Ultra Operation No.1

• Japanese
• English

"After officer Hayata was given the life of the alien from the M78 nebula, he has transformed himself using the Beta Capsule. He flies at the speed of Mach 5. He is an immortal man who destroys all enemies with massive power. Go! Our hero!"

―The Narrator, introducing Ultraman, the hero from Nebula M78

"Having been given the life of the spaceman from Nebula M78, Hayata now uses the Beta Capsule, and becomes that super-being - ULTRAMAN!!!"

―The Narrator, introducing Ultraman, the hero from Nebula M78

Ultra Operation No.1
Ultraman, episode 1
Information
Airdate	July 17, 1966
Directed by	Hajime Tsuburaya
Written by	Shinichi Sekizawa Tetsuo Kinjo
Special Effects Directed by	Koichi Takano
Continuity
Previous	The Birth of Ultraman
Next	Shoot the Invader
Watch
Watch on Hulu
Watch on Shout! Factory

Ultra Operation No.1 is the first episode of Ultraman.

Plot

While patrolling the skies on the night shift, Shin Hayata reports back to home base he has seen a U.F.O. An enormous red orb is chasing a blue orb across the night sky. As fate would have it, Hayata's ship accidentally collides with the red object just as the blue U.F.O. descends into a nearby lake. Hayata is saved by the strange alien inhabiting the red glowing vessel. From the Nebula M78, the benevolent being explains it was pursuing the monstrous pilot of the blue ship, Bemular, after it escaped being escorted to the Monster Graveyard. Merging with Hayata and giving him the Beta Capsule, the SSSP (Science Special Search-Party) member secretly becomes Ultraman whenever monsters or aliens threaten the Earth.

Cast

• Shin Hayata : Susumu Kurobe
• Toshio Muramatsu : Akiji Kobayashi
• Akiko Fuji : Hiroko Sakurai
• Daisuke Arashi : Sandayu Dokumamushi
• Mitsuhiro Ide : Masanari Nihei
• Isamu Hoshino : Akihide Tsuzawa

Guest Actors

• Saitama Prefectural Police Patrolling Unit Officers
  • Hakase Kuni
  • Kozo Watanabe

Voice Actors

• Ultraman :
  • Masao Nakasone (grunts)
  • Hisashi Kondo (voice)
• Narrator : Koji Ishizaka

Suit Actors

• Ultraman : Bin Furuya
• Bemular : Teruo Aragaki

Appearances

Ultras

• Ultraman

Kaiju

• Bemular

Quotes

"Who's there? Who are you?"
"I am an alien of Nebula M78."
"An inhabitant of Nebula M78?"
"That's right, I came from far away space. I was transporting Bemular to his grave in space, but he escaped and I have followed him to Earth."
Bemular?"
"He is a space monster that can only bring forth chaos and destruction like a devil. I apologize for what I did to you, officer Hayata, for this reason I will give my life to you."
"Your life? What will happen to you then?"
"We will become one in body and soul, and fight for the peace of the Earth."

―Shin Hayata and Ultraman in Ultraman's travel sphere

"Wait a second. You've been calling him "he", like a friend, but what's his name?"
"He doesn't have a name."
"Don't joke, Everyone has a name."
"Then let's see-- How about Ultraman?"
"Ultraman?"
"Right, Ultraman. What do you think?"
"Well-- That's "ultra" good!""

―Mitsuhiro Ide, Shin Hayata and Akiko Fuji naming the giant of light.

Home Media

• Ultraman Volume 1 features episodes 1-4.
• The U.S. DVD release Ultraman: Here He Comes From The Sky features episodes 1-10.
• Ultraman: The Complete Series features all 39 episodes.
• Mill Creek Entertainment released Ultraman - The Complete Series on Blu-ray + Digital in a standard set and a SteelBook Edition in the US on October 15, 2019.

1999 release

2009 release

Ultraman: Here He Comes From The Sky (Chaiyo U.S. release)

Ultraman: The Complete Series (Chaiyo U.S. release)

Mill Creek's Ultraman - The Complete Series DVD set

Trivia

• Due to script revisions and other production challenges, this episode was assigned production number 9. Although television productions usually follow script order, typically considered the intended production sequence, this episode was actually the fifth to be filmed.
  • Ultraman's production was structured around rotating directors, each handling two to three episodes. These included Toshihiro Iijima (episodes 2, 3, 5), Samaji Nonagase (episodes 4, 6, 7, 9), Hajime Tsuburaya (episodes 1, 8, 12, 13), and Kazuho Mitsuta (episodes 10, 11). Although episode 1 was directed by Tsuburaya, filming began with Iijima's episodes, following the director-based rotation.
• Typically, the production team split filming between live-action and special effects units. However, due to the scale of the project and inexperience with such a format, Iijima's three episodes were handled by a single unit, delaying production by nearly two months. Filming began in mid-March 1966, but by May, the schedule had already fallen behind.
  • To prioritize episode 1, production on Nonagase's episodes was paused, and Tsuburaya's team adjusted their schedule. This led to a disrupted production order. Under the revised timeline by Tsuburaya Productions, this episode became the fifth filmed — a sequence that later became standard.
• According to Ultraman Hero Graphic Library, filming on Nonagase's episodes resumed in late June 1966, following a brief interruption in late May. Episode 4 was the fifth produced, while episode 1 likely came sixth or seventh. It remains unclear whether episode 1 or episode 8 began filming first.

• This episode was based on an early draft titled "Bemular's Birth" , written during the show's planning phase, then known as Science Special Search Party: Bemular. The script was penned by Shinichi Sekizawa, recommended by Eiji Tsuburaya. Although experienced in film, Sekizawa initially lacked confidence writing for television and had declined previous offers to contribute to Ultra Q, citing unfamiliarity with the format.
  • At the time, Sekizawa's protégé, Tetsuo Kinjo, visited him at home with the Ultraman proposal and story outline. After much persuasion, Sekizawa reluctantly agreed to write the script. However, upon reviewing the draft, Hajime Tsuburaya criticized its "poor narrative transitions" and asked Kinjo to revise it.
  • Kinjo retreated to the "Hanabusa" studio to begin rewriting. What began as minor edits soon evolved into a full rewrite, completed over three days. The final script differed so significantly from Sekizawa's original that it was essentially an entirely new work. Upon reviewing it, Hajime Tsuburaya approved the revised version.
  • Kinjo's rewrite was so extensive that not a single line from the original narration remained. Expecting Sekizawa to be upset, perhaps even unwilling to see him, Kinjo was surprised when Sekizawa instead expressed gratitude for his effort. At Kinjo's suggestion, the final script for episode 1 was credited jointly to both writers.
  • To date, only two versions of the script are confirmed to exist: the early draft titled "Bemular's Birth" and Kinjo's revised script. Sekizawa's original standalone version has not been recovered.
  • While the differences between these scripts and the finished episode are mostly minor, a few stand out. In the script, for example, Bemular doesn't die from a light beam, he transforms into a blue sphere and attempts to escape, ultimately exploding from exhaustion. Additionally, after Bemular's defeat, Ultraman vanishes without explanation, and Hayata is later found unconscious, hanging from a tree.

• Ultraman's voice in both the first and final episodes was performed by sound technician Hisashi Kondo. Initially, actors from the TBS Theater Group were considered, but Eiji Tsuburaya rejected their voices as "too natural — like ordinary people." After several unsuccessful takes, Kondo tried a stylized, dramatic tone, which finally won Tsuburaya's approval.
  • According to some accounts, Masao Nakasone was originally cast but replaced by Kondo after arriving late and upsetting Tsuburaya.

• Hiroko Sakurai recalled that the original script did not include a scene where Fuji piloted the Jet VTOL to transport the Special Submarine S16 to Lake Ryugamori. Her role was initially limited to communications. Sakurai said, "In Ultra Q, I played an active role but never fought monsters." Wanting more action, she requested a bigger part, leading to Fuji being assigned the transport scene.
• Due to production delays, the show's premiere was postponed. To fill the gap, a special preview program titled The Birth of Ultraman aired, featuring a trailer for the first episode. This trailer included footage not in the episode and live narration, now lost. However, the trailer itself was filmed and remains fully preserved.
• The song sung by the young campers at Lake Ryugamori is "Hoshi ni Inori wo," performed by folk group The Broadside Four.
• Ryugamori Lake and elements from this episode appear in later Ultraman works:
  • In Ultraman Tiga episode 49, "The Ultra Star," Ryugamori Lake is the setting.
  • The 2004 film ULTRAMAN is a modern remake of this episode, set in contemporary Japan.
  • The 2008 film Superior 8 Ultra Brothers shows young Daigo Madoka, Shin Asuka, and Gamu Takayama eating curry while watching this episode.
  • In Neo Ultra Q episode 1, "Quo Vadis," Ryugamori is referenced as the sacred site targeted by the monster Niruwanie.
  • The novel Ultra Monster Anthropomorphic Project places Lake Ryugamori in Fukushima Prefecture.
  • In Ultraman Z episode 1, "Chant My Name!," the scene where Ultraman and Hayata first meet is referenced.
  • The title of Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga episode 18, "Smile Operation No.1," directly nods to this episode.
  • In 2022 film Shin Ultraman, the protagonist Shinji Kaminaga's birthday, July 17, 1986, matches this episode's original airdate.

Travel Sphere in ULTRAMAN

Superior 8 Ultra Brothers

Niruwanie joins the tree in Ryugamori

Z (above) and Ultraman (below) interacting with their respective hosts.

Shinji Kaminaga

• This episode was later featured in New Ultraman Retsuden episode 144 "First Ultraman Advent! Ultra Operation No.1."
• As one of many selected to celebrate the Ultraman Series' 60th anniversary, this episode was made available on the Ultraman YouTube channel from August 4, 2025 for two weeks, following August's theme of "The Story of Courage."

Error

• A blooper and other unused footage from this episode were discovered in 2013.
  • It shows Ultraman trying to lift and throw Bemular but accidentally uprooting a real tree from the set. He then loses balance and falls, requiring a retake. The detailed roots suggest actual trees were used instead of props. Notably, the Bemular suit was operated without a suit actor inside during this scene.