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 film, war, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such te ...
TV show and is the 14th show in the
Ultra Series
''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman (character), Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman (1966 ...
. Featuring
Chiaki J. Konaka
is a Japanese writer and novelist. He was the head writer of the anime series ''Serial Experiments Lain'', ''Digimon Tamers'', and ''Hellsing'', as well as the television drama ''Ultraman Gaia''.
Personal life
Konaka gave himself the middle ini ...
as series composer and produced by
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 producing t ...
and
Mainichi Broadcasting System
, or MBS, is a radio and television broadcasting company headquartered in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network (JRN), National Radio Network (NRN), Japan News Network (JNN) and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region.
It i ...
(MBS TV), ''Ultraman Gaia'' was aired on
JNN TV stations (
TBS,
CBC, MBS, etc.) from September 5, 1998 until August 28, 1999, with a total of 51 episodes.
Overview
''Ultraman Gaia'' takes place in yet another universe, one that is different from the world of the
Shōwa era
The was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa ( Hirohito) from December 25, 1926, until his death on January 7, 1989. It was preceded by the Taishō era.
The pre-1945 and post-war Shōwa periods are almos ...
Ultramen (''
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 ...
'' to ''
Ultraman 80
is a Japanese tokusatsu TV show produced by Tsuburaya Productions which aired on the Tokyo Broadcasting System channel from April 2, 1980, to March 25, 1981, lasting a total of 50 episodes. After going off the air in 1981, the network still aired ...
''), as well as the world of ''
Ultraman Tiga
is a Japanese tokusatsu TV drama and the twelfth show in the Ultra Series. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, ''Ultraman Tiga'' had aired at 6:00pm and aired between September 7, 1996 to August 30, 1997, with a total of 52 episodes with five mo ...
'' and ''
Ultraman Dyna
is a Japanese tokusatsu TV show which aired from 5 September 1997 until 28 August 1998. It is a direct sequel to the previous Ultraman series, '' Ultraman Tiga'' and the 13th entry to the ''Ultra Series''.
Plot
In the year 2017 (seven years aft ...
''. In a departure from most of the other series, there are two Ultramen as the main characters. They have conflicting philosophies in regards to defending
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
from a mysterious, malevolent and extremely intelligent cosmic entity.
The first half of the series explores the growing tension between them and their eventual clash. The second half has them reconcile their differences so they can defeat their common enemy.
The show is also different from past
Ultra Series
''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman (character), Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman (1966 ...
installments in that the support team, XIG, has more personnel than the defence teams in previous installments.
In this series, Ultraman Gaia is the lead, but Ultraman Agul is prominently focused on as well. They are often at odds with each other at the beginning of the series. Their philosophies are as different as their skin colors. Unlike Gaia, Agul is completely blue. Gamu Takayama, the human host of Ultraman Gaia, believes that Gaia is here to save Earth and humanity. On the other hand, Hiroya Fujimiya, the human host of Ultraman Agul, believes Agul to be Earth's natural defense mechanism. He is at first more interested in protecting just the planet itself, even at the expense of humanity (hence the occasional clashes with Gaia). However, this was discontinued after Gaia and Agul would work together as one to face more powerful monsters.
Story
The story takes place in the year 2000. Chrisis, a supercomputer developed the Alchemy Stars (a global network of young geniuses born during the 1980s), predicts around 1996–1997 that
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
and
human
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
ity would be annihilated by something known as the "Radical Destruction Bringer". Technology developed by the Alchemy Stars is used to form an international defence organization known as Geocentric Universal Alliance against the Radical Destruction (G.U.A.R.D.). This is done secretly, so as to avoid causing a worldwide panic. The eXpanded Interceptive Guards (X.I.G.) is the combat wing of G.U.A.R.D, operating in a floating sky fortress known as the Aerial Base.
Gamu Takayama, a 20-year-old scientist and member of the Alchemy Stars, briefly encounters Gaia during some
virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), educ ...
experiments he performs with the secret purpose of discovering the will of the Earth, later merging with him in order to fight various monsters that
threaten the safety of the Earth. During his battles, he encounters Ultraman Agul, whose human host is Hiroya Fujimiya, a former Alchemy Stars member. Both clash because of their ideals regarding the protection of the Earth but eventually resolve their differences to battle their common enemy.
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Other media
Films and team ups
* ''
Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna & Ultraman Gaia: Battle in Hyperspace'' (1999), Gaia is one of the main Ultramen to appear in this movie, alongside Tiga and Dyna.
*''Ultraman Gaia: Gaia Again'' (2001), A 45-minute Original Video Tokusatsu release (or OVT) set several years after the end of the series. Ultraman Gaia and Ultraman Agul return to fight a new enemy, along with help from mysterious undersea creatures.
*''
Superior Ultraman 8 Brothers
is a 2008 Japanese superhero film, superhero ''kaiju'' film directed by Takeshi Yagi. It unites the ''Shōwa period, Shōwa'' heroes Ultraman, Ultra Seven, Seven, The Return of Ultraman, Jack and Ultraman Ace, Ace together on screen with the ''He ...
'' (2008), Gaia teams up with
Tiga,
Dyna
The Toyota Dyna is a light to medium-duty cab over truck for commercial use. In the Japanese market, the Dyna is sold alongside its twin called the Toyoace. The Toyoace was a renaming of the Toyopet SKB Truck as a result of a 1956 public competi ...
and
Mebius in this movie, alongside Showa-era Ultra Heroes.
*''
Ultraman Ginga S: Showdown! Ultra 10 Warriors!!'' (2015), Ultraman Gaia is one of the Heisei-era Ultra Heroes to fight along with other 9 Heisei-era Ultra Heroes.
*''
Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga'' (2016-2017), Ultraman Gaia and Ultraman Agul return to fight the Bezelbs where it approaches the Earth, along with help from Ultraman Orb, Dyna and Cosmos starting on the eighth episode. The planet Earth in this show is not the one from ''Ultraman Gaia'', as there are no mention of Gaia and Agul's names by its residents.
Video games
Although not technically an Ultraman game, Ultraman Gaia serves as both the main character and main plot in Banpresto's ''
Super Hero Operations: Diedal's Ambition'' for the
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
.
Cast
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*: (Played by )
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*: (Played by 久野 真紀子)
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*Narration:
Music
;Opening theme
*"Ultraman Gaia!" by &
;Ending themes
*"Lovin' You Lovin' Me" by B.B. WAVES
*"Beat on Dream on" by
;Insertion songs
*"LOVE IS ALIVE" by Sudo Hitomi
*"Gaia No Chikara" by Tanaka Masayuki & Daimon Kazuya
*"Blue rose" by Kikuta Tomohiko
Home media
In 2016, the series was released on
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...
and later released on the streaming service
Toku in 2018.
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 to have 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 TV episodes and 20 films) acquired by Mill Creek the previous year. ''Ultraman Gaia'', amongst other titles, will stream in the United States and Canada through Shout! Factory TV and Tokushoutsu.
References
External links
Tsuburaya Productions - The Official Home of Ultraman (Japanese)Japan Hero - Webpage devoted to Japanese superheroes
{{Ultra Series
1998 Japanese television series debuts
1999 Japanese television series endings
Ultra television series
TBS Television (Japan) original programming
Mainichi Broadcasting System original programming
Television duos