I love kaiju films! But, I especially love Godzilla.
As a massive Godzilla fan my entire life, I’ve written a number of articles about Big G. Hell, I’ve even written about his best enemies because I just love the character so much. However, quite recently, I talked about kaiju who haven’t appeared in the MonsterVerse yet, and one character I included at the time was Ultraman. Now, Ultraman isn’t even considered a kaiju, as he’s what’s known as a Kyodai Hero, which literally translates into “Giant Hero.”
But, you see, I knew very little about Ultraman when I wrote that article. Sure, I’d seen plenty of clips of him fighting a variety of kaiju, but to my uncivilized mind, I coupled him in with other kaiju like Gamera or Varan the Unbelievable. That said, after recently watching the Netflix movie, Ultraman: Rising, I have a newfound love and appreciation for the popular Kyodai Hero, and it’s quickly turned this Godzilla fan into an Ultraman fan. Here’s why!
Oh, and massive spoilers up ahead for Ultraman: Rising.
I Like The Idea Of The Kaiju Not Being The Antagonist
Last year, I wrote about Gamera Rebirth, which is also on Netflix. Now, I have seen quite a few Gamera movies, so I know that Gamera, for most of his career, has been a heroic figure, and is often seen as a defender of children. I mean, hell, even Godzilla has been a good guy quite a few times.
So, I’m used to kaiju fighting for humankind. That said, oftentimes, Gamera and Godzilla fight other kaiju, which are seen as the ultimate threat to us. Not so with Ultraman: Rebirth, though. The Ultraman I’ve watched in the past is always kicking kaiju ass, and I never got a sense that he was trying to protect them in any way.
But, in Ultraman: Rising, we learn that Ultraman is really trying to redirect the kaiju. He doesn’t so much think they’re bad, but rather, that they’re a danger to people. He also tries to reach them before the KDF (The Kaiju Defense Force) gets to them, since they openly attack the giants. In fact, their Chief Officer, Dr. Onda feels like Ultraman just gets in the way, and he wants to kill all kaiju since he blames them for the death of his family.
And you know what? I really love this idea of humans being the “bad guys.” Throughout the story, we get introduced to a baby kaiju, and our protagonist, Kenji, who is the son of the previous Ultraman, Professor Sato, protects the child, as it sees him as its mother. In this way, we care for the kaiju in this film, especially the baby kaiju’s real mother, Gigantron, who just wants her child back.
I’ve never felt sympathetic for a kaiju before, and I love that aspect of this film. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt in a Godzilla movie before.
The Way Ultraman Fights Is Completely Different From The Way Kaiju Fight
Along with Godzilla, I also grew up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. One thing that was cool about the latter was that the Power Rangers were really spry and acrobatic, but when their enemies grew, they had to get into the Megazord, which was a giant mech.
The Megazord was surprisingly mobile, and they could do a lot with it, just like the robots in Voltron. But, it couldn’t move like the Power Rangers on their own. Well, Ultraman is like a combination of both the Megazord as well as the Power Rangers in their natural state. Yes, I have seen Ultraman fight in the past, but he never seemed to move like he does in Ultraman: Rising.
It may be because I’ve always watched old clips from like the ‘70s, so maybe Ultraman is much more athletic in later movies. But, he’s always seemed kind of ridiculous rolling around on the ground and doing jump kicks from what I’ve seen before.
However, the animation here makes him look so fluid and awesome. He’s all over the place in this movie, and it makes me interested to see more of him, because he fights completely differently from the kaiju that I’m used to seeing.
In Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, which I thought was the best MonsterVerse movie yet, both Godzilla and King Kong move much quicker than usual, and Godzilla even gives Kong a suplex at one point. That said, they still move slowly, as they should, since they have such heft to them.
But, Ultraman doesn’t move like that at all, and I’d love to see more of his character now since I think it’s really cool how he fights in this film. Hopefully, he looks this good in other recent movies as well, like 2023’s Ultraman Decker Finale: Journey to Beyond, which I plan to check out next.
I Could Tell That There Were References To Older Ultraman Stories In The Movie, So Now I Want To Check Out Those
If you ask me something about Godzilla from any era, I can probably give you an answer. It might be tough if you go for some deep cuts, but if you ask me surface level stuff, like how many different Mechagodzillas there've been (I count six if we’re also including the one found in the Godzilla animated movies), then I’m your guy.
That said, I know pretty much nothing about Ultraman, but I’m intrigued to learn more because of this movie.
For instance, even though I’ve come to learn that Gigantron was created specifically for Ultraman: Rising, in the mid credits scene, we learn that a character that has been missing throughout the movie is actually located on Ultraman’s home planet, Nebula M78. I had to research this, because I didn’t know he had a home planet.
A place called kaiju island is also a major part of the story, and upon research, I found that there’s a location in Ultraman lore called Johnson Islands, which houses a kaiju named Gomora, and I’m wondering if kaiju island is a reference to Johnson Islands. I really have no idea, but this movie made me want to learn more.
I Like That Ultraman Is A Much More Human Story Than Those Found In Kaiju Films
I really loved Godzilla Minus One, and one of my main reasons was because it was such a human story, which you rarely see in Godzilla flicks. And, Ultraman: Rising is a completely human story.
Kenji feels like his father, Professor Sato, is more concerned with being Ultraman than he is with being a father, and he grows up resenting him, only to learn what it actually means to be a parent, as well as a source of salvation.
His mother has gone missing, and he mourns her absence, but all throughout, he is seen as a mother to the baby kaiju he encounters. In that way, we have a human story about a man who can also transform into a giant hero, and I like that we have that dynamic.
In most kaiju films, I’m often rooting for the monsters to squish as many people as possible. But, I like seeing a movie like this for a change, where we actually have an emotional attachment to the human characters. It’s refreshing.
I Also Like The Much Lighter Tone In This Film
Finally, Ultraman: Rising isn’t a dark or serious film. In fact, my son was the one who told me that I should watch it. Unlike a Godzilla or a Gamera flick, which I would watch on my own, I kind of had to be coaxed into watching this film since it looked really silly from the trailers I watched.
And, it is silly, especially at certain parts when Kenji is trying to take care of the baby. That said, I really liked this silliness in context. Gamera movies are often silly, but they’re also just plain goofy, and this movie isn’t that. It has a lighter tone, but it also gets serious when it needs to be, and I like that mix in moods. It’s appreciated.
What do you think? Did you watch Ultraman: Rising and enjoy it as much as I did?
