#Zetton version

[thekaijudude]

Ok, so seeing as it’s been quite a while, I have three qns in one (though they’re all very connected). Btw, all three concern Ultrawoman Anastasia’s Battlenizer Kaiju, those being Titanoid Demaaga, Titanoid COV, and Titanoid Zetton.

Btw, before I go into the qns, I feel like I should say I’m just asking for ideas with each qn, but especially 1 and 3.

—1) Given they’re basically just Monsterverse-style counterparts of their namesakes, what ideas would you have for designing Anastasia’s Battlenizer Kaiju?

—2) Based on both the powers of their namesakes and the powers of official Monsterverse Kaiju, what would the powers of Anastasia’s Battlenizer Kaiju be like in comparison to their namesakes?

—3) Assuming the design changes of all EX Mode Kaiju are the result of one or two of the most prominent physical traits of the base Kaiju being exaggerated drastically, what would the EX Modes of each of Anastasia’s Battlenizer Kaiju look like?

Btw, for some examples on what I meant with qn 3, if it wasn’t already clear: 

—A normal Red King’s most prominent physical trait is brute strength, and EX Red King’s design has very large forearms (exaggerating strength).

—A normal Gomora’s most prominent physical trait is brute strength and a rough skin texture, and EX Gomora’s design has very muscular arms (exaggerating strength) and has a lot of spikes over its body (exaggerating the rough skin texture).

—A normal Zetton’s most prominent physical strength is brute strength, and EX Zetton’s design has a very muscular build (exaggerating strength).

Also, given Tsurugi Demaaga was, in its debut in Ultraman X, portrayed as being a result of Dark Thunder Energy empowerment, just like EX Gomora and EX Red King were in the same series, I think I want Titanoid Demaaga’s EX Mode to have blades like those of Tsurugi and Kamisori Demaaga in addition to the exaggerated physical traits. 

Last thing, the most prominent physical traits taken into consideration for the EX Modes should be of Titanoid Demaaga, Titanoid COV, and Titanoid Zetton. They should not be of normal Demaaga, COV, and Zetton.

I actually dont think I can answer these questions fully because it inherently kinda needs an actual visual design to illustrate my point (for which my art skill is 0 lol), otherwise you'd just have to be satisfied with descriptions or references to other materials

1) Demaaga could be bipedal, draconic design with its idiosyncratic design aspects like the blade fins on its back that resembles knives, it should have an earthly texture

COV kinda needs some creative imagination cause its an extraterrestrial kaiju, so its design shouldnt look like it belongs to Earth, i rmb MUGI did up a design for COV on twitter whose idea corresponds to this perfectly with its alien design, I believe he did up a full set for all the components of Five King and Five King itself some years back?

For Zetton u can simply use either the Kaiju Remix Series version (From X-Plus) for a more rad design or if youre not comfortable with that, just use the recent Ride version for a more traditional look

2) I dont see why you should neccessarily change anything for this AU version tho? Maybe Demaaga could demonstrate more of its burrowing capabilities? Or perhaps grant it the abilities of Kamisori Demaaga to launch its knife blades like Rebirth Guiron, otherwise COV and Zetton are pretty much kinda at the top of their tiers on their own already with their existing repertoire of abilities

3) For EX versions, Demaaga could potentially just look like Kamisori Demaaga cause its design essentially enhances all of what makes Demaaga, well Demaaga. Metallic blue steel look and sharp edges all over. For COV u can use something similar to the Gen 2 version as since its an alien species, its evolution might look something counterintuitive. For Zetton u can just use EX Zetton no? It looks rad enough. Maybe incorporate some aspects of the Anime version if youre still not satisified with it

Thanks for the question!

[tokujenny]

Devil on my shoulder says I should draw a cutesy version of myself dressed as a zetton. It's 1am so I can't right now. Sorry devil :(

[radroller]

God even Orb Origin is having trouble against Zetton

[cina-full-moon-xanadium]

I thought Zetton was supposed to be the ultimate enemy of Ultraman

Zetton is an enemy but not a villain -- this is the main thing that usually separates kaiju and seijin in Ultraman; one is a living, thinking person with a goofy plan or a mindset that challenges the character, and the other is generally a mindless beast. Even when the beast is dabbling in a more involved plot, it's usually in favour of a simpler version of the aliens (Zetton is a tool to destroy the enemy, the aliens controlling it being nothing more complex than that) or going for a more spiritual idea.

So, that's the big difference between Zetton and Mefilas -- Zetton is the final enemy Ultraman faces and the one so overwhelmingly powerful that manages to actually defeat him, yes. But when you're talking about a villain, an actual character opposite Ultraman with his own plots and ambitions and ideologies... Mefilas is the ultimate example of that, and well-remembered for it

[toku-action-figure-news]

Ultraman CHODO α 4 revealed -- Ultraman, Zetton, Glitter Trigger Eternity, Z Celebro, Secret figure

Following yesterday's broadcast of Ultraman Decker's 10th episode, the official Bandai Candy Toy blog revealed the next wave of CHODO α Ultraman figures -- or at least, most of it. The blog notes that one final figure and an associated accessory in the parts box is to be revealed at a later date.

For the revealed figures however, the wave starts off with Trigger's final form; Glitter Trigger Eternity. A design that incorporates a lot of gold, Eternity comes packaged with a large Glitter Zeperion ray effect; and the accessory box provides his Glitter Blade. For an opponent, Ultraman Z Red Damage is included from the Episode Z movie where Celebro possessed the young Ultra. The figure is remolded from the previous Premium Bandai release to current specifications, and included a purple energy effect. The accessory box also includes a figure of Celebro himself.

Finally, the first two Showa figures in α are revealed to be renewals of the first Ultraman and Zetton. The former comes with an improved hip joint and head over previous versions, and comes with his Ultra Slash effect. Zetton meanwhile has received improved paint and comes with a fireball effect and a stand for it. Both figures get their signature rays from the accessory box.

Ultraman CHODO α 4 releases at general retail in February 2023.

[tsunflowers]

one of the most important genres of juggler fanart is him with chibi versions of zetton, pandon, and maga-orochi caring for them as if they are his pets or perhaps children

[toku-explained]

ULTRAMAN Episode 1/ULTRAMAN Chapters 1&2

The opening narration is the same in both versions, loosely talking about the events of the original Ultraman series before jumping ahead several decades, 20 according to the manga, where the former SSSP headquarters are now thr Giant of Light Memorial museum, showcasing dioramas and items from that time, such Ultraman's final battle with Zetton. The photo of the SSSP was directly lifted from a promotional photo for the manga, but sensible recreated for the anime, showing Captain Muramatsu and members Hayata, Ide, Arashi and Fuji. Speaking of Hayata, the one time host of Ultraman, now Defence Minister, is being shown the museum, alongside his young son, Shinjiro. Ide happens to also be there, and the two reminisce, Hayata agreeing to sign something for a museum staff, when Shinjiro, trying to get a closer look at the Jet VTOL, falls. Shin rushes to his son's side and finds him uninjured, but scared, and takes him home, but it's clear after the shock wears off that he's fine, but Shin suspiciously glances back at Ide.

At home Shin tells his wife (who doesn't seem to be anyone, and looks younger by some margin) that Shinjiro has again been uninjured by something that should have been debilitating, and finds himself frustrated with the lack of memory he has of photos from his time in SSSP. In the manga Ide calls him, in the anime Shin calls him. Shin admits he has no memory of Ultraman's time on earth, and rejects having suffered a blow during thr Zetton battle as the memory loss feels more deliberate, then further demonstrates his enhanced strength, something he's only revealing now as Shinjiro might be stronger than himself and needs protecting. Ide takes to the Giant of Light Memorial basement, where the SSSP are still active as more of of outfit secret, masquerade-preserving outfit, and shows Hayata the footage from a plane explosion 6 months prior, specifically the undoctored footage, where a figure believed to the true culprit can be seen. A figure who resembles Ultraman enough for Hayata to recall his VTOL crashing into Ultraman's travel sphere, as he tells Ide he was Ultraman. Ide knew this, indeed the whole team had realised it, preserving the secret to protect Shin and Shinjiro from what would happen if certain entities found out they had Ultraman's genes. But now an alien threat has appeared once more, and he asks for Shin's help.

The anime leaps forward 10 years, the manga 12 (Shinjiro is the same age in either case), where some high school boys, including Shinjiro, pass some similarly aged girls, some of the guys trying to egg Shinjiro into asking one glancing at him out, in the anime this is an early appearance by someone we'll get to, but he doesn't do it, instead enjoying some jumping across rooftops once alone.

When he goes home his father wants to know where he's been and why he quit his club, but he's unwilling to talk. The "Ultraman" from 10 years ago is in town, though in the manga he's watching the Hayata house, not just finding evidence of Shinjiro's powers.

Next day they spot some of the same girls being propositioned by boys from Nishi High. His friends note the girl who looked at Shinjiro resembles idol Sayama Rena (anime only) Shinjiro decides to step in, but accidentally twists a guy's leg out of place and sends everyone running in fear.

Shinjiro sits on a Sayama Rena wondering what to do. In the manga it's for her 3rd single, UltLove, in the anime it's for a concert, RenaFes. "Ultraman" approaches, noting Hayata has told him nothing, saying he can teach him more about the power, but it doesn't belong on earth, and starts attacking him, Shinjiro running until he winds up in a baseball stadium. The figure has managed to keep up, and tells him to blame Shin. He then charges, but the attack is blocked last second by Shin leaping in.

In what will be running theme throughout season 1, "Ultraman" here looks very different to how he did in the equivalent manga chapters, he will, only start wearing this suit later in the manga. In his case cost probably justifies the change to always using this suit.

Shinjiro asks his father what's going on with this Ultraman, but Shin tells him their opponent isn't Ultraman. He's Ultraman.

(There are a lot of little differences, for example the scene of Shin questioning Shinjiro takes place as Shinjiro gets home in the anime, while in the manga they're say down for a meal. A lot of these seem too minor to really go into.)

[atomic-crusader]

This is the first of my Godzilla ocs that I finally got around to working on. Its a part of my own little Godzillaverse. The idea is to have one oc for each of the film eras (Showa, Heisei, Millennium, Monsterverse, and Reiwa) with Genzolar here being the Showa rep. read on for more info and enjoy!

Illusion Monster

Genzolar

Hight: 70 meters

Weight: 60,000 Metric Tons

A space monster that appeared in 1976, Genzolar was controlled by the Dracund aliens from the Titan Galaxy. They intended take control of Japan by using a weather control device but were quickly thwarted by Godzilla II. Realizing that there was no way to conquer with Godzilla around, they conspired to to frame the king of the monsters and turn the Earth against him. To do this, they took control of a creature from their home planet, Genzolar, who could turn invisible at will. Though Godzilla could see the monster, the ray it used to hide itself was impossible for the human eye to see. This made it appear that Godzilla, who was attacking Genzolar, was really attacking Tokyo. G-Force attacked Godzilla, blinding him with a chemical weapon, and he was forced to retreat. With Godzilla gone, the Dracund then launched an attack on Japan with Genzolar, revealing itself to be the real culprit. However, Godzilla soon returned and defeated Genzolar despite his handicap.

Genzolar is a strange beast, its enormous horn doubles as a “mouth” through which it consumes energy. Solar, electric, radiation, the energy it absorbs is used to power its many powerful ray from its horn. Its chief ability is known as Light Bending Curtain or Invisibility Ray. This is a ray that is produced from the tip of its horn and surrounds Genzolar. The ray bends light around the monster by producing colors that can not be seen by the human eye, allowing it to become invisible. Godzilla, however, can see through this illusion. Another ability Genzolar can use is the Vertical Light Spectrum Heat Ray. This ray is fired from the horn vertically (A.N. resembling a taller version of Ultraman’s Spacium Beam) in any direction, so long as there is clearance from its head. Genzolar can also create Illusion Copies of itself to confuse its enemy. This uses a similar ray to the the Invisibility Ray, and as such is visible to Godzilla. The copies can fire Spectrum Heat Rays, but cannot interact or be interacted with. They all also lack a shadow, only the real Genzolar has one.

Genzolar is a kaiju that is heavily inspired by the unmade film Godzilla’s Suicide Strategy: Tokyo SOS. The film featured a kaiju called Chamelegon that was invisible to the naked eye, but not to Godzilla. Chamelegon was supposed to be a robot, something that I did not realize when I initially designed Genzolar, who was originally what I imagined Chamelegon would have looked like, oops. In any case, I wanted Genzolar to look distinctly Showa-esq and weird, which was the style of kaiju at the time. I took a lot of insperation from Ultraman kaiju such as the Terrible Monsters from Ultraman Ace, Zetton from the original Ultraman, and Gymaira from Ultraman 80. The name Genzolar was the result of a Japanese word that means “phantom”, Genzō (幻像) and the suffix “-lar”, like Bemular.

The Dracund are aliens from a Japanese picture book called Godzilla Goes to Space. I just felt like using them here because I like their design.

[chernobog13]

ULTRASEVEN

Three of my “make-it-yourself_ action figures of Ultraseven.

The large, 1/6-th scale figure is from Marmit’s Super Action Hero line.  You get a very basic articulated action figure body with no hands or feet, loose armor pieces that you have to glue to the costume, a helmet that you glue together, and one pair each of boots and gloved that get pushed onto the ends of the limbs.

Marmit released a great many figures in this line where you could build heroes from tokusatsu films and television series as wells anime series.  Besides Ultraseven here, others from that line that I own are Zone Fighter, Kaiketsu Lion Maru, Fuun Lion Maru, Silver Kamen, Silver Kamen Giant, Spectreman, Gridman, Rainbow Man, Thunder Mask, the live action version of Moonlight Mask, and 8 Man.  I have seen Mirrorman, Ultraman Taro, Iron King, Inazuman, and Ambassador Magma figures that I want to get.  

There is supposedly also a Golden Bat figure from the line, but I have never seen even a photo of it.  That would be my Holy Grail of this action figure line.

The two smaller, 8-inch figures of Ultraseven and the robotic Imitation Ultraseven (from episode #46), are both by Otsuka Planning’s Hyper Hero Real Action Doll line.  Again, you receive a box with a generic, featureless articulated action figure with no hands or feet, various armor pieces to glue to the costume, a helmet that gets glued together, and a pair each of boots and gloves.

Unfortunately for these guys, the material used to make the costume does not hold up well to time and temperature.  The suits are sticky, and you can see where the red coloring is starting to flake off.  I suppose if I had a climate controlled display case to put them in that might not have happened.  I’m certainly not going to store them in the refrigerator!

The Hyper Hero Real Action Doll line is quite extensive and, like the Marmit line, seems to focus on tokusatsu and anime heroes.  I have figures from this line of Henshin Ninja Arashi, Lion Maru, Tiger Joe, Ultraman, King Joe, and Zetton.  From what I’ve been able to gather, the bulk of the line is devoted to Kamen Rider heroes (mostly Showa era).

Many of these figures are readily available, still in the box.  My two biggest sources for purchasing them are Mandarake and eBay.  

Mandarake is a FANTASTIC resource, especially if you don’t mind “used” items (which usually just means the box has been opened or damaged; the figure itself is still in prime condition.  I scan Mandarke’s site everyday to see what’s available and get an idea of the price of what these older figures are going for.  Mandarake usually has the best prices of most big stores/sites.  However, they charge you for shipping.  Since the pandemic hit the two cheapest methods Mandarake used for shipping to the US have been unavailable.  The two options left, especially DHL, are expensive.  In many cases the shipping may cost you more than the actual item you’re purchasing, so keep that in mind.

Another disadvantage to using Mandarake is that they do not provide the cost of shipping up front.  You select the item you want to buy, select the shipping method you want, and within three days you receive an invoice from Mandarake with the shipping cost included.  You have the option of cancelling the sale at that time, but if you do that more than 2 or 3 times they reserve the right to bar you from shopping with them.

The Sapporo branch of Mandarake used to list the cost of each shipping method on the page of each item they were selling, which was extremely helpful; I wished the other branches had done the same.  Mandarake Sapporo has stopped doing that, though, since the pandemic began.

But if you have an idea of Mandarake’s price range for a figure it makes you a better consumer on eBay.  I have seen several of the Marmit figures, especially 8 Man, go for close to $800 USD, which is just absolutely ridiculous.  Take your time, do some research, and eventually you’ll be able to bag yourself a (relative) bargain.

[shadowwrath264]

Z & Zetton Army

Welp!!! Looks like little Z has finally decided to become canon and finally decided to show his ass up, lmao. Finally he has made his debut, with his own army of Zettons.

So, to say it again but this time to, add one info in, Z & Zetton Alien Baltan have officially made their debut! Finally! Just finally after many years of being non-canon kaijus/aliens, they have decided to become canon. Good on the both of you.

Zetton II & EX Zetton have made their long-awaited return! From Ultraman Jack Series and Mebius: Ghost Reverse MOVIE (Parts 1 and 2). And it is good to see that Zetton II has a remake with his body costume and face as back at Jack Series.... his body costume and his face look so..... so..... "derpy" and...... "stupid"....

We also get to see two Hyper Zettons side by side with Z. But sadly, the two Hyper Zettons are probably nerfed versions and not the Saga Version. DAMN.... I wanted them to grow wings and a tail. If anything, I wanted them to turn their arms into Scythes even. Too bad they are nerfed in this series.

But still!!! Fret not!!!!! For our wishes have FINALLY come true. A Zetton army is really pleasing to see!!! This feels so awesome and so unreal at the same time!!!!!!

[thekaijudude]

This is an idea for a qn I’ve had for… around 3 to 4 months.

Applying the standard limits of all teleporting Kaiju’s teleportation abilities that I use in my fanfics to all forms of Zetton, if my Godzilla pinned down any one of the listed versions of Zetton (Original, EX, and Hyper) while using the Nuclear Attack Aura, would they be able to teleport away before losing their ability to teleport?

Here’s some important things to note:

—The “standard limits of all teleporting Kaiju’s teleportation abilities” from my fanfics that I mentioned before are tied to the standard method most Kaiju use to achieve teleportation, which involves their Internal Energy. As a result, depleting enough of their Internal Energy in a short enough span of time will stop them from being able to teleport. For reference on this, let’s say that they need to lose at least 50% of their Internal Energy to lose the ability to teleport.

——While there are a variety of ways to deplete a Kaiju’s Internal Energy, the only one really in question here involves superheating their skin to such high extents that it weakens drastically, basically causing the Internal Energy to leak through the skin. In other words, the question is if any of the versions of Zetton I listed previously are heat resistant enough to be able to teleport before they lose 50% of their Internal Energy from being pinned down by my Godzilla while the Nuclear Attack Aura is active.

—While my Godzilla’s Nuclear Attack Aura is listed as having an average temperature of 75 Trillion Degrees Celsius, my Godzilla can control how hot he makes the aura, with the max temperature being 80 Trillion Degrees Celsius.

——Additionally, the heat produced by the Nuclear Attack Aura, at its max temp, influences the temperature of everything within a 80 mile radius, with anything outside of this radius experiencing the same levels of temperatures they naturally would. In other words, when the Nuclear Attack Aura is at its max temperature, there’s about a 1 Mile radius around Godzilla where temperatures are around 1 Trillion Degrees Celsius.

You're bascially asking if the aforementioned Zettons' durability is able to withstand at least 1 Trillion Degrees Celsius?

Hard to say cause youre dealing with numbers and we dont have said numbers when it comes to temperature-based durability so we can only go off of official statements and sorta interpolate the math.

The only official number we have for this context is Ultraman's Specium Ray which is 500K °C and Powered's Mega Specium Ray being listed to be "five times more powerful" which makes it 2.5 Million °C, and thats alr the potency of UB level beings while the aforementioned Zettons are still around the New Gen scale, even if u used the ridiculously Sphere-juiced up Hyper Zetton from Saga, u can reasonable scale him to 10 000 NG at UB level, but even as a highball, his durability would be only in the scale of Millions.

Assuming that any kaiju that can survive being hit by the (Mega) Specium Ray means that they can tank the temperature. But this only establishes the scaling for temperature-based durability around the UB level

So, considering that we've never seen any Zettons tanking Beams on the scale of Trillions of degrees, and since as said, the Zettons are only around New Gen scale (even if u include Saga Hyper Zetton), this means that none of them would be able to tank it and would probably evaporate away instantly once in contact with the aura due to the sheer difference in temperature tbh

The only way to survive is to actually tp away before the aura hits them

Thanks for the question!

[himitsusentaiblog]

SSSS Gridman Episode 10

Hoooo boy there’s a lot to unpack here.  Not as many direct references to the Ultra Series as before but some deep dives into Gridman’s own lore.

We see the return of the computer world we saw in the sky, which marks the borders of the world Akane has created for herself.  This time it’s in her home and signifies she has divorced herself from where she was.

 The kaiju Akane creates in this episode is a half-hearted effort that looks like this:

The weird colors and the obvious joints for the neck, the arms and the legs makes it look like one of the old Marmit vinyl figures that often had imaginative colors schemes not seem in the actual shows plus more rounded and ‘cute’ proportions.

For example below is one of those style vinyl figures for the Kaiju Hedorah from the Godzilla series next to a picture of the actual kaiju suit,

So this was more of a stylized action figure version of a kaiju, which is why it was so weak.

However, another kaiju, the most powerful yet emerged from inside of that one after it was defeated.  It looked like this:

This things is weird and remind me of a cross between two famous Ultra Kaiju.  The first is the Alien Metron which first appeared in 1967′s Ultraseven.

Mostly from this one is the general body shape and the color scheme of red, blue and a bit of yellow.

The other is the Kemurman from Ultra Q who has a weirdly split face design and weird, humanoid hands like the kaiju above.  It was also used to create the Zetton aliens from the end of Ultraman who featured one eye like the thing above, though on  he head rather than the middle of the chest.

Lastly, we come to the part that had my gasping and staring in awe and this, this is a huge SPOILER so it goes under the cut.

Anti, the little humanoid Kaiju that transformed into a foe devoted to destroying Gridman turned over a new leaf in this episode.  He had been copying Gridman’s abilities but he took it one step further and became a new version of Gridman himself called Grid Knight.

This is major because this references back to something planned for the original Denkou Choujin Gridman series that never happened. Originally, in the later part of the 1993 series, Takeshi Kudo (the original series’ version of Akane) was to have been turned into the Khan Knight by his alien master Khan Digifer.  He would have been a rival to Gridman (much as Anti is) before redeeming himself and becoming Grid Knight. 

This never happened as the original plan was changed later.  It has happened here though!

What’s more, Grid Knight was to have become the protagonist of a second Gridman series which never went into production because fo the low ratings of the first one.  However, designs exist for Grid Knight, his evil Khan Knight form and the planned designs for his look in the never-made sequel series.

This just goes to show that Tsuburaya NEVER throws out a good idea and just finds ways to use them later down the road, even today.

Oh and Grid Knight’s concept eventually morphed into the concept for Gridman Sigma, Gridman’s younger brother who appeared in a sequel novel series called  Denkou Choujin Gridman: The Demon King's Counterattack. 

He made his debut appearance on screen in the short film Denkou Choujin Gridman: boys invent great hero which was produced in 2015 by Studio Trigger for the Japan Animator Expo. It was the reason Tsuburaya teamed up with Trigger to produce the current series.

You can watch it below:

[tokupedia]

Costume ideas for Halloween 2018: Ultraman

Up next for costume suggestion ideas are ones that hail from the Fandom of Light and the outer depths of space.

Ultra Nyan

Yeah, Yeah, you know I had to start with this one. But can you blame me? He is such a cute widdle kitteh! 

Now, there are several ways to approach the idea of Ultra Nyan: 

First is the mascot costume method, making a suit like the mascot used at the now defunct Ultraman Land theme park. There are plenty of online suppliers to help in this endeavor, just google “Custom Mascot Costume”  or “White Cat Mascot” to find a base template and modify from there using existing images, some carefully placed red clothing dye and a custom tail attachment and a button on the chest to finish it. 

Carry a plush. You could go dressed as a Japanese student such as Nyan’s owner Haruka (albeit a bit older) and make a custom homemade plush of Ultra Nyan to carry around in a basket, in a backpack or in your arms.

Catgirl maid. For hardcore otaku fans, one possible option is a Ultra Nyan maid outfit. Make a dress with the red and white patterns, get some red and white neko ears, a neko tail, a custom wig or hairdo and custom color timer and tail parts for the costume.

Dress up your kitty! Depending on the temperament of your pet, this could go well or very badly. But make a little costume using string and fabric and then show how cute he/she looks to all the trick or treaters who come to your door! Also, pro-pet costume safety tip, never use costume paint! That could make your cat sick or suffer badly due to skin irritation, not to mention it would be very hard if not impossible to get off.

Ultra Kaiju Girls

A spin-off of Ultraman, Ultra Kaiju Girls asks the weird question of what if Kaiju from that series were revived as cute humanoid high school girls. There are certainly a lot of options to chose from: King Joe, Zetton, Gomora, Eleking etc.

I suggest if this be your choice to research the spin-off material such as the anime, the translated manga by Seven Seas Entertainment and promotional art for designs. Search the lore of the Ultra Series and let your imagination run wild! Find your inner kaiju!

Super Fighter Ultras

Ultraman Mebius (equipped w/ Phoenix Armor)

Once upon a time in the 1990s, Ultraman tried to ride the wave of popularity of Dragon Ball Z by doing a similar shonen action approach in a spin-off manga and OVA. It was called Ultraman: Super Fighter Legend and its premise was that Ultras could now enhance thier powers with special battle suits (so a sort of precursor to Ultraman X). You’ll need: a pre-made Ultraman suit, sculpting tools or 3D molds, paint, LEDs and circuits and other assorted materials.

Don Shine

Ultraman Geed’s favorite superhero show character, an homage to heroes like Kamen Rider. 

Here is a sample cosplay outfit online, which you can either attempt to buy or use the images to give you a general guideline of what goes where during assembly. Alternatively, you could make some style changes such as creating a Showa style or early Heisei era style suit variant or even a female version. Hmm...a Dawn Shine, would be more Pretty Cure than Rider based on how that sounds. 

Crew GUYS uniform

GUYS SALLY GO! 

G.I.G.!

The defense force team of Ultraman Mebius.

For those not in the mood for arts and crafts and want a quick toku costume for a party, here is a good solution. Due to Ultraman Mebius having a presence in the west, cosplay stores are all but too happy to provide an outfit for you at semi-reasonable prices. Just remember the measurement sizing differences of East and West before purchase and be careful where you buy.

Ultra Cap

Something found on Pinterest, and its not a bad idea! Credit to creator Willaim Knowles.

The MCU’s Ant-Man was designed with Ultraman as a noted influence, so that begs the question of what would have happened if another Marvel MCU hero took inspiration from Japan’s most celebrated kaiju busting superhero. 

Some have done mash-ups of Kamen Rider with Cap (I’ve even seen one such cosplay up close at Japan World Heroes 1), but who is to say other J-hero designs couldn’t work for the Sentinel of Liberty? There are plenty of designs that can make an Ultra-fied version of Steve Rogers work. 

Free Possible Example: Mix elements of Gridman Sigma, Ultraman Chuck, (Or Scott), Tiga and a stylized variant of X’s Cyber Bemstar Arm Shield and you will have a prize winning costume!

Well, that is all the costumes I can think up for inspiration to fans this year, hope these posts inspired you to make your halloween exicting!

[thankyoumskobayashi]

allow me to wax poetic about why i love this video so much. the blond with the guitar onstage is Takeshi Tsuruno, the actor who played Dyna's human host on 1997 Ultra installment Ultraman Dyna.

That is my birth year Ultra, and although I don't have a Kamen Rider for my birth year I appreciate the superheroes (as a zodiac-esque kind of thing) I do have. That said I am waiting to watch Dyna, as if looking for some cosmic sign or mental switch to just go and do it. However, when I do watch I will have some level of comfort in knowing how it ends, because of the movie I watched already.

Ultraman Saga is a movie about how combining the strengths of many create a force greater than any one person combined. This is shown after the three Ultra heroes (Zero, Dyna, Cosmos) fuse into the titular Ultraman Saga, Saga's power alone is not enough to defeat Hyper Zetton. Only with the quick thinking and tricks laid out by the Earth Defense Team (played by members of actual idol group DiVA), can Saga beat Hyper Zetton.

It is in that movie that I first heard this same song in the above video, "Kimi Dake Wo Mamoritai" or "Only You Will I Protect." I was enthralled by it, and looked it up, and read about how it was the first ending song of Ultraman Dyna, but Tsuruno sang it often on the set because he liked it so much. He covered it around the time Dyna ended, in 1998, and that launched his music career in addition to acting.

Fast forward to the Saga movie, around 2014, when he's had time to mature as a musician and develop his voice more. It was actually written into the movie plot that Tsuruno's character loved singing that song; one of the members of DiVA also covered it because her character was inspired by Tsuruno's character. Out of all the iterations of this song available, Tsuruno's second cover is the version I still prefer above all, even moreso than the original song. Which will bleed into why I love this video even more.

Onstage, in addition to Tsuruno and his backup vocals, are suit actors waving and dancing as four Iconic Ultras. The one with the diamond on his forehead is Dyna. The one with two gray boob-shaped markings on his chest (at least I always think the markings resemble them) is Ultraman. The one with one head crest is Ultra Seven, and the one with two forehead crests is Zero, Seven's son.

The reasoning behind choosing Dyna is the most obvious, he is Tsuruno's character's partner in the tv show and film. This is doubly confirmed when his dancing mirrors that of Tsuruno's moves; the two are in sync as all good Ultra and human host couples are.

Ultraman is onstage because he was the first Ultra character in the series, way back in 1967. His show is technically the second season but many consider it to be the first one, because its predecessor, Ultra Q, featured the stock Earth Defense Team fighting the kaiju, but no Ultra figure secretly (or perhaps unsubtly) protecting them as well. He is onstage perhaps because diehard fans would feel ripped off if he weren't.

Ultra Seven is there because although Man is the titular character, Seven was the most popular Ultra figure back in the first era of Ultraman. Seven is looked up to as inspiration by many people, including wrestler Shinsuke Nakamura.

Look at him hugging Ultra Seven. He's so happy to meet his childhood hero.

Ultraman Zero, as you might remember from before, was one of the Ultra warriors besides Dyna who fused into Saga. If that was the case, one might ask, then why isn't Cosmos up onstage with them?

Well, I would respond. The totally blue Ultras are exponentially less popular than the red Ultras. Cosmos happens to be mostly blue. Zero is half-and-half, Dyna is approximately half-and-half, and Man and Seven are both red. Suit design goes a long way into affecting the popularity of each alien Tsupro designs, which I won't get fully into rn. Even without factoring in Zero's hot design, there are other reasons he's up on that stage and not Cosmos.

Zero is the son of Ultraseven, first introduced to the Series in a 2009 movie with a title longer than probably many you've heard. To do a mini-tangent here, I love the long Ultra movie titles. They are essentially saying to anyone who hears: "It matters not how long our movie names are. We could make them even longer and people would still flock to theaters because they love what we do and we make sure to put the utmost level of care and love into crafting beautiful & enjoyable narratives."

Zero was introduced as a "taking the baton/torch from Seven" type of hero. He's from a different era; he's got an updated design that resembles his father enough to be distinguishable. Actually, he was designed as the next generation's "most popular Ultraman" which is proved by the concrete evidence: Tsupro chose award-winning voice actor Mamoru Miyano (Light from Death Note) as Zero's voice. And (if stage shows are to be taken as extended canon), Zero's human form as well. Miyano has success in singing, dancing, acting, and voice acting along with his own fashion line.

So, he could definitely bring success to Zero by giving the character a voice that brings in a lot of fans.

Enough success to make Zero the iconic Ultra of his era, and bridge the gap between eras through blood relation. It is not mistake that the Iconique Ultras from both eras (Showa and Heisei) are related: in fact that might be a power move on Tsupro's part. They are bringing back old fans as well as dragging in new ones. They are trying to unite their fans by connecting the generations, a theme which is returned to in the finales of many recent-era seasons: united people can together defeat the final boss. Somehow. Everyone working together no matter how old, those endings always get me right in the heart. And it's that sense of heart, of belongingness that keeps me returning to the show.

The Love is Stored in the Ultra Series.

Welp. That explains the four aliens onstage, and part of why they're there. Now on to more things. The red lighting early in the beginning is reminiscent of the Showa era episode titlecards, which had a red or black silhouette of an ultra or kaiju against a black or red background. This performance mimics that as best it can, showing the suit actors in red lighting which makes them seem almost like blue silhouetted themselves. Actually, this is a deliberate inversion of its own popular trope, and might have been breathtaking to a fan sitting in the crowd.

During the performance, there were clips from the Ultra Series playing on a projected screen behind Tsuruno and the suits. They had clips from-- what exactly, I don't know, but now I am curious to find out. Placing that screen of clips serves a triple purpose: inciting curiosity about the Ultra Series, reminding experienced fans of the cool stuff that went down in the show, and adding awesome fight scenes as a backdrop to some of those Warriors waving, thumbs-uping, dancing, and playing air guitar. So there's a nice contrast there.

I love Dyna so much and I love Ultraman so much. Thanks for reading if you've made it this far

[toku-explained]

ULTRAMAN Episode 2/Chapters 3-6

Shin throws Shinjiro at a SSSP helicopter, trusting him to use his abilities to make it in safely. Shinjiro lands, and is greeted by Ide.

Shin and "Ultraman" fight, Shin putting up a good fight, but age and the limitations of the Prototype ULTRAMAN Suit catch up with him, allowing his foe to impale him.

Ide explains about the Ultraman Factor Shinjiro has inherited, and that he has been ordered to keep Shinjiro safe. When an explosion rocks the stadium, and Hayata's life signs start failing, after confirming Shinjiro wants to save his father, Ide goes against Shin's wishes to show him something he's prepared specially.

Despite everything Shin can still stand, barely, as "Ultraman" prepares to destroy him Shinjiro arrives, debuting the ULTRAMAN Suit.

The design used in the anime is the manga's B-Type design, introduced around the time of the anime. It's possible the change was done for the sake of animation, but suits were getting small upgrades throughout, and it might just have been the anime using the newer design for brand cohesion. Also, in the anime Shinjiro uses a wrist worn transfer device to teleport the suit on by doing a Rise pose, in the manga the suit had to be manually equipped, the transfer device not debuting until volume 16.

ULTRAMAN uses the Specium Blades to fight "Ultraman", fighting better than Ide ever expected, the technician initially thinking he means the Suit over the Protosuit, overpowering his foe, as Shin worries if he cursed his son by being Ultraman.

When his foes prepares a large attack, Ide sets the suit ready for the Specium Ray mode. In the manga it fires from the left arm, the anime has it fire from the right like the traditional version, unless the manga changed it with the B-Type.

After the attack, Ide looks to see Shinjiro, but his foe has managed to survive, with some serious damage to his suit. The helmet damage of the manga is dropped, again probably for cost reasons. Intruding himself at last as Bemular, he declares himself the first enemy before fleeing, impressed.

Bemular being the name of the first kaiju Ultraman faced on earth.

Shinjiro collapses, as Ide leads SSSP members in recovering both of them.

Shinjiro awakens in an SSSP hospital, greeted by Ide, and to his shock, a Zetton Seijin, telling him Hayata will be fine, but they have something important to talk to him about.

[fighterxaos]

Tokusatsu products are considered as a major topic here at Hero Club, so it is the perfect category to cap off the Holiday Buyers Guide! Starting off the list is one of the originators of the genre, Ultraman! Following the Ultraman products, we transition to Toei brands such as Kamen Rider, Super Sentai and Power Rangers, since it is the American adaptation of Super Sentai. Closing out this listing is the King of the Monsters, Godzilla, which will feature items from the Monster Planet anime film!

  Ultraman

DX Geed Riser & Ultra Zero Eye Neo MSRP: 8320 yen

“Get over now! Get over pain!” Because this is the ultimate set for Ultraman Geed fans! The DX Geed Riser & Ultra Zero Eye Neo is wonderful due to the multiple purposes that these items serve. One can either use the Geed Riser to Fusion Rise into Ultraman Geed, or a Belial-Fusion Beast. In addition, combine the Ultra Zero Eye Neo with it to become Ultraman Zero Beyond. The set features a total of six Ultra Capsules!

  DX Magnificent Ultra Capsule Set MSRP: 1200 yen

Now, it does not really matter which Ultra Capsule Set(s) one gets! However, we are featuring the Magnificent due its popularity among the staff member here. The reason we chose this set is because it is one of the few to feature both an Ultra Fusion Rise, and a Belial Fusion Beast. In addition, we enjoy the form Ultraman Geed Magnificent which fuses Zero with Father of Ultra, as well as Pedanium Zetton (Zetton & King Joe)! Furthermore, the episodes in which they debut in are amazing, so check it out on Crunchyroll!

  Ultra Hero & Ultra Monster DX Vinyls MSRP: 600 – 2500yen

Every series has vinyl figures, but the Ultraman related ones are usually the best! The reason is because of the vast array of heroes, aliens, and monster to choose from, as well as the diverse sizes. These items are highly collectible!

  S.H.Figuarts Ultraman Orb Orb Origin

Ultraman Orb is back… technically, and it is all thanks to Tamashii Nations! In Summer, Tamashii Nations released S.H.Figuarts Ultraman Orb Orb Origin as well as its Amazon Japan exclusive counterpart. Now, this S.H.Figuarts is simply wonderful, and it is a must have for fans!

  Kamen Rider

DX Build Driver MSRP: 6000 JPY

Kamen Rider Build is the current Kamen Rider, and final Rider in Heisei Era! Now, as such Build’s henshin device is the Build Driver; it is mechanical steampunk-like belt that works by turning a crank. However, one needs to load it up with the Full Bottles, the collectible gimmick of the series, which look pistons when activated. Full Bottles create Best Matches if paired correctly, but luckily enough they are labeled! The Build Driver itself consists of the belt, and two Full Bottles that create the Best Match, RabbitTank!

  DX Cross Dragon MSRP: 3000 JPY

The Cross Dragon is the attachment required to becoming Kamen Rider Build’s secondary Rider, Kamen Rider Cross-Z! However, one will still need to insert the Dragon Full Bottle before completing the transformation. Luckily enough, that Full Bottle does come with this product. In addition, the Dragon Full Bottle can be paired with the Lock Full Bottle (campaign item in Japan) to form the Best Match, KeyDragon.

  Kamen Rider Build So Do Figures MSRP: 400 JPY

Every year there is a coexisting Candy Toy action figure line to go along with the current season! Now like Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, Kamen Rider Build’s series is a clever way to avoid the basic BCR figures. The first wave of figures gave the option to be purchased either singularly, as a wave, or an entire case if one lives in Japan. However, options for international fans are to purchase entire cases (roughly 5000 JPY), unless online stores provide the alternative options. Never the less, it is an effective way to get all of Kamen Rider Build’s Best Matches, and additional characters!

  S.H.Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Ichigo & Takeshi Hongo MSRP: 6000 JPY

First there is S.H. Figuarts Takeshi Hongo, which is a stunning design based on Hiroshi Fujioka when he was at his prime. Then there is his transformed form state, as Ichigo! However, with Ichigo being a Seihou it is the most exact S.H.Figuart representation for the character currently. Both Takeshi Hongo and Kamen Rider Ichigo are set to release in December, so it makes them the perfect pair and gift for any Kamen Rider fan!

  Super Sentai & Power Rangers

DX Seiza Blaster MSRP: 4800 JPY

Uchu Sentai Kyuranger is the current on-going Super Sentai series, however currently it almost at the end of its run. Yet, during its airing the main transformation device, the Seiza Blaster, has been one of the most wanted toys. Luckily it is one of the better stocked toys too, meaning practically anyone should not have too much trouble buying it. In mounts to the arm, features lights and sounds, as well as can read every Kyutama made to access the Kyurangers’ various powers.

  DX Kyurenoh MSRP: 8600 JPY

The Kyurangers mecha is called Kyurenoh; it is a five-piece mecha formed from the core five Voyagers (Shishi, Chameleon, Kajiki, Wolf, Oushi) of the main nine. Yet, since Shishi Voyager is the body the other Voyagers serve as its limbs, but feature the ability to be either an arm or leg. However, these limbs are interchangeable with the other four which are sold separately (Sasori, Washi, Hebitsukai, Tenbin). In addition, the Shishi features working electronics to read the various Kyutama like the Seiza Blaster.

Super Mini-Pla Daizyujin & Dragon Caeser

Super Mini-Pla is still a fledgling series of being advanced Mini-Pla kits for various mecha. Kicking off the tokusatsu portion of Super Mini-Pla is oddly enough Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger’s Daizyujin, and Dragon Caeser. One reason as to why these two were chosen is because of Zyuranger being known as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in North America. In addition, to the fact Bluefin Tamashii quickly distributed these products shortly after their release in Japan. They are wonderful kits featuring more regular kit construction process and design; that means one may need to bust out their building tools, and take more time assemble.

  BullRider Megazord MSRP: $29.99 – 34.99

Power Rangers Ninja Steel is over, but will return in 2018 as Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel! With the original run being hard to find and cleared out of stores, the Super Ninja Steel reissue is the easier version of the BullRider Megazord to come by. The overall Megazord is probably the best one made in the entire toy line. However, it can combine the Ninja Steel Megazord to form the Ninja Fusion Zord.

  Legacy 6.5” Figures MSRP: $19.99

The Legacy line is Bandai’s method to compete with Hasbro’s Marvel Legends, or Mattel’s DC Multiverse figures. However, they are not entirely perfect rivals! Never the less, this year the waves and assortments met some issues hitting retail. Yet, from what was released there were a few nominally good figures like Metallic Rangers!

  Godzilla

S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla (2017) MSRP: 9936 yen

Tamashii Nations quickly set forth to produce a S.H.MonsterArts for the 2017 rendition of Godzilla! This version of Godzilla is how the King of the Monsters is depicted in the anime film, Godzilla: Monster Planet. Now, the film is currently out in Japan, and from what we understand Godzilla (2017) is the largest Godzilla yet! While this is great gift to get a Godzilla fan, the only issue is it may not arrive for Christmas since it is a December release.

  Movie Monster Series Vinyls – Monster Planet MSRP: 1800 yen

With Monster Planet releasing this year in theater in Japan, or early 2018 for those waiting on Netflix, Bandai releases vinyl figures for the monsters. First from Monster Planet is the King of the Monsters, himself, Godzilla who looks very similar to Legendary Goji. The only difference is its blue-ish color, and overly muscular body. Whereas, the other figure is for the new kaiju, Servum, a wyvern-like creature that is seen in the animated feature.

  NECA Shin Godzilla MSRP: $23.99

Yet, again NECA capitalizes on the chance to make a new Godzilla figure for one of the more recent installments. NECA’s Shin Godzilla figure released in late Summer, but at times can be a hard figure to come across. The figure is quite wonderful and pretty accurate to the on-screen design. The NECA figure also serves as a fair and reasonable substitute for any of the Tamashii Nations S.H.MonsterArts releases for Shin Godzilla thus far.

  Tamashii MIX Super Mechagodzilla (Ohrai Noriyoshi Poster Color Ver.) MSRP: $184.99

From Tamashii Nations the Tamashii MIX Super Mechagodzilla is based on Ohrai Noriyoshi’s original poster art for the character. Now, originally when Noriyoshi drew the poster he was under the belief that he was drawing the final working production design for Mechagodzilla in Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II. However, during production the design drastically change due to the complexity of the concept to have Mechagodzilla be a multi-vehicle combining mecha. Yet, due to popularity in the poster and un-used concept art, 24 years later Bandai thought at least make a product out of it! Thankfully, Bluefin Tamashii was also able to distribute this behemoth too to North America…

  Now, this finally concludes Hero Club’s Holiday Buyer’s Guide 2017! We hope our choices helped our readers with their holiday shopping! In addition, we are already looking towards next year’s guide. Maybe the next one might be some sort of catalog?! Never the less, thanks for reading and always checking in with Hero Club…

Holiday Buyer’s Guide 2017 Day 5: Tokusatsu Toys

Tokusatsu products are considered as a major topic here at Hero Club, so it is the perfect category to cap off the Holiday Buyers Guide!

Holiday Buyer’s Guide 2017 Day 5: Tokusatsu Toys Tokusatsu products are considered as a major topic here at Hero Club, so it is the perfect category to cap off the Holiday Buyers Guide!