"W-We... We'll go..."
- ―Ultraman Blazar to Gento Hiruma, "The Ones Who Embrace the Earth"
Ultraman Blazar is the titular hero of the series Ultraman Blazar.[4][5] He was first known as a mysterious being sighted by Earth's astronauts, becoming an urban legend among them, before he bonded with Gento Hiruma, who later became captain of the newly formed SKaRD.
Conception
Etymology
Ultraman Blazar is named after blazars, a type of extremely luminous active galactic nucleus, with his home galaxy of M421 being an example of this object.
Design
Kiyotaka Taguchi, the main director for Ultraman Blazar, was thoroughly involved in the design process with lead designer Masayuki Gotoh.
Notably, Taguchi had envisioned Blazar's home world, M421, to be that of a hunter-gatherer society who fought kaiju bigger than themselves, and even fashioned monster carcasses into armor and/or tools.[6] This concept is expressed through the "wildness" of Blazar's design.[7] Other specific elements of Blazar's design and mannerisms are also influenced by this setting:
- The crystals on Blazar's face are crystallized remnants of energy released from when his face was cut[7], similar to a scab.
- The red and blue patterns on the left side of Blazar's body were inspired by tribal markings representing strength.[7] In the show, these markings are gained during Blazar's rise scene.
History
Ultraman Blazar
Past
The entity that had been codenamed "Ultraman" had been sighted by astronauts for decades prior to the series.
Blazar and Gento's first encounter
On September 9, 2020, three years before the present day, the wormhole generator that was left behind by the aliens that visited the Earth in the year 1999 was activated at a laboratory in Gifu Prefecture in an attempt to reestablish contact with them. However, something went wrong, and the building had to be evacuated. When the GGF captain Gento Hiruma went back in to rescue more people, he came across a wormhole and dived in without hesitation, leading to his first meeting and bonding with the giant of light from Blazar M421. The entity then went dormant within him, and the event at the lab was covered up as an explosion. Let's Go, Blazar!
Return to Earth
Blazar's first appearance on Earth
The Ultraman then appeared on the Earth during Bazanga's invasion, designated as the First Wave, revealing himself to his host and the world at large. First Wave The Giant of Light received his name, Ultraman Blazar, when Gento came up with it during a meeting with Retsu Haruno after remembering an experience in which he saw the giant of light within a blazar. While the GGF decided to take up the name, Haruno was skeptical about Blazar's appearance and tasked Gento and his new team, SKaRD, with not only observing and analysing Blazar, but also using Earth Garon to defeat a Kaiju before Blazar could. The Man who Created SKaRD
Blazar fought against many monsters alongside the SKaRD and the GGF, facing off against Gedos, Taganular, Dorgo, Nijikagachi and more. The Man who Created SKaRD The Name is Earth Garon Thus Fought Emi The Mountain Roars The Invading Aurora Rainbow Appears: Part 1 Rainbow Appears: Part 2
Rift with Gento
Blazar loses control over himself
After observing how humans acted during his time on the Earth, Blazar started to intrude into Gento's life by taking over his body for brief periods, which caused him to occasionally act strangely in front of his family and team. Planet of Music These events led to a rift being formed between the Ultra and his host which affected their performance in combat as the two consciousnesses began to argue, leading Blazar to punch and fight against himself when facing off against Demaaga. Thankfully, the pair were able to cooperate for long enough to destroy the GGF missiles targeting the monster and its child, before putting them to sleep underground. Parent and Child
Blazar's holding his newly-obtained Tilsonite Sword
Their problems once again resurfaced during the battle against Gebalga, as their miscoordination cost them the battle after Blazar forced himself to retreat. Escape Because of this, as well as the GGF's distrust of Blazar and the SKaRD's poor performance, Gento decided to lock away the Blazar Stone in his locker before going to do battle with Gebalga a second time. Unfortunately, Earth Garon was unable to defeat the monster by itself. Responding to Gento's determination, Blazar showed him his memories of their encounters up till now, which made Gento realise that they want the same thing - which was to save lives, thus mending their relationship. The Blazar Stone burst forth from Gento's locker and flew to his hand, allowing them to transform and fight together once again. Blazar reached for the Tilsonite Spear inside Gebalga, which was used to interfere with its electromagnetic attacks, and then transformed it into the Tilsonite Sword, allowing him to defeat Gebalga. Let's Go, Blazar!
Reunion with Firdran
Blazar reunites with Firdran
Unknown at the time, Gebalga managed to reproduce when it infected the satellite dishes it attacked, leaving larvae underground which soon grew into multiple Irugo, who were dealt with by Blazar and Earth Garon. The Towering Terror More Irugo showed up until the root cause was found: a massive Gebalga designated Brood Gebalga emerged and attacked, consuming Blazar into its body after his Tilsonite Sword shattered. Fortunately, Emi Aobe managed to gather enough clues and intel to lead her back to the same wormhole generator used in the incident that took her father and reactivated it with help from his spirit. The open wormhole released Firdran, who flew to Blazar and set him free before combining with him to form the Firdran Armor while upgrading his second Tilsonite Sword, made from another Tilsonite Spear, into the Tilsofird Lancer which the Ultra then used to dispose of Brood Gebalga and all the other Irugo. Light and Flame The Second Wave finally ends.
The Third and Fourth Waves
Enduring many battles, Gento and Blazar's physical conditions began to deteriorate, which severely affected their performance in battle. At roughly the same time, multiple Taganular and Deltandal appeared worldwide, with the GGF systematically destroying them all. While one large Taganular appeared in Japan to target another supply of Teaterium, another one appeared in the United States, which overwhelms both nations' branches as thy both require Earth Garon to fight back the threat. Seeing no other choice, Gento transforms into Blazar to rush over to America to help, despite his worsening condition. They fight the Taganulars until the SKaRD learns that the monsters are going after the Teaterium to shoot down the incoming Varallon to defend the Earth from the invasion of the space monsters, just as the previous one did to deter Gebalga's attack. With this new information, Blazar and Earth Garon instead shoot down the GGF's thermobaric missiles targeting the Taganulars to allow them to fire at Varallon, whose barrier reflects back their beams and destroys them both. Visitor 99
Blazar defeated by Varallon on the Moon
With Varallon continuing to be active on the Moon, placing its bobs down, the GGF decided to send the SKaRD to deal with the monster before it can arrive on Earth. Earth Garon was defeated and Gento has no choice but to transform again, but ended up getting overwhelmed by the monster's strength and his weakening physique. When Varallon's bombs went off to push the Moon on course towards the Earth, Blazar exerted all of his strength to push the Moon back into orbit. Varallon took the chance to absorb Blazar's energy while he was busy, which caused it to evolve into its second form before assaulting Blazar once again. Blazar decided to separate from Gento to protect him, which put him back in the Earth Garon while Varallon detonated its upgraded bomb on the Moon, catching Blazar within the blast radius. While Blazar's body floated lifelessly in space, Varallon was enroute to the Earth via a chunk of the Moon it was riding on. The Approaching Third Wave
Once all of the SKaRD regained consciousness, they decided to bring Blazar's body back to the Earth with them using Earth Garon, but accidentally dropped it while they were on their way back to base due to air turbulence. Blazar later woke up when Gento visited his body and convinced the man to go into battle with him one more time for the sake of the Earth, which Gento agreed to after passing control of the SKaRD to Vice-Captain Teruaki Nagura. Blazar confronted Varallon and was later joined by Earth Garon, though the two struggle against the monster.
Blazar unleashes the Blazar Beam to destroy Varallon
Meanwhile, Retsu Haruno rescued Emi Aobe and managed to retrieve the notes that her father left behind and were stolen by Yu Dobashi. They confronted him within the GGF's control room and convinced the other members to stop firing at the thirteen V99 ships that were approaching the Earth, broadcasting their intent not to use aggression. Blazar and the SKaRD picked up on this as well and attempted to demonstrate their wish to stop fighting by disarming themselves and enduring Varallon's attacks, convincing the aliens to leave after a while. With nothing holding them back anymore, Blazar and Earth Garon go on the offensive to destroy Varallon. After a long and fierce fight, Gento's wife and son - Satoko Hiruma and Jun Hiruma - cheered for Blazar which caused Gento's wedding ring and his son's handmade bracelet to resonate with him and grant Blazar a new power. Unleashing the Blazar Beam, Ultraman Blazar destroyed Varallon, thus ending the conflict between Earth and the aliens. The Ones Who Embrace the Earth
Personality
Blazar appears to be somewhat primitive in his demeanor, yelling and barking at his enemies to intimidate them, and exhibiting a wild fighting style. Blazar also tends to jump in excitement whether a new phenomenon that benefits him or his allies occurs. Despite this, he demonstrates that he has some sort of discipline; before he begins any fight, or sometimes afterwards as shown with Dorgo, he first seems to perform a meditative stance similar to a prayer ritual to possibly prepare his mind and/or pay respects to his opponent.
While Blazar does not seem capable of communicating in the human tongue on his own, he appears to resonate with Gento's humanity, sense of justice, and the desire to protect others. Moreover, he appears to have an inquisitive mind, and is particularly curious about human culture, as shown when he manifests himself through Gento for events or things that interest him. In fact, it is through learning about the familial bond between parent and child that Blazar first comes into conflict with his human host, who believes in the necessity to kill for the greater good, during the battle with Demaaga.
Blazar seemingly has an extremely strong sense of self-preservation, and the ability to determine when it is too dangerous to continue fighting. This was first shown when he forcefully detransformed to avoid Nijikagachi's Rainbow Beam. Against Gebalga, Blazar not only took control from Gento to flee from battle, but had just earlier influenced his host to order Anri and Earth Garon to attempt an escape from the space kaiju as well. Later, it was revealed that the time spent with and learning from Gento had a profound effect on Blazar's character growth, that all the times the Ultra interfered in battle were simply because he wished to protect Gento, just like how he had always protected others, especially after seeing how Gento's determination to save lives led to him subconsciously taking unnecessary risks at the expense of his own safety. This made Gento realize the growing recklessness of his actions and reminded him of who he was at heart, causing the two to come to a deeper, mutual understanding.
During conflicts with Gento, Blazar's influence manifests on the left side of his body, as demonstrated by him using his left arm to stop his right - influenced by Gento - from throwing his Spiral Burrade at Gebalga, after he saw that such an attack was ineffective earlier in the battle.
In the final battle against Varallon, Blazar was willing to sacrifice his own life and leave his own body drifting in space to save Gento. However, after the SKaRD made sure to get Blazar back to Earth as their friend, he understands Gento's continued desire to fight alongside him, even establishing their bond by speaking his first human words: "We'll go," adapted from Gento's own catchphrase.
Profile
Stats
- Height: 47 m[4][5]
- Weight: 42,000 t
- Age: Unknown
- Home World: M421 blazar
- Time Limit: None[8]
- Weakness: When overcome with strong conflicting emotions, Gento/Blazar fight for control over the Ultra's body, leaving them unstable.
Body Features
- Color Timer: Blazar has a large, circular organ on his chest analogous to most Ultras' Color Timers. However, his timer lacks a time limit, and instead serves as a measure of his energy levels, as well as how well he is doing.[8]
- Crystal Scar: The crystal extending from Blazar's left eye is said to be a scar/scab formed from crystallized energy “blood”. It lights up and becomes engulfed in blue flames during heated moments.
- Markings: The red and blue stripes on the left side of Blazar's body appear during his transformation, suggesting they may not be entirely natural. The red and blue stripes appear to glow in correspondence to Blazar and Gento's wills, respectively.
Transformation
Gento Hiruma places the Blazar Stone into the Blazar Brace and then presses on the other end of the device to transform. As Blazar rises, glowing lines of red and blue surround him before enveloping him, after which the red and blue lines on his body appear.
Forms
Ultraman Blazar
- Stats
- Maximum Flight Speed: Mach 20
- Abilities
- Strength: Blazar is naturally strong enough to dismember body parts from kaiju with his bare hands, as well as push grounded kaiju around and even fly with a kaiju in his arms. His greatest feat of strength was pushing the Moon back into orbit after Varallon set off its bombs.
- Flexibility: Blazar demonstrates superhuman, almost elastic flexibility, even compared to other Ultras. He is able to bend over completely backwards, or twist his body more than 360 degrees at the waist, to wind up and throw his Spiral Burrade harder.
- Host Translation: Blazar is able to speak in the human tongue by temporarily taking control of Gento while in his body.
- Vision: Blazar can dim the lights in his eyes to protect himself from blinding flashes. He can also view objects from far away, beyond human limits
- Host Separation: If necessary, Blazar can forcibly separate from his host.
- Weapons
- Garadama Thunder Blade Tilsonite Sword [9][10]: A sword made out of Tilsonite, accessed by Gento inserting the Garamon Stone into the Blazar Brace. Blazar obtained this weapon from the transmutation of a Tilsonite rod employed by SKaRD after it had been impaled into Gebalga's body, granting the sword electric abilities. However, the first Tilsonite Sword was destroyed during the battle against Brood Gebalga, until Blazar received a second Tilsonite rod from Earth Garon and quickly transformed it back into the Tilsonite Sword.
- Tilsonite Properties: Tilsonite's aluminum silicate properties means that the sword can withstand high temperatures and electrical discharges, and its hardness is testament to its strength, as demonstrated by Blazar effortlessly slicing through Gebalga's lightning bolts.
- Electrical Empowerment: As the blade is imbued with Gebalga's electrical power, every slice of the blade discharges with electrical energy.
- Spiritual Empowerment: The blade was able to physically interact with the spiritual after it was imbued with Zangill's supernatural powers.
- Mineuchi: Derived from Gento's viewing of historical dramas, Blazar flips the Tilsonite Sword mid-slash to hit the opponent with the blunt side of the weapon, non-lethally knocking them into temporary suspended animation. With Zangill's spiritual power, this technique is able to expel a vengeful spirit from another being's body.
- Inazuma Slash [11]:
- Pulling on the Sword Lever once, Blazar swings the sword and releases several energy arrows, capable of piercing and shattering barriers.
- Pulling on the Sword Lever twice, Blazar slashes the opponent horizontally, vertically, before impaling them, the electrified blade extending and driving them away before destroying them.
- Raidenz Finish [11]:
- Pulling on the Sword Lever thrice/four times, Blazar unleashes a powerful lightning beam from the blade.
- Pulling on the Sword Lever thrice, Blazar charges the sword and has it rise into the sky, where it ionizes the air via vacuum discharge, producing plasma and purifying the air in the area below.
- Overload Raimeizan [11]:
- Pulling on the Sword Lever five times, Blazar flies up in a thunderbolt pattern, forming a storm cloud around himself, before dropping from the sky with a single giant electrified slash.
- Alternatively, he can fly directly at an airborne opponent, momentarily surrounding them and himself in a storm cloud as he cuts through them in mid-air.
- Pulling on the Sword Lever five times, Blazar twirls in a circle with the electrified sword in hand, slashing and then combusting two opponents approaching him from opposite sides.
- Pulling on the Sword Lever five times, Blazar flies up in a thunderbolt pattern, forming a storm cloud around himself, before dropping from the sky with a single giant electrified slash.
- Techniques
-
- Special
- Spiral Burrade : From what seems to be a miniature black hole formed in his hand, Blazar pulls out a giant energy spear in the shape of a double-helix. The spear can also be manually extended or contracted in length. In its most simple form, he simply throws the spear at the enemy, faster than sound, to impale and then destroy them. However, it has multiple applications:
- Lure Burrade Fishing Pole [12][13]: Casting the Spiral Burrade forward, a string of energy emerges from its tip which can snag an underwater monster from a great distance, allowing Blazar to "reel" them in before changing back to the spear to finish them.
- Fork Burrade [13]: After impaling the opponent, the Spiral Burrade explodes into multiple smaller energy spikes that stab across the opponent's body.
- Double Burrade [13]: Blazar breaks the Spiral Burrade into two smaller pieces and throws them at the opponent, targeting two different parts of their body.
- Tornado Burrade [14]: Blazar twists his body and releases the tension to throw the Spiral Burrade with great force. The Spiral Burrade changes in mid-air to a vertical crescent shape, slicing the target in half rather than impaling it.
- Spiral Burrade Embrace [15]: Using the same spiraling energy as the Spiral Burrade, Blazar creates a cocoon that encases one or more targets before lowering them into the ground.
- Crane Burrade [15]: Stabbing the Spiral Burrade into the ground, it serves as a lever to control a construct resembling a hydraulic grapple or arcade crane, which materializes above Blazar's target to grab and lift them.
- Suppressive Sprite : Energy bullets fired from Blazar's hands. They can also be released at point blank to slash body parts off a monster.
- Howling Break [15]: Blazar can release a powerful burst of sound after "opening" his mouth, capable of shattering projectiles like missiles that hit the sound waves.
- Rainbow Slash : A giant buzzsaw-like disc formed from seven smaller energy blades, each a different color of the rainbow. Blazar obtained this technique from gathering Nijikagachi's rainbow power, and is thus accessed by Gento inserting the Nijikagachi Stone into the Blazar Brace. It can easily slice giant monsters in half, and like the Spiral Burrade, has multiple variants:
- Double Rainbow Slash [12]: A pair of smaller buzzsaws constructed from rainbow energy. Held in Blazar's hands, they rotate faster and faster, eventually being able to break through a robot monster's armor that had previously shattered the Spiral Burrade. In the manga, Blazar manipulated the light rings like a yo-yo.
- Rainbow Blizzard [12]: The Rainbow Slash, held in front of Blazar and spun, emits intense, icy winds that freeze the target. Alternatively, it is used defensively to supercool objects that pass through it. When used, all seven blades shine blue.
- Blazar Beam [16][17]: After receiving energy from Gento's bracelet and wedding ring and the feelings of Satoko and Jun, Blazar fires a "+"-style Ultra Beam from his vertical left hand, powerful enough to annihilate Varallon.
- Other
- Barrier: Blazar can summon a swirling barrier from his left arm, which can block oncoming attacks before being tossed away.
- Blazar Stone Creation: Blazar can create new Blazar Stones from other Kaiju powers.
Firdran Armor is Blazar's power-up, accessed by Gento inserting the Firdran Stone in the Blazar Brace.[18] This power is gained from Blazar's companion kaiju Firdran, who merges with Blazar, as an Armor of Flames [19] covering his chest and right arm, and his Tilsonite Sword, forming the Tilsofird Lancer. This form debuts in episode 19.
- Weapons
- Tilsofird Lancer : A double-sided spear weapon formed from the combination of Firdran and the Tilsonite Sword.
- Thawing Flame: The flames from the Firdran end of the weapon can be used to melt ice to thaw out a frozen ally.
- Energy Muleta: A bullfighting muleta of flame and lightning manifests from across the length of the lancer.
- Tilsofird Fire Dragon Wave [18][15]: Pulling on the Sword Lever twice, Blazar plunges the Tilsofird Lancer into the ground and unleashes streams of flame and lightning that spread out from the epicenter.
- Tilsofird Fire Dragon Shot [18][15]: Pulling on the Sword Lever three or four times, flames and lightning coat the Tilsofird Lancer and create a bowstring of energy, which Blazar draws back on and sets free an arrow of light.
- Tilsofird Flame Lightning Slash [18][15]: Pulling on the Sword Lever five times, flames and lightning coat and extend both ends of the Tilsofird Lancer, which Blazar then unleashes to cut through even gigantic opponents, flames and lightning striking them even after the initial slash.
- Techniques
-
- Special
- Tilsofird Fire Dragon Burrade [20]: Blazar creates cone-shaped missiles from Firdran's flaming energy, which he can control remotely to fly after himself in a trail or be launched at targets.
- Other
- Energy Net: In the Ultraman Blazar: Decisive Battle! King Kaiju Army manga, Blazar deploys an energy net over a volcano to prevent it from erupting after King Joe's defeat.
Trivia
- Blazar is:
- The first Ultra to apparently not be able to speak in human language. However, as mentioned above, he managed to speak his first human words in the final episode.
- The first main protagonist Ultra to usually lack a traditional Ultra Beam, a title previously held by Ultraman Great until New Century Ultraman Legend, or canonically, Ultraman Regulos: First Mission. Blazar using an Ultra Beam for the first time is instead presented as his power-up in the final episode of his series, as is a New Generation Heroes tradition.
- The first Ultra to create an audible sonic boom when he flies off after a battle. His Spiral Burrade is also said to create a sonic boom when thrown.
- The first Ultra whose appearance changes during his rise scene, having his red and blue stripes formed on his body as he rises.
- The fourth Ultra to raise his left hand during his rise rather than his right, after Ultraman Blu, Ultraman Ruebe and Ultraman Fuma, and the first with this distinction to not be from Planet O-50.
- The second Ultra whose voice actor is also his suit actor, after Zoffy in Ultraman Neos.
- The third Ultra to have a visible scar after Father of Ultra and Kaiser Belial.
- The fourth Ultra to be shown opening his mouth, after Ultraman Zearth, Ultraman Belial, and Trigger Dark.
- Kiyotaka Taguchi, the main director of Ultraman Blazar, sees Blazar's Spiral Burrade, which breaks away from the traditional Ultra Beam, as a tribute to Ultraman Gaia's Photon Edge.[21]
- The idea of a javelin-like weapon in the Spiral Burrade instead of the traditional beam finisher was conceived by Kiyotaka Taguchi when he was playing around with fluorescent light sticks and a lightsaber from Star Wars.[22]
- The fighting style of Blazar heavily resembles Muay Thai due to the heavy usage of elbows when up close and flying knees to close distance and to knock the kaiju down. This may also be the reason why Blazar takes a meditative pose at the start of his battles, as it may be a reference to the Wai khru ram muay, a ritualistic dance performed at the beginning of matches.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://tsuburaya-prod.com/news/6183
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://m-78.jp/news/post-6778
- ↑ https://twitter.com/aws49t8evynpx7u/status/1649231105734873088
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://tsuburaya-prod.com/news/6028
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://m-78.jp/news/post-6706
- ↑ Uchūsen vol.181
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 https://v-storage.bnarts.jp/talk/210488/
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 https://twitter.com/anon54980/status/1687008942847856640?s=20
- ↑ https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1693369300
- ↑ https://toy.bandai.co.jp/series/ultraman/item/detail/13492/
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Televi-kun October Issue
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Televi-kun September Issue
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 https://twitter.com/ultraman_series/status/1715880737608741216
- ↑ https://twitter.com/ultraman_series/status/1720954112337178751
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 Pag's Ultra Lecture
- ↑ https://cocreco.kodansha.co.jp/telemaga/news/feature/blazar/frEep
- ↑ https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1705660975
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 https://toy.bandai.co.jp/series/ultraman/item/detail/13610/
- ↑ Figure King vol.313
- ↑ Blazar Brace MEMORIAL EDITION Manual p.12
- ↑ https://imagination.m-78.jp/contents/d2ViL1lvbWlfMDEzMDA%3D
- ↑ ULTRAMAN BLAZAR Production Announcement Special Interview