Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. © TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONSNew "Dark Hero Project: Kicks Off in October Source: Tsuburaya Productions Official Site: m-78.jp/solamachi/darkness (Japan)
A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE
Promotional art, courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. © TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONSTsuburaya Productions has provided SciFi Japan with information and giant, high-res photos for their upcoming Ultraman exhibition, DARKNESS HEELS WORLD, where the villains are the protagonists! Beyond the Ultramen, aliens and kaiju, there are also darker characters with unique personalities in the franchise who have become very popular, particularly among younger fans. This past summer, these characters were featured in a "Dark Hero Special Night" (??????? ????????, Daakuhiiroo Supesharu Naito) stage show held during ULTRAMAN FESTIVAL 2018, and tickets sold out in a single day. This inspired Tsuburaya Pro to develop the "Darkness Heels" project focused on key villains from successive generations of the Ultraman series with the theme of “whispers and temptations from the dark”. DARKNESS HEELS WORLD is the first event of the project, and will be held at the Tokyo Solamachi entertainment complex during the Halloween season. The exhibition will include live appearances by characters like Ultraman Belial and Jugglas Juggler, photo ops, and sales of limited edition collectibles. To promote DARKNESS HEELS WORLD, a 3.6 meter (12 foot) tall Ultraman Belial will be displayed on the first floor of Tokyo Solamachi West Yard beginning October 1. Tsuburaya plans to hold additional "Darkness Heels" events across Japan in the near future. Character Appearances
Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. © TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS? 1. Ultraman Belial: The Biggest Heel Belial is an Ultraman whose thirst for power led him down a dark path. He has launched multiple attacks against the Land of Light. Ultraman Belial was introduced in MEGA MONSTER BATTLE ULTRA GALAXY: THE MOVIE (?????? ???????? THE MOVIE, Daikaiju Batoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu THE MOVIE, 2009).
Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. © TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS? 2. Dark Zagi: A Presence of Overwhelming Darkness Dark Zagi is the incarnation of an evil that terrified many planets. He made his first appearance in the television series ULTRAMAN NEXUS (??????????, Urutoraman Nekusasu, 2004-05).
Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. © TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS? 3. Evil Tiga: Wicked Antithesis of the Light The dark giant Evil Tiga first appeared in the ULTRAMAN TIGA (?????????, Urutoraman Tiga, 1996-97) series.
Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. © TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS? 4. Camearra: Female Warrior Burning With Jealousy Introduced in the movie ULTRAMAN TIGA: THE FINAL ODYSSEY (????????? THE FINAL ODYSSEY, Urutoraman Tiga Za Fainaru Odesei, 2000), Camearra was the former lover of Ultraman Tiga. Her actions are motivated by both love and hate.
Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. © TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS? 5. Jugglus Juggler: Trickster Seeking the Light The primary antagonist in the ULTRAMAN ORB (?????????, Urutoraman Oobu, 2016) television series, Jugglus Juggler was a former friend of Gai Kurenai/Ultraman Orb who turned to darkness. Event Summary Dates: Thursday, October 18 - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 Hours: Weekdays 1:30pm - 8:00pm / Saturday and Sunday 10:00am - 8:00pm* Venue: Tokyo Solamachi West Yard 5th Floor Space 634 (1-1-2 Kushikami Sumida-ku, Tokyo) Admission: 1,200 Yen (Tax Included)** *The final admission time is 7:30pm. **No advance tickets.
Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. © TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONSAbout Tsuburaya Productions
Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd. has created dozens of heroes and other characters, including Ultraman, who have been loved from generation to generation. The base for the company was Tsuburaya Visual Effects Research, which was launched by the Japanese “Father of Special Effects” Eiji Tsuburaya. After showing his skill and making a name for himself working on many monster movies and special effects laden fantasy science films, in 1963 Tsuburaya incorporated Tsuburaya Visual Effects Research and established Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd. in order to advance further research and development of special effects technologies and release visual works that could be enjoyed by a wider audience. The company has continued to maintain Eiji Tsuburaya’s policies even after his death. 2013 marked the 50th anniversary of the company’s founding, and it continues its work to this day. Currently, the company carries out activities including production of works for television, original video works, and films for theatrical release; licensing of owned characters’ content; development of various products; event planning and live staged events that bring out the maximum appeal of its owned characters, and development of facilities that handle related items.