Logo for the new series, ULTRAMAN BLAZAR. Image courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS ©ULTRAMAN BLAZAR PRODUCTION CONSORTIUM・TV TOKYO
New Series Coming July 8th Worldwide! For the First Time in the Ultraman Series, the Transforming Hero is a Captain!
Source: Tsuburaya Productions
Official Sites: https://ani.tv/ultraman_blazar/, https://m-78.jp/blazar/ (Japan)
Official Twitter: twitter.com/ultraman_series
ULTRAMAN BLAZAR Japanese key art, courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS ©ULTRAMAN BLAZAR PRODUCTION CONSORTIUM・TV TOKYO
Tsuburaya Productions has provided SciFi Japan with images and press notes for their upcoming television series ULTRAMAN BLAZAR (ウルトラマンブレーザー, Urutoraman Burēzā). The show will premiere July 8th, 2023, on TV Tokyo Network in Japan, and is scheduled to be simultaneously broadcasted in major Asian regions. An English dubbed version will be available online.
Introduction
The series features a new hero, Ultraman Blazar, with an unshakable sense of justice hailing from “M421,” a celestial body far from Earth. He is united with Gento Hiruma, the captain of the Special Kaiju Reaction Detachment (SKaRD), established by the Global Guardian Force (GGF) in a world where kaiju disasters are a common occrance. The two are united by their strong desire for power to save human lives. This science fiction show depicts a heartwarming human drama with a captain who transforms into Ultraman, his team members and superiors, all through the latest special effects technology unique to the Ultraman series.
The theme of this series is “communication.” Communication between human and Ultraman, humanity and kaiju/aliens, the warriors on the battlefield and the commanders in the conference room, parents and children… How important is communication to convey feelings in order to overcome conflicts that arise from different views and standpoints to be able to cooperate with each other? These charactersface various hardships that could easily occur in real life, within the fun and entertaining imaginary world of Ultraman.
One of the biggest features of this upcoming series is that the main character, Gento Hiruma, the human host of the new Ultraman, is the captain of the defense team. This is an unprecedented setting in the history of the Ultraman series, which spans more than half a century. Captain Gento Hiruma is the leader of SKaRD, which responds to monster disasters with its main giant monster-shaped mecha, Earth Garon. he struggles as a middle manager who often finds himself caught between the demands and needs of his team members and the top brass, yet is always ready to face the enemy on the front line. Tomoya Warabino, a popular actor who made his acting debut in 2007 and is well-known to fans of hero shows, plays the protagonist for this series. Warabino, acclaimed for his ability to play mature, serious roles while also adding humor, will depict this main character who both a captain and a family man with a wife and child for the first time in the TV series. Gento Hiruma transforms into Ultraman Blazar using the Blazar Stone, a crystal infused with the power of light, and the Blazar Brace.
Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS ©ULTRAMAN BLAZAR PRODUCTION CONSORTIUM・TV TOKYO
The lead director is Kiyotaka Taguchi, who has been directing Ultraman series since ULTRAMAN Z (ウルトラマンゼット, Urutoraman Zetto, 2020). Director Kiyotaka Taguchi will also be in charge of the story composition along with Keigo Koyanagi, who had worked on ULTRAMAN Z as a military advisor and was also the scriptwriter for ULTRAMAN TRIGGER (ウルトラマントリガー, Urutoraman Torigā, 2021-22) and this series.
Please look forward to the new series, ULTRAMAN BLAZAR, which marks the 10th anniversary of the New Generation Ultraman series. This series explores a completely different style from the previous series under the direction of Kiyotaka Taguchi.
Synopsis
In response to the worldwide outbreak of kaiju disasters, countries around the world established the Global Guardian Force (GGF) in 1966 to deal with monsters and extraterrestrial life attacking from inside and outside the Earth.
Today, Earth sees continued destruction of nature and a rapid rise in global warming. One night, the space crustacean kaiju Bazanga appears. The GGF's cleanup operation is unsuccessful, and the special forces led by Gento Hiruma find themselves in a desperate situation. This is when a mysterious giant descends with a dazzling light. It is the unidentified humanoid alien that has been rumored among astronauts for decades, code-named "Ultraman".
Later, Gento is summoned to the command center, where he is officially appointed as the commander of SKaRD (Special Kaiju Reaction Detachment), a monster response team that had been secretly formed. While leading a special unit that pilots a giant kaiju-type mecha, Earth Garon, to respond with kaiju disasters, Gento is also ordered to investigate whether or not the Ultraman from the Battle of Bazanga is a threat that needs to be eliminated. During his investgation, he has a sudden recollection—a shred of memory of a blazar, the bright center of a distant galaxy.
“I'll go.”
Enveloped by the light of Ultraman Blazar, Captain Gento—alongside the unique members of the newly organized SKaRD—throws himseld into new battles with the kaiju while carrying dauntless courage and an unwavering sense of justice in his heart!
Ultraman Blazar. Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS ©ULTRAMAN BLAZAR PRODUCTION CONSORTIUM・TV TOKYO
The New Hero, Ultraman Blazar
Blazar is a new Ultraman that is a Giant of Light that came from M421, a blazar far away from Earth.
His special move is the Spiral Burrade (スパイラルバレード, Supairaru Barēdo), a projectile beam attack in which he throws a glowing double-helix spear generated from his left hand.
Height: 47 meters (154 feet)
Weight: 42,000 tons
The Blazar Brace and Blazar Stone. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS ©ULTRAMAN BLAZAR PRODUCTION CONSORTIUM・TV TOKYO
Transformation Items
■ Blazar Brace (ブレーザーブレス, Burēzā Buresu) and Blazar Stone (ブレーザーストーン, Burēzā Sutōn)
Whenever Gento strongly desires power for the sake of justice, the transformation item, Blazar Brace, appears on his left arm. When he loads the Blazar Stone, a crystal containing the power of light, while making a strong wish, he transforms into Ultraman Blaser with a dazzling light.
Earth Garon. Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS ©ULTRAMAN BLAZAR PRODUCTION CONSORTIUM・TV TOKYO
New Mecha
■ Special Battle Beast: Earth Garon (特戦獣「アースガロン」, Toku-sen-jū `Āsu Garon')
Earth Garon is SKaRD’s main giant weapon. It is a bipedal kaiju-type robot with a specialized in close-up combat mode.
Its official name is Type 23 Special Tactical Armored Kaiju (23式特殊戦術機甲獣, 23-Shiki Tokushu Senjutsu Kikō-jū).
Earth Garon has a captain and a driver, and is equipped with Earth Fire (アースファイア, Āsufaia), a charged particle cannon that shoots from its mouth, Earth Guns (アースガン, Āsugan) on each hand, and a Tail VLS ( テイルVLS, Teiru VLS) that fires missiles vertically from its tail.
Height: 50 meters (164 feet)
Weight: 25,000 tons
Main Character and Staff Profiles
Tomoya Warabino as Gento Hiruma. Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS ©ULTRAMAN BLAZAR PRODUCTION CONSORTIUM・TV TOKYO
■ Gento Hiruma (Played By Tomoya Warabino)
Gento Hiruma is the main character of the series, who transforms into Ultraman Blazar to fight kaiju. He is 30 years old.
He is the captain of SKaRD and is married to a woman of his age, and they have a 7 year-old son.
He originally led a small elite special unit in the GGF, but shortly after Ultraman Blazar first appeared on Earth in a battle against the space kaiju Bazanga, he was appointed the captain of SKaRD. At that time SKaRD’s existence was still unknown by the public. He forms a team together with members he has yet to meet.
His favorite saying is "I'll go." He is a man of action.
Human and Ultraman, mankind and kaijus/aliens, subordinates and superiors, family and work…. As he struggles with these various relationships, he stands up against the kaijus with his courage and strong sense of justice.
The role of Gento Hiruma played by 35 year-old Tomoya Warabino, who was born on August 4, 1987 in Miyazaki, Japan. he stands 187cm (6.1 feet) tall.
After making his acting debut in the popular TV drama FIRST KISS (ファースト・キス, Faasuto Kisu) in 2007, he has appeared in a succession of TV shows and movies and is active in a variety of fields. He is well-known among fans of hero movies and is also popular for his hero-transforming roles such as Heart in KAMEN RIDER DRIVE (仮面ライダードライブ, Kamen Raidā Doraibu, 2014-15) .
True to his word of being a family man, he is active in his hometown, Miyazaki, serving as the “Miyazaki Ambassador” for the prefecture and “Miyakonjo Ambassador” for the city of Miyakonojo. Because he is so stoic on set, Director Taguchi has said, “I sometimes don’t know whether I am talking to Gento or Warabino.” He is signed to the A-Team talent agency.
Comment: Ultraman. A character that continues to be loved all over the world.
When I was a child, I used to wear my red and white hat and fold it in the middle, to do impressions of him in the mountains on the way to and from school. At the time, the mysterious and overwhelming strength of Ultraman was what remained in my mind, and I may have felt that one day I wanted to be the one who could protect someone important to me as well.
A few decades have passed since then. I myself got married, and the opportunity of being Ultraman Blazar came to me at the right time, as if by fate. Now that I am an adult, I want to return the favor to those memories I used to have when I was young.
The power to protect your loved ones.
I want children to think “tsomeday” and adults to feel “what I can do now”.
Please look forward to ULTRAMAN BLAZAR, which is unlike anything you have ever seen before, and will surely remain in everyone’s hearts.
Lead Director Kiyotaka Taguchi. Photo courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS ©ULTRAMAN BLAZAR PRODUCTION CONSORTIUM・TV TOKYO
■ Lead Director / Story Composer Kiyotaka Taguchi
Kiyotaka Taguchi was born on May 7, 1980 in Hokkaido. He is 42 years old.
Ever since he watched ULTRA Q ウルトラQ, Urutora Kyū, 1966) and ULTRAMAN (ウルトラマン, Urutoraman, 1966-67) as a child, he has loved tokusatsu and kaiju films. Even before moving to Tokyo, he had made independent films on his own. After moving to Tokyo, he entered Nikkatsu Academy of Arts, where he studied film. Among his classmates were Director Masayoshi Takesue (ULTRAMAN TRIGGER: EPISODE Z). While studying, he helped in numerous films, and built his career as a film director while working also as a VFX creator. He is close friends with directors Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL) and Shinji Higuchi (SHIN ULTRAMAN). He first participated in the Ultraman series as an assistant director for ULTRAMAN COSMOS (ウルトラマンコスモス, Urutoraman Kosumosu) in 2001, and since then he has been involved in various productions including lead directing ULTRAMAN X (ウルトラマンエックス, Urutoraman Ekkusu, 2015), ULTRAMAN ORB (ウルトラマンオーブ Urutoraman Ōbu, 2016), and ULTRAMAN Z.
Since the New Generation Ultraman series, he has been an integral part of Tsuburaya Productions’ works. He is a prolific film director with an exceptional skill set and outstanding ideas, and utilizes his extensive experience in the industry. He is also in charge of the story composition for this series.
Comment: It is my first time back as the main director and story composer since ULTRAMAN Z. Together with the staff and cast, we aimed for realistic science fiction, from the worldview to the story and even up to the character development.
Having been a director for the Ultraman series for 10 years, I poured in all my accumulated knowledge and experience into this show.. It’s a new Ultraman that has never been seen before, but it’s also a classic and traditional one.
Anyway, please watch the first episode. Then you’ll understand what I mean.
■ Story Composer/Screenwriter: Keigo Koyanagi
39 year old Keigo Koyanagi was born on September 25, 1983 in Toyama Prefecture.
In 2006, Keigo Koyanagi joined an animation production company and worked on production management and setting creation. In 2011, he left the company and became a freelance screenwriter. Since then, he has worked on the scripts for many animation works. In 2016, Keigo Koyanagi took on the first story composition and script for an original robot anime that was broadcasted. After that, he served as the story composer along as the scriptwriter for popular anime works with themes such as vampire legends, werewolf legends, and heroes in fantasy worlds.
In recent years, he has been in charge of military research in various works, contributing to enhancing the entertainment value of works through military depictions. Keigo Koyanagi participated in the Ultraman series for the first time as a military adviser in ULTRAMAN Z and worked as a scriptwriter for ULTRAMAN TRIGGER. In this work, he serves as the main screenwriter and co-story composer with Kiyotaka Taguchi.
Comment: A few years ago, Director Taguchi showed me an illustration of King Joe STORAGE Custom [from ULTRAMAN Z] and asked me, “If you were to name each part of this, what would you suggest?” And that’s how it all began.
When I was in junior high school, I rented the VHS of ULTRAMAN TARO from a video rental store and watched it. My parents said, “Why are you still watching something like that at your age?” and I stopped watching it for a while. But now, I want to say to my younger self and to my parents, “You will work on Ultraman in the future, so watch and let me see it!”
I hope that everyone can feel the same excitement and thrill I felt back then in the new series. Thank you very much.
ULTRAMAN BLAZAR English key art, courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS ©ULTRAMAN BLAZAR PRODUCTION CONSORTIUM・TV TOKYO
Simultaneous Release of Dubbed Versions in Various Languages Overseas
For the first time ever in the Ultraman series, an English dubbed version of ULTRAMAN BLAZAR is scheduled to be released online simultaneously with the broadcast of the Japanese version.
In addition, the series is scheduled to be broadcast in major Asian countries and regions (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia) with local language dubbing. This will create an environment where people can share their excitement not only in Japan but also in other countries at the same time.*
China will air the series online.
*Each episode of the program will air in most Asian markets within one week of its broadcast in Japan.
ULTRAMAN BLAZAR Series Overview
Start Date: Saturday, July 8, 2023
Broadcast Time: Every Saturday 9:00~9:30am (JST)
Broadcast Channel: TV Tokyo Network (Six Stations) and others
Production Companies: Tsuburaya Productions, TV Tokyo, and Dentsu Inc.
Lead Director: Kiyotaka Taguchi
©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS ©ULTRAMAN BLAZAR PRODUCTION CONSORTIUM・TV TOKYO
ULTRAMAN BLAZAR English logo. Image courtesy of Tsuburaya Productions. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS ©ULTRAMAN BLAZAR PRODUCTION CONSORTIUM・TV TOKYO
About Tsuburaya Productions
Tsuburaya Productions, creator and copyrights owner of the superhero ULTRAMAN series was founded in 1963 by Eiji Tsuburaya, world-renowned special effects wizard also known for his special effects work on the Godzilla series. With more than fifty years’ experience, it is one of Japan’s oldest and most respected independent film and television production houses. Its popular Ultraman TV and film series which premiered in 1966 has been seen in over 100 territories worldwide and has spawned over 3,000 licensed products. In addition to production, the company also handles character licensing and program distribution and staging live stage shows both domestically and internationally.