VTL Squad is a defense team that appeared in 2016 Ultraman Series, Ultraman Orb. Unlike other defense teams, they do not appear as frequently as others and the only member to appear consistently is Ittetsu Shibukawa.[1]
Overview[]
The VTL is an international military organization. Initially, the world depicted in the series did not experience frequent monster disasters, so the organization was not specifically designed for monster-related responses. It functioned more like a United Nations Force.[2]
However, with the resurgence of the Lord Monsters, subsequent legal revisions expanded its scope of activities and enhanced its equipment to address monster combat. One such enhancement was the adoption of new combat uniforms by the general troops. Despite this, the organization is perceived as being "full of secrets" to the public, suggesting that VTL is a rather closed organization that may possess many undisclosed secret pieces of information.
In the series, other personnel besides Ittetsu Shibukawa rarely appear and do not show significant activity, leaving many details about the organization unclear. The series also reflects the organization's decisions, such as retracting attack targets due to shifting public opinion, indicating that its stance is not always consistent.
History[]
Ultraman Orb[]
The VTL squad is an international special operations organization headquartered in Paris, France. Although it was not originally established to deal with monsters, with the frequent occurrence of monster disasters and the resurrection of the Lord Monsters, the organization underwent legal reform to expand its scope of activities and strengthen its equipment. However, it is often criticized for being slower to respond than Ultraman Orb.
In the series, except for Shibukawa, there are few related personnel who frequently appear. Although their main objective is to attack monsters, they also consider the impact of entities that pose a threat to society and the media. Therefore, they have adopted a strategy of designating Ultraman Orb as their attack target. However, as the media landscape changed, they quickly withdrew their policy of destroying Orb.The Holy Sword, Restored
Later in the series, after senior officials heard a warning from the captured Jugglus Juggler, VTL launched the Spiner R1 to attack Magatano-Orochi, which was sleeping underground, but it ended up absorbing its energy and reviving. Eventually, the ground and air forces assisted Ultraman Orb and Juggler in their fight.The Wandering Sun
Members[]
High-Ranking Staff[]
Ryutaro Suganuma
- Main article: Ryutaro Suganuma
Ryutaro Suganuma is the president of VTL Japan. He appeared only in episodes 24 and 25.
Nagamine
Nagamine is an officer of the ground forces in the VTL Japan branch, and a trusted confidant of Suganuma. He accepted Juggler's suggestion and proposed to Suganuma to use the Spiner R-1 in the fight against Maga-Orochi.
He is portrayed by Masayuki Ito .
Sakai
Sakai is an officer of the air force in the VTL Japan branch, and a trusted confidant of Suganuma. He had doubts about the still-developing Spiner R-1 and Juggler's suggestion, and opposed the proposal made by Nagamine.
He is portrayed by Takeshi Nakano .
- Main article: Ittetsu Shibukawa
Ittetsu Shibukawa is the captain of VTL's intelligence special forces team and also Naomi's uncle. He is an optimistic, responsible, reliable, and practical man. He frequently contacts SSP and often consults with them to provide information after strange incidents occur, making him an important source of information for SSP. In addition to his role as the team leader, he also has the strength of a tenth-degree judo master and a third-degree karate master.
Other Members[]
Tsuruta
Tsuruta is one of the members of the VTL Japan branch. He briefly appears during the investigation of the crashed spaceship and the strange coffee beans, and is responsible for evacuating Tokyo residents during the battle with Maga-Orochi. He only appears in episodes 22 and 24.
He is portrayed by Daisaku Nishino .
Abe
Abe is one of the communication officers of the VTL Japan branch. During the battle with Maga-Orochi, he is responsible for commanding from the base.
He is portrayed by Yosuke Minokawa .
Sakai
Taguchi is one of the communication officers of the VTL Japan branch. During the battle with Maga-Orochi, he is responsible for commanding from the base.
He is portrayed by Makoto Takahashi.
Arsenal[]
Equipment[]
- Super Gun Revolver : A handheld revolver that launches energy bullet ammunition. The gun is based on a revolver, while its barrel and namesake is a tribute to SSSP's Supergun from Ultraman.
- Communicators
- Howa Type 89: A standard assault rifle that was similarly used by the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
- Spiner R-1 : An intercontinental ballistic missile that was developed by the VTL's headquarter in Paris. Its impact range is estimated to be 10 km radius. This missile was launched towards the Tokyo Tower to stop Magatano-Orochi from awakening under Juggler's own advice but instead it played a pivotal part in the monster's own resurrection. The missile was also prophesied in Magatano-Orochi's awakening in the Pacific Records, symbolized as "an arrow like a bolt that strikes the ground".
Mecha[]
- Z-VTOL : A blue and silver fighter jet used by VTL members.
Gallery[]
Ultraman Orb[]
Trivia[]
- In an interview with Kiyotaka Taguchi (Orb's main director), he stated that his reason of omitting the research/investigation department from this defense team is due to his idea of viewing this team as "street officers" instead. He also wanted to give more appearance/focus on SSP.
- Although Shibukawa is the only named member to appear, there are several members during the series' course with known actors/voice actors:
- Communication officer (ep 4): Holly Kaneko
- Z-VTOL pilot (ep 4): You Murakami
- The Spiner R-1 is a tribute to the high-explosive Spiner from episode 28 of Ultraseven and the interstellar ballistic missile R-1 from episode 26 of the same series.
- The assault rifles equipped by the VTL are the same as the current Self-Defense Forces' Type 89 rifles. These are private items of Taguchi.[3]
- Before the new combat uniforms were provided, the old combat uniforms worn by the VTL were actually based on the G-Force uniforms from the Heisei Godzilla series.
References[]
| Defense Teams | |
|---|---|
| Showa Defense Teams | SSSP | TDF (UG, MAT, TAC, ZAT, MAC, UGM) | Science Guard Party |
| Heisei Defense Teams | UMA | WINR | HEART | Mydo | TPC (GUTS, Super GUTS, Black Buster Corps, Neo Super GUTS) | GUARD (XIG) | GOKAZOKU | SRC (EYES, Team SEA), JADF | BCST | TLT (NR) | UDF (DASH) | GUYS | DEUS | ZAP SPACY | Team U | UPG | UNVER (Xio) | VTL | AIB |
| Reiwa Defense Teams | EGIS | GAF (STORAGE) | TPU (GUTS-Select) | SSSP | GGF (SKaRD) | KDF | GDF (SKIP) |
| Other Defense Teams | Inter Galactic Defense Force | Space Patrol | MIGHTY JACK | SRI | SGM | Team Mouri | SAT | SAF | PAT | Koseidon Corps | MAT | SWORD | SSSP | USP | GIRLS |