Ultraman Saga

Lore & Background

The film opens with Tokyo under attack by multiple kaiju. Ultraman Dyna appears and destroys the monsters. Meanwhile, Ultraman Zero receives a distress call and travels to the universe of Ultraman Dyna, which is set 15 years after the Ultraman Dyna TV series. There, he joins with a young pilot named Taiga, who initially resents Ultramen due to his parents' death during a fight involving Ultraman Dyna. Taiga, along with Musashi Haruno (Ultraman Cosmos's host) and the boy Takeru, are taken to a warehouse sheltering the last survivors on Earth after Alien Bat abducted most of Earth's population to another dimension.

Reader's Guide

Ultraman Saga is significant as a 45th-anniversary film that brings together multiple Ultramen from different series, culminating in the fusion of Ultraman Zero, Dyna, and Cosmos into the new Ultraman Saga. The film features the return of cast members from Ultraman Dyna and introduces AKB48 members as Team U, a group of amateur mechanics posing as an official defense team. Its legacy includes the defeat of Hyper Zetton and the restoration of Earth's abducted population, with the three Ultramen separating after the battle. The film opened at #4 in Japanese box offices in its first week.

Did You Know?

• The film's catchphrase is 'We Still Have Glittering Hope!!'
• Members of the idol group AKB48 portrayed the characters of Team U.
• Ultraman Saga is formed by the merging of Ultraman Zero, Ultraman Dyna, and Ultraman Cosmos.
• The film is set in the world of Ultraman Dyna, 15 years after the Ultraman Dyna TV series.

The World of Light and Its Warriors

The franchise centers on the "Ultras" — a collective term for fictional extraterrestrial races spread across a multiverse, with multiple origins given for them. They gather at a planet in the M78 nebula (distinct from the real Messier 78), also called the Land of Light. Of 18 billion inhabitants, 1 million serve in the Inter Galactic Defence Force, tasked with maintaining peace against alien invaders and monsters. Ultras dispatched to other worlds carry Color Timers — warning lights that blink with increasing frequency as energy depletes — limiting them to a few minutes of activity before their power runs out, though energy can be replenished afterwards. The protagonists of each installment end up on Earth, bonding with humans or taking on a human incarnation, with their hosts using special devices to summon the Ultra's unique abilities.

Three Generations of Heroes

The original Ultraman television series spawned numerous successors across decades. The Shōwa era delivered Ultraseven (1967), Return of Ultraman (1971), Ultraman Ace (1972), Ultraman Taro (1973), Ultraman Leo (1974), a Japanese animated series (1979), and Ultraman 80 (1980). A second generation launched in 1996 with Ultraman Tiga during the Heisei era, continuing intermittently until the third generation began with Ultraman Ginga in 2013. English-language productions broadened the franchise's reach: a 1987 Hanna-Barbera animated film, a 1990 series filmed in Australia, a 1993 series shot in the United States, and a 2024 Netflix animated film. In 1993, Tsuburaya and Toei co-produced a crossover featuring the original Ultraman alongside Kamen Rider. As of 2025, Tsuburaya recognizes 51 official Ultras, and the series holds the Guinness Book of World Records title for the most spin-off shows.

A Billion-Dollar Phenomenon

The Ultraman brand generated $7.4 billion in merchandising revenue between 1966 and 1987, a figure equivalent to more than $21 billion when adjusted for inflation, cementing its status as one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. During the 1980s, Ultraman ranked as the world's third top-selling licensed character, buoyed largely by enormous popularity across Asia. By March 2018, Ultraman content, products, and services had been distributed in over 100 countries worldwide. Tsuburaya's YouTube channel has surpassed 2 million subscribers, with the studio simulcasting several series featuring English subtitles. In China, an Ultraman television series accumulated 1.8 billion views on over-the-top streaming services between July 2017 and March 2018. The manga, which launched in 2011, sold more than 2.8 million copies by 2018, followed by a Netflix anime adaptation. Bandai Namco has sold 101.87 million Ultraman soft figures since 1983, while its arts division has moved 8.48 million home video units between 1988 and 2021.

Shaping Creators Across Media

Ultraman's influence radiates far beyond the tokusatsu genre. Manga legend Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump, identified Ultraman as a formative influence on his creative work. Peyton Reed, director of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Ant-Man films, acknowledged that Ultraman — alongside China's Inframan — shaped the costume design of his superhero. Video game designer Hideki Kamiya, whose portfolio spans Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry, Ōkami, Bayonetta, and The Wonderful 101, recalled growing up as a fan of both Godzilla and Ultraman. In November 2019, Marvel Comics announced a partnership with Tsuburaya Productions to publish Ultraman comic books beginning in 2020. Within Japan, references to Ultraman permeate popular culture with a frequency comparable to how Superman is referenced in Western societies, underscoring the franchise's deep-rooted cultural significance.