Ultraman Blazar


Ultraman Blazar is a Japanese tokusatsu drama produced by Tsuburaya Productions, released to coincide with the company's 60th anniversary. It is the 28th entry in the Ultra Series, the fifth installment in the Reiwa era and the first series to lean towards serious hard science fiction since Ultraman Gaia and Ultraman Nexus. The series began airing on TV Tokyo on July 8, 2023 and on YouTube after the airing.

Synopsis

The Global Guardian Force was established in 1966 in response to the worldwide outbreak of kaiju attacks. As global warming continues to rise, a GGF special forces unit led by Gento Hiruma finds itself in a dangerous situation when its cleanup operation goes awry before an Ultraman appears. Gento is later transferred to lead SKaRD, short for the Special Kaiju Reaction Detachment, a newly formed covert team that utilizes the Earth Garon robot to combat kaiju. Gento revealed to have become the host of Ultraman Blazar, leads SKaRD against the kaiju while figuring out the meaning of visions he has of another galaxy.

Characters

SKaRD

Special Kaiju Reaction Detachment, abbreviated as SKaRD, is a special forces unit established within the GGFJ.
  • Gento Hiruma: The 30-year-old captain of SKaRD, born on November 3, 1992. He transforms into Ultraman Blazar with the Blazar Brace and the Blazer Stone crystal. He is portrayed by Tomoya Warabino.
  • Emi Aobe: A 23-year-old intelligence specialist, born on October 11, 1999. She is portrayed by Himena Tsukimiya. As a baby, Emi is portrayed by Honoka Koshi.
  • Anri Minami: A 26-year-old pilot for Earth Garon, born on May 8, 1997. She is portrayed by Konomi Naito. As a child, Anri is portrayed by Chieri Fujiyama.
  • Yasunobu Bando: A 25-year-old skilled mechanic and pilot for Earth Garon, born on April 22, 1998. He is portrayed by Hayate Kajihara
  • Teruaki Nagura: The 29-year-old vice-captain and operations strategist of SKaRD, born on October 21, 1993. He is portrayed by Yuki Ito.
  • Special Tactical Armored Kaiju Earth Garon: SKaRD's giant kaiju-type robot nicknamed Earthy. It is equipped with the Earth Fire charged particle cannon in its mouth, the Earth Gun autocannons on each hand, and the five-cell Tail VLS on its tail. The voice interactive AI system, EGOISS, is later installed on Earth Garon. During the events of the manga spin-off, Earth Garon is equipped with the pressure diving suit, AO-PDS, and the underground excavation unit, AO-UEU. It is voiced by Akira Ishida.
  • *Earth Garon Mod.2: Equipped with the Mod.2 Unit on its back, which grants the Rail Cannon and the Multipurpose Laser cannon.
  • *Earth Garon Mod.3: Equipped with the Mod.3 Unit on its back, which grants the Uranus Drive propulsion system.
  • *Earth Garon Mod.4: Equipped with the Mod.2 and Mod.3 Units.

    GGFJ

The Global Guardian Force Japan is the Japanese branch of the Global Guardian Force, an organization authorized to deal against kaiju and headquartered in North America.
  • Retsu Haruno: The 56-year-old Chief of Staff of GGFJ Command and founder of SKaRD who is Gento's superior. He later took full responsibility for SKaRD's disruption of the GGFJ's operation and was relieved of duty. In Ultraman Blazar the Movie: Tokyo Kaiju Showdown, he has been promoted to the Commander of GGFJ Command to replace Genkawa. He is portrayed by Masaya Kato.
  • Isozaki, Komatsubara, Moriguchi, Murota, and Kisaragi: Members of the First Special Mobile Team, to which Gento belonged before his transfer to SKaRD. They are portrayed by Takashi Nishina, Kenji Shio, Hideki Kitano, Kazuhiro Yoda, and Taihei Nishi, respectively.
  • Hirano: A head of weapons development. He is portrayed by Keitoku Ito.
  • Minoru Genkawa: Commander of GGFJ Command. He is portrayed by Taro Kawano.
  • Tatsuki Aobe: Emi Aobe's father and a scientist, who died three years ago. He is portrayed by Ryosuke Watabe.
  • Goda: A captain of the Facilities Security Forces. He is portrayed by Tetsu Hijikata.

    Ultraman Blazar

Ultraman Blazar is the titular Ultra of the series who came from Blazar M421. His finishing move is Spiral Burrade, a spear made of energy that he can manipulate in various ways. During the battle against Varallon, Blazar is able to fire a Blazar Beam from his left hand using Gento's wedding ring and a bracelet his son gifted him as a catalyst. He can harness the power of monsters through the use of their Stones, such as a Rainbow Slash energy buzzsaw through the power of Nijikagachi, the Tilsonite Sword through the power of Garamon, and the Firdran Armor through the power of Firdran, which can change the Tilsonite Sword into the Tilsofird Lancer double-bladed sword. He is voiced by Hideyoshi Iwata, who also plays the Ultra.

Minor characters

  • Reiko Kiyoshimadaira: A reporter of television station TKB. She is portrayed by Maasa Kitamura.
  • Okawa: A physicist at the Teaterium Energy Fusion Institute. He is portrayed by Tomokazu Seki.
  • Satoko Hiruma: Gento Hiruma's wife of his age. In Ultraman Blazar the Movie: Tokyo Kaiju Showdown, she is pregnant with her second child. She is portrayed by Maya Okano.
  • Jun Hiruma: Gento's 7-year-old son. He is portrayed by Haru Iwakawa.
  • Hiroshi Sonezaki: The CEO of the major chemical company Novaio who used to be in GGF Chemical Department until 18 years ago. He is portrayed by Kazuki Tsujimoto.
  • Mizuho: Anri Minami's childhood friend who lives in her hometown. She is portrayed by Asaka Yamada. As a child, she is portrayed by Seira Takatori.
  • Saburota Terashimazu and Takuma Nihonmatsu: Directors of TKB. They are portrayed by Hachizo Hino and Yuta, respectively.
  • Kazunori Yokomine: A leading kaiju researcher, a former GGF Academy professor, and Gento's former teacher from school. He is portrayed by Kozo Sato. As a child, he is portrayed by Ken Fujii.
  • Yu Dobashi: The former director of GGFJ and the former manager of Test Facility 66 of the Space Systems Research Center who is revealed to be the orchestrator of the V99 conspiracy that occurred in 1999. He is portrayed by Minori Terada.
  • Arata and Tsumugi: Jun Hiruma's classmate and his younger sister, respectively. They are portrayed by Luca Damasceno Takei and Nene Iwakami, respectively.
  • Tsutomu Nishizaki: An astrophysicist and former teammate of Tatsuki Aobe. He is portrayed by Daisuke Nagakura.
  • Shogo Nagura and Masaaki Nagura: Teruaki Nagura's father and older brother, respectively, and farmers. They are portrayed by Yoshihiro Nozoe and Kenji Masaki, respectively.
  • Tetsuo Suzuki: A kaiju damage insurance agent. He is portrayed by Yuta Kanai.
  • Michiko Tanaka: A homeowner Tetsuo Suzuki pitches a sales to. She is portrayed by Karin Yamaguchi.
  • Michihiro Oikawa: A 27-year-old amateur astronomer. He is portrayed by Takuya Nakayama.
  • Ichiro Mabuse: A chemist and the CEO of the advanced chemical company Necromass Co.. He is portrayed by Kisuke Iida.
  • Yuki Mabuse: Ichiro Mabuse's only son and a prodigy who causes an incident under the identity of a fictitious alien, Phantom Alien Alien Damuno. He is portrayed by Ritsuto Morishima. As a 6-year-old child, he is portrayed by Taishin Miyazaki.
  • Nito: A Necromass employee who works as an industrial spy for another company. He is portrayed by Miou Tanaka.

    Monsters and aliens

  • Space Crustacean Monster Bazanga: An alien monster sent by an alien race codenamed the V99.
  • Abyssal Monster Gedos:
  • Coleopteran Monster Taganular:
  • Molluscan Monster Leviera:
  • Mountain Monster Dorgo:
  • Aurora Phantom Alien Cannan "Herbie" and "Robie": Herbie is voiced by Ayako Takeuchi, and their race first appeared in episode 24 of Ultraseven.
  • Iridescent Monster Nijikagachi:An very powerful monster that was revered as a deity in ancient times. In the present it was used to reset the humanity.
  • Robot Monster Garamon: First appeared in episode 13 of Ultra Q.
  • Space Phantom Cicadaman: Aliens who assume the human identities of Hoichi Tsukushi, Chicchi Kuroiwa, Michi Niize, and Kanade Higurashi. They are portrayed by Hideki Togi, Norichika Togi, Kon Shirasu, and Hiroaki Tsutsumi, respectively, and their race first appeared in episode 16 of Ultra Q.
  • Molten Iron Monster Demaaga: First appeared in episode 1 of Ultraman X.
  • Molten Iron Monster Baby Demaaga:
  • Space Electromagnetic Monster Gebalga: An alien monster sent by the V99.
  • Moonlight Monster Deltandal:
  • Two-Dimensional Monster Gavadon: First appeared in episode 15 of Ultraman.
  • Vision Monster Mogusion:
  • Digital Life Form Pag: He is voiced by Masatomo Nakazawa.
  • Abyssal Monster Little Gedos: He is voiced by Shun Horie.
  • Vision Monster Little Mogusion: She is voiced by Konomi Kohara.
  • Space Samurai Zangill: A ronin from outer space who was slain by Zamsher in a duel long ago. However, as a spirit, he is given a redemption mission to slay 100 monsters' souls. He is portrayed by Mitsuru Karahashi.
  • Space Swordsman Zamsher: First appeared in episode 16 of Ultraman Mebius.
  • Pollution Monster Irugo: The larval form of Brood Gebalga which has the ability to emit toxic gas from its mouth.
  • Advanced Space Pollution Monster Brood Gebalga: An alien monster sent by the V99.
  • Fire Dragon Monster Firdran: A phoenix-like monster whom Blazar fuses with to achieve his armored form, Firdran Armor.
  • Subterranean Insectile Monster Zugugan:
  • Moonlight Monster Deltandal B:
  • Skull Monster Red King II: First appeared in episode 25 of Ultraman.
  • Freezing Monster Guigass: First appeared in episode 25 of Ultraman.
  • Space Bomber Monster Varallon: The final antagonist of the series and an alien monster sent by the V99. The monsters on Earth launched an attack on it as a response to its arrival at the series' climax.
  • Space Emperor Alien Bado: First appeared in episode 19 of Ultraseven.
  • Transforming Phantom Alien Pitt: First appeared in episode 3 of Ultraseven.
  • Specter Phantom Alien Ghose: First appeared in episode 48 of Ultraseven.
  • Space Monster Eleking: First appeared in episode 3 of Ultraseven.
  • Twin-Headed Monster Pandon: First appeared in episode 48 of Ultraseven.
  • Three-Faced Phantom Dada: First appeared in episode 28 of Ultraman.
;Film-exclusive
  • DemoniCarcass Monster Gongilgan:
;Manga-exclusives
  • Despot Monster Tyrant: First appeared in episode 40 of Ultraman Taro.
  • Vampire Seaweed Jaranga:
  • Herculean Monster King Silvergon: First appeared in Great Decisive Battle! The [Super 8 Ultra Brothers].
  • Sea Monster King Guesra: First appeared in episode Great Decisive Battle! The Super 8 Ultra Brothers.
  • Ancient Monster Kingsaurus III: First appeared in episode 4 of Return of Ultraman.
  • Space Robot King Joe: First appeared in episode 14 of Ultraseven.

    Episodes

No.TitleDirectorScreenwriterOriginal air date

Film

Ultraman Blazar The Movie: Tokyo Kaiju Showdown is a film released in Japanese theaters on February 23, 2024.

Spin-offs

  • Ultraman Blazar: A manga spin-off with the same title as the series that has been serialized on Tsuburaya Imagination and Shogakukan's online manga websites Televi-Kun Super Hero Comics and Weekly CoroCoro Comic. A special episode is titled Showdown!! The King Monster Army.
  • Ultraman Blazar The Movie Special Voice Drama: A two-episode audio drama distributed through a QR code for Tsuburaya Imagination members who attended movie screenings. It serves as a direct sequel to Ultraman Blazar The Movie: Tokyo Kaiju Showdown.
  1. Tokyo Kaiju Extermination Operation
  2. SKaRD's Smoldering Night
  • SKaRD Break Room: A spin-off included as part of the second Blu-ray release of Ultraman Blazar. It focuses on Anri Minami, Yasunobu Bando, and Teruaki Nagura.
  1. I'll Do This Exercise
  2. Incompletion SOS
  3. Mother of SKaRD Is Like the Sun
  4. Breach Your Stage Fright!
  5. Operation Surprise Zero

    Production

Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Ultraman Blazar was first trademarked and registered by the company on December 20, 2022, and published on December 28, 2022. The series was officially announced on April 21, 2023, alongside a sneak peek of both the titular Ultra and its human host Gento Hiruma. An official press conference was later held on June 12, 2023, which revealed more information on the main cast as well as the kaiju featured in the series.
Series director Kiyotaka Taguchi stated in an interview in Uchusen that he was once approached by Tsuburaya to produce a series that will follow after Ultraman Decker and it will be based on Ultraman Gaia, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. But he decided that he declined making an anniversary season for Gaia, stating the ambitious attempt to try to replicate a show that is already a good Ultra series. He said that "Around the summer of 2021, President Masayuki Nagatake of Tsuburaya Productions invited me out for a meal and said he wanted to talk to me. At that time, Ultraman Trigger: [New Generation Tiga] was already in production. 'Do you want to be the main director for the next project?' President Nagatake asked. At that moment, I thought it would be 'New Generation Gaia,' but even now, 'Gaia' is an extremely ambitious work. 'Given the current state of TV series production, it's impossible to surpass that work no matter how you think about it.' I always believed that. I didn't want to lose such a battle, and I didn't think I was the right person for it." Taguchi decided that for the next series, everything will be done from the ground up that totally feels fresh while focusing less on gimmicks such as form changes and more on original kaiju suits instead of recycling old ones. His concept on Blazar is also different to that of other Ultras, as it is not related to the M78 Nebula but as a character born in a different galaxy. In his interview in Tsuburaya Imagination, he said that he made Blazar to be ideologically similar to Gaia overall and break away from the world view of the previous two works for it to portray "hard science fiction".

Cast

;Opening theme
  • "Bokura no Spectra"
  • *Lyrics: Shito
  • *Composition & Arrangement: Takumi Ozawa
  • *Artist: Hiroshi Kitadani
  • *Episodes: 2-24
;Ending themes
  • "BLACK STAR"
  • *Lyrics: SACHIKO
  • *Composition & Arrangement: Hisashi Koyama
  • *Artist: MindaRyn
  • *Episodes: 2-13
  • "Brave Blazar"
  • *Lyrics, Composition, & Arrangement: Technoboys Pulcraft Green-Fund
  • *Artist: Technoboys Pulcraft Green-Fund feat. MindaRyn
  • *Episodes: 14-25
  • "Ultra Q Main Theme"
  • *Composition: Kunio Miyauchi
  • *Arrangement: Hideki Togi
  • *Episodes: 9

    International broadcast

In Malaysia, this series began airing on Astro Ceria on the same date after the broadcast in Japan at 8:30 pm, with Malay-language dubs.
In Indonesia, this series began airing on RTV on July 14, 2023, with Indonesian dubs.
In Hong Kong, this series will begin airing on ViuTV on July 15, 2023, with Cantonese dubs.
In Philippines, this series will be air on TV5 in 2025 with Filipino dubbed.
Internationally outside of Southeast Asia, the series was uploaded on YouTube with a sub, and for the first time in Ultra Series history, the series is airing with an English simuldub, utilizing YouTube's new audio track feature.