Ultra Heroes EXPO 2022 Summer Festival IN Ikebukuro・Sunshine City is an exhibition event held at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. It is the second Summer Festival event, announced on April 5, 2022 and held from July 23 to August 29, with a break on August 9.[1][2]
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Ultraman Dyna, Takeshi Tsuruno was appointed as the event's ambassador.[3] He created a theme song for the festival, named "NEXT NEW HERO".[4]
A series titled UlSummer Information Station was uploaded on the official Ultraman YouTube channel to promote the event.[4]
Like the previous year, the festival's stage shows and most of its nightly events were livestreamed.
Exhibition[]
The venue was filled with exhibits for guests to view, with some parts changing for the event's second half. These include:
- GUTS SELECT Mobile Operations Command Room : The first area from the main entrance is decorated like the Nursedessei's hangar room, featuring a moving HANE2.[5][6] A uniformed manniquin sits behind one of the desks, and another is in the cockpit of the GUTS Falcon. In the center of the room, the Ultraman Decker opening is projected onto the ground.[7]
- Ultra Hero Type Check : Two interactable kiosks that give the user questions then reveal which Ultra Hero they are similar to.
- A poster of the festival's main visual, with statues of Ultraman Trigger and Ultraman Decker standing in front.[8]
- Ultra Shot : A photo booth for taking photos with Ultras that is available at most Ultraman events. The appearing heroes rotate every few hours.[9]
- Marluru's Room A recreation of Marluru and Deban's house from Ultraman Chronicle D, with Pega sitting on the porch. There are Don Shine props and posters in the shelf and on the wall.[10] The Giant Gomora can be seen through in the window. Next to the room's entrance is artwork, Hiroki Matsumoto, Yuka Murayama and Nobunaga Daichi's signatures and a message from Marluru telling them not to write there.[11] In the second half, Hanejiro was added to the room, carrying a bag with an Ultraman design.[12]
- A display of all the event-exclusive merchandise.[13]
- A statue of Megalothor,[14] switched to Spheresaurus in the second half.[15]
- A diorama of some destroyed buildings.[16]
- Tokusatsu Diorama : A large diorama depicting Ultras battling Kaiju amongst a city, complete with damaged buildings and running citizens.[4] In the diorama can be seen:
- Ultraman Taiga and Ultraman Orb fighting Night Fang and Mons-Ahgar.
- Ultraman Rosso and Ultraman Blu battling Baraba.
- Ultraman Zero and Ultraman Geed holding back Woola. A nearby screen instructs guests to stand in a particular spot, press a button and pose, causing the screen to display an animation of a Spacium Beam being fired at Woola from the guest's position, appearing as if the guest is using the beam.
- Ultraman Z in Alpha Edge form taking on Genegarg.
- Shin Hayata about to transform among the carnage.[17]
- Photo Corner : An area with photo opportunities.[4]
- A statue of Leugocyte next to a banner of a Spacium Beam being fired at it, where guests can position themselves in front of the banner to appear to be firing the beam. There is also another button that displays the guest firing a Spacium Beam from a particular position. In the event's second half, Leugocyte was changed to Sphere-Gomora.[18]
- An inflatable black claw crashing through the wall, with a nearby sign saying "HELP!"
- Statues of the three Absolutians, Absolute Tartarus, Absolute Diavolo and Absolute Titan. Behind them is a poster of Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad.
- Giant Hiroko Asumi Experience Diorama : An area decorated by props of ravaged buildings for guests to stand between, referencing a scene involving Hiroko Asami from Shin Ultraman.[4] Another stand of destroyed buildings is inside the THE LIVE Pre-stage.[19]
- A small display of various Kaiju eggs from the series, next to a statue of Booska. This space is hidden in a corner past some scaffolding covered in vines.
- Giant Gomora : A towering inflatable Gomora erupting from the ground.[4] Next to it is a pipe with a Gavadon B drawing on it, referencing the original episode.
- THE LIVE Pre-stage : A spacious area surrounded by various displays at all sides.[5] Above is a catwalk where Ultras and aliens appear for mini events. Kanata Asumi occassionally appeared as well.[20] It was called the Ultra Galaxy Square in the previous year.[21]
- "TDG 25th Anniversary" Anniversary Year Exhibition : One corner is dedicated to the first three Heisei Ultras.[5] On a podium is Tiga, Dyna and Gaia battling Five King. Below, there is a collage of photos from the three series, and a display case containg a Super GUTS uniform and a Training School ZERO uniform. Signs advertising Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher are also nearby.[22]
- A space dedicated to Shin Ultraman, featuring a statue of the titular character and a sculpture of his hand, allowing guests to stand atop for photos. There are also displays of uniforms from the film.
- On another side of the area is a large assortment of merchandise from all series in display cases. A single Ultraman Fusion Fight! arcade cabinet is nearby.
- The front of a Jet VTOL that guests can enter. Inside is a control panel with a yoke and flippable switches.[23]
- The exit to the Pre-stage is surrounded by suspended statues of Ultraman, Ginga, X, Victory and Zoffy.[24]
- Become Alien Baltan : A photo spot filled with Alien Baltan for guests to stand in front of.[5] In previous years, Baltan gloves were offered to guests to accompany the photo, but they were not given out this year, likely due to COVID concerns.
Preview[]
On July 22, 2022, the day before the festival's opening, a preview of the event was held for members of the press. Premium TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION members could also apply for the chance to attend, limited to 100 winners.[25] The guests could explore the exhibition, view the first Battle Stage[26] and watch the Opening Ceremony .
Hiroki Matsumoto and Takeshi Tsuruno appeared at the opening ceremony and answered questions about the event, Ultraman Decker and the Ultraman Series as a whole.[4] Ultraman Decker and Ultraman Dyna joined them onstage. Afterwards, Tsuruno sang "NEXT NEW HERO" live as the two Ultras waved to the audience.[27] The ceremony concluded with some final words and an appearance from Ultraman.[4]
Stage Events[]
Ultraman Battle Stages[]
Two Ultraman Battle Stages were performed five times per day, swapping over in the event's second half.[28] Both involve Ultraman Decker fighting alongside his fellow New Generation Heroes with Kanata Asumi, Ichika Kirino and Soma Ryumon appearing onstage on particular days. The stage's layout is unchanged from the previous year, save for a center stage, which was first used at Ultraman Festival 2019. Ultra Heroes EXPO 2023 New Year Festival was advertised at the end of each performance.
- Subtitles
Ultraman Dyna Night[]
Ultraman Dyna 25th Anniversary: Super GUTS Special Night was an event that assembled the cast of Ultraman Dyna, held on August 2, 2022.[29]
The event commenced with Takeshi Tsuruno singing his version of "Kimi Dake o Mamoritai" from Ultraman Saga. The cast of Super GUTS, later followed by the two directors, joined him and they discussed behind-the-scenes stories and memories of the series. Ultraman Dyna and Hanejiro also made appearances. Towards the end of the event, Tsuruno donned his Super GUTS uniform, receiving a big applause from the audience.[30]
- Guests
- Takeshi Tsuruno (Shin Asuka)
- Ryo Kinomoto (Gousuke Hibiki)
- Toshikazu Fukawa (Toshiyuki Kohda)
- Risa Saito (Ryo Yumimura)
- Nobuyuki Kase (Kouhei Kariya)
- Joe Onodera (Tsutomu Nakajima)
- Mariya Yamada (Mai Midorikawa)
- Takeshi Yagi (Ultraman Series director)
- Kazuya Konaka (Ultraman Series director)
Takaya's ⓘ Room[]
UlSummer Special Night: "Takaya's ⓘ Room" was a live version of the livestream series Takaya's Room, a talk show where Takaya Aoyagi interviews Ultraman Series guests.[31] Like the livestreams, it was exclusive to TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION subscribers and, while not livestreamed simultaneously, a recording of the event was added to the service on September 2 for premium members.[32] The event was held on August 3, 2022.
The ⓘ in the title has four meanings:
- The i in "information", since the event provides the latest information on Tsuburaya Productions projects.
- The i in "Meeting" , due to the wish to meet the loyal viewers of Takaya's Room.
- The i in "Together" , as the event brings the viewers together in the same room, rather than just at the same time as with virtual events.
- The i in "Love" , as Aoyagi's "love is overflowing".
- Guests
Ultraman Decker Night[]
"Ultraman Decker" Special Night was an event that promoted Ultraman Decker, featuring the series cast and main director.[33] It was held on August 25.
The event began with SCREEN mode performing "Wake up Decker!", with the cast and director dancing and music video playing in the background. Afterwards, the guests talked about favorite scene from the show. Matsumoto gave his thoughts on his transformation scenes, then Asakage was surprised to see that the other five guests all chose the scene where Captain Murahoshi has Kanata, Ichika and Ryumon join GUTS-SELECT. They also talked about what each cast member is a "genius of". Next, they read out a heartfelt letter from Raiga Terasaka with Matsumoto narrating the episode 7 preview live beforehand. Then, after showing off the soon to be released DX Ultra Dual Sword, two upcoming Kaiju were revealed, the first being Sphere-Red King, prompting Matsumoto to transform into Ultraman Decker and utilise the weapon to fight it off. The second was Terraphaser, with director Takesue accidentally leaking that it would appear in episode 11. The event concluded with Hironobu Kageyama singing "Kanata Toku" and announcing he would be singing the series' second ending theme.[34]
During the event, an unnamed Ultraman Decker spinoff was announced for TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION, later revealed to be GUTS-SELECT Meeting Records ～Return of Special Section 3～ on September 27, 2022. It was also announced that SCREEN mode's vocalist, Yu Hayashi, would be performing theme songs for Ultraman Decker's Type Changes, releasing as a mini album on December 7, 2022.[34]
- Guests
- Hiroki Matsumoto (Kanata Asumi)
- Yuka Murayama (Ichika Kirino)
- Nobunaga Daichi (Soma Ryumon)
- Yu Koyanagi (Yuichiro Asakage)
- Sae Miyazawa (Sawa Kaizaki)
- Masaya Kikawada (Taiji Murahoshi)
- Masayoshi Takesue (Main director)
- SCREEN mode (Opening theme duo)
- Hironobu Kageyama (Ending theme artist)
Gridman Night[]
SSSS.GRIDMAN×SSSS.DYNAZENON Special Night was an event promoting the previously announced Gridman movie, held on August 26.[35] Hikaru Midorikawa, who voiced Gridman, was unable to attend the event due to catching COVID-19.[36]
- Guests
Ultraman Department Store[]
The Ultraman Department Store is an expansive gift shop selling all kinds of Ultraman merchandise. Many offered items were event-exclusive, such as badges and figures with unique colors.[37][38][39] Some items were also available at Tsuburaya Store ONLINE and Ultraman World M78 ONLINE.[40] Other items were pre-sold at the event but would become available elsewhere afterwards, such as ULTRA GALAXY FIGHT Original Soundtrack and DVDs of Ultraman Trigger: Episode Z and NEW GENERATION THE LIVE: Ultraman Trigger STAGE 3.[41]
Guests who purchased more than ¥3000 yen of items at the Ultraman Department Store or at Ultraman World M78 stores would receive a special Ultraman Decker Flash Type Dimension Card.[42]
Campaigns[]
- Ultraman Trigger and Ultraman Decker appeared at Toys R Us stores on July 9 and July 10 to promote the festival.[43][44]
- By purchasing specific products on the Premium Bandai store, customers were entered into a lottery to win livestream tickets.[45]
- Every guest received a random Ultra Hero Snap Bracelet of 23 types and a special Ultraman Decker Flash Type Dimension Card on entry.[46][47]
- 9 codes to unlock Data Cubes on TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION were hidden around Sunshine City for guests to find.[48] Each Data Cube contains an image and description, and collecting all of them rewards the user with a wallpaper.
- Meet The Hero was held again, where guests can interact with an Ultra Hero for three minutes and take photos.[49] It was held on another floor of Sunshine City.
- Holographic Ultraman Decker stickers came with menu items ordered from restaurants at Sunshine City during the event.[50]
- Ultraman-related menu items, tins and coasters were available at Sunshine City's Theater Terrace restaurant during the event.[51]
- During Kaiju Sakaba's summer campaign, customers could order a special dessert item by presenting their UlSummer ticket.[52]
- Famous kabuki actor Shido Nakamura and his son Haruki Ogawa visited the event as parent-child ambassadors.[53] A recording of their visit was uploaded on the official Ultraman YouTube channel.[54]
- A pop-up store for Shin Ultraman was available at Sunshine City's Fountain Square from August 13 to August 19. A 10m inflatable Ultraman was placed nearby.[55][56]
- Super Limited Ultra Shot : 50 premium TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION members and 30 standard members could win the chance to go to a special longer Ultra Shot booth held on August 13.[58] The characters were revealed as Ultraman Mebius (Mebius Infinity) and Ultraman Noa on the day.[59] Photos of the two Ultras were sold at the regular Ultra Shot booth from the next day.
- On August 26, paid TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION members could redeem a pen at the Ultra Shot booth.[60]
- Throughout the event period, photos of the festival could be submitted to be added to a mosaic artpiece planned to be unveiled after the festival's end.[61] Anyone who submitted photos were rewarded with a photo of a Ultra Hero, while TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION users additionally received a video of TDG THE LIVE: Ultraman Tiga.[62] The mosaic is still yet to be released.
Gallery[]
Images[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- To commemorate the event, NEW GENERATION THE LIVE: Ultraman Trigger STAGE 1 and STAGE 2 were made available for standard users on TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION, where it was previously for rent only.
- The previous year's ambassador, Taiyo Sugiura, visited the event for his YouTube channel, meeting Tsuruno and Matsumoto while there.[63]
- Risa Saito's appearance at the Ultraman Dyna event was labeled as a special appearance, since she retired from acting in 2018.
- The event faced delays on August 8,[64] with minor changes made to the Battle Stage performances that day.[65] Refunds were offered from September 9, 2022.[66]
- During THE LIVE Pre-stage performances:
- An Alien Babarue once performed Ultraman Hikari's beam pose, harkening back to when an Babarue imitated the Ultra in Ultraman Mebius Side Story: Hikari Saga.[67]
- Kanata revealed that Taiji Murahoshi is married and has a child.[68]
- Photos of the Battle Stages were sold at Tsuburaya Stores after the festival's conclusion.[69]
External Links[]
References[]
| Stage Shows and Events | |
|---|---|
| Ultraman Festival | 1990 | '91 (Live Stage) | '93 | '94 | '95 | '97 | '98 | '99 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 (Part 1, Part 2) | 2016 (Part 1, Part 2) | 2017 (Part 1, Part 2) | 2018 (Part 1, Part 2) | 2019 (Part 1, Part 2) | ONLINE |
| Ultra Heroes EXPO Summer Festival | 2021 (STAGE 1, STAGE 2, Cosmos Night) | 2022 (STAGE 1, STAGE 2) | 2023 (Stage 1, Stage 2) | 2024 (STAGE 1, STAGE 2) |
| Ultra Heroes EXPO New Year Festival | 2008 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 (Battle Stage) | 2017 (Battle Stage) | 2018 (Battle Stage) | 2019 (Battle Stage) | 2020 (Battle Stage) | 2021 (Battle Stage, Special Stage) | 2022 (Battle Stage) | 2023 (Battle Stage, Special Stage) | 2024 (Battle Stage) | 2025 (Battle Stage) |
| THE LIVE Series | NEW GENERATION THE LIVE Ultraman Taiga | Ultraman Z | Ultraman Trigger (STAGE 1, STAGE 2, STAGE 3, STAGE 4) | Ultraman Decker (STAGE 1, STAGE 2, STAGE 3, STAGE 4, STAGE 5) | Stars STAGE 1 | -Stars- TSUBUCON 2023 SPECIAL STAGE | UlSummer Stage 1 | UlSummer Stage 2 | Blazar ～The Other Hero～ | Blazar "...To the Future" | Stars ~They Are Ultimate Force Zero~ | Stars - Ultraman Zero ～The Beginning Story～ | Arc (～Stand By You～, ～To All Living Things～) 6 Ultra Brothers THE LIVE TDG THE LIVE |
| Ultra Family Grand Assembly | 1998 | '99 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Ultraman Premier Stage | Stage | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | 2011 |
| Ultraman Precious Stage | For the Children of the Future | Dad Is Ultraseven | A Life Led by a Miracle | A BRAVE HEART | ～LOVE～ | ～School Opening～ |
| Ultraman Legend Stage | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| Karnival Upin & Ipin | 2014 | 2015 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Ultraman Live in Genting | 2015 | 2016 (Stage I, Stage II) |
| Ultraman The Live In Taiwan | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Other Stage Shows | Ultraman Super Stage | Ultraman Live Stage | Ultraman Live Stage 2 | Ultra P | Ultra Hero Battle Theater! | Ultraman Live: Peace of the Earth | Hida Takayama: Ultra Hero Legend Stage | Funatsuza Ultraman Starlight Stage | Ultraman and the Wonders of Science | The Earthling All Alone feat. ULTRASEVEN | Ultra Double Stage | Ultra Heroes Acrobattle (2015, 2016, 2017) | DARKNESS HEELS～THE LIVE～ | SSSS.GRIDMAN Stage Play | SSSS.DYNAZENON SHOW | Ultraman Blazar Spectacle Live in NYCC 2023 | GRIDMAN UNIVERSE SHOW | A New Battle! Unexpected Alien Invasion! |
| Other Events | 3 Major Tokusatsu Hero Festival | Ultra Heroes EXPO New Generation World | TSUBURAYA CONVENTION (2019, 2021, 2023) | ULTRAMAN MUSIC LIVE | Takaya's Room | Ultraman Connection Live | TSUBURAYA EXHIBITION | INTO THE STORY: Ultraman Trigger | Ultraman Real-Time Motion Capture Labo | 10 Days of Ultraman | Ultraman the Ride | All Ultraman Grand Vote | Ultra Heroes Academy in Dufan Ancol 2024 | Sukagawa Imagination Festival 2024 |