Ultraman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ultra Series
Official logo
Creator	Eiji Tsuburaya Tetsuo Kinjo Tohl Narita Kazuho Mitsuta
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 super popular Japanese science fiction story. It's owned by Tsuburaya Productions and started with a TV show called Ultra Q in 1966. It quickly became famous all over the world!

This series is a big part of Japanese tokusatsu (special effects shows) and kaiju (giant monster) stories. It even helped create a new type of hero called the Kyodai Hero, which means "Giant Hero." The Ultraman shows are all about alien superheroes who fight against giant monsters (kaiju) and other aliens.

Ultraman has been incredibly successful. From 1966 to 1987, the Ultraman brand made about US$7.4 billion from toys and other products. This makes it one of the biggest media franchises ever! In the 1980s, Ultraman was the third best-selling character in the world, especially popular in Asia. You'll find references to Ultraman everywhere in Japanese pop culture, just like Superman in the U.S.

Who Are the Ultras?

The Ultraman series is all about a special group of aliens called the "Ultras." They come from a planet in the M78 nebula, which is super far away—three million light-years from Earth! This planet is also known as the "Land of Light."

Originally, the Ultras looked just like humans. But their sun died, so they created something called the Plasma Spark. This spark gave them amazing new powers and changed them into the Ultras we know today.

Most Ultras are red and silver, with glowing yellow, almond-shaped eyes. They have many cool abilities, like flying and shooting powerful energy beams from their crossed hands. Ultras believe strongly in justice and helping others. Many of them join the Space Garrison, a special police force that keeps peace in the universe by fighting alien invaders and monsters.

Color Timers and Life on Earth

When Ultras come to Earth, they have a special "Color Timer" on their chest. This light blinks faster and changes from blue to red when an Ultra is running low on energy or is badly hurt. Because of Earth's pollution and atmosphere, an Ultra can only stay in their giant form for a few minutes before their energy runs out. If they stay too long, they could die.

To survive, an Ultra usually takes on a human form or merges with a human. When they merge, they can even bring a recently dead person back to life with their own life force. Ultras are also very hard to kill permanently. If one is defeated, another Ultra can often revive them by giving them a huge boost of energy.

Ultras always try to fight away from cities and innocent people. They work hard to avoid causing damage to buildings or hurting bystanders. They know that a big fight could destroy a whole city like Tokyo!

The Ultraman Story Continues

After the first Ultraman show, many more series followed! Some of the early sequels include Ultraseven (1967), The Return of Ultraman (1971), and Ultraman Taro (1973). The series kept going with shows like Ultraman Tiga (1996), Ultraman Dyna (1997), and Ultraman Cosmos (2001).

Later, the creators tried new ideas, like the "Ultra N Project" with heroes such as Ultraman Noa and Ultraman Nexus (2004). Then, they went back to the classic style with Ultraman Max (2005) and Ultraman Mebius (2006), which celebrated the 40th anniversary of the series.

Ultraman has also appeared in many movies, starting with Ultraman Zearth in 1996. There have been animated movies and shows made in other countries too, like Ultraman: The Adventure Begins (from the U.S.) and Ultraman: Towards the Future (from Australia). Many Ultraman shows have been dubbed into different languages, including English and Spanish.

In 1993, Ultraman even teamed up with another famous Japanese hero, Kamen Rider, in a special video called Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider.

Ultraman's Big Impact

As of 2013, there were 36 official Ultramen! The Ultra Series even holds a Guinness Book of World Records title for having the most spin-off shows.

The Ultraman comic book series, which started in 2011, has sold millions of copies. An anime (animated show) based on this comic was released on Netflix in 2019.

Ultraman shows and products are sold in over 100 countries worldwide. Tsuburaya Productions also shares a lot of Ultraman content on their YouTube channel, with English subtitles for many shows. Their channel has over 2 million subscribers! In China, one Ultraman TV series got 1.8 billion views online in less than a year.

Many famous creators have said Ultraman influenced their work. Akira Toriyama, who created Dragon Ball, loved Ultraman as a kid. Peyton Reed, the director of the Ant-Man movies, said Ultraman influenced Ant-Man's costume. Video game designer Hideki Kamiya (who made games like Resident Evil 2 and Bayonetta) also grew up loving Ultraman.

In 2019, Marvel Comics teamed up with Tsuburaya Productions to make new Ultraman comic books. They even announced a crossover event between Ultraman and the Marvel Universe for 2023!

Ultraman toys are very popular too. Since 1983, Bandai Namco has sold over 100 million Ultraman soft figures (heroes and monsters).

Ultraman on Television

Many Ultraman TV series have been made over the years, split into different eras.

Early Series (Showa Era)

• Ultra Q (1966)
• Ultraman (1966–1967)
• Ultraseven (1967–1968)
• Return of Ultraman (1971–1972)
• Ultraman Ace (1972–1973)
• Ultraman Taro (1973–1974)
• Ultraman Leo (1974–1975)
• The Ultraman (1979–1980)
• Ultraman 80 (1980–1981)

Later Series (Heisei and Reiwa Eras)

• Ultraman: Towards the Future (1990)
• Ultraman Tiga (1996–1997)
• Ultraman Dyna (1997–1998)
• Ultraman Gaia (1998–1999)
• Ultraman Cosmos (2001–2002)
• Ultraman Nexus (2004–2005)
• Ultraman Max (2005–2006)
• Ultraman Mebius (2006–2007)
• Ultraman Ginga (2013)
• Ultraman X (2015)
• Ultraman Orb (2016)
• Ultraman Geed (2017)
• Ultraman Z (2020)
• Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga (2021–2022)
• Ultraman Decker (2022–2023)
• Ultraman Blazar (2023–2024)
• Ultraman Arc (2024)

Ultraman Movies

Ultraman Video Games

Ultraman Books and Comics

Ultraman stories are also told in comic books and manga (Japanese comics).

Comic Books

• Harvey Comics Series: In the early 1990s, Harvey Comics published two comic book series based on the original 1966 Ultraman TV show.
• Dark Horse Comics Series: In 2003, Dark Horse Comics released a comic book based on Ultraman Tiga.
• Marvel Comics Series: Since 2020, Marvel Comics has been publishing new Ultraman comic books.
  • The first series was called The Rise of Ultraman, which ran from September 2020 to January 2021.
  • A second series, The Trials of Ultraman, came out in March 2021.
  • A third series, The Mystery of Ultraseven, was released in August 2022.
  • Marvel and Tsuburaya Productions even announced a special Ultraman x Avengers comic series for August 2024, where Ultraman will meet Marvel superheroes!

Manga

• Main article: Ultraman (manga)

The Ultraman manga series has sold over 2.8 million copies since it started in 2011.

See also

In Spanish: Ultraseries para niños