is a 1983 Japanese

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

fan film A fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book, book, or video game created by fans rather than by the source's copyright holders or creators. It is a form of fan fiction. Fan filmmakers have traditionally been ...

directed by

Hideaki Anno is a Anime, Japanese animator, filmmaker, Film producer, producer, and voice actor. His most celebrated creation, the Neon Genesis Evangelion (franchise), ''Evangelion'' franchise, has had a significant influence on the anime television industr ...

. The film is a sequel to two previous ''Ultraman'' fan films produced by Anno; in the latter of those two, Ultraman leaves Earth, and this film's title refers to Ultraman's return after the events of the previous film.

Cast

Ultraman The , also known as ''Ultraman'', is a Japanese science fiction media franchise owned and produced by Tsuburaya Productions, which began with the television series '' Ultra Q'' in 1966. The franchise has expanded into many television shows, fi ...

(here, the character is referencing Ultraman Jack) * Norio Tamura as Kiruan *

Yasuhiro Takeda :''The Gainax employee Yasuhiro Takeda should not be confused with the professor of the same name at National Defense Academy of Japan.'' is a Japanese anime director and founding member of Gainax; for most of his career, he was General Manager. ...

as Captain Ibuki * Joiichi Hayashi as Hayakawa * Takeshi Sawamura as Ibuki * Takashi Nyoten as Yamaga * Nishigaki Toshihiko as Imamura * Yuki Nishi as Nishi * Norio Tamura as Kiruan * Kifumi Seizumi as the

narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...

Release

attended a screening of the film in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

in 1983, where he met his future friend and collaborator

Shinji Higuchi is a Japanese filmmaker. Known for his ''tokusatsu'' blockbusters, Higuchi is considered one of Japan's leading filmmakers of the 21st century. Higuchi became known for his work on '' Gamera: Guardian of the Universe'', for which he won the Spe ...

for the first time. They would later collaborate on ''

Shin Ultraman is a 2022 Japanese superhero film directed by Shinji Higuchi and written, co-produced, and co-edited by Hideaki Anno. A reimagining of the 1966 television series ''Ultraman (1966 TV series), Ultraman'', the film is a co-production between To ...

'' with Anno returning to the title role. The film was screened at Shinjuku Wald 9 on July 1, 2022 to commemorate the theater's 15th anniversary and the success of ''Shin Ultraman''. On November of the same year, an HD remaster of the film began streaming on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

on Japan.

Notes

References

External links

* {{SciFi-film-stub 1983 films Fan films Ultraman Tokusatsu films 1980s parody films Films directed by Hideaki Anno Gainax Tsuburaya Productions Kaiju films Japanese science fiction comedy films 1980s Japanese films