic force called “Reionics” and built suspense around the protagonist’s secret past. Like the game, the series focused on brutal monster battles set on alien worlds, maintaining the tone of large-scale interplanetary conflict.[6] The setting was based on the Land of Light universe, taking place in a future timeline after Ultraman Mebius’s departure from Earth.
Filming[]
The main actors of Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle participated in the production press conference.[7]
Filming took place at Toho Studios, with Kenichi Araki as series composer and Yuichi Kikuchi, Tsugumi Kitaura, and Hirochika Muraishi directing. Rather than a terrestrial TV broadcast, the series was distributed via the BS11 satellite channel and online platforms. After months of preparation, shooting began in early August 2007. The compact crew completed the main narrative within about a month, followed by tokusatsu and monster action sequences filmed from mid-September to October.[6]
Release[]
A production announcement event for the series was held at Bandai’s Tokyo headquarters in Taito Ward on November 13, 2007.[8][9][10] After the series debuted in December 2007, it received positive feedback, paving the way for a second season, Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle: Never Ending Odyssey, the following year.
Plot[]
50 years after the extinction of monsters, humanity had finally advanced to outer space.
The crews of Space Pendragon were tasked to investigate Planet Boris after communications on that planet were mysteriously halted. Arriving on the planet, the crew was astonished to find it inhabited by monsters, with every nearby city destroyed. While forced to wait for reinforcements, the crew must solve the mystery of this planet's background as a monster tamer named Rei, whose past remained mysterious, joined ZAP SPACY in order to learn his past.
Characters[]
ZAP SPACY[]
Antagonists[]
Others[]
- Hiroki Haruna
- Ato
- Karen Mikura
Ultras[]
Kaiju[]
Rei's Kaiju[]
Kate's Kaiju[]
Ordinary Kaiju[]
- Telesdon
- Sadolar
- Red King
- Peguila
- Mukadender
- Juran
- Golza
- Gudon
- Neronga
- Bemstar
- Banpira
- Twin Tail
- Bullton
- Froguros
- Kelbim
- Arstron
- Angross
- Gromite
- King Joe Black
- Arigera
- Zoa Muruchi
- Nova
- Saramandora
- Lunaticks
- Verokron
- Doragory
Cast[]
- Rei : Shota Minami
- Jun Haruna : Saki Kamiryo
- Koichi Oki : Toru Hachinohe
- Masahiko Kumano : Mitsutoshi Shundo
- Hiroshi Hyuga : Hiroyuki Konishi
- Kate : Mayu Gamo
- Karen : Natsumi Yamada
- Hiroki : Shigeki Kagemaru
- Ato : Hideaki Ishii
Suit Actors[]
- Gomora: Kazunori Yokoo
- Daisuke Terai
- Rou Nishimura
- Hiroshi Suenaga
- Junya Soma
- Tomomi Ota
- Shinya Iwasaki
- Daisuke Fukuda
- Satoshi Yamamoto
- Reimon: Hideyoshi Iwata
- Ryusei Fukushima
Staff[]
- Directors: Yuichi Kikuchi, Tsugumi Kitaura, Hirochika Muraishi
- Series compositor: Kenichi Araki
- Screenwriters: Kenichi Araki, Keiichi Hasegawa, Takahiko Masuda, Masanao Akahoshi
- Script cooperation: Mayori Sekijima (ep. 4)
- Supervisor: Kazuo Tsuburaya
- Production supervisor: Shinichi Ooka
- Planning: Naoyuki Eto, Tadataka Maehata
- Producers: Hiroyasu Shibuya, Sei Okazaki, Satoshi Kono
- Production producer: Nobuyuki Koyama
- Music producer: Shizuka Tamagawa
- Music: Toshihiko Sahashi
- Cinematographer: Takehiro Kuramochi
- Action choreographer: Hiroyuki Okano
- Assistant director: Yoshiaki Kondo
- Production cooperation: Bandai Namco Group
- Production: Tsuburaya Productions, BS11
Music[]
- Opening Theme
- eternal traveller
- Lyrics/Composition/Arrangement: Kazuya Daimon
- Artist: Project DMM
- Ending Theme
Home Media[]
In Japan, the series released across 7 DVD volumes in 2008. On June 15, 2021, Mill Creek released both seasons and the film on a single Blu-ray in the United States.[11]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Among the modern Heisei era (Mebius-onwards) series, Ultra Galaxy has the distinction of the highest toy sales, about 5.7 billion yen.
- This is the first Tsuburaya series to be shown in widescreen format.
External Links[]
- Official website (web archive)
- TV Tokyo website
- Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle at Tsuburaya Productions' official website
References[]
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-593
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-800
- ↑ TOKU Announces U.S. Premieres of Three New Ultraman Series Titles
- ↑ TOKU Premieres 3 Ultra Tokusatsu Series in August
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 08: Ultraman Zero / Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle, pg 4
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 08: Ultraman Zero / Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle, pg 5
- ↑ https://x.com/minamijuji327/status/1786022446539387344
- ↑ https://www.toyjournal.or.jp/NEWS200711.html
- ↑ https://animeanime.jp/article/2007/11/15/2456.html
- ↑ https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20071113/bandai.htm
- ↑ https://twitter.com/MillCreekEnt/status/1372602604799328256