Hello and welcome, Ultraman Connection readers! We’re continuing our look at the various parts of the Ultraman universe, its history, its worlds, and its diverse cast of heroes and villains. Previously, we examined the scientific creations of Ultraman Hikari, and how those pieces of technology have served both good and evil purposes at different times. Our subject this week also follows closely along with that concept – illustrating the fact that power is defined by the ways in which it is used.
It’s not too often that a sword asks its wielder that question though. But that’s the unique part about the weapon called “Beliarok”.
The circumstances which gave rise to Beliarok are just as bizarre as the very concept of a talking miniature Belial head on a blade. During the events of Ultraman Z, in between the kaiju incursions and alien invasions, Earth found itself targeted by the horrifically twisted aberration in space-time we know as Greeza. It originally served as the “final boss” of Ultraman X, but was overcome by the strength of bonds between Daichi Ozora, Ultraman X, and the various kaiju Spark Dolls that Greeza sought to absorb power from.
Greeza doesn’t arrive on this version of Earth seeking Spark Dolls, however. It targets Ultraman Geed, Riku Asakura, absorbs him into its void, and almost annihilates him in the most gruesome way possible. Desperate to save their fellow Ultraman comrade, Ultraman Z lands on the only possible solution, the only source of power strong enough to literally rip through an abyss. Z decides they need a fusion of Ultra Medals which includes the most powerful individuals he can think of: Ultraman Geed himself, his mentor, Ultraman Zero, but also their nemesis, Ultraman Belial.
And somehow, it works!
The form Ultraman Z uses when wielding Beliarok, “Delta Rise Claw”, always struck me as interesting because it seemed at odds with itself. The suit for this form is golden, brightly colored with red and blue, and represents what you would expect from a significantly powerful heroic combination of medals. But Beliarok is, well, based on Belial’s appearance! It’s wickedly curved, black and purple in color. It doesn’t match with Ultraman Z’s appearance… and that’s the point.
Beliarok is a sharp reminder that the power of violence used to overcome enemies is still violence. To fight and destroy another life is a tragedy that Ultraman Z and Haruki must wrestle with every time they are forced to undertake that violence, even if it is for heroic intentions. A large portion of the series leans into this edge, and okay, fine I’ll stop with sword puns.
During Ultraman Z, other characters seek Beliarok’s power and try to claim it for themselves. Just like when it was first created, it asks each would-be-wielder one question, “Once you take hold of me, what will you do?” But Beliarok isn’t gauging whether its bearer’s intentions are satisfactorily noble – or ignobly vicious. It’s rather neutral on that question. It refuses other characters’ answers only because they are conflicted and noncommittal. Violence is an easy solution for them, and it seems that they don’t understand the gravity of their course of action.
That’s not the case for Ultraman Z and Haruki, however. Both of them are very aware of the consequences of their fights, the collateral damage and sacrifices involved have often landed personally for them before this point in the show. Even if Beliarok gets passed around a bit, it always seems to come back to them because of how gravely serious they treat their duty as an Ultraman hero, the sole purpose for which they wield the sword.
Later on in Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad, yet another character tries to usurp Beliarok’s power and become the bearer of the now-infamous blade. Shockingly, it’s Ultraman Belial himself, or at least an “Alternate Isotope” version. The strength of his conviction to carve out a new destiny for himself was enough to woo the self-same sword over to his side.
Thankfully, only for a short period of time. Despite many defeats and setbacks, Ultraman Z still fights this alternate version of Belial with the same conviction as before, using all the power he has for the purpose – surprisingly – of ending the fight definitively. Reasserting this fact also happens to give him one of the sickest looking upgrade forms in the New Generation Ultraman shows, which is an extra bonus.
It’s still unknown where Ultraman Z and Beliarok go from here. Ultraman Z has claimed the sword’s power multiple times through his sheer strength of determination of wielding such a dark, destructive power against dark destructive powers, in the hope of paradoxically destroying the need for such power in the future. Maybe for this reason, more than anything else, the phrase “power beyond logic” is a fitting description for this weapon.
