is a Japanese ''

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is som ...

'' science fiction television series created by

Eiji Tsuburaya was a Japanese special effects director and cinematographer. Known as the he worked on 250 feature films in a career spanning 50 years. He is regarded as one of the co-creators of the ''Godzilla'' series, as well as the main creator of the ...

. It is a follow-up to '' Ultra Q'', though not technically a sequel or spin-off. Eiji Tsuburaya's production company,

Tsuburaya Productions is a Japanese special effects studio founded in 1963 by special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya and was run by his family, until October 2007, when the family sold the company to advertising agency TYO Inc. The studio is best known for producin ...

, produced 39 episodes (40, counting the pre-premiere special) that aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) and its affiliate stations from July 17, 1966, to April 9, 1967. Its premiere topped the average rating set by ''Ultra Q'' and kept climbing each week, marking the show as a success. Although ''Ultraman'' is the first series to feature an

Ultraman ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one ...

character, it is the second installment in the

Ultra Series ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with '' Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is o ...

, following ''Ultra Q''. This is symbolised by the Japanese show opening with the ''Ultra Q'' logo exploding into the ''Ultraman'' logo. ''Ultraman'' and its titular hero became a major pop culture phenomenon in Japan, generating dozens of sequels, spin-offs, imitations, parodies and tributes. Ultraman went on to generate in merchandising revenue from 1966 to 1987 in Japan (equivalent to more than adjusted for inflation) and become the world's third top-selling licensed character by the 1980s, largely due to his popularity in Asia. A manga series of the same name serving as a sequel to the television series began publication in October 2011 and received an anime adaptation starting in April 2019. In May 2022,

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer ...

released ''

Shin Ultraman is a 2022 Japanese superhero ''kaiju'' film directed by Shinji Higuchi and written, co-produced, and co-edited by Hideaki Anno. A reimagining of ''Ultraman'', the film is a co-production between Toho Studios and Cine Bazar, and presented by ...

'', a reimagining of the series directed by Shinji Higuchi.

Premise

The series follows the adventures of the Science Patrol, a special scientific team investigating and combating threats from aliens and ''

kaiju is a Japanese media genre that focuses on stories involving giant monsters. The word ''kaiju'' can also refer to the giant monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other monster ...

''. Unbeknownst to the team, fellow member Shin Hayata possesses the ability to transform into the giant alien superhero

in moments of crisis.

Production

Development

Due to the success of '' Ultra Q'',

Tokyo Broadcasting System formerly is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network and radio network . It has a 28-affiliate television network called JNN (Japan News Network), as well as a 34-affili ...

(TBS) wanted a new monster-themed show from Tsuburaya Productions Company (TPC), this time filmed in color and with the hopes of continuing the series with TPC.

and writer Tetsuo Kinjo chose to take the barebones idea of ''Ultra Q'' about civilians and scientists dealing with monsters and have a group specifically created to deal with monsters and supernatural phenomena as the focus of the new show. The group was tentatively named the "Scientific Investigation Agency" (SIA). Tsuburaya and Kinjo decided to add unused ideas from ''Ultra Q'' and the rejected outline ''Woo''. Tsuburaya had spent significant amounts of studio money to build his miniatures for the Godzilla films. The studio was desirous to monetize these miniatures, and was looking for a project that could repurpose the sets and costumes from the ''Godzilla'' franchise. The first iteration of Ultraman was named "Bemler". Bemler's human host would have been a 28-year-old man named "Officer Sakomizu", described as a "tough guy" in early drafts. Captain Muramatsu would have been the only SIA member to know his secret identity. The name "Bemler" (sometimes trademarked as "Bemular") was later given to Ultraman's first foe in the premiere episode "Ultra Operation No. 1". Pre-production and story layout for the show began in December 1965 as ''Bemler: Scientific Investigation Agency''. Masahiro Yamada completed a sample teleplay titled ''The Birth of Bemler'' that featured an unused scenario originally written for ''Ultra Q''. TBS producer Takashi Kakoi demanded to have Bemler be easily differentiated from other similarly designed monsters to avoid confusion. Tsuburaya and Kinjo then decided to make Bemler more humanoid in design. Kakoi later requested that Bemler have a more metallic-based image. In January 1966, the production's title was changed to ''Redman'', due to the protagonist's color scheme. The following month, the show was unanimously approved for production. In this version, Redman arrives as a refugee on Earth after invaders destroyed his home planet. Redman fuses with officer Sakomizu and together, they protect the Earth from giant monsters and alien invaders. This version also featured an early version of the transformation device the Beta Capsule called a "Flashbeam" that resembled a futuristic fountain pen. During casting TBS suggested casting actors that looked as Western as possible, in order to appeal to overseas markets. It was later decided to add a female character to the SIA roster. Many of the cast members came from

. On March 22, 1966, the copyright offices approved registration of the show, now titled ''Ultraman''. Each episode of the series was produced on a budget of .

Design

The initial Bemler version was originally conceived by Kinjo as an intergalactic reptilian creature that would enlarge itself to and come to the SIA's aid. The original design was a cross between

Garuda Garuda ( Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garu ...

, a mythological Hindu/Buddhist guardian bird, and

Tengu are a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion (Shinto). They are considered a type of '' yōkai'' (supernatural beings) or Shinto ''kami'' (gods). The ''Tengu'' were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey and ...

, a Japanese folkloric crow-goblin. Eiji Tsuburaya found the early versions of Ultraman's design to be "too alien and sinister" and requested that production designer Tohl Narita continue drafting additional designs as teleplays were being written concurrently. Narita chose to root Ultraman's design in the Greek concept of cosmos (order and harmony), in contrast to Narita's monster designs for ''Ultra Q'' which were rooted in the Greek concept of khaos. Narita also took inspiration from classical Greek art, ancient Egypt, the European Renaissance, and Miyamoto Musashi. Tsuburaya and Kinjo also provided input to Narita's designs. Ultraman's silver skin symbolized steel from an interstellar rocket and the red lining represented the surface of Mars. Narita's assistant, Akira Sasaki, sculpted clays, but became concerned about the nose and mouth looking too human. They eventually decided on a brim-like nose that runs from the mouth to the top of the head like a dorsal fin. They also allowed the mouth to be flexible for speech. Early outlines had Ultraman capable of spitting fire and a liquid called "silver iodine", but these ideas were later dropped. A three-minute warning light called the "Color Timer" was added at the last minute due to the filmmakers feeling that Ultraman was too invincible, and also the belief that it would add suspense and make viewers cheer for Ultraman.

Filming

A decision was made to film ''Ultraman'' in color. To keep production costs from going over budget, the show was shot on 16mm stock and optical effects were shot using 35mm. This met the network's requirement for making new episodes on a fast-paced production schedule, due to filming starting in March 1966 for a scheduled debut that July. The production crew were separated into three teams subdivided into separate live-action filming and special effects filming groups. TBS and Tsuburaya Productions originally agreed to air ''Ultraman'' on July 17. TBS pushed the release up one week in order to cover the spot originally intended for the final episode of ''Ultra Q'', which was pulled from the broadcast schedule due to not featuring any monsters. TBS also wanted to beat the release of Fuji Television's ''

Ambassador Magma is the title and protagonist of a manga and tokusatsu TV series created by Osamu Tezuka. The TV series, produced by P Productions, Norway Productions and Krantz Films, was aired on Fuji TV from July 4, 1966, to June 26, 1967, lasting a tota ...

'' (a.k.a.''The Space Giants''), a show similar to ''Ultraman''. Though production on ''Ultraman'' was running smoothly, it was not running fast enough to meet the premiere date. After meetings between TBS, Tsuburaya Productions, and sponsors, the decision was made to produce a live broadcast on July 10 of a special titled ''Ultraman Eve Festival'', a TV special intended to introduce Ultraman to viewers. This was also done to help the production crew catch up and finish the premiere episode. The special was then retitled ''The Birth of Ultraman: An Ultraman Premiere Celebration''. Kunio Miyauchi, who composed the music for ''Ultra Q'', was brought back to compose the music for ''Ultraman''. The lyrics to the show's opening theme music were written by

Hajime Tsuburaya was a Japanese film and television director, producer, and cinematographer. The eldest son of Eiji Tsuburaya, he began his career on the 1954 film, ''Godzilla'' and its sequel, '' Godzilla Raids Again'' as an assistant special effects cinematogr ...

(credited as Koichi Fuji).

Monsters

Production designer Tohl Narita designed all of the monsters for the show. Narita sometimes deviated from the original descriptions. A majority of the time, the writers did not include any specific descriptions of the monsters in the teleplays. Most of the monsters were not named. The names of the monsters were decided via staff meetings, where it would also be determined if the writer had created a creature that was capable or incapable of being filmed with the special effects technology available at the time. The monsters were sculpted and fabricated by Ryosaku Takayama, Akira Sasaki, and Ekisu Productions.

Haruo Nakajima was a Japanese actor best known for playing Godzilla in 12 consecutive films, starting from the original '' Godzilla'' (1954) until '' Godzilla vs. Gigan'' (1972). He also played various other giant monsters in ''kaiju'' films, including ''Moth ...

, who played

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produ ...

for the first 12 films in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, choreographed all the monsters' battles with Furuya and even played the monsters for episodes three and ten. Nakajima also had two cameos, one in episode 24 and one in episode 33 as a police officer. ''Ultraman'' featured new monster suits, as well as recycled suits from ''Ultra Q''. Two Godzilla suits were recycled from Toho for the monster Jirahs, with the head of the Godzilla suit from ''

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep is a 1966 Japanese '' kaiju'' film directed by Jun Fukuda and produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. The film stars Akira Takarada, Kumi Mizuno, Akihiko Hirata and Eisei Amamoto, and features the fictional monster characters Godzilla, Mo ...

'' placed upon the body of the Godzilla suit from '' Mothra vs. Godzilla''. The dorsal fins and parts of the suit were sprayed yellow and a large yellow frill was added to disguise the connection of the head with the body. The show also marks the first appearance of ''Ultraman Zoffy'' in the finale ''Farewell, Ultraman''.

Cast

Susumu Kurobe (born ; 22 October 1939) is a television, film and stage actor from Kurobe, Toyama, Japan, widely known for his portrayal of Shin Hayata, the first Ultraman in the '' titular character series'', a role he has played since the original series in ...

as Shin Hayata/

:
The Science Patrol member who transforms into Ultraman with the Beta Capsule.

Bin Furuya , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor best known for his uncredited portrayal of the title character in the 1966 series ''Ultraman''. Furuya would later portray the character Amagi in the sequel series ''Ultraseven''. Furuya has also mad ...

portrayed Ultraman via rubber suit. *

Akiji Kobayashi , sometimes credited as Shōji Kobayashi, was a Japanese actor. He attended Nihon University College of Art, but withdrew before completing his degree and joined the Haiyuza Theatre Company in 1949. He made his film debut with ''Satsujin Yogisha' ...

as Captain Toshio Muramatsu:
Leader of the Science Patrol. In the Japanese version, he is sometimes referred to as "Cap". His name is shortened to "Captain Mura" in the English dub. *

Sandayū Dokumamushi born on 31 March 1936 in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese actor. He portrayed the role of Daisuke Arashi in the original ''Ultraman'' series (1966-1967) and Shigeru Furuhashi in ''Ultra Seven is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' science fiction television ...

as Daisuke Arashi:
The Science Patrol's expert marksman. *

Masanari Nihei was a Japanese actor. He played Mitsuhiro Ide in ''Ultraman'', having won the role when originally cast actor Susumu Ishikawa left the production. Death Masanari Nihei died on 21 August 2021 due to aspiration pneumonia. His funeral was held p ...

as Mitsuhiro Ide:
The Science Patrol's comical inventor. Susumu Ishikawa was originally cast in the role. Ishikawa filmed a few scenes but abruptly left the production due to contract disputes. The English dub renames the character as "Ido". *

Hiroko Sakurai (b. March 4, 1946 in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan.) is a Japanese actress, author and producer at Tsuburaya Productions. Filmography Movie TV Books by Sakurai * (1994, Shōgakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics ( ...

as Akiko Fuji:
The Science Patrol's communications officer. *Akihide Tsuzawa as Isamu Hoshino:
The Science Patrol's unofficial mascot. In the English dub, he is identified as Fuji's younger brother. *

Akihiko Hirata (December 16, 1927 – July 25, 1984), born , was a Japanese film actor. While Hirata starred in many movies (including Hiroshi Inagaki's ''Samurai'' trilogy), he is most well known for his work in the ''kaiju'' genre, including such films as '' ...

as Dr. Iwamoto:
The Science Patrol's scientific advisor. Cast taken from ''Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters''.

Episodes

* a live stage show pre-premiere special intended to introduce audiences to Ultraman prior to the premiere episode. It was also produced to give the filmmakers time to complete the debut episode. * a theatrical film directed by Hajime Tsuburaya, consisting of re-edited footage from episodes 1, 8, 26, and 27. It was released by Toho Co., Ltd. on July 22, 1967, as a

double feature The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera h ...

with ''

King Kong Escapes is a 1967 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film was a Japanese– American co-production between Toho and Rankin/Bass, and stars Rhodes Reason, Linda Miller, Akira Takarada, Mie Hama, Ei ...

''. * a short film directed by Masahiro Tsuburaya, and released in March 1996.

English version

United Artists Television United Artists Television (UATV) was an American television production/distribution studio of United Artists Corporation that was formed on New Year's Day (January 1), 1958. The company is remembered for producing series such as ''This Man Dawso ...

picked up the rights for '' Ultra Q'' and ''Ultraman'' in the fall of 1966, two months after the first episode of ''Ultraman'' aired. ''Ultra Q'' was dubbed but never broadcast in the United States due to American TV stations preferring color shows over black-and-white shows. ''Ultraman'' ran in and out of syndication until the mid-1980s. UA-TV also syndicated ''Ultraman'' internationally.

Peter Fernandez Peter Fernandez (January 29, 1927 – July 15, 2010) was an American actor, voice director, and writer. Despite a career extending from the 1930s, he is probably best known for his roles in the 1967 anime ''Speed Racer''. Fernandez co-wrote the ...

Corinne Orr Corinne Orr (born January 6, 1936) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her work on the English version of the anime series ''Speed Racer''. Biography Orr became involved in children's theatre beginning at the age of 10 (with her first r ...

, and

Earl Hammond Erwin Saul Hamburger (June 17, 1921 – May 19, 2002), known professionally as Earl Hammond, was an American actor, who has appeared in several films and television series. Career Earl Hammond began acting in radio at the age of 7, and continued ...

provided the voices for the dub. Fernandez also wrote and supervised the dub. Describing the process, Fernandez said: "I had a

Moviola A Moviola () is a device that allows a film editor to view a film while editing. It was the first machine for motion picture editing when it was invented by Iwan Serrurier in 1924. History Iwan Serrurier's original 1917 concept for the Moviola ...

, sometimes a projector, and I’d go back and forth over each line carefully and carefully, building the line to look like English." Fernandez also went on to explain that a grease pencil was used to mark scenes that needed to be dubbed, even if it were only a few lines. A loop of the film would be projected so that the voice actor could memorize his or her lines and see where the scene needed to be dubbed. The voice actors had to wait for a beeping signal before starting, Fernandez explained: "So in the studio you hear “Beep… beep… beep…” then you talk, as if there is a fourth beep. Those beeps are drilled into me. They are two-thirds of a second apart. Later on, the film is reassembled and mixed with the original music and sound effects." The English dub was featured in the BCI Eclipse DVD release of ''Ultraman'', as well as subsequent DVD re-issues from Mill Creek Entertainment.

Home media

Japan

In April 2013, Tsuburaya held a press conference announcing the new Ultra Series show and character, ''

Ultraman Ginga , is a Japanese television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions. It is the 25th entry to the ''Ultra Series'', released to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary. It is the first entry in the New Generation series, ending a six year long hia ...

'', where they also announced that the original 1966 show will be given an HD remaster treatment in Japan. In July 2013, Bandai Visual released an HD transfer of ''Ultraman'' on Blu-ray titled ''Ultraman HD Remaster 2.0'', to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Tsuburaya Productions. Bandai Visual released the series on three separate box sets, each containing 13 episodes. The first box set was released on July 10, 2013, the second one on October 25, 2013, and the final one on January 29, 2014. On November 25, 2020, Tsuburaya Productions and

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affi ...

released a 3.0 HD remaster of the series on Blu-ray titled ''Ultraman 55th Anniversary Ultraman Archives: Ultraman MovieNEX'', suitable for large screen televisions. Composite technology EXA Quality Advanced Service (EQAS) was used to process the series to remove excess picture noise while retaining an appropriate level of graininess.

North America

BCI Eclipse Home Entertainment LLC officially released ''Ultraman'' on two separate DVD volumes in 2006 and 2007, licensed from then-rights holder Southern California-based Golden Media Group Inc. (via Tokyo-based UM Corporation). BCI's first DVD release featured the first 20 episodes, while the second release featured the final 19 episodes, all presented uncut, unedited and re-mastered in color with stereo sound. These releases also featured the original Japanese audio and the English dub. When Navarre folded BCI Eclipse in December 2008, the series was shuffled over to Navarre's other home video label, Mill Creek Entertainment. In June 2009, Mill Creek re-released the complete series set on September 29, 2009, in a four-disc set with the same special features from the previous release. On July 10, 2019, Mill Creek Entertainment announced that it had acquired most of the franchise library from Tsuburaya Productions through Indigo Entertainment, including 1,100 episodes and 20 films. Mill Creek released the series on Blu-ray and digital on October 15, 2019, in standard and

steelbook Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case ...

editions. Mill Creek released ''The Birth of Ultraman Collection'' on Blu-ray on July 10, 2020. It included the pre-premiere special and seven episodes from the 1966 series, which included the English dub. The Blu-ray featured artwork by

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wit ...

(originally created for Marvel's ''Ultraman'' comic) and was sold exclusively on DeepDiscount. In July 2020,

Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

announced that they had struck a multi-year deal with Alliance Entertainment and Mill Creek, with the blessings of Tsuburaya and Indigo, that granted them the exclusive SVOD and AVOD digital rights to the ''Ultra'' series and films (1,100 episodes and 20 film) acquired by Mill Creek the previous year. ''Ultraman'', amongst other titles, streamed on Shout! Factory TV and Tokushoutsu in the United States and Canada.

Post-release

Proposed sequels

Due to the show's success, a feature film titled ''Ultraman: Operation Giant'' was planned. Toshihiro Iijima was attached to write the script. The film was to be filmed in CinemaScope and was to introduce new characters, such as a self-sacrificing automaton built by the Science Patrol, the Baltans invading Earth with the help of a human scientist, a new subterranean monster named "Morugo", and Ultraman was to be given a new sword weapon. A sequel series tentatively titled was also proposed; however, neither project ever materialized.

Adaptations

Harvey Comics Entertainment published two short comic book series based on Ultraman in 1993 and 1994.

Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...

published the video game ''Ultraman'' for

Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...

in 1990, and ''

PD Ultraman Battle Collection 64 ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with '' Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is on ...

'' for the Nintendo 64 in 1997. The games were released in Japan only. In 2011, a manga adaptation simply titled ''

'' began serialization in

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...

's ''Monthly Hero's'' magazine. It serves as a sequel to the television series. It was released on August 18, 2015, in North America by

Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...

, who had received the rights on February 18, 2015. The manga was adapted into a 3DCG anime of the same name and released on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

in April 2019. In September 2020,

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

launched a monthly series titled ''The Rise of Ultraman''. In May 2022,

released a reimagining of the series, titled ''

'', directed by Shinji Higuchi. Using motion capture technology,

, the original

suit actor, portrays the titular hero alongside

Hideaki Anno is a Japanese animator, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for creating the anime series ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' (1995)''.'' His style is defined by his postmodernist approach and the extensive portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotio ...

Legacy

Since its debut, both the show and character became international pop culture phenomena, inspiring rip-offs, imitators, parodies, tributes, and a multimedia franchise centered around spin-off characters based on Ultraman. The series has been recognized by

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for "TV series with most number of spin-offs."

Mark Schilling Mark Schilling (born 1949) is an American film critic, journalist, translator, and author based in Tokyo, Japan. He has written for ''The Japan Times'', ''Variety'', and ''Screen International''. Biography Schilling began working for ''The Japan ...

from ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'' called the series "a rite of passage for Japanese boys (and a few girls) and their families" since the series' debut and noted "the series is as much a part of the national fabric as furikake (rice topping) and chopsticks." SciFi Japan called the 1966 series "the gold standard of Japanese special effects television series." Ultraman has been parodied, tributed, and referenced in various media such as ''

Ben 10 ''Ben 10'' is an American media franchise created by Man of Action Studios, produced by Cartoon Network Studios and owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The series centers on a boy named Ben Tennyson who acquires the Omnitrix, an alien device rese ...

'', ''

Ready Player One ''Ready Player One'' is a 2011 science fiction novel, and the debut novel of American author Ernest Cline. The story, set in a dystopia in 2045, follows protagonist Wade Watts on his search for an Easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality ga ...

'', ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'', ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...

'', ''

Kyoei Toshi is a video game for the PlayStation 4 developed by Granzella, who confirmed that it is the spiritual successor to their ''Disaster Report'' series of games, and several characters from that series also make cameo appearances in the game. The o ...

'', and ''

Ant-Man Ant-Man is the name of several superheroes appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, Ant-Man's first appearance was in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (January 1962) but first appeared in costum ...

''.

Chris Kirkpatrick Christopher Alan Kirkpatrick (born October 17, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, music producer, and occasional actor, who is best known for his work as the founding member of the pop group NSYNC, in which he sang countertenor. He ...

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...

, and

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and ''The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for Be ...

have cited the 1966 series as one of the shows they grew up watching as kids. Del Toro named Ultraman and Pigmon as his favorite characters from the show and cited ''Ultraman'' as an influence on ''

Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The ''Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geologic Pacific Ring of Fire. List of co ...

''.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * *

External links

*
Official website
of

Ultraman Connection — Official website

Official ''Ultraman'' channel
at

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

{{Eiji Tsuburaya Ultraman 1966 Japanese television series debuts 1967 Japanese television series endings Japanese action television series Japanese science fiction television series Military science fiction television series Teleportation in fiction Television series about orphans Television series about shapeshifting Television series set in the 1990s TBS Television (Japan) original programming

Premise

Production

Development

Design

Filming

Monsters

Cast

Episodes

English version

Home media

Japan

North America

Post-release

Proposed sequels

Adaptations

Legacy

See also

Notes

References

Sources

External links