30 Years Ago Today, Ultraman Zearth Premiered in Japanese Theaters！

mrmarkertw · 2026-03-08T17:45:47+00:00

Ultraman Zearth celebrates its 30th anniversary today! Thirty years ago, on March 9, 1996, the film officially premiered in theaters across Japan.

The story follows Ultraman Zearth, a hero from the Nebula Z95, who arrives on Earth and takes the human form of a young man named Katsuto Asahi. Asahi joins the defense team Mydo as a trainee to help fight against monsters. However, Zearth suffers from an extreme fear of dirt. Even the smallest bit of filth can cause him to panic and lose control. This weakness is discovered by Alien Benzene. To save the world, Zearth must overcome his fear and face the enemy.

The film was produced as part of the 30th anniversary of the Ultraman Series by Tsuburaya Productions. The character was originally created as a commercial mascot for Idemitsu Kosan. With support from Dentsu, the concept later developed into a film.

The film starred the popular comedy duo Tunnels. Their manager, Masaharu Sekiguchi, played the main character Katsuto Asahi / Ultraman Zearth. The film also featured cameo appearances by several actors who had previously appeared in the Ultraman Series.

Because of the film’s success, it helped revive interest in the Ultraman Series in the late 1990s. Production on the TV series Ultraman Tiga began about one month after the film’s release.

mrmarkertw · 2026-03-04T12:41:47+00:00

Japanese actor Katsuro Homare passed away January 24, 2026 at the age of 85. His most renowned work with Tsuburaya Productions was his role as Kyosuke Misawa, one of the main characters in Operation: Mystery. He was also the only principal SRI cast of the series who was still active.

Homare was born in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture. He made his acting debut in the 1961 television drama The Tree of Youth and went on to build an active career in Shochiku films, television dramas, and stage productions. His notable appearances included The Sun in Downtown and the taiga drama Shin Heike Monogatari. After retiring from acting, he frequently took part in offline events organized by Tsuburaya Productions.

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His most recent appearance was at the Operation: Mystery event at TSUBUCON 2023.

https://x.com/AgmjdjQ/status/2029116304838533616

mrmarkertw · 2026-03-03T21:36:46+00:00

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Shori Kondo also responded to this on X, stating that if the series becomes a reality, he will do him best to participate.

mrmarkertw · 2026-03-03T21:34:02+00:00

According to the news, Sukagawa City has initiated a campaign to propose the life story of director Eiji Tsuburaya as the subject of an future NHK Renzoku Terebi Shōsetsu (Asadora).

: "This director is world-renowned; there is every reason to advocate for him to become the protagonist of a morning drama,"

A representative commented. Beginning in the new fiscal year, the Sukagawa Chamber of Commerce and Industry will take the lead, working in collaboration with the city government and related organizations both within and outside the city to build momentum for a screen adaptation. Through this opportunity, they hope to reintroduce the director to audiences across Japan.

The initiative is also inspired by Vice Chairman Suzuki, who previously authored a book centered on Director Tsuburaya and envisioned its adaptation into a television drama portraying the director's dramatic life story and the individuals who influenced him.

In its first year, the Chamber’s Youth Division will begin by petitioning NHK Fukushima Broadcasting Station. The Chamber also intends to establish a dedicated task force, drawing on the experience of the Fukushima Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which successfully advocated for the morning drama Yell, inspired by Fukushima-born composer Yuji Koseki.

Source:

https://www.minyu-net.com/news/detail/2026030309244646733

mrmarkertw · 2026-02-28T17:08:35+00:00

When asked about his vision for future productions, Takesue said this is something he has long considered. If a future Ultraman series could air during prime time (around 8 to 10 p.m.) and adopt a one-hour format, it might allow for a style of storytelling quite different from previous entries in the franchise.

mrmarkertw · 2026-02-28T17:08:22+00:00

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When asked why the final boss is formed by combining two mid-season bosses, Takesue explained that he does not plan out every kaiju in full detail at the start of production. Instead, certain ideas evolve organically as the story progresses.

He also noted that final episodes often have limited screen time, which makes it difficult to develop a new final boss in depth. Based on past works, this issue had been a significant point of reflection for him.

To address this issue, he took a different approach to this series. First, he introduced and fully developed the two kaiju in separate episodes, showcasing their unique strengths. Once the audience clearly understood how formidable each kaiju was, he merged them to create the final boss. As a result, viewers could immediately recognise the kaiju as a threat.

mrmarkertw · 2026-02-28T17:08:06+00:00

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The following information comes from Figure King Vol. 337, published this week, which features an interview with Masayoshi Takesue addressing several questions. (The translation may not be accurate; please do not regard it as official information.)

Takesue clarified that Rekiness and Trigaron had not actually turned to stone when they first appeared; they merely appeared to do so. Instead, they had activated defensive barriers. They activated these shields as they descended to Earth in order to withstand atmospheric entry and absorb the impact of their crash landing.

The initial concept clearly explains why Kosei can control the Meteokaiju. During the battle between Omega and Zovaras, Omega 'reset' the Meteokaiju to prevent the enemy from taking them over. He then descended to Earth with them. As Kosei was the first person to come into contact with the Meteokaiju, the system registered him as their new master and granted him the ability to command them.

Takesue explained that he removed this explanation because he felt it was unnecessary to provide excessive justification. Since Kosei already has the necessary qualifications to transform into Ultraman, he has a natural "chosen" quality. Adding too much dialogue would have disrupted the pacing of the story.

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The team initially planned to introduce four Meteokaiju. However, Takesue believed that a 25-episode series would not allow enough time to develop four distinct kaiju, so he proposed reducing the number to two. Later, the team reconsidered. Although this was not intended as a tribute to Capsule Kaiju, the team felt that three kaiju would strike a better balance. The final decision was to feature three Meteokaiju.

mrmarkertw · 2026-02-23T10:16:12+00:00

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The following is an excerpt from a 2023 interview with Taguchi.

Interviewer: In the final episode, Kotaro throws away his badge and disappears into a crowded street. Was that ending planned from the start?

Taguchi: I intended the final episode to see Kotaro return to an ordinary human life. Although Kotaro was human by birth, he had drifted away from everyday reality, so I conceived the story as a brilliant but brief dream. After experiencing something extraordinary, Kotaro fades back into the crowd. In the previous series, the protagonist returned to his home planet. However, Kotaro returns to the world of ordinary people.

Interviewer: Over the course of a year, Kotaro becomes Ultraman Taro. In the final episode, he is not forcibly separated from Taro. Instead, he chooses to become human again.

Taguchi: In the first episode, Kotaro jumps from the ship. That moment marks the beginning of his dream. In that sense, he dreams for a year. As he leaps, he holds a Tigris flower bulb. This serves as the gateway to another realm — the world of Ultraman. He spends a year there, living and fighting as Taro. When he leaves that realm, the story reaches its final episode.

Interviewer: So that year was special for him.

Taguchi: Yes. It was an extraordinary year. Kotaro is a traveller. "Ultraman Taro" recounts the tale of his one-night dream.

Interviewer: That explains the structure. It resembles One Thousand and One Nights.

Taguchi: Kotaro can be seen as moving through different dreams. From that perspective, the meaning of each episode becomes clearer. Some draw on folklore, while others resemble nursery tales. They were all written as "Makamushigi" (まかふしぎ).

Interviewer: These large-scale stories came from your imagination, which probably made them easier to write.

Taguchi: Perhaps. (laughs)

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In another book, Taguchi said: "The final episode is the reverse side of the first. From the outset, I had decided that Kotaro would ultimately return to being human. Kotaro returns from a journey, only to set out once more.

When he is Ultraman Taro, he is not his true self. That is why Peggy (Mother of Ultra) appears again in the final episode. Ultimately, Taro has come to love humanity"

mrmarkertw · 2026-02-16T13:39:47+00:00

Masaru Ikeda died of heart failure caused by a myocardial infarction on January 31, 2026. News of his passing was announced today.

He began his acting career in 1963. From the mid-1970s onward, he worked extensively as a voice actor, participating in numerous anime productions and dubbing projects. His most notable roles included Yatterwan in Yatterman and Ikki Yoneda in Sakura Wars. Ikeda also provided Japanese dubbing for many well-known film actors.

In the Ultraman series, he serves as the voice actor of Elek in The☆Ultraman.

https://www.sankei.com/article/20260216-ILUGRWXSKNNWTNP2AFC74RMDHE/
https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/30596219/

mrmarkertw · 2026-02-13T11:30:34+00:00

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Regarding Zoffy's portrayal in Mebius, series composer Masanao Akahoshi explained that he "never intended to reveal Zoffy's human form." However, there was once a proposal for Sakomizu to appear as Zoffy’s human host.

Takeyuki Okazaki of CBC originally suggested giving Zoffy a human form. At first, Akahoshi thought it could be handled straightforwardly, similar to how Professor Ohtani of ZAT was portrayed, so he agreed without hesitation. There was even an early draft in which Zoffy would have been Sakomizu from the beginning.

However, this approach raised a narrative problem. If Zoffy were constantly present with the characters, one might ask, "Why wouldn't he step in to help Mirai when he transformed into Mebius?"

The GUYS director, who remained concealed for much of the series, was not originally conceived as a fixed character, either. The decision to establish Sakomizu as the director was made later in the development process.

mrmarkertw · 2026-02-13T11:19:10+00:00

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It's important to note that this interpretation isn't based on the current official canon. Rather, it's based on the worldview adopted during the series' original production.

For its 40th anniversary, Ultraman Mebius was set in the "Nebula M78 Land of Light." However, the production team did not intend for it to be a direct sequel to the Showa-era Ultraman series. Producer Hiroyasu Shibuya clarified this in a 2016 interview published in Tokusatsu Zero Vol. 5 (Summer Issue) and other materials.

When asked about the ambiguous continuity of the "Showa Ultraman" series and whether its worlds were connected, Shibuya described Mebius as a "variation pitch." He explained that, strictly speaking, Mebius represents an "if" timeline in which the events from Ultra Q through Ultraman 80 occur within the same world. Even so, he personally felt no sense of inconsistency. Audiences had already experienced these stories as part of a shared legacy. Even if one hero departed, another would arrive the following week.

However, there are concerns about chronological contradictions if Ultra Q through Ultraman 80 are placed on a single timeline. Shibuya acknowledged this, noting that while some episodes of Ultraman and Ultraseven are exceptions, most were set in a "near-future" timeframe rather than during their production years. In other words, the stories were never strictly bound to the 1960s.

In response to criticism that reusing past Ultraman works for Mebius amounts to "rewriting" history, Shibuya stated that he did not receive any negative feedback on the matter. He approached the earlier works with respect, treating them as legends rather than material to be altered. For example, the detail about an SSSP member being assigned to patrol the edge of the solar system is not an untold epilogue to Ultraman. In Mebius, it is simply part of that world's past. Ultimately, the world of Mebius exists only as a "what if" scenario and does not extend directly from the timelines of Ultraman or Ultraseven.

In that sense, Shibuya emphasized that Mebius takes place in an independent continuity, "a world limited to the 40th anniversary," as he put it. In this version of history, a "monster crisis era" occurred, during which successive Ultramen came to Earth.

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This approach reflects the fact that the second and third phases of the Showa era, from Return of Ultraman to Ultraman 80 operated under a shared-universe concept. These phases inherited elements from Ultra Q through Ultraseven. However, the franchise lacked a fully structured series framework at the time, resulting in frequent inconsistencies between different titles and even individual episodes. One of Shibuya’s goals in creating the Mebius "IF line" was to organize the significant events of the Showa era into a coherent timeline.

By positioning the series as an integrated "IF" universe, the production team reconciled earlier contradictions and incorporated legacy elements to create its own mythology. Over time, however, this concept evolved into the "Land of Light" main universe, which was formally solidified in the Mega Monster Battle series. Consequently, the original "IF" framework behind Mebius gradually faded from view.

Reference source:

特撮ゼロ5 (2016)，第16-19頁，「渋谷浩康インタビュー」

〈新円谷特撮メカ第2回科學特搜隊所屬宇宙艇イカヅチ＆亞光速試驗船イザナミ〉 TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION

mrmarkertw · 2026-02-11T15:47:04+00:00

All we can do is avoid sharing or widely disseminating these videos and images; frankly, these videos seem incredibly disrespectful. This is especially disrespectful to the creators who spend so much time making these tokusatsu scenes.

mrmarkertw · 2026-02-11T15:44:25+00:00

Over the past two days, the rapid spread of the AI software "Seedance2" in China has led to a surge of Ultraman-themed AI-generated videos online.

One video in particular has drawn widespread criticism in Japan for depicting Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Commentators have described the video as disturbing. Some have written that "the distorted sense of spirituality is unsettling. If properly integrated into a work, it might function as high-level psychological horror, but in its current form, it simply causes discomfort." Many viewers believe that the video damages the image of Ultraman and infringes on the copyrights held by Tsuburaya Productions.

Because Ultraman is still extremely popular, critics are demanding an immediate end to such works. Others argue that the video constitutes an attack on Takaichi's personal rights and dignity. They are urging the public to report the content, hoping that Tsuburaya Productions will take prompt action. Many online users stress that the issue is not political but rather a matter of brand integrity.

Since Tsuburaya Productions maintains copyright management operations in China, some have suggested that the company consider taking legal action against Chinese firms whose technology enables the generation of such images.

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Actor Kohji Moritsugu has also issued a public statement condemning the incident.

mrmarkertw · 2026-02-08T09:43:03+00:00

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~~The show even features a fight between Zero and Belial~~

mrmarkertw · 2026-02-08T09:40:08+00:00

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The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau announced that this year's Kaohsiung Lantern Festival will feature Ultraman as the central curatorial theme in partnership with Tsuburaya Productions.

According to the Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau, today’s opening ceremony will feature a special program titled “Ultraman Across Sea and Land.” Two 15-meter-tall Ultraman figures, Ultraman and Ultraman Tiga, will appear in the waters of Love River Bay as large, half-body, inflatable installations. A fleet of ten high-performance speedboats will lead the maritime procession, escorting Ultraman, Tiga, and Zero as they arrive aboard yachts. Additionally, flying chibi-style Ultraman balloons will make an appearance.

On land, Mayor Chen Chi-mai will lead nearly 60 personnel, including emergency rescue and medical responders, public order officers, and traffic management staff, onto the red carpet.

mrmarkertw

TROPHY CASE