Hello and welcome, Ultraman Connection readers! Last week, we examined how Ultra Heroes rediscover the power of light, specifically in the cases of Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Trigger. We’ve also looked into stories of other Dark Ultras or dark powers throughout the Ultraman franchise. This week, however, Ultraman New Generation Stars begins its focus on one particular story involving the most infamous Dark Ultra of them all: Ultraman Belial.
Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial was not the first time this villain had set his sights on conquest – obviously, or it wouldn’t be called the “revenge” – nor is it even the second time. Belial had tried to attack the Land of Light in the M78 Nebula twice before this point, in fact. It wouldn’t be the last time he sought to destroy the other Ultra heroes either, but that would be the subject of another article. This time, we’re going back not just to his initial appearance as a villain, but looking at the origins of Belial as a hero.
Yes, you read that right. At one time, Ultraman Belial was respected as one of the greatest heroes of the Land of Light.
He even fought alongside Ultraman Ken – before he had gained the title of “Father of Ultra” – during a period of time known as the “Ultimate Wars”. The “wars” in question are still only vaguely known, but seem downright horrific when you consider their scale. During this time, some of the darkest forces in the universe tried to destroy the Land of Light, including Alien Empera who would go on to also threaten Earth in his vendetta against the Ultras.
During this war, Empera directed a huge army of Kaiju and other aliens in attacks against the Ultras and their home planet, and during that period of all-out war, Ken and Belial fought alongside each other! This is a time thousands of years before Ultraman first arrived on Earth, mind you, and even before the Inter Galactic Defense Force of the Land of Light had been founded. The Ultras were fighting for their very existence first and foremost, but in the peace that followed, they decided that they would use their strength not for revenge, not to conquer other worlds in the same way, but to protect lives from the same threat of destructive intergalactic war.
That peace would not have been possible without the efforts of Ultra Warriors such as Ken, especially considering his duel against Empera seemed to be the final, fateful moment which drove him away from the planet.
Unfortunately, Belial never saw it that way. During the brief flashbacks we see from his perspective in Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy, Belial engaged in almost gleeful brutality in combat, killing opponents without mercy even after they had surrendered. When Ken accepted the Ultra Blade from Ultrawoman Marie to fight against Empera, you would think that someone who fought alongside Ken as his comrade –even his friend – would have been proud of Ken’s victory, or at least grateful that the war was over. Belial instead experienced only bitter, all-consuming jealousy.
Belial had no place in the Land of Light after the war was over, and found no peace of his own during that time of peace. It’s no surprise that in his quest for power he would eventually seek out the greatest source of power on the Land of Light itself, the Plasma Spark.
Unlike the virtues we associated with Ultra Heroes in the rest of the franchise, it’s clear that Belial embodied a brutal philosophy, even before he was corrupted by Rayblood after failing to gain the power of the Spark. However, the other Ultras from the Land of Light seemed to be unaware of – or even ignored the signs of Belial’s cruelty. Were they so idealistic and naive to not expect Belial’s radical actions? Or were they unable to admit that one of their most highly regarded war heroes could be a threat to their newly formed society?
Like all things in life, I think it’s probably a little bit of both. I also believe that Ken and others from that time still have their own regrets about these events. I’m reminded of a scene in one of the final episodes of Ultraman Geed, where the Father of Ultra arrives on Earth to face Belial in his “Atrocious” fusion form. He doesn’t try to kill his old friend and comrade though. Instead, his duel was intended to buy enough time for Belial to face his son, Ultraman Geed, one last time.
Ultimately, I think that’s the biggest difference between these two warriors. When Ken was forced to acknowledge his mistakes and failings, he went on to lead the Intergalactic Defense Force to inspire generations of heroes throughout their own universe and others. When Belial was confronted with his mistakes, however, he only tried to double down, to seize more power beyond his grasp, and to put himself in violent opposition against the rest of the universe to achieve those goals. It was true hundreds of thousands of years ago, and is still true with each vendetta detailed in movies such as Revenge of Belial – and beyond.
