I was a big fan of Ultraman when I was a kid. In the early ‘90s I discovered there was a new “Ultraman” show, but unfortunately I was more interested in acquiring episodes of the old show on VHS than I was episodes of the new one. Somewhat later I discovered that there have been many, many “Ultraman” series over the years, rivaling Doctor Who in its longevity. A brief search of the internet yields the following results (but I’ve probably missed a few).
Ultra Q
Ultraman 1966-67
UltraSeven 1967-68
Return of…(Jack) 1971-72
Ultraman Ace 1972-73
Ultraman Taro 1973-74
Ultraman Leo 1974-75
Ultraman 80 1980-81
Ultraman USA (The Adventure Begins) 1987
Ultraman Great (Towards the Future) 1990-91
Ultraman Powered (The Ultimate Hero) 1993
Ultraman Hero 1995
Ultraman Zearth (parody) 1996-97
Ultraman Tiga 1996-97
Ultraman Dyna 1997-98
Ultraman Gaia 1998-99
Ultraman Nice 1999-00
Ultraman Neos 2000-2001
Ultraman Cosmos 2001-02
Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy 2004
Ultraman: Next 2004 - p.82
Ultraman Nexus 2004-05 - p.82
Ultraman Max 2005-06 - p.86
Ultraman Mebius 2006-07 - p.91
Ultraman UltraSeven X 2007 - p.99
UltraGalaxy: Mega Monster Battle 2007-2009 - p.100
Ultraman Retsuden 2011-13
Neo Ultra Q 2013
Ultraman Ginga 2013
Ultraman Ginga S 2014
Ultraman X 2015-16
Ultraman Orb 2016
Ultraman Geed 2017
Ultraman R/B 2018
Ultraman Taiga 2019
Ultraman Z 2020
Ultraman Trigger 2021
We’ve been discussing other tokusatsu series in this forum lately, and because those series were produced later than Ultraman, I expected them to be technically better, but I ended up being somewhat disappointed in Super Robot Red Baron and Iron King. I enjoyed them, but I didn’t like them as much as I hoped to. Now I’ve started watching Ultraseven, and it’s everything I hoped it would be.
As the liner noteson the DVD set point out, “the difference in the overall quality in production between Ultraman and Ultraseven was marked, and made the show memorable 45 years later. According to Wikipedia, “Such is his popularity that Ultra Seven (or simply 'Seven') has appeared or at least made cameos in nearly every Ultra Series following his own and has had far more exposure than even the original Ultraman (though the original Ultraman is without a doubt the face of the Ultras).”
My wife and I disagree about the relative merits of Ultraseven in comparison to SRRB/IK. I would like to start the discussion with a look at the opening title sequence and music, then open the floor for rebutal.
The title sequence of Ultraman, as you will recall, looks as if it had been spelled out in a can of paint, slowly stirred, then run backwards. Ultraseven looks more like it had been spelled out in brightly colored confetti, placed atop one of those old electric football games, shaken apart, then run backwards. Whereas the soundtrack of Ultraman is jazzy, that of Ultraseven shows more of a classical influence.
Here is the English translation of the lyrics…
Seven… Seven… Seven… Seven…
Seven! Seven! Seven!
Seven! Seven! Seven!
A distant star was once his home
Ultra Seven! Fighter Seven!
Ultra Seven! Seven! Seven!
Onward to the edge of the galaxy
Use your Ultra-Eye and… STRIKE!
Seven! Seven! Seven!
Seven! Seven! Seven!
Dan Moroboshi is his borrowed name
Ultra Seven! Hero Seven!
Ultra Seven! Seven! Seven!
Defeat the great fire-breathing monster
Use yout Ultra-Beam and STRIKE!
Replies
At the risk of continuing the thread-jack, thanks for opening my eyes! I had no idea that was a "work," but then, I got all my information from newspapers, and I guess they didn't know either. But all these years I thought something in wrestling was real. Jeepers, I'm as gullible as Jimmy Olsen!
To be fair, they made a much greater effort to maintain kayfabe in those days.
Sorry for disrupting your thread, Jeff!
Oh, that's all right. This discussion has had more views today than any other single day in the past ten years.
For my own part, despite its being choreographed and the outcomes known in advance, it is no less "real" than, say, a ballet. And it is no less athletic than a professional ice skating competition (which is also choreographed). I went to high school with a kid whose dad was a referee on Wrestling at the Chase; I saw him on TV every weekend. A kid I went to elementary school with later became a local wrestler, and was a regular customer at the comic book shop where I once worked part-time.
I worked for a time with Chris Gray who wrestles under the name "Cody Keaner." He was with WWE briefly-- and with Smash wrestling (an indie thing) when I knew him. I went to an event with a friend. They cleared a spot in the crowd before one match. During that match, someone was tossed out of the ring and danged if he didn't land in the exact spot they had cleared. But, as Deaner stressed afterward, it takes a lot of practice and athleticism to pull off a stunt like that. Staged wrestling hasn't really been my thing since I was 10, but watching it close up as an adult gave me an appreciation of the skill involved.
Okay, where were we? Oh, yes!
HIS MAJESTY'S MEDAL: "Someone has kidnapped Riku Asakuru. Using the power hidden inside Riku, they plan to create something villainous. Worse, a formidable Belial Fusion Monster has appeared. Just as Ultraman Z finds himself in an impossible situation, his long-awaited master returns. Smash their evil plan to bits, Z, Geed--and Zero!"
Aliens: Valis Raiders (android trooops which look like crash test dummies)
Fusion Monsters: Skull Gomora, Thunder Killer and Pedanium Zetton. These are "Belial Fusion Monsters" created by Celebro (Shinya Kaburagi) using stolen Land of Light tech combined with "Devil Splinters."
At one point in the episode, Haruki transforms into Z but maintains human size in order to help Yoko fight off a passel of Valis Raiders. This trick burns up a tremendous amount of energy, and he can stay at that size for only 50 seconds. He picks her up and uses her body as a sort of "battering ram" against the androids. Yoko is absolutely smitten with Z at this size. she refers to him as "Lord Z" and I'm certain she will have to wring her panties out later. Juggler pulls a "Clark Kent" when he is playing the role of Captain Hebikura. Juggler has a shock of hair that hangs over the right side of his face, but he combs it back when he's Hebikura. It is a surprisingly effecvtive technique. Later in the episode, Juggler (as Hebikura) encounters Shinya Kaburagi without knowing who he is, and Kaburagi blasts him with some sort of energy weapon. Ultraman Zero has escaped from the wormhole and shows up at the climax to help Z and Geed defeat the three fusion monsters. Pega also returns (to which Tracy deadpanned, "Oh, good."). Zero leaves Earth's protection to return to the Land of Light, and Geed leaves with him.
Pega also returns (to which Tracy deadpanned, "Oh, good.").
LOL.
Thursday is "TV night" on Earth-J (as in broadcast TV), so no episode of Ultraman Z tonight, but I do have this:
This is the second in a series of novelizations. It was originally solicited for relase June 2024, but now it has been re-solicited for July 2025.
How are her novelizations? I read some of her 80s/early 90s, cyberpunk stuff decades ago. and enjoyed it, but then lost track of her. Her work included some accurate predictions (GPS in cars, for example).
I can't say; the first one is sitting atop my "pile of shame."
THE MYSTIC POWER: "A pair of beautiful, mysterious sisters have come to Earth from space. They've brought with them strange monster cells that cause the Combined Monster Tri-King to appear. Kaburagi uses more monster cells to enhance it and make the Super Combined Monster Five-King. To face down this formidable enemy, a new power is needed. That's right--the Phantasmagorric Mystic Lights!"
Aliens: Alien Pitt, the Transforming Alien
Fusion Monsters: Zeppandon, Tri-King, Five-King
The "pair of beautiful, mysterious sisters" (we find out later) are actually Alien Pitt in the employ of Shinya Kaburagi (Celebro).Haruki is such a dumb-ass he loses his Z rIser at one point and Yuka finds it. She meets up with Yoko just as one of the Pitt Aliens (in human form) catches up to her. The alien knows exactly what the Z Riser is and accuses Yuka of being Ultraman. Then Yoko grabs it and claims she is Ultraman. The alien knocks them both out, takes them back to their hotel, and a four-way girl-on-girl-on-girl -on girl fight ensues. Haruki tracks them down and gets his Rizer back. Ultraman Z has a hard time fighting against the fusion monster created with the additional monster medals supplied to Celebro by the Pitt Aliens. Watching from nearby, Juggler is able to transfer three other-dimensional Ultra medals to Z (those of Mr. Tiga, Mr. Dyna and Mr. Gaia, as Haruki calls them) to become Ultraman Z Gamma Future. (Yoko is attracted to this form most of all.) Later, Juggler confronts Celebro and gets a little payback.
EDIT: Every time Sinya Kaburagi appears he says, "Kiete karekareta," which apparently means "I feel good" ("in space language," according to the internet).
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