Ultraman Tiga (ウルトラマンティガ Urutoraman Tiga) is the 12th entry in the Ultraman Series, airing from September 7, 1996 to August 30, 1997. It was the first Ultraman Series broadcast in Japan since 1980's Ultraman 80. The series is notable for revolutionizing and revitalizing the franchise, not to mention the great effect it had on the tokusatsu genre as a whole outside of Tsuburaya.
Despite being preceded by Ultraman Great as the first Ultraman Series to be aired in Japan in the Heisei period, and by Ultraman Neos to be the first Japanese-made Ultraman Series in the Heisei period, it is Ultraman Tiga that is officially and unofficially recognized as Tsuburaya Productions' first proper Ultraman Series entry in the Heisei period.
Set in a universe different from all previous series, Ultraman Tiga introduced new and radical updates to the Ultraman character for a new generation of audiences; most notably staring the first Ultraman with multiple combat modes and non-red colors (purple and gold). It is also considered one of the most popular entries in the franchise.
Synopsis
Ultraman Tiga was the giant of light that protected the ancient human civilization 30 million years ago. After the human civilization perished, Tiga become a stone statue. In the present times, Tiga was resurrected by merging with pilot Daigo from GUTS defense team, who also possess Ultra DNA in his body. At the same time, the 21st century Earth is facing threats of invaders from space and other dimensions.
Can Daigo and GUTS protect humankind from those invaders and saving Earth from destruction?
Characters
GUTS
TPC
- Souichiro Sawai
- Masayuki Nahara
- Tetsuji Yoshioka
- Mayumi Shinjoh
- Naban Yao
- Reiko Kashimura
- Yuuji Tango
- Omi Yanase
- Shin Hayate
Others
- Keigo Masaki
- Yuzare
- Michiru Ezaki
- Makio Kirino
- Tomoki Miura
Ultras
Kaiju
- Golza
- Fire Golza
- Melba
- Gakuma
- Kyrieloid
- Kyrieloid II
- Ligatron
- Sealizar
- Gazort
- Clitters
- Gazort II
- Alien Reguran
- Gilanbo
- Different Dimension Witch
- Saki
- Makeena
- Gagi
- Gagi II
- Evolu
- Illusion Evolu
- Leilons
- Alien Raybeak
- Virtual Alien Raybeak II
- Alien Muzan
- Virtual Alien Muzan II
- Rucia and Zara
- Sukunaoni
- Alien Standel
- Abolbus
- Redle
- Gobnu
- Vaha
- Giga
- Ogma
- Enomena
- Deban
- Magnia
- Magnia Parasites
- Dinosauroid
- Naga
- Weaponizers
- Litomalus
- Silvergon
- Shadow
- Obikoboushi
- Jobarieh
- Maya Cruz
- Alien Natarn
- King Molerat
- Morat
- Bizaamo
- The Life Form of Planet Bizaamo
- Shiela
- Kyuranos
- Desimonia
- Small Desimonia
- Alien Desimo
- Guwam
- Goldras
- Alien Manon
- Dethmon
- Faldon
- Galra
- Bakugon
- Iludo
- Faivas
- Karen E-90
- Geozark
- Guardie
- Gijera
- Nook and Terra
- Metamorga
- Menjura
- Charija
- Yanakargie
- Zoiger
- Gatanothor
Adaptations
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids's opening title card.
Ultraman Tiga was the fourth Ultraman Series to be adapted for a U.S. release, following Ultraman, Ultraseven, and Ultraman: Towards the Future. It was licensed by 4Kids Entertainment and aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company's FoxBox Saturday morning programming block. The first episode premiered on September 14, 2002.
Unlike the Super Sentai Series' adaptation into Power Rangers, which combined the original shows' tokusatsu sequences with an entirely new cast, Ultraman Tiga was simply dubbed into English. Nonetheless, 4Kids made a number of significant changes. There was an entirely new theme song and the original soundtrack for the series was replaced. Episode storylines was altered and simplified to comply with Fox's Standards and Practices division and accommodate the differences between Japanese and American commercial breaks and broadcasting scheduling. Each episode was typically one or two minutes shorter than its Japanese counterpart.
There was also a lot more blatant and crude humor. The Japanese Ultraman Tiga had a few moments of subtle humor and charming moments. The Americanized version came with dialogue that poked fun of the original material as well as the dubbing in general, which changed the personalities for some of the characters (Notable in this aspect was the transformation of Captain Iruma from a smart, level-headed individual into a complete airhead.) Additionally, Captain Iruma was referred to as a "sir" instead of a "ma'am", perhaps in an attempt at being politically correct. This caused some problems within the addressing of a commanding officer whether that person was male or a female.
The monsters were enhanced with new sound effects, and the transformation sequence was altered altogether, in a scene showcasing all of Tiga's forms and emphasizing the change from Daigo to Tiga. Additionally, Ultraman Tiga's "Multi, Power, and Sky Types" are changed into "Omni, Power, and Speed Modes," respectively. The Sparklence was renamed the "Torch of Tiga", although the Region 1 DVD Release refers to it as the "Spark Lance" for the first DVD (soon afterwards, the translation becomes "Spark Lens"). His light techniques were called "Luminizers", and Ultraman Tiga's Color Timer is referred to as his "Biotic Sensor." Probably the most infamous (and partially racial) of the Tiga incidents was in episode 14, where the Japanese dialogue was used in the Americanized version of the series as an "Extraterrestrial Language."
Ultraman Tiga was removed from the FoxBox lineup on March 15, 2003, due to low ratings, with only 25 episodes of the 52-episode series having aired. 4Kids initially planned to relaunch the show in September, but decided to release the Japanese episodes on DVD instead.[1] As a result, their dub is only viewable through recordings of the original broadcasts.
According to voice actress, Erica Schroeder (whom played the voice of Rena of GUTS,) she said that part of the reason for Ultraman Tiga's limited success in the U.S. was due to 4Kids was having issues deciding on whether to satirize the show or to make it serious, which explains the poorly handled humor and dubbing as seen throughout the dub.
Uchūsen Magazine
Uchūsen (Spacecraft) Magazine began a serialization of an Ultraman Tiga manga in the Summer of 1997 written by Mamoru Uchiyama.
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics published a manga-style series based on Ultraman Tiga in 2003–2004.
Cast
- Daigo Madoka (マドカ・ダイゴ Madoka Daigo)/Nagano (長野): Hiroshi Nagano (V6) (長野 博（Ｖ６） Nagano Hiroshi (Bui Shikkusu))
- Rena Yanase (ヤナセ・レナ Yanase Rena): Takami Yoshimoto (吉本 多香美 Yoshimoto Takami)
- Megumi Iruma (イルマ・メグミ Iruma Megumi)/Yuzare (ユザレ): Mio Takaki (高樹 澪 Takaki Mio)
- Seiichi Munakata (ムナカタ・セイイチ Munakata Seiichi): Akitoshi Otaki (大滝 明利 Ōtaki Akitoshi)
- Masami Horii (ホリイ・マサミ Horii Masami): Yukio Masuda (増田 由紀夫 Masuda Yukio)
- Tetsuo Shinjoh (シンジョウ・テツオ Shinjō Tetsuo): Shigeki Kagemaru (影丸 茂樹 Kagemaru Shigeki)
- Jun Yazumi (ヤズミ・ジュン Yazumi Jyun): Yoichi Furuya (古屋 暢一 Furuya Yōichi)
- Souichiro Sawai (サワイ・ソウイチロウ Sawai Sōichirō): Tamio Kawachi (川地 民夫 Kawachi Tamio)
- Masayuki Nahara (ナハラ・マサユキ Nahara Masayuki): Take Uketa (タケ・ウケタ)
- Tetsuji Yoshioka (ヨシオカ・テツジ Yoshioka Tetsuji): Ken Okabe (岡部 健 Okabe Ken)
- Mayumi Shinjoh (シンジョウ・マユミ Shinjō Mayumi): Kei Ishibashi (石橋 けい Ishibashi Kei)
- Naban Yao (ヤオ・ナバン Yao Naban): Ichirō Ogura (小倉 一郎 Ogura Ichirō)
- Reiko Kashimura (カシムラ・レイコ Kashimura Reiko): Takako Kitagawa (北川 たか子 Kitagawa Takako)
- Yūji Tango (タンゴ・ユウジ Tango Yūji): Yoichi Okamura (岡村 洋一 Okamura Yoichi)
- Ultraman Tiga's Voice (ウルトラマンティガの声 Urutoraman Tiga no Koe): Yuji Machi (真地 勇志 Machi Yuji)
Guest Cast
- Omi Yanase (ヤナセ・オミ Yanase Omi): Shigeru Araki (荒木 しげる Araki Shigeru)
- Ryosuke Sanada (サナダ・リョウスケ Sanada Ryosuke): Ryoma Sasaki (柚原 旬 Sasaki Ryoma)
- Sayaka Ijuin (イジュウイン・サヤカ Ijuin Sayaka): Michiko Shimazaki (島崎路子 Shimazaki Michiko)
- Zara (ザラ): Shogo Shiotani (塩谷庄吾 Shiotani Shogo)
- Lucia (ルシア Rushia): Motoko Nagi (梛野素子 Nagi Motoko)
- Takuma (拓磨 Takuma): Takuma Aoki (青木 拓磨 Aoki Takuma)
- Obiko (オビコ): Shoichiro Akaboshi (赤星昇一郎 Akaboshi Shoichiro)
- Kyoto Inui (イヌイ・キヨ Inui Kyoto): Tom Saeba (冴場都夢 Saeba Tomu)
- Keiko Masaki (マサキ・ケイゴ Masaki Keigo): Takashi Koura (高良隆志 Koura Takashi)
- Shin Hayate (ハヤテ・シン Hayate Shin): Masaki Kyomoto (京本 政樹 Kyōmoto Masaki)
- Ultraman (ウルトラマン Urutoraman): Satoshi Furuya (voice)
Suit Actors
- Ultraman Tiga (Multi & Sky Type): Shunsuke Gondo (権藤 俊輔 Gondō Shunsuke)
- Ultraman Tiga (Multi & Power Type): Koji Nakamura (中村 浩二 Nakamura Koji)
- Kaiju:
- Daisuke Terai (寺井 大介 Terai Daisuke)
- Ryūki Kitaoka (北岡 久貴 Kitaoka Ryūki)
- Daisuke Kanemitsu (金光 大輔 Kanemitsu Daisuke)
- Koji Nakamura (中村 浩二 Nakamura Koji)
- Toshio Miyake (三宅 敏夫 Miyake Toshio)
- Motoko Nagino (梛野 素子 Nagino Motoko)
- Kōji Mimura (三村 幸司 Mimura Kōji)
English Dub
- Wayne Grayson as Daigo Madoka
- Megan Hollingshead as Megumi Iruma
- Jimmy Zoppi as Masami Horii
- Dave Ward as Ultraman Tiga
- Dan Green
- Mike Pollock
- Corinne Orr
- Kerry Butler
- Daniel DeSanto
- David Moo
- Jason Samuels
- Andrew Paull as Tetsuo Shinjoh
- Eric Stuart
- Shayne Dukevitch as Marnie Shinjoh
Music
- Opening Theme
- Take Me Higher
- Lyrics and Composition: Jennifer Batten, Alberto Emilio Contini, Giancarlo Pasquini
- Japanese Lyrics: Kazumi Suzuki (鈴木 計美 Suzuki Kazumi)
- Arrangement: Yasuhiko Hoshino (星野 靖彦 Hoshino Yasuhiko)
- String Arrangement: Mitsuo Hagida (萩田 光雄 Hagida Mitsuo)
- Choral Arrangement: Hiroaki Suzuki (鈴木 弘明 Suzuki Hiroaki)
- Artist: V6
- Awaken, Ultraman Tiga (目覚めよウルトラマンティガ Mezame yo Urutoraman Tiga)
- Lyrics and Composition: Aritaka Hara
- Composition/Arrangement: Fumio Hara
- Artist: Voyager
- Alternative theme song for international broadcasts. First released on Voyager's ULTRA GALAXY album in 2014.
- Larger Than Life
- The theme song for the 4Kids English dub.
- Ending Theme
- Brave Love, Tiga
- Producer: Gorō Kishitani (岸谷 五朗 Kishitani Gorō)
- Lyrics: Sunplaza Nakano
- Composition: Barbe-Q Wasada (バーベQ和佐田 Bābe Kyū Wasada)
- Arrangement: Yasuhiko Fukuda (福田裕彦 Fukuda Yasuhiko)
- Artist: Earth Protection Force (地球防衛団 Chikyū Bōei-dan)
- Leader: Gorō Kishitani
- Members: Takashi Utsunomiya (宇都宮 隆 Utsunomiya Takashi), Toshiaki Karasawa, Naoto Kine (木根 尚登 Kine Naoto), Sunplaza Nakano, Yasafumi Terawaki (寺脇 康文 Terawaki Yasufumi), Masahiko Nishimura, Barbe-Q Wasada, Papala Kawai (パッパラー河合 Papparā Kawai), Patrick Bommarito (パトリック・ボンマリート Patorikku Bonmarīto), Funky Sueyoshi (ファンキー末吉 Fankī Sueyoshi), Yasuhiko Fukuda (福田 裕彦 Fukuda Yasuhiko), Honjamaka (ホンジャマカ Honjamaka), Hidehiko Ishizuka (石塚 英彦 Ishizuka Hidehiko), Toshiaki Megumi (恵 俊彰 Megumi Toshiaki)
Ultraman Tiga has a special opening theme and ending theme exclusive to Chinese TV version named "奇迹再现" (The Miracle Reappear) and "永远的奥特曼" (Ultraman Forever).
Home Media
Ultraman Tiga is released in VHS in 1997, and DVD from 1999 till 2007. In January 25, 2008, the entire series has been condensed down into a 1-hour special, released under the "Climax Stories" DVD series.
In 2014, the entire series has been remastered and released as part of the "Complete Blu-ray BOX". The Remastered episodes are actually done with upscaling and noise-reduction.
Mill Creek Entertainment is due to release the entire series, except for The Final Odyssey due to music rights issues, in October 2021 on DVD in North America.
Trivia
- This is the first entry of the Ultraman Series to use Chroma key special effects instead of doll props for aerial combat scenes.
- While the series is available for streaming at TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION on September 7, 2021, the entire series has yet to be available in some streaming services such as Amazon Video.
References
