Ultraman Z | |
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![]() Title card | |
Genre | Tokusatsu Superhero Kaiju Science fiction Kyodai Hero |
Created by | Tsuburaya Productions |
Written by |
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Directed by |
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Starring |
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Voices of | [1][2] |
Opening theme | "Goshōwa Kudasai Ware no Na o!" by Masaaki Endoh |
Ending theme |
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Composer | Hijiri Anze |
Country of origin | Japan |
No. of episodes | 25[3] |
Production | |
Running time | 30 mins |
Original release | |
Network | TV Tokyo |
Release | June 20 December 19, 2020 | –
Related | |
Ultraman Chronicle Zero & Geed Ultraman Chronicle Z: Heroes' Odyssey Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy Sevenger Fight |
Ultraman Z (ウルトラマンZ, Urutoraman Zetto) is a Japanese tokusatsu drama produced by Tsuburaya Productions. It is the 32nd entry to the Ultra Series and the eighth entry to the New Generation Hero (ニュージェネレーションヒーロー, Nyū Jenerēshon Hīrō) lineup, celebrating the 10th anniversary of Ultraman Zero.[4][5][6][7] It premiered in TV Tokyo on June 20, 2020. On April 2, 2023, an English dub was announced, with the premiere date of April 8 on the official Ultraman Youtube Channel, with new episodes uploaded every Saturday and Sundays at 11 pm JST.
Main article: List of Ultraman Z characters |
Remnants of Ultraman Belial, known as the Devil Splinters, were scattered across the universe and turned infected monsters into berserkers.[8][9] To combat the resulting chaos, the Land of Light created the Ultra Medals and Z Risers, but several of these devices were stolen by Celebro, forcing Ultraman Zero and his self-proclaimed disciple Z to chase it to the Earth. Z carried out his incapacitated master's mission and the Z Riser to recover the stolen Ultra Medals on Earth, where he bonded with STORAGE officer Haruki Natsukawa to combat the space monster Genegarg. Ever since then, Haruki assisted Z in reclaiming lost Ultra Medals and at the same time defending mankind from monsters and extraterrestrial threats.[4][5][6][7] Haruki's mission as a STORAGE member is accompanied by his senior/ace pilot Yoko Nakashima, the young scientist Yuka Ohta, the elderly repairman Kojiro Inaba and his captain Shota Hebikura, whose true identity is Jugglus Juggler from Ultraman Orb.
Meanwhile, the space parasite Celebro took possession of a youth named Shinya Kaburagi to create chaos and experiment with the Ultra's technology to harbor the power of monsters.[8] In addition to Ultraman Z, he is also assisted by guests appearing as Ultras; Riku/Ultraman Geed, Zero, and his godfather Ace. STORAGE begins to create stronger machines and armaments, but as the series progressed, Celebro took over the GAFJ director Kuriyama to further the advancements of new weaponries and disbanded STORAGE. His true plan is to provoke mankind into creating their strongest weapon and turn it against them. He eventually possessed Yoko to hijack Ultroid Zero and transform it into the cyborg monster known as Destrudos to initiate his Civilization Self-Destruction Game on Earth. Juggler reforms STORAGE to rescue Yoko as Haruki succeeded through sheer will, forcing Celebro to abandon her and possessed Destrudos as a last resort. After being knocked out of his strongest form, Ultraman Z unleashed his full power to destroy Destrudos and finally save Earth. Celebro was captured by STORAGE and a vengeful Kaburagi to be dissected as Juggler resigned from the team to leave Earth. Haruki retains his bond with Z, but instead of staying in STORAGE, he decided to leave for outer space to continue Z's mission as an Ultraman, though he assured the rest of STORAGE that he would return to Earth on regular occasions.
The entire project was conceived by Tsuburaya Productions with a different draft and story composition. Chief producer Tsugumi Kitaura offered Taguchi the role of the main director in August 2019 and the latter requested the inclusion of Kota Fukihara, as well as the pair to rewrite the original draft to their own preference. Production of the series started two months earlier than most of the New Generation Heroes series so as to anticipate the 2020 Summer Olympics prior to its initial postponement from the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. He also invited a screenwriter named Keigo Koyanagi and military supervisor Yasuhiro Koshi to provide an in-depth accuracy to the themes of military. Because Taguchi had participated in most of the New Generation Heroes instalments since Ultraman Ginga S, he decided to turn Ultraman Z as his own version of the line's conclusion.[a] Jugglus Juggler's inclusion into the series was to expand his character after his last appearance in Ultraman Orb.[11]
In previous entries of the Ultra Series, the defense team concept was dropped out so as to save the production cost, but Taguchi proposed the inclusion of giant robots as alternatives to combat vehicles. The first to be created was King Joe STORAGE Custom, but Sevenger was introduced earlier in the series to garner attention from fans for its cuter appeal. The late inclusion of King Joe was to emphasize STORAGE's growth as an attack team and to prevent it from overshadowing Ultraman Z in the early episodes.[11]
The show's name was trademarked in China on December 27, 2019, and later in Japan on January 21, 2020, around 3 month before its announcement.[12][unreliable source?] Ultraman Z was immediately announced by official website of Tsuburaya Productions on March 26, 2020.[4][5][6][7] As the first trailer of the series was released on April 16, 2020, the official website of Tsuburaya Productions quickly announced Kiyotaka Taguchi as its main director, Tatsuomi Hamada's return as the show's supporting cast and finally Masaaki Endoh and Nami Tamaki singing the opening and ending themes respectively.[13] The entire cast members of STORAGE and GAFJ members made their live broadcast on June 5, 2020.[1][2] Automobile manufacturing company Toyota announced their cooperation in the series production by providing Toyota LQ as STORAGE's main transport.[14]
After his passing on May 17, Kōta Fukihara's role as the story editor was subsequently taken over by Taguchi, with Tsuburaya Productions and the production staffs of Ultraman Z publishing their tribute in the official sites.[1][2] According to Kohshu Hirano, filming of Ultraman Z was among those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan and went postponed for two months before it was resumed. This happened at some point before the series premiere on June 20.[15]
Main article: List of Ultraman Z episodes |
No. | Title | Writer | Original air date | English air date |
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1 | "Chant My Name!" Transliteration: "Goshōwa Kudasai Ware no Na o!" (Japanese: ご唱和ください 我の名を!) | Kōta Fukihara | June 20, 2020 | April 8, 2023 |
2 | "A Warrior's Principles" Transliteration: "Senshi no Kokoroe" (Japanese: 戦士の心得) | Kōta Fukihara | June 27, 2020 | April 9, 2023 |
3 | "Live Coverage! The Monster Transport Operation" Transliteration: "Nama Chūkei! Kaijū Yusō Dai Sakusen" (Japanese: 生中継!怪獣輸送大作戦) | Kōta Fukihara | July 4, 2020 | April 15, 2023 |
4 | "The Second Robot Activation Plan" Transliteration: "Nigō Robo Kidō Keikaku" (Japanese: 二号ロボ起動計画) | Satoshi Suzuki | July 11, 2020 | April 16, 2023 |
5 | "First Juggling" Transliteration: "Fāsuto Jaguringu" (Japanese: ファースト・ジャグリング) | Takao Nakano | July 18, 2020 | April 22, 2023 |
6 | "The Man Returns!" Transliteration: "Kaettekita Otoko!" (Japanese: 帰ってきた男!) | Sotaro Hayashi | July 25, 2020 | April 23, 2023 |
7 | "His Majesty's Medal" Transliteration: "Heika no Medaru" (Japanese: 陛下のメダル) | Sotaro Hayashi | August 1, 2020 | April 29, 2023 |
8 | "The Mystic Power" Transliteration: "Shinpi no Chikara" (Japanese: 神秘の力) | Yūji Kobayashi | August 8, 2020 | April 30, 2023 |
9 | "The Unidentified Object Convoy Order" Transliteration: "Mikakunin Busshitsu Gosō Shirei" (Japanese: 未確認物質護送指令) | Satoshi Suzuki | August 15, 2020 | May 6, 2023 |
10 | "Here Comes the Space Pirate!" Transliteration: "Uchū Kaizoku Tōjō!" (Japanese: 宇宙海賊登場!) | Takao Nakano | August 22, 2020 | May 7, 2023 |
SP | "Special Airborne Armor Secret File" Transliteration: "Tokkūki Shīkuretto Fairu" (Japanese: 特空機シークレットファイル) | Ryo Ikeda | August 29, 2020 | N/A |
11 | "What Must Be Defended" Transliteration: "Mamoru beki Mono" (Japanese: 守るべきもの) | Kōta Fukihara | September 5, 2020[16] | May 13, 2023 |
12 | "The Cry of Life" Transliteration: "Sakebu Inochi" (Japanese: 叫ぶ命) | Toshizo Nemoto | September 12, 2020 | May 14, 2023 |
13 | "I'll Feast on Medals!" Transliteration: "Medaru Itadakimasu!" (Japanese: メダルいただきます!) | Ryo Ikeda | September 19, 2020 | May 20, 2023 |
14 | "Four-Dimensional Capriccio" Transliteration: "Yojigen Kyōsōkyoku" (Japanese: 四次元狂騒曲) | Kōta Fukihara | September 26, 2020 | May 21, 2023 |
15 | "A Warrior's Duty" Transliteration: "Senshi no Shimei" (Japanese: 戦士の使命) | Kōta Fukihara | October 3, 2020 | May 27, 2023 |
16 | "The Lion's Cry" Transliteration: "Shishi no Koe" (Japanese: 獅子の声) | Yūji Kobayashi | October 10, 2020 | May 28, 2023 |
17 | "Beliarok" Transliteration: "Beriaroku" (Japanese: ベリアロク) | Takao Nakano | October 17, 2020 | June 3, 2023 |
18 | "Rechallenge from the Year 2020" Transliteration: "Nisen-nijū-nen no Sai Chōsen" (Japanese: 2020年の再挑戦) | Jun Tsugita | October 24, 2020 | June 4, 2023 |
19 | "The Last Hero" Transliteration: "Saigo no Yūsha" (Japanese: 最後の勇者) | Toshizo Nemoto | October 31, 2020 | June 10, 2023 |
SP | "Bonds of Masters and Disciples" Transliteration: "Tsunagu Shitei" (Japanese: つなぐ師弟) | Ryo Ikeda | November 7, 2020 | N/A |
20 | "To Care and What Lies Beyond" Transliteration: "Omoi, Sono Saki ni" (Japanese: 想い、その先に) | Yūji Kobayashi | November 14, 2020 | June 11, 2023 |
21 | "D4" | Satoshi Suzuki | November 21, 2020 | June 17, 2023 |
22 | "Individual Tomorrows" Transliteration: "Sorezore no Asu" (Japanese: それぞれの明日) | Sotaro Hayashi | November 28, 2020 | June 18, 2023 |
23 | "Prelude to a Nightmare" Transliteration: "Akumu e no Pureryūdo" (Japanese: 悪夢へのプレリュード) | Kōta Fukihara | December 5, 2020 | June 24, 2023 |
24 | "The Game to Extinction" Transliteration: "Metsubō e no Yūgi" (Japanese: 滅亡への遊戯) | Kōta Fukihara | December 12, 2020 | June 25, 2023 |
25 | "Warriors Shining Beyond" Transliteration: "Haruka ni Kagayaku Senshi-tachi" (Japanese: 遥かに輝く戦士たち) | Kōta Fukihara | December 19, 2020 | July 1, 2023 |
SP | "Re:STORAGE" Transliteration: "Ri Sutoreiji" (Japanese: リ:ストレイジ) | N/A | December 26, 2020 | N/A |
Ultraman Z & Ultraman Zero Voice Drama (ウルトラマンゼット&ウルトラマンゼロ ボイスドラマ, Urutoraman Zetto Ando Urutoraman Zero Boisu Dorama) is a series of 24-episode audio dramas streamed on Tsuburaya Productions' YouTube channel. The series focuses on Ultraman Z's encounter with Ultraman Zero back in the Land of Light.[17]
Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy (ウルトラギャラクシーファイト 大いなる陰謀, Urutora Gyarakushī Faito Ōinaru Inbō) is the second of the Ultra Galaxy Fight miniseries to be made and set to air on YouTube on November 22, 2020. In addition to being a prequel series, the title character of Ultraman Z made his appearance as one of the characters involved.[18][19][20]
Fight! Sevenger (戦え!セブンガー, Tatakae! Sebungā) is a manga spin-off that was serialized in the Televi-Kun magazine from the April 2021 issue to the April 2022 issue. It is written by Kiyotaka Taguchi and illustrated by Tetsuya Kawaishi, the latter having served as a storyboard artist in episodes 12 and 14 of Ultraman Z. It serves as a prequel to the television series, taking place prior to the arrival of Ultraman Z on Earth.[21] The events of the special episode take place during Sevenger's decommit in the television series.[22]
Sevenger Fight (セブンガーファイト, Sebungā Faito) is a 10-episode miniseries based on the low-budget miniseries Ultra Fight, released as a pay-per-view content. The first to seventh episodes are available in Tsuburaya Imagination website while the remaining three episodes would be available in the Ultraman Z Perfect Super Complete Works STORAGE Box (ウルトラマンZ完全超全集ストレイジBOX, Urutoraman Zetto Kanzen Chōzenshū Sutoreiji Bokkusu) in July 2021. All mini episodes are directed and written by Kiyotaka Taguchi and Junichiro Ashiki respectively, while Kohshu Hirano, Rima Matsuda, Hikari Kuroki and Takaya Aoyagi provided the background voices.[24]
Life's Decision Height: The Story of STORAGE's Foundation (擲命のデシジョン・ハイト ―ストレイジ創設物語―, Tekimei no Deshijon Haito Sutoreiji Sōsetsu Monogatari) is a two-part novel spin-off released on Tsuburaya Imagination. It is written and supervised by Keigo Koyanagi and Kiyotaka Taguchi respectively, and serves as a prequel to the television series from GAFJ's perspective.[25]
Ja no Michi wa Hebi (ジャの道は蛇) is a short novel spin-off included in the Ultraman Z Perfect Super Complete Works book. It is written by Takao Nakano and supervised by Kiyotaka Taguchi and Tsuburaya Productions, and serves as a prequel to the television series from Jugglus Juggler's perspective.[26]
Voice cast:[43]
In Hong Kong, this series aired on ViuTV on May 15, 2021. In Philippines, this series aired on GMA on July 24, 2022.
Ultraman Z was ranked sixth place on 2020's "100 Internet Buzzwords" in Japan, held by Nico Nico Pedia and Pixiv Encyclopedia. The physical award was given to director Kiyotaka Taguchi during the award ceremony on December 15, 2020. Shota Hebikura, the alias of Jugglus Juggler in the series was also one of many entries in said award, having ranked 45th place. Taguchi admitted that Ultraman Z being an action-packed series was to originally anticipate the Olympics.[50] On July 21, 2021, Ultraman Z was labelled as the winner of the Best Dramatic Presentation category from the Seiun Award, making the series as the second entry in Ultra Series to obtain the award after Ultraman Tiga in 1998.[51][52]
In addition to television airing, episodes of Ultraman Z were rebroadcast on YouTube for worldwide audience to watch, at Taguchi's suggestion, which also included English subtitles. According to Taguchi's interview in August 2020, the first episode met with good reception from various audience in the worldwide, especially the United States.[11]
Anime mecha designer and former Bandai employee Tsuyoshi Nonaka wrote his commentary in the fortieth Ultra Tokusatsu Perfect Mook, pertaining to Ultraman Z, he applauded Taguchi for the use of robots for defense team, an idea that the former actually brought to Bandai in the 1990s, but was rejected out of fear that the Ultraman would be overshadowed. Nonaka compares Beliarok, the sentient sword that is used by the eponymous Ultraman Z, to the Byakkoshinken from Gosei Sentai Dairanger, but he felt that the sword's introduction into the show is abrupt and sees the interaction of an Ultraman Belial-based character with Ultraman Z and Haruki is unfit. This is because due to Ultraman Belial's interaction with other Ultras would have been Zero and Geed, therefore suggesting that Juggler would be a better candidate due to his frequent run-in with the main characters of the series, as well as sharing a neutrality stance in any conflict being similar to Beliarok as well.[53]