The Ultraman: A new perspective on the appeal of this classic hero

"The Ultraman" - A new challenge for the animated Ultraman

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

Special Effects

■ Broadcast period

April 4, 1979 - March 26, 1980
1 year

■Broadcasting station

TBS Television, Inc.

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 50

■ Director

Nagayuki Toriumi (No. 1-13), Takeyuki Kanda (No. 14-50)

■ Production

・Production: Nippon Sunrise Inc. (now Sunrise)

■Works

©Tsuburaya Productions

■ Story

Suddenly, strange lights began to flash on Earth, and indecipherable letters began to float in the sky. The Earth Defense Force began investigating this phenomenon, and quickly organized an elite unit, the Science Guard. However, this strange phenomenon was a message from Ultraman Joneus, informing him that a serious disaster was imminent on Earth. Joneus, who had seen through the bravery and indomitable fighting spirit of Hikari Choichiro, a member of the Earth Defense Force, informed him of the crisis facing the Earth, and asked him to lend his body to help Joneus carry out his activities on Earth. Soon, a monster appeared on the ground. Following the guidance of Joneus' voice, Hikari transformed and began fighting the monster!

■Explanation

The boom in retrospectives of special effects heroes that occurred at the end of the 1970s brought Ultraman, which had not been broadcast for a long time, back into the spotlight. However, compared to when the original Ultraman was produced, the budgets for program production and prices had changed drastically, making it difficult to produce special effects hero programs. Meanwhile, the anime boom, which began with the movie version of Space Battleship Yamato, which was a huge hit at the time, gave an unexpected boost to the creation of the work. They decided to make Ultraman through animation. This work started as Tsuburaya Productions' first ambitious attempt to depict the actions of monsters and heroes, which are inevitably limited in live-action special effects, with the freedom that only animation can offer. The construction of a large-scale taiga drama-like story that incorporated the influences of the anime boom and the science fiction boom was also a success, and it played a brilliant role in expanding the world of Ultraman as intended.

■Cast

・Hikari Choichiro/Kei Toyama ・Ultraman Joneus/Masayuki Ibu (now Masato Ibu)

■ Main staff

Director: Nagayuki Toriumi (No. 1-13), Takeyuki Kanda (No. 14-50)
・Artwork supervision, character design: Tsuneo Ninomiya

■ Main Characters

・Hikari Choichiro Age: 20. He was a member of the Earth Defense Force's space development team, but was selected as an elite member of the Science Guard, a defense team specially organized to deal with abnormal events on Earth. He is a good man with calm judgment and outstanding drive, but he is never arrogant and always takes his duties seriously. He is trusted by his teammates, but he is sometimes criticized for not being on the scene at the crucial time of a monster incident. This is because he lends his body to Ultraman Joneus, who flew from U40, and works with him. When an emergency occurs, such as when a monster appears, Hikari raises his transformation item, the Beam Flasher, and transforms into Ultraman Joneus to fight.
・Ultraman Joneus An Ultraman warrior who came from the peaceful nebula U40 far from Earth to warn of the strange happenings on Earth and fight against the monsters that are attacking it. He has earned immense respect as the "Strongest Hero of U40" due to his many outstanding achievements. He has a passionate spirit of justice that allows him to bravely challenge any monster or alien, and he is also a compassionate superhuman who always wishes for peace for people. His special move is the Planium Ray that he fires from his right arm. His activity time on Earth is limited to four minutes.

■Subtitle

・Episode 1: The birth of a new hero!!
・Episode 2: The secret of the glowing pendant ・Episode 3: When the grass flute flows in the sunset...
・Episode 4: Follow the mysterious red cloud!!
・Episode 5: The Passenger breaks through the underground!!
・Episode 6: Challenge to the Burning Deep Sea ・Episode 7: Attack Order: The Target is Pig!!
Episode 8: Hikari's secret has been stolen!?
Episode 9: The terror of the awakened ancient creature!!
Episode 10: I saw it! The phantom monster...
・Episode 11: Challenge to the Science Guard!!
・Episode 12: A mysterious conversation between the monster and Pig ・Episode 13: The sad legend of the revived lake ・Episode 14: The Devil's Star Has Arrived!!
・Episode 15 / You are Ultraman ・Episode 16 / The Living Phantom Bird ・Episode 17 / Betamy has Disappeared!!
・Episode 18: The Mysterious Monster Island・Episode 19: This is the Ultra Planet!! Part 1・Episode 20: This is the Ultra Planet!! Part 2・Episode 21: This is the Ultra Planet!! Part 3・Episode 22: The Mysterious Space in the South Seas・Episode 23: Supersonic Showdown・Episode 24: The Two Mutsumi Officers・Episode 25: The Devil's Garden・Episode 26: Earth's Greatest Crisis!!
Episode 27: Monster Island emerges!!
・Episode 28/The new Cap has arrived!!
Episode 29: The Devil's UFO Invasion Episode 30: The Giant Fossil that Moves Episode 31: Ultrawoman Warrior Episode 32: The Thing from Space
・Episode 33: GO!! Fantastic Voyage ・Episode 34: The Stolen Monster Containment Planet (Part 1)
Episode 35: The Stolen Monster Containment Planet (Part 2)
・Episode 36: The Snow Woman from Space ・Episode 37: Crisis on Planet Ultra U40!! The Mystery of Ultria?
・Episode 38: The Great Ultra War!! The Massive Battleship Ultria Departs・Episode 39: The Massive Battleship Ultria is Targeted・Episode 40: The Boy with the Monster・Episode 41: Clash!! Ultraman vs. Ultraman・Episode 42: Operation to Capture Ultraman Alive・Episode 43: Monkey Becomes a Monster!?
Episode 44: Ultria splits into two!?
・Episode 45 / Pig with a Bomb・Episode 46 / Revive Mutsumi・Episode 47 / To Planet Ultra!! Part 1: Information on the Female Warrior・Episode 48 / To Planet Ultra!! Part 2: Destroying the Frontline Base・Episode 49 / To Planet Ultra!! Part 3: The Fierce Battle of the U (Ultra) Fleet・Episode 50 / To Planet Ultra!! Final Chapter: Victory for Peace

■ Related works

Ultraman

The appeal and evaluation of "The Ultraman"

"The Ultraman" is an anime series that aired on TBS Television from 1979 to 1980, and was Tsuburaya Productions' first animated Ultraman work. This work represented a new challenge in transitioning from special effects to animation, and was an important step in further expanding the world of Ultraman.

The story of this work is about a mysterious phenomenon occurring on Earth, which triggers Hikari Choichiro, an elite member of the Earth Defense Force, to transform into Ultraman Joneus and fight monsters and aliens. Hikari Choichiro is a good man with a calm judgment and high level of initiative, and he strives to protect peace on Earth by working together with Joneus. Joneus is an Ultra Warrior from U40, and is respected by many people for his high skills and sense of justice.

By adopting the new format of animation, it became possible to freely depict the actions of monsters and heroes that could not be fully expressed through special effects. This allowed viewers to enjoy more dynamic and large-scale battle scenes. Another attraction was the historical drama-like story development that incorporated influences from the anime and science fiction booms, which drew viewers in.

The series was directed by Toriumi Nagayuki and Kanda Takeyuki. Toriumi Nagayuki was in charge of episodes 1 to 13, and Kanda Takeyuki was in charge of episodes 14 to 50, and each director's individuality was reflected in the work. Animation supervision and character design were handled by Ninomiya Tsuneo, whose unique touch adds depth to the work.

In terms of the cast, Hikari Choichiro was played by Kei Toyama, and Ultraman Joneus was played by Masayuki Ibu (now Masato Ibu). Kei Toyama's powerful acting and Masayuki Ibu's passionate voice bring out the charm of the characters.

The subtitles of this work indicate different themes and developments for each episode, and are designed to attract the interest of the viewers. In particular, the "This is Ultra Planet!!" and "To Ultra Planet!!" series depict the depiction of U40, the hometown of Ultraman, and the exploits of the Ultra Warriors, forming the climax of the entire series.

"The Ultraman" is a work that explored new possibilities for Ultraman, and this challenge had a major impact on the subsequent Ultra series. Through the new format of animation, this work expanded the world of Ultraman and provided new excitement to viewers, making it an indispensable work for Ultra fans.

Recommended points of "The Ultraman"

"The Ultraman" is a work that can be recommended not only to Ultraman fans, but also to people who like anime and science fiction. Below are some recommended points.

1. Dynamic battle scenes unique to anime

A major attraction of this series is that it depicts the actions of monsters and heroes with the freedom that only anime can offer, whereas special effects films were restricted. Viewers can enjoy battle scenes with a greater sense of scale.

2. A historical drama-like story development

The story development, which is like a historical drama and incorporates influences from the anime and science fiction booms, is an element that draws viewers in. The themes and developments of each episode are skillfully constructed, allowing viewers to enjoy one big story throughout the entire series.

3. The appeal of the characters

The characters of Hikari Choichiro and Ultraman Joneus are portrayed with powerful acting and passionate voices, capturing the hearts of viewers. The members of the Science Guard are also full of personality, and their unity and growth as a team are depicted.

4. Expanding the Ultraman universe

This work was an important step in further expanding the Ultraman universe, introducing new settings such as U40 and Ultria, adding a new page to the history of the Ultra series.

5. Historical Significance

"The Ultraman" was Tsuburaya Productions' first animated Ultraman work, and the challenge it took had a major impact on the Ultra series that followed. For Ultraman fans, it can be said to be a work of historical significance.

Detailed information on "The Ultraman"

"The Ultraman" was broadcast on TBS Television from April 4, 1979 to March 26, 1980. It is a series of 50 episodes, each 30 minutes long. It was produced by Nippon Sunrise (now Sunrise), and the copyright is owned by Tsuburaya Productions.

The story of this work is about a mysterious phenomenon occurring on Earth, which triggers Hikari Choichiro, an elite member of the Earth Defense Force, to transform into Ultraman Joneus and fight monsters and aliens. Hikari Choichiro is a good man with a calm judgment and high level of initiative, and he strives to protect peace on Earth by working together with Joneus. Joneus is an Ultra Warrior from U40, and is respected by many people for his high skills and sense of justice.

By adopting the new format of animation, it became possible to freely depict the actions of monsters and heroes that could not be fully expressed through special effects. This allowed viewers to enjoy more dynamic and large-scale battle scenes. Another attraction was the historical drama-like story development that incorporated influences from the anime and science fiction booms, which drew viewers in.

The series was directed by Toriumi Nagayuki and Kanda Takeyuki. Toriumi Nagayuki was in charge of episodes 1 to 13, and Kanda Takeyuki was in charge of episodes 14 to 50, and each director's individuality was reflected in the work. Animation supervision and character design were handled by Ninomiya Tsuneo, whose unique touch adds depth to the work.

In terms of the cast, Hikari Choichiro was played by Kei Toyama, and Ultraman Joneus was played by Masayuki Ibu (now Masato Ibu). Kei Toyama's powerful acting and Masayuki Ibu's passionate voice bring out the charm of the characters.

The subtitles of this work indicate different themes and developments for each episode, and are designed to attract the interest of the viewers. In particular, the "This is Ultra Planet!!" and "To Ultra Planet!!" series depict the depiction of U40, the hometown of Ultraman, and the exploits of the Ultra Warriors, forming the climax of the entire series.

"The Ultraman" is a work that explored new possibilities for Ultraman, and this challenge had a major impact on the subsequent Ultra series. Through the new format of animation, this work expanded the world of Ultraman and provided new excitement to viewers, making it an indispensable work for Ultra fans.