NEWS Apr 20, 2023

New TV Series ULTRAMAN BLAZAR Starts from July 8th Worldwide!

As of April 21st 7 AM (JST), it has announced that the new Ultraman television series Ultraman Blazar will be available from July 8th, 2023, on TV Tokyo Network for 6 stations in Japan. The series is scheduled to be simultaneously broadcasted in major Asian regions and an English dubbed version will be available online.

The new television series Ultraman Blazar features a new hero, Ultraman Blazar, and Gento Hiruma. Ultraman Blazar is a hero with a great sense of justice hailing from "M421,” an extragalactic astronomical object far from Earth. The main protagonist, Gento Hiruma, is the captain of the Special Kaiju Reaction Detachment (SKaRD), established by the Global Guardian Force (GGF) in a world where kaiju disasters are a common practice. When their strong desire for the power to save human lives resonates, the two unite. This show portrays the captain, who can transform into Ultraman, and the heartwarming human drama that unfolds at the GGF, while depicting it using the science fiction touch unique to the Ultraman series.

The theme of this series is "communication.” Communication between human and Ultraman, humanity and kaiju/aliens, the warriors on the battlefield and the commanders in the office, parent and child... How important is communication to overcome conflicts that arise from differences in views and standpoints to be able to cooperate with each other? This is a heartwarming human drama that showcases the characters as they face various hardships that could easily occur in real life, within the world of the fun and entertaining Ultraman.

One of the biggest features of this series is that the main character, Gento Hiruma, who transforms into Ultraman, is the captain of the defense team. This is an unprecedented setting in the 50-year long history of the Ultraman series. Captain Gento Hiruma is the leader of SKaRD, and while struggling as a middle manager from the pressures from his superiors and the members of his team, he fights against the attacks from kaijus and aliens. Tomoya Warabino, a popular actor who made his acting debut in 2007 and is well-known to fans of hero shows, plays the protagonist for this series. Warabino, acclaimed for his ability to play serious roles while also adding humor, will depict this main character, who also has a wife and child for the first time in the TV series. Gento Hiruma transforms into Ultraman Blazar using the Blazar Stone, a crystal infused with the power of light, and the Blazar Brace.

The lead director is Kiyotaka Taguchi, who has been directing the series since Ultraman Z. Director Kiyotaka Taguchi will also be in charge of the story composition along with Keigo Koyanagi, who had worked on Ultraman Z as a military advisor and was also the scriptwriter for Ultraman Trigger and this series.

Please look forward to the new series, Ultraman Blazar, which marks the 10th anniversary of the New Generation Ultraman series. This series explores a completely different style from the previous series under the direction of Kiyotaka Taguchi.

Trailer Available on YouTube

The first trailer that gives you a glimpse into the world of Ultraman Blazar is now available on the official YouTube page.

Special Interview Available

A special interview with Tomoya Warabino, the lead actor, and Kiyotaka Taguchi, the lead director, is now available on the official YouTube channel.

*Japanese Only

Synopsis

Established in 1966 by nations all around the world in response to the worldwide outbreak of kaiju disasters, the Global Guardian Force (GGF) deals with kaiju and extraterrestrial life forms’ attacks on Earth.

Today, Earth sees continued destruction of nature and rapid rise in global warming. One night, a space crustacean kaiju, Bazanga appears. The GGF's cleanup operation is unsuccessful, and the special forces led by Gento Hiruma find themselves in a desperate situation. This is when a mysterious giant emerges from light. It is the unidentified humanoid alien that has been rumored among astronauts for decades, code-named "Ultraman".

Later, Gento is summoned to the command center, where he is officially appointed as the commander of SKaRD, short for Special Kaiju Reaction Detachment, a team that had been secretly formed. He is to lead a special unit that pilots a giant kaiju-type robot artillery, Earth Garon, to respond with kaiju disasters. While Gento is ordered to investigate the Ultraman from the Battle of Bazanga, to determine whether it is a threat that needs to be eliminated or not, he has a flashback of a faraway galaxy—a shred of memory of a blazar.

“I'll go.”

Captain Gento, shrouded by Ultraman Blazar’s light, with the unique members of the newly organized SKaRD, throws themselves into battles against the kaiju with dauntless courage and an unwavering sense of justice!

New Hero: Ultraman Blazar

A new Ultraman that Gento Hiruma transforms into. He is a Giant of Light that came from M421, a blazar far away from Earth.

When Gento strongly desires power for the sake of justice, the transformation item, Blazar Brace, appears on his left arm. While strongly imbuing his wishes into the crystal Blazar Stone, which holds the power of light, he then loads it into the Blazar Brace and transforms into Ultraman Blazar.

Height: 47 meters Weight: 42,000 tons.

His special move is the Spiral Burrade, a projectile beam attack in the form of a double-helical spear made from light that he

thrusts.

Type 23 Special Tactical Armored Kaiju: Earth Garon

SKaRD’s main weapon, an enormous counter-Kaiju robot. It is a bipedal kaiju type that can also be used in melee combat mode.

Its official name is Type 23 Special Tactical Armored Kaiju.

It is equipped with Earth Fire, a charged particle cannon that shoots from its mouth, Earth Guns on each hand, and a Tail VLS on its tail that fires missiles vertically.

Height: 50 meters Weight: 25,000 tons

Main Character: Gento Hiruma

The main character of the series, who transforms into Ultraman Blazar to fight kaiju. 30 years old.

He is the captain of SKaRD and is married to a woman of his age, and they have a 7 year-old son.

He originally led a small elite special unit in the GGF, but shortly after Ultraman Blazar first appeared on Earth in a battle against the space crustacean kaiju Bazanga, he was inaugurated as the captain of SKaRD. At the time of his appointment SKaRD’s existence was still unknown. He forms a team together with members he has yet to meet.

He has a tendency to say, “I’ll go”.

Human and Ultraman, mankind and kaijus/aliens, subordinates and superiors, family and work.... As he struggles with various relationships, he stands up against the kaiju with his courage and strong sense of justice.

Main Cast: Tomoya Warabino

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Born on August 4, 1987 (age 35) in Miyazaki, Japan. Height 187 cm.

Affiliated to A-Team.

After making his acting debut in a popular TV drama in 2007, he has appeared in a succession of TV shows and movies and is active in a variety of fields. He is well-known among fans of hero movies and is also popular for his hero-transforming roles. True to his word of being a family man, he is active in his hometown, Miyazaki, serving as the "Miyazaki Ambassador" for the prefecture and "Miyakonojo Ambassador" for the city of Miyakonojo. Because he is so stoic on set, Director Taguchi has said, "I sometimes don't know whether I am talking to Gento or Warabino.”

<Comment>

Ultraman. A character that continues to be loved all over the world to this day.

When I was a child, I used to wear my red and white gymnastic cap and fold it in the middle, to do impressions in the mountains on the way to and from school. At the time, the mysterious and overwhelming strength of Ultraman was what remained in my head, and I may have felt that someday I wanted to become a person that could protect someone important to me as well.

A few decades have passed since then. I myself got married, and at a timing that seemed like fate, the opportunity of being Ultraman Blazar came to me. Now that I have become an adult, I want to give back to the memories I used to have when I was young.

The power to protect your loved ones.

I want children to think "that one day" and adults to feel "what they can do now".

Please look forward to Ultraman Blazar, which is unlike anything before and will surely remain in everyone's hearts.

Lead Director/Story Composer: Kiyotaka Taguchi

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Born on May 7, 1980 (age 42) in Hokkaido.

Ever since he watched Ultra Q and Ultraman as a child, he has loved tokusatsu and kaiju films. Even before moving to Tokyo, he had made independent films on his own. After moving to Tokyo, he entered Nikkatsu Academy of Arts, where he studied film. Among his classmates were Director Masanobu Takesue. While studying, he helped in numerous films, and built his career as a film director while working also as a VFX creator. He is close friends with directors, Mamoru Oshii and Shinji Higuchi. He first participated in the Ultraman series as an assistant director for Ultraman Cosmos in 2001, and since then he has been involved in various productions including lead directing Ultraman X, Ultraman Orb, and Ultraman Z. Since the New Generation Ultraman series, he has been an integral part of Tsuburaya Productions' works. He is a prolific film director with an exceptional skill set and outstanding ideas, and utilizes his extensive experience in the industry. He is also in charge of the story composer for this series.

<Comment>

It is my first time back as the main director and story composer since Ultraman Z. Together with the staff and cast, we aimed for realistic science fiction, from the worldview to the story and even up to the character settings.

Having been a director for the Ultraman series for 10 years, I poured in all the accumulated experience I had. It's a new Ultraman that has never been seen before, but it's also a classic and traditional one.

Anyway, please watch the first episode. You'll understand what I mean.

Story Composer/Screenwriter: Keigo Koyanagi

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Born on September 25, 1983 (age 39) in Toyama Prefecture.

In 2006, Keigo Koyanagi joined an animation production company and worked on production management and setting creation. In 2011, he left the company and became a freelance screenwriter. Since then, he has worked on the scripts for many animation works. In 2016, Keigo Koyanagi took on the first story composition and script for an original robot anime that was broadcasted. After that, he served as the story composer along as the scriptwriter for popular anime works with themes such as vampire legends, werewolf legends, and heroes in fantasy worlds. In recent years, he has been in charge of military research in various works, contributing to enhancing the entertainment value of works through military depictions. Keigo Koyanagi participated in the Ultraman series for the first time as a military adviser in Ultraman Z and worked as a scriptwriter for Ultraman Trigger. In this work, he serves as the main screenwriter and co-story composer with Kiyotaka Taguchi.

<Comment>

A few years ago, Director Taguchi showed me an illustration of King Joe STORAGE Custom and asked me, "If you were to name each part of this, what would you suggest?" And that's how it all began.

When I was in junior high school, I rented the VHS of Ultraman Taro from a video rental store and watched it. My parents said, "Why are you still watching something like that at your age?" and I stopped watching it for a while. But now, I want to say to my younger self and to my parents, "You will work on Ultraman in the future, so watch and let him watch it more!"

I hope that everyone can feel the same excitement and thrill I felt back then in the new series. Thank you very much.

Simultaneous Broadcast/Release of Dubbed Versions Around the Globe

For the first time ever in the series, an English dubbed version of Ultraman Blazar is scheduled to be released online simultaneously with the Japanese version. The series is scheduled to be simultaneously broadcasted* in six major Asian regions (mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia) and dubbed in the local languages.

Fans around the world can share their excitement with Japan at the same time.

(*China will air the series via online. /* "Simultaneous broadcast" refers to the release of the program within approximately one week of its broadcast in Japan.)