is the titular

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

of a

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 ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

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 ...

TV series. 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 ...

, the show was broadcast on

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 ...

from January 17 to December 29, 1973, with a total of 50 episodes. This was also one of several shows Tsuburaya did to celebrate the company's 10th Anniversary (the other two being ''

Ultraman Taro ''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 ...

'' and ''

Fireman A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also a ...

'').

Plot summary

Young air delivery boy Naoki Tachibana (played by, oddly enough, Naoki Tachibana; His character's first name is spelled in

katakana is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji and in some cases the Latin script (known as rōmaji). The word ''katakana'' means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana characters are derived fr ...

, however) is out to deliver a package for his grumpy boss Daisaku Banno (played by veteran actor

Jun Tazaki , born Minoru Tanaka, was a Japanese actor best known for his various roles in kaiju films produced by Toho, often portraying scientists or military personnel. Career Tanaka began his career as a traveling stage actor in the 1930s, perform ...

), when his older brother Shin'ya (Toshiaki Amada), who commanded the defense force, Protective Attacking Team (PAT), was killed in an attack by a giant monster called King Jyglus (which was sent by the evil alien Antigone of the planet Groth). When PAT retaliates against a second attack by the monster, Naoki, in retaliation for his brother's death, suicidally tries to ram his air delivery

cessna Cessna () is an American brand of general aviation aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation aircraft manufacturing c ...

into the monster, to their shock. When the monster downs the plane, Naoki and his plane are teleported into an energy dimension by 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 ...

-like alien from the Emerald Star. The Emerald Alien has instantly used his technology to completely modify the plane, as well as Naoki's

wristwatch A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...

. He suddenly finds himself back in his cessna's cockpit in the real world, but he hears the Emerald Alien's voice, telling him to activate his wristwatch, and upon shouting the command "Jum-Fight!!!", his jet transforms into the giant cyborg, Jumborg Ace, with Naoki, in a VR movement-control suit, piloting the robot from inside the head with his own physical movements! He fights with King Jyglas, eventually destroying the monster. But his battle against the Groth Aliens has only just begun...

Powers and Abilities

Jumborg Ace has a vast array powers, including a sword coming from his stomach, missiles, and energy beams. He can cut enemies heads off with a kick or change his body into a slicing machine. He can also transfer energy from his eyes if Jumborg 9 is out of power. Later episodes find Naoki alternating from Jumborg Ace with a

Honda Z The Honda Z (marketed also as the Z600) is a two-door hatchback kei car/city car manufactured and marketed by the Honda Motor Company, from 1970 until 1974. Exports mostly ended after 1972, when the domestic market models received redesigned pi ...

, which transforms into a similar giant cyborg called Jumborg 9 (upon the command "Jum-Fight Two Dash!!!"). It has a pattern of red and silver and it has a light on its belt resembling

's Color Timer. Like color timer, it blinks when Jumborg 9 is running out of power. Unlike Ace, he can move very fast and can perform a dashing attack. But like him, he can shoot energy from his eyes to Ace. However unlike Ace, he cannot fly.

Cameos

Mirrorman is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' science fiction television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the series aired on Fuji TV from December 5, 1971 to November 26, 1972, with a total of 51 episodes. This was Tsuburaya Productions' first non-Ultra ...

bank owned by Kazuya can be seen in one episode. In addition, the characters of Chief Murakami, Yasuda and Nomura originally appeared in ''Mirrorman'', thus placing the shows in the same universe. Jumborg Ace was integrated into the "M78 Canon" in the form of "Jeanbot": A double-changing robot warrior who debuted in '' Ultraman Zero The Movie: Super Deciding Fight! The Belial Galactic Empire''. He joined forces with updated versions of Fireman (Glen-Fire) and Mirrorman (Mirror-Knight), in addition to Ultraman Zero.

Film

, known in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

as ''Giant and Jumbo A'' (ยักษ์วัดแจ้ง พบ จัมโบ้เอ - ''Yak Wat Jaeng phop Chambo E'', or ''Yuk Wud Jaeng pob Jambo A'', depending on the Romanization) is a

film produced in 1974 by

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and Chaiyo Productions of

, directed by

Sompote Sands Sompote Saengduenchai ( th, สมโพธิ แสงเดือนฉาย; ; 24 May 1941 – 26 August 2021), internationally known as Sompote Sands, was a Thai film director, special effects creator and producer best known for directing ...

. It was released theatrically in Thailand in April 1974. It has not been released theatrically in Japan. This film teams the Japanese superhero Jumborg Ace with a giant stone idol called Yuk Wud Jaeng, simply known as "Giant" (this character was the star of a very successful film, '' Tah Tien'', produced earlier by Chaiyo Productions) against Ace's own enemies. Note that some of the scenes of this film contain footages of the ''Jumborg Ace'' TV series. This film, along with '' The 6 Ultra Brothers vs. the Monster Army'', marked the only time Tsuburaya Productions and Chaiyo Productions officially worked together. Decades after this film was made, relations between the two companies have deteriorated, leading to the legal battle ( more details here) over rights to the Ultraman characters (specifically the ones depicted in said film) and even Jumborg Ace, which was eventually won by Tsuburaya in 2008.

Cast

* Naoki Tachibana as Jumborg Ace / Naoki Tachibana * Sipeuak as Yak Wud Jaeng * Tape Tienchai as Yak Wat Pho * Nobuo Tanaka as Demon Go-Ne (Male) * Yoshino Ohtori as Demon Go-Ne (Female) * Kazunari Mori as Jum Killer Jr * Shuichiro Moriyama as Anti Go-Ne * Michihiro Ikemizu as Mad Go-Ne * Keiko Azuma as Demon Star (Human form) * Kenichiro Kawamura as Antron (Human form) * Anan Pricha as Anan * Sripouk as Sipuak * Srisuriya as Sisuliya

External links

* {{Ultra Series 1973 Japanese television series debuts 1973 Japanese television series endings Tsuburaya Productions Tokusatsu television series Aviation television series Aviation comics Mainichi Broadcasting System original programming Ultra television series Television duos