Ask John: Is There Any Ultraman Anime?

Question:
Is there anime featuring Ultraman?

Answer:
I’ve long found it strangely ironic that Japanese popular culture seems to be receptive toward anime adaptations of live action Japanese super heroes, but not toward Japanese giant monsters. Japanese live action costumed heroes including Kikaider, Barom One, Gekko Kamen, and Ultraman have had multiple anime adaptations while, as far as I know, there are no anime based on Gamera, Gappa, or Daimajin. Even the perennially popular Godzilla has earned manga adaptations and at least two American animated series, but no Japanese animation. Even the 1963 Japanese live action film Kaitei Gunkan (known in America as “Atragon”) featured the giant sea serpent Manda, but the anime version, 1995’s Shin Kaitei Gunkan (known in America as “Super Atragon”) excluded giant monsters.

To address the primary point at hand, many American anime fans may be surprised to know that Ultraman has been animated numerous times. In fact, I may not know of all of the Ultraman anime adaptations, so I can’t promise that this chronology is complete.

Ultraman made his live action debut in 1966, but didn’t appear in anime form until the April 4, 1979 premier of the 50 episode television series “The Ultraman.” In 1981 the final story arc of “The Ultraman” television series was released in America as a 90 minute long feature film titled “The Adventures of Ultraman.” The following year the series first four episodes were edited together into the American film “Ultraman II: The Further Adventures of Ultraman.”

Japanese and American Ultraman animation also merged in 1981 with Hanna-Barbera’s 78 minute long film “Ultraman: The Adventure Begins,” produced in co-operation with Ultraman creators Tsuburaya Productions. This American animated film was finally released in Japan on April 15, 1989 under the title “Ultraman USA.”

The Ultraman Kids franchise literally depicted Ultraman and his companions as children, first in the 25 minute long “Ultraman Kids: M7.8 Hoshi no Yukai na Nakama” (“Ultraman Kids: Happy Friends of Planet M7.8”) movie that opened on March 17, 1984. The Ultraman Kids made their TV debut on April 16, 1986 in the 26 episode “Ultraman Kids no Kotowaza Monogatari” (“Ultraman Kids’ Proverb Stories”) educational television series. Then they returned on November 17, 1991 for the 26 episode “Ultraman Kids no Haha wo Tazunete 3000 Man Kounen” (“Ultraman Kids: Searching for Mother for 30,000,000 Light Years”) television series.

Ultraman next appeared in anime form in the half-hour long, super deformed “Ultraman Wonderful World ~ Ultraman Company: Kochira Ultraman Sou (Sou) satai” (Ultraman Wonderful World ~ Ultraman Company: This is the Ultraman (Wacky) Investigation Team”) motion picture, which premiered on March 9, 1996.

Ultraman hit anime again shortly later, with slightly more normal body proportions, in the September 25, 1996 OVA release “Ultraman: Choutoushi Gekiden,” (Ultraman: Super Fighter Legend”) an adaptation of a manga series by Sagawa Ryuu and Kurihara Jin.

The Ultraman anime franchise then took a detour with the half-hour long “Ultra Nyan: Hoshizora Kara Maiorita Fushigi Neko” (“Ultra Meow: Extraordinary Cat who Descended from the Starry Sky”) motion picture that opened on April 12, 1997, and its half-hour long sequel, “Ultra Nyan 2: Happy Daisakusen” (“Ultra Meow 2: The Great Happy Operation”) that premiered on March 14, 1998. As the titles suggest, these two short anime films depicted Ultraman in the form of a white and red super-powered kitten.

Most recently, Ultraman has seen anime form in the 6 episode Ultraman Graffiti OVA series that premiered in Japan on October 24, 1990.