Hello and welcome, Ultraman Connection readers! Over the past several weeks, we’ve examined many of the heroes of the Ultraman franchise, learned about their origins, their struggles, and the friends they’ve made along the way. But once an Ultraman series ends, what happens next? Many times, we don’t return to that particular version of Earth – or at least, not until the movie takes place. However, there are some versions of Earth which have had more than one Ultra Hero taking up the role as its defender. In this article, we’ll take a look at these legacies of planetary protectors across multiple different series.
The first – and most famous– example would be the Earth from the classic Ultraman series in 1966. Although it would be more appropriate to say this legacy actually starts in Ultra Q, the events of Ultraman reference it so we know that this Earth and its inhabitants are already no stranger to Kaiju or alien appearances. Ultraman himself, fighting alongside Shin Hayata and the rest of the SSSP, helps to guard the planet from even more dire threats throughout the series.
And then, just as abruptly, leaves.
The next Ultra hero to appear, Ultraseven, doesn’t arrive on Earth to replace Ultraman’s job though. In fact, we never learn what brought Ultraseven, under the alias of “Dan Moroboshi”, to arrive on the planet in the first place. Much like the original Ultraman, it almost seems like a cosmic-scale coincidence for him to appear right when the planet most needs a protector. Regardless of why Seven happened to be on Earth at this time, he throws himself into the role as an Ultra hero with everything he has at his disposal: his strength, his wits and his mettle, and most importantly, his Capsule Monsters.
I hardly need to recount all the exploits of Ultraman and Ultraseven here, you can go watch those shows for yourself if you’re curious! I do think it is important to note one other similarity between the two: they both arrive on Earth seemingly by accident, and fight alone, without the help of other Ultra heroes from the Land of Light. Maybe that’s the reason why their respective roles as Earths’ protector eventually requires them to sacrifice their lives in their respective finales.
Unlike Ultraman and Ultraseven, the planet’s next protector was sent to Earth specifically for this purpose. Ultraman Jack (although he wasn’t known as “Jack” at this point) arrives with an official mission to protect it from Kaiju or alien threats. Also taking a cue from his predecessors, Jack finds a young man, Hideki Go, who shows enough recklessly admirable strength to impress him, and decides to share his power with him.
By this point, the role of “Ultraman” is established not as a policeman doing rounds on a patrol, but a heroic figure who truly lives and fights alongside the humans who inhabit Earth. The idea that Jack was chosen for such a role must surely speak highly to the respect he had within the Inter Galactic Defense Force of the Land of Light, if they trusted him with this responsibility.
And the Land of Light doesn’t just leave Ultraman Jack to his mission with no support, both Ultraman and Ultraseven appear multiple times throughout the show to help him through some truly dire situations. The camaraderie they show together in Return of Ultraman lays the groundwork for the “Ultra Brothers”, the heroes who all have shared the responsibility for protecting the Earth at one time or another.
As you probably know, this group would later go on to include Ultraman Ace and Ultraman Taro. While they may struggle a bit with living up to the legacy at times, they also were chosen for this mission to protect the Earth, and fight as hard as their predecessors to defend the planet their fellow brothers hold so dearly.
But what happens when one of the planet’s protectors fails in that mission? Before the events of Ultraman Leo, Ultraseven must have returned to the Earth to fight for it once again. He doesn’t just fight as Ultraseven however, he also rejoins the defense team as Dan Moroboshi! Honestly, that’s an even more impressive feat considering that the finale of Ultraseven ends with him presumed dead after fighting Pandon. The amount of paperwork he would’ve had to fill out upon returning to the defense team must have been an almost greater ordeal.
On a more serious note, the events of Ultraman Leo cast this role as the Earth’s protector in a much darker light. Like Seven’s own original tenure, Ultraman Leo – Gen Otori – is on the planet by complete accident, and now doesn’t even have the benefit of back-up from the Land of Light. Seven can’t even fight alongside him after having his leg mauled in the first episode!
Even in these darker, desperate situations though, there is never the thought of giving up, or abandoning the planet. Even when the threats seem to be impossible to overcome, even when things seem truly hopeless – even when the Ultra Brothers themselves are turned against Ultraman Leo – there is no question about his duty at the end of the day. Both Leo and Seven take that responsibility deadly seriously, and still choose to protect the Earth the same as always.
Later on, Ultra heroes such as 80 and Mebius would arrive on official missions to prevent specific threats against the planet once again. But I feel like Leo’s legacy really embodies how deeply the Ultras of the Land of Light care about the Earth and the lives on it, and how willing they are to give their own lives in return to protect it. And by the end of Ultraman Mebius, humanity itself seems to take up that role as the Earth’s protector. This isn’t to say that they no longer need or care for Ultraman to fight for them, but that they are willing and able to stand up alongside these heroes as equals.
It’s a pretty definitive way to bring the legacy of the first Ultraman and defense team to a close for this version of Earth, but what about some of the legacies in other parts of the Ultra universe? There are seemingly an infinite number of Earths throughout the franchise, but on a few of them we’ve seen how the role of Ultraman plays out across multiple successors to the title.
The “Neo Frontier” setting of Ultraman includes both Ultraman Tiga and Dyna, and each show takes place on the same version of Earth. Even though both of these series represent the dawn of a new age of scientific discovery and exploration for humanity, Ultraman Tiga himself represents a power from a very ancient past.
An ancient, dark past as we discover later on.
The person who carries the power of Tiga in the present, Daigo Madoka, often questions his role as Ultraman, why he was chosen, and if he is truly strong enough to serve this role as the Earth’s protector. There are no other Ultra Brothers for him to team up with, and the only other examples of the “Giants of Light” that he could follow are… well, less than heroic ones. Apart from his comrades in the defense team, Daigo is on his own in this role.
Perhaps it’s this reason, however, that he is able to truly embody the light of Ultraman without being beholden to the ancient past. Through his own battles, and with the help of his friends, Ultraman Tiga establishes the role of Ultraman as not just a figure who protects the Earth, but a power that represents the true potential of all lives on the planet as well.
To say that Shin Asuka inherited this light as Ultraman Dyna would be incorrect. Misleading, at the bare minimum. But just like his predecessor, Asuka struggled mightily with his own sense of inadequacy, and his own doubts about his new responsibility. Ultimately the “why” never matters as much as the “what” when it comes to the Ultra heroes of the Neo Frontier universe – as in, what are you going to do with the power of Ultraman once you have it?
In many ways, Ultraman Trigger and Decker follow this legacy as well, even though their version of Earth is different from the Neo Frontier itself. Kengo Manaka and Kanata Asumi both had to choose for themselves how to use their power in hopeless situations. Their actions defined what Ultraman is in this universe, more than their powers’ origins or any “official” legacy which preceded them.
I think this is the biggest difference between these different parts of the universe. The role of Ultraman – particularly the role of protecting the Earth – in the “classic” M78 universe is one that is clearly defined, highly respected, and a source of immense pride for those chosen to follow its guiding principles. There aren’t any specific principles, no Ultra Oaths for the Neo Frontier Ultra heroes to follow. The challenges they face are more about how they choose to define the role, and how deeply they commit their lives to defending the lives of this planet Earth despite all odds being stacked against them.
Okay.… So maybe they aren’t so different after all.
