Ultraman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ultra Series |
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Official logo
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| Creator |
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| Original work | Ultra Q (1966) |
| Owner | Tsuburaya Productions |
| Print publications | |
| Books | List of books |
| Films and television | |
| Films | List of films |
The Ultra Series (also known as Ultraman) is a famous Japanese science fiction story. It started with a TV show called Ultra Q in 1966. This series is owned by Tsuburaya Productions.
Over the years, Ultraman has grown a lot. It includes many TV shows, movies, comic books, and other cool stuff. It's one of the biggest examples of Japanese tokusatsu (special effects shows) and kaiju (monster) stories. It even helped create a new type of hero called the Kyodai Hero, which means "Giant Hero."
The Ultraman stories are about alien superheroes. They often fight against giant monsters (kaiju) or other aliens. Ultraman is super popular in Japan and other parts of Asia. It has made billions of dollars from toys and other products. Many people in Japan know Ultraman, just like people in Western countries know Superman.
Who are the Ultras?
The main characters in the Ultra Series are called the "Ultras." They are a group of aliens from different planets. Many of these brave warriors come from a planet in the M78 nebula. This place is also known as the "Land of Light."
About one million Ultras are part of the Inter Galactic Defence Force. Their job is to keep peace in the universe. They protect planets from alien invaders and scary monsters.
When Ultras go to other worlds, they have special "Color Timers." These are like warning lights on their chests. They blink faster when an Ultra's energy is getting low. This means they can only fight for a few minutes before they need to recharge.
Often, the main Ultra heroes come to Earth. They join with a human host. The human then uses a special device to call upon the Ultra's amazing powers.
The Ultraman Story Continues
The first Ultraman TV show was a huge hit. Many more series followed it.
Early Ultraman Shows (Shōwa Era)
Some of the early shows from the Shōwa era include:
- Ultraseven (1967)
- Return of Ultraman (1971)
- Ultraman Ace (1972)
- Ultraman Taro (1973)
- Ultraman Leo (1974)
- Ultraman 80 (1980)
Later Ultraman Shows (Heisei and Reiwa Eras)
A new set of shows began in 1996 with Ultraman Tiga. The series has continued to this day. The newest generation started with Ultraman Ginga in 2013.
There have also been Ultraman shows made in English. These include:
- The animated movie Ultraman: The Adventure Begins (1987) by Hanna-Barbera.
- The TV series Ultraman: Towards the Future (1990), filmed in Australia.
- The TV series Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero (1993), filmed in the United States.
- The animated movie Ultraman: Rising (2024) by Netflix.
In 1993, Ultraman even met another famous Japanese hero! Tsuburaya Productions and Toei Company made Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider. This special video brought together the original Ultraman and Toei's Kamen Rider.
As of 2025, Tsuburaya Productions officially recognizes 51 different Ultras. In 2013, the Ultra Series was even in the Guinness Book of World Records. It held the record for having the most spin-off shows!
The Ultraman brand has earned a lot of money. From 1966 to 1987, it made $7.4 billion in merchandise sales. This is like over $20 billion today! Ultraman was the third best-selling character in the world in the 1980s. This was mostly because he was so popular in Asia.
The Ultraman comic book series started in 2011. By 2018, it had sold more than 2.8 million copies. An anime (Japanese animation) version of this comic was released by Netflix in 2019.
Ultraman shows and products are available in over 100 countries. Tsuburaya Productions shares a lot of Ultraman content on their YouTube channel. They even add English subtitles to some shows. Their channel has over 2 million subscribers! In China, one Ultraman TV series got 1.8 billion views online between 2017 and 2018.
Famous creators have said Ultraman inspired them. Akira Toriyama, who created Dragon Ball, loved Ultraman growing up. Peyton Reed, who directed the Ant-Man movies, said Ultraman influenced Ant-Man's costume. Video game designer Hideki Kamiya also loved Godzilla and Ultraman as a child.
In 2019, Marvel Comics teamed up with Tsuburaya Productions. They started publishing Ultraman comic books in 2020. A new series called Ultraman x Avengers was announced in May 2024. It is set to debut in August 2024.
Since 1983, Bandai Namco has sold over 101 million Ultraman soft figures (toys of heroes and monsters). Also, Bandai Namco Arts has sold over 8.4 million Ultraman home videos.
Ultraman TV Shows
Many Ultraman TV series have been made over the years. They are often grouped by the time period they were released.
Main Ultraman Series
| # | Year | Title | No. of episodes |
Line-Up | Era/Period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1966 | Ultraman | 39 | Classical | Shōwa | |
| 2 | 1967 | Ultraseven | 49 | |||
| 3 | 1971 | Return of Ultraman | 51 | |||
| 4 | 1972 | Ultraman Ace | 52 | |||
| 5 | 1973 | Ultraman Taro | 53 | |||
| 6 | 1974 | Ultraman Leo | 51 | |||
| 7 | 1980 | Ultraman 80 | 50 | |||
| 8 | 1996 | Ultraman Tiga | 52 | Revival | Heisei | |
| 9 | 1997 | Ultraman Dyna | 51 | |||
| 10 | 1998 | Ultraman Gaia | 51 | |||
| 11 | 2000 | Ultraman Neos | 12 | |||
| 12 | 2001 | Ultraman Cosmos | 65 | |||
| 13 | 2004 | Ultraman Nexus | 37 | |||
| 14 | 2005 | Ultraman Max | 39 | |||
| 15 | 2006 | Ultraman Mebius | 50 | |||
| 16 | 2007 | Ultraseven X | 12 | |||
| 17 | 2013 | Ultraman Ginga | 11 | New Generation |
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| 18 | 2014 | Ultraman Ginga S | 16 | |||
| 19 | 2015 | Ultraman X | 22 | |||
| 20 | 2016 | Ultraman Orb | 25 | |||
| 21 | 2016 | Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga | 12 | |||
| 22 | 2017 | Ultraman Geed | 25 | |||
| 23 | 2018 | Ultraman R/B | 25 | |||
| 24 | 2019 | Ultraman Taiga | 26 | Reiwa | ||
| 25 | 2020 | Ultraman Z | 25 | |||
| 26 | 2021 | Ultraman Trigger | 25 | |||
| 27 | 2022 | Ultraman Decker | 25 | |||
| 28 | 2023 | Ultraman Blazar | 25 | |||
| 29 | 2024 | Ultraman Arc | 25 | |||
| 30 | 2025 | Ultraman Omega | 25 | |||
Other Ultraman Series
| Year | Title | No. of episodes |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Ultra Q | 28 | This was the very first series in the Ultra Series! |
| 1979 | The Ultraman | 50 | The first Ultraman anime (animated) series. |
| 1990 | Ultraman: Towards the Future | 13 | This Ultraman series was filmed in Australia and was the first English-language one. |
| 1991 | Ultraman Kids: 30 Million Light-Years in Search of Mother | 26 | The second Ultraman anime series. |
| 1993 | Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero | 13 | This Ultraman series was filmed in the United States. |
| 2004 | Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy | 26 | A second series in the Ultra Q subseries. |
| 2007 | Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle | 13 | The first series in the Ultra Galaxy subseries. |
| 2008 | Never Ending Odyssey | 13 | The second series in the Ultra Galaxy subseries. |
| 2013 | Neo Ultra Q | 12 | The third series in the Ultra Q subseries. |
| 2019 | Ultraman | 31 | The third Ultraman anime series. It's based on the 2011 Ultraman comic book. |
Short Series
- Andro Melos (1983)
- Ultraman Kids Proverb Stories (1986, anime)
- Ultraman Graffiti (1990, anime)
- Ultraman Nice (1999)
- Ultra Zero Fight (2012)
- Ultra Fight Victory (2015)
- Ultra Fight Orb (2017)
- Ultra Galaxy Fight: New Generation Heroes (2019)
- Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy (2020)
- Sevenger Fight (2021)
- Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad (2022)
Ultraman Movies
Many Ultraman movies have been released over the years. Some are new stories, and some are collections of old TV show parts.
| Year | Title | Runtime | Film format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Ultraman: Monster Movie Feature | 79 minutes | Compilation |
| 1974 | The 6 Ultra Brothers vs. the Monster Army  |
103 minutes | Feature |
| 1979 | Ultraman | 102 minutes | Compilation |
| 1979 | Ultraman: Great Monster Decisive Battle | 100 minutes | Compilation |
| 1984 | Ultraman Zoffy: Ultra Warriors vs. the Giant Monster Army | 85 minutes | Compilation |
| 1984 | Ultraman Story | 93 minutes | Feature |
| 1987 | Ultraman: The Adventure Begins  |
75 minutes | Animation |
| 1988 | Space Warriors 2000  |
92 minutes | Feature |
| 1990 | Ultra Q: Legend of the Stars | 106 minutes | Feature |
| 1996 |
Ultraman Wonderful World
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103 minutes | Anthology |
| 1997 |
Ultraman Zearth & Ultra Nyan
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96 minutes | Anthology |
| 1998 |
Ultramen Tiga & Dyna & Ultra Nyan
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98 minutes | Anthology |
| 1999 | Ultraman Gaia: The Battle in Hyperspace | 74 minutes | Feature |
| 2000 | Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey | 85 minutes | Feature |
| 2001 | Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact | 89 minutes | Feature |
| 2002 | Ultraman Cosmos 2: The Blue Planet | 76 minutes | Feature |
| 2003 | Ultramen Cosmos vs. Justice: The Final Battle | 77 minutes | Feature |
| 2004 | Ultraman: The Next | 97 minutes | Feature |
| 2006 | Ultraman Mebius & Ultra Brothers | 93 minutes | Feature |
| 2008 | Superior 8 Ultra Brothers | 97 minutes | Feature |
| 2009 | Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends | 96 minutes | Feature |
| 2010 | Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial | 100 minutes | Feature |
| 2012 | Ultraman Saga | 90 minutes | Feature |
| 2015 | Ultraman Ginga S: The Movie | 65 minutes | Feature |
| 2016 | Ultraman X: The Movie | 73 minutes | Feature |
| 2017 | Dragon Force: So Long, Ultraman  |
88 minutes | Animation |
| 2017 | Ultraman Orb: The Movie | 72 minutes | Feature |
| 2018 | Ultraman Geed: The Movie | 72 minutes | Feature |
| 2019 | Dragon Force: Rise of Ultraman |
90 minutes | Animation |
| 2019 | Ultraman R/B: The Movie | 72 minutes | Feature |
| 2020 | Ultraman Taiga: The Movie | 72 minutes | Feature |
| 2022 | Ultraman Trigger: Episode Z | 74 minutes | Feature |
| 2022 | Shin Ultraman | 112 minutes | Feature |
| 2023 | Ultraman Decker Finale: Journey to Beyond | 75 minutes | Feature |
| 2024 | Ultraman Blazar: Tokyo Kaiju Showdown | 76 minutes | Feature |
| 2024 | Ultraman: Rising |
117 minutes | Animation |
| 2025 | Ultraman Arc: The Clash of Light and Evil | 75 minutes | Feature |
| ‡ The flags show if movies were made in other countries or with other countries. means the movies were not officially allowed. |
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- Short films
- 1969: Ultraman & Ultraseven: Great Violent Monster Fight (live-action) — 15 minutes
- 1971: Return of Ultraman (live action, compilation) — 45 minutes
- 1971: Return of Ultraman: Fear of the Tornado Monsters (live action, compilation) — 45 minutes
- 1984: Ultraman Kids: The Pleasant Friends of Planet M7.8 (anime) — 24 minutes
- 1996: Ultraman Zearth: Parody Chapter (live-action) — 18 minutes
- 1996: Ultraman: Super Fighter Legend (anime) — 39 minutes
- 2005: Ultraman Nexus: Lost Memories — 45 minutes
- 2013: Ultraman Ginga Theater Special (live-action) — 45 minutes
- 2014: Ultraman Ginga: Ultra Monster Hero Battle Royal (live-action) — 45 minutes
Ultraman Video Games
The Ultraman series has also inspired many video games. Here are some of them:
- Ultraman MSX (1984)
- Ultraman: Kaijuu Teikoku no Gyakushuu Famicom Disk System (1987)
- Ultraman 2 Famicom Disk System (1987)
- Ultraman Club: Chikyuu Dakkan Sakusen Famicom Disk System (1988)
- Ultraman Club 2: Kaette Kita Ultraman Club Famicom (1990)
- Ultraman Club: Teki Kaijuu o Hakken Seyo Game Boy (1990)
- SD Battle Ozumo: Heisei Hero Basho Famicom (1990)
- SD Hero Soukessen: Taose! Aku no Gundan Famicom (1990)
- SD the Great Battle Super Famicom (1990)
- Battle Dodge Ball Super Famicom (1991)
- Ultraman Club 3: Mata Mata Shutsugeki!! Ultra Kyōdai Famicom (1991)
- Ultraman Game Boy (1991)
- Ultraman Super Famicom (1991)
- Ultraman Arcade (1991)
- Ultraman: Towards the Future SNES (1991)
- Ultraman Club: Kaijuu Dai Kessen!! Famicom (1992)
- The Great Battle II: Last Fighter Twin Super Famicom (1992)
- Versus Hero: Road to the King Fight Game Boy (1992)
- Battle Dodge Ball Game Boy (1992)
- Hero Senki: Project Olympus Super Famicom (1992)
- Battle Soccer: Field no Hasha Super Famicom (1992)
- Great Battle Cyber Famicom (1992)
- Ultraman Club: Tatakae! Ultraman Kyoudai!! Arcade (1992)
- Battle Baseball Famicom (1993)
- The Great Battle III Super Famicom (1993)
- Battle Dodge Ball II Super Famicom (1993)
- Tekkyu Fight! The Great Battle Gaiden Game Boy (1993)
- Ultra Toukon Densetsu Arcade (1993)
- Cult Master: Ultraman ni Miserarete Game Boy (1993)
- Ultraman Sega Mega Drive (1993)
- Ultraman Club: Supokon Fight! Famicom (1993)
- Ultraseven Super Famicom (1993)
- Ultraman Powered Panasonic 3DO (1994)
- Ultraman Chou Toushi Gekiden Game Boy (1994)
- The Great Battle Gaiden 2: Matsuri da Wasshoi Super Famicom (1994)
- Gaia Saver Super Famicom (1994)
- Battle Soccer 2 Super Famicom (1994)
- The Great Battle IV Super Famicom (1994)
- Ultraman Powered: Kaijuu Gekimetsu Sakusen Playdia (1994)
- Ultraseven: Chikyu Boei Sakusen Playdia (1994)
- Ultraman Ball Game Boy (1994)
- Ultra League Super Famicom (1995)
- The Great Battle V Super Famicom (1995)
- Battle Crusher Game Boy (1995)
- Battle Pinball Super Famicom (1995)
- Battle Racers Super Famicom (1995)
- Super Pachinko Taisen Super Famicom (1995)
- Super Pachinko Taisen Game Boy (1995)
- Super Tekkyu Fight! Super Famicom (1995)
- Ultra X Weapons/Ultra Keibitai Arcade (1995)
- Ultraman Hiragana Daisakusen Playdia (1995)
- Ultraman Alphabet TV e Yokoso Playdia (1995)
- PD Ultraman Invader PS1 (1995)
- PD Ultraman Link Sega Saturn (1996)
- Ultraman: Ultra Land Suuji de Asobou Playdia (1996)
- Ultraman: Chinou Up Daisakusen Playdia (1996)
- SD Ultra Battle: Ultraman Densetsu Super Famicom (1996)
- Ultraman Zukan Sega Saturn (1996)
- Ultraman Zearth PS1 (1996)
- Ultraman: Hikari no Kyojin Densetsu Sega Saturn (1996)
- Ultraman Zukan 2 Sega Saturn (1997)
- The Great Battle VI PS1 (1997)
- Battle Formation PS1 (1997)
- Ultraman Fighting Evolution (1998)
- Ultraman Zukan 3 Sega Saturn (1998)
- Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: New Generations PS1 (1998)
- PD Ultraman Battle Collection 64 Nintendo 64 (1999)
- Super Hero Operations PS1 (1999)
- Great Battle Pocket Game Boy Color (1999)
- Super Hero Operations: Diedal's Ambition PS1 (2000)
- Kids Station: Bokurato Asobou! Ultraman TV PS1 (2000)
- Kids Station: Ultraman Cosmos PS1 (2001)
- Super Tokusatsu Taisen 2001 PS1 (2001)
- Ultraman Fighting Evolution 2 PS2 (2002)
- Charinko Hero Nintendo GameCube (2003)
- Ultraman PS2 (2004)
- Ultraman Fighting Evolution 3 PS2 (2004)
- Ultraman Fighting Evolution Rebirth PS2 (2005)
- Ultraman Nexus (video game)|Ultraman Nexus PS2 (2005)
- Ultraman Fighting Evolution (series)|Ultraman Fighting Evolution 0 PSP (2006)
- Jissen Pachi-Slot Hisshouhou! Ultraman Club ST PS2 (2006)
- Pachitte Chonmage Tatsujin 12: Pachinko Ultraman PS2 (2007)
- Daikaiju Battle: Ultra Coliseum Nintendo Wii (2008)
- Kaiju Busters Nintendo DS (2009)
- Ultra Coliseum DX: Ultra Senshi Daishuketsu Nintendo Wii (2010)
- Kaiju Busters POWERED Nintendo DS (2011)
- The Great Battle Full Blast PSP (2012)
- Battle Dodge Ball III PSP (2012)
- Lost Heroes Nintendo 3DS, PSP (2012)
- Heroes' VS PSP (2013)
- Ultraman All-Star Chronicle PSP (2013)
- Super Hero Generation PS3, PS Vita (2014)
- Lost Heroes 2 Nintendo 3DS (2015)
- Ultraman Fusion Fight! Arcade (2016)
- City Shrouded in Shadow PS4, PS5 (2017)
- Ultraman R/B Nintendo Switch (2018)
- Super Robot Wars 30 Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Steam (2021)
- Godzilla Battle Line Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows (2022)
- Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher Nintendo Switch (2022)
- GigaBash Microsoft Windows, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S (2023)
Ultraman Books and Comics
The Ultraman universe also includes many books and comic books.
Ultraman Comics
Harvey Comics
Between 1993 and 1994, Harvey Comics made two comic book series. They were based on the 1966 Ultraman TV show.
Dark Horse Comics
In 2003, Dark Horse Comics published a comic book. It was based on Ultraman Tiga.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics started publishing Ultraman comic books in 2020. The first series was called The Rise of Ultraman. It was written by Kyle Higgins & Matt Groom. Francesco Manna did the art.
A second series, The Trials of Ultraman, came out in March 2021. The same writers and artist worked on it. A third series, The Mystery of Ultraseven, was released on August 17, 2022.
In 2022, it was hinted that Ultraman comics would cross over with the Marvel Universe. In May 2024, Marvel and Tsuburaya officially announced this crossover. The Ultraman x Avengers series was set to debut on August 14, 2024.
Manga
See also
In Spanish: Ultraseries para niños
