In July of 1966 the Japanese tokusatsu (special effects) television series Ultra Q aired its final episode. Intrepid (and stylishly mod) reporter Yuriko would no longer track down stories of the strange and supernatural with her pilot friends Jun and Ippei. The series, from Tsuburaya Productions, had been created by Eiji Tsuburaya the man behind the special effects used in Gojira (Godzilla) and featured a number of strange aliens and other kaiju (giant monsters) In many ways a forerunner to the US series Kolchak and The X-Files (and arguably in the same spirit as Scooby Doo without the dog) the series had been relatively successful over its 28 episode run.
One week later a live special aired introducing Ultra Q’s replacement to the young audience. This new series would feature Shin Hayata and his companions in the Science Patrol defending Earth from aliens (and kaiju). Luckily, and unknown to the rest of the team, Hayata was able to transform into a giant-sized warrior. Sakurai Kiroko, who starred as Yuriko in Ultra Q, carefully explained in the special she is no longer Yuriko but now portrays Akiko Fuji, the lone female member of the Science Patrol. The next week, on July 17, 1966 the new series, called Ultraman, premiered. It was wildly popular in Japan and by the end of the year United Artists Television brought a translated version (featuring Speed Racer’s voice Peter Fernandez) to US syndication. Shin Ultraman, a big screen reimagining of the original series, was released in Japanese theaters in May of 2022 and will be released for US home video in July.
In the time between the end of Ultra Q and the premiere of Shin Ultraman, the series has remained incredibly popular. How popular? Shin Ultraman is actually the 37th film to be produced for the franchise. Back in 2013 the Guinness Book of World Records recognized the Ultra series as the television series with the most spin-off series. Nine additional live action Ultra series shows have been produced since then with the newest, Ultraman Blazar, premiering in Japan this July. Wikipedia lists 30 television series without counting the anime currently airing on Netflix in the US. There are also at least 35 specials and mini-series. The adventures of Ultraman are also featured in manga, Marvel comics and in video games!
The sheer amount of Ultra series content is a double edged sword. On the one hand, the show is obviously doing something right to enjoy this level of longevity and world wide popularity. However, it is more than a bit overwhelming for a potential new fan. Where does one even begin? With the first episode of Ultraman? Perhaps with Ultra Q? Where can you even find the Ultra series outside of Japan? If you are intrigued then read on!
At its core, Ultraman and its spin-offs are superhero shows. When the first Ultra being to came to Earth it crashed into Shin Hayata’s fighter while both were chasing an alien invader. The only way to save Hayata’s life was for the Ultra to fuse himself with the pilot. This not only saved Hayata but gave him the ability to transform, for a limited time, into Ultraman whenever Earth needed a giant red and silver alien to karate chop a laser shooting alien dinosaur into submission. Subsequent series tend to focus on other Ultra beings sent to protect Earth from alien invaders (who are either giant sized or attack with various kaiju).
This was all done, by the way, with “practical” special effects, meaning Ultraman is a guy in a suit, the kaiju of the week is another stunt man in a suit and they are surrounded by miniatures when they square off in a fistfight. It should be remembered at this point the show was created and produced by Eiji Tsuburaya, the genius behind the effects in Godzilla and Kurosawa’s Thorne of Blood! Subsequent shows have followed this formula for the most part… although not all Ultra series shows occur in the same timeline/dimension. For example, several recent shows are re-imaginings of earlier shows. These shows provide a convenient starting point for newer fans and also add some modern CGI to the tried and true Tsuburaya Productions practical effects (mainly in the form of transformations, energy weapon bolts and explosions).
Ultraman Z (2020) reimagined 2010’s Ultraman Zero. It tells a story that does not rely on viewers being familiar with earlier shows so it is a great lead-in to the greater Ultra Universe of content. It also has the advantage of legally streaming free with English subtitles on Tsuburaya Productions’ official YouTube page. This was followed by Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga, a 2021 series reimagining and celebrating the 25th anniversary of Ultraman Tiga. Like Ultraman Z, it is free with English subtitles on the Tsuburaya Productions’ YouTube page. Ultraman Decker (2022) followed and, you guessed it, is also available on the Tsuburaya YouTube page.
This is just a small amount of the content available for free on the Tsuburaya Productions YouTube page. The new series, Ultraman Blazar, will premiere soon and there are several mini-series (such as New Generation Heroes, The Absolute Conspiracy, The Destined Crossroads and the 1970s kung fu movie influenced Ultraman Regulos) also available with English subtitles. You will even find audio series and a few taped stage shows which were either special live web broadcast celebrations or from conventions and other events.
While Tsuburaya Productions free YouTube content provides plenty of material for any Ultra fan it is all from the last few years and frankly only scratches the surface of the Ultra series. There is a treasure trove of vintage content on the free (but ad supported) streaming service Tubi. A quick search revealed over twenty titles in the Ultra series available, starting with Ultra Q and Ultraman. In fact, most of the vintage Ultra series from the 1960s, 70s and 80s can be found on the service (as well as a few much more recent Ultra offerings). If you grew up with Ultraman or Ultraseven (or just insist on watching things in absolute chronological order) Tubi may be the best place for you to begin. This content seems to be in place due to an agreement with Shout Factory (who distribute the DVDs in the US) and can also be found on Shout’s streaming website. I honestly find Tubi works a little better (please note I do not have any relationship with Tubi or Shout Factory and there are no affiliate links in this piece).
Two entries in the Ultra series which may be familiar to some US viewers are almost impossible to find. Many of you may remember the series Ultraman: Towards the Future, an Australian/Japanese series which aired in the US on the Fox Kids block in the early 1990s during the Power Rangers boom. Or you might remember the animated Ultraman The Adventure Begins, which was a Tsuburaya and Hanna-Barbera coproduction released theatrically in 1987. Why did Tsuburaya turn to Hanna-Barbera when there were so many quality anime production companies in Japan (especially since they had already produced The Ultraman in 1979 with Nippon Sunrise, the studio behind Mobile Suit Gundam)? I really have no idea but I can tell you Ultraman: Towards the Future and Ultraman: The Adventure Begins are pretty much only to be found on 30+ year old VHS tapes (although The Ultraman is on Tubi). I honestly last saw Ultraman: Towards the Future about 17 years ago when I was working in Shanghai!
It is unclear if it is lack of demand, some type of international rights conflict or simply reluctance to deal with foreign film companies (due to a long running lawsuit with a Thai production company) which keep these two products from being released. Just to confuse things a little more, Towards the Future’s Ultraman Great recently appeared in The Absolute Conspiracy miniseries and the Ultra characters from Hanna-Barbera’s Ultraman: The Adventure Begins all appeared in the recent live action mini-series The Destined Crossroad!
Honestly, Ultraman and its spin offs are probably not for everyone. For one thing, you need to be okay with subtitles (or fairly fluent in Japanese) and this will turn away some science fiction and fantasy fans. You also probably need to be a fan of the superhero formula, because despite the science fiction trappings most Ultra shows are superhero shows (Ultra Q and its much more recent revival Neo Ultra Q being the notable exceptions). This includes, by the way, the superhero concept that most problems can be solved with a well delivered drop kick! In recent years the show has become very commercial, too, with some obvious toy tie ins (such as the devices used by characters to transform into Ultra-beings… and you will see the commercials for the Bandai toys built into the Tsuburaya Productions YouTube streams). That being said, if you are looking light science fiction action featuring practical special effects and models with lots of physical stunts, the Ultra series delivers in nice, 30 minute bite sized pieces. After all, this is a science fiction franchise older than Star Trek and with more content (and incarnations) than even Doctor Who. They must be doing something right!
science fiction and fantasy history, science fiction franchises, tokusatsu, ultraman