Flashback: Ultraman—Origin of Japan’s Greatest Hero
The Japanese Ultra Series refers to all media featuring the many versions of Ultraman, plus the many Ultra Monsters.
Making his debut in the 1966 Japanese TV series, Ultraman is a giant-sized superhero who fights giant-sized monsters. He was co-created by Eiji Tsuburaya, a Japanese special effects director who worked on 250 movies—including the Godzilla film series. Following Ultraman’s first series, the creators developed a whole list of Ultra characters who appeared in a whole bunch of other series.
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ULTRAMAN: A History of Japan's Greatest Superhero! | TitanGoji Tokusatsu Reviews
Ultra Q
The story of Ultraman actually begins with the show Ultra Q—which had way more in common with series like the X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where humans are investigating all kinds of phenomena, including ghosts, aliens, and giant monsters. Unlike later shows in the Ultra series, the investigators in Ultra Q were not officially part of a monster-hunting organization. The black-and-white series aired in 1966—and two weeks after it ended, was followed by the full-color debut of Ultraman.
Ultraman
For its second series, Ultra Q was redeveloped to become Ultraman, which included the Science Patrol and the enormous visiting alien Ultraman. And they almost exclusively dealt with giant monsters.
When they ended Ultraman after one season, they followed not with his return—but a whole series of other Ultramen from the same planet. The show Ultraman was followed by Ultraseven (1967), Ultraman Ace (1972), Ultraman Taro (1973), Ultraman Leo (1974), Ultraman 80 (1980), Ultraman Tiga (1996), Ultraman Dyna (1997), Ultraman Gaia (1998), and Ultraman Cosmos (2001), among others.
Other Media
The Ultraman franchise has also included movies, foreign adaptations, toys, and comics. While the comics list includes manga, Marvel Comics recently partnered with Tsuburaya Productions to publish new Ultraman comic books.
