The Ultraman

The☆Ultraman (ザ☆ウルトラマン) is a Japanese animated television series co-produced by Tsuburaya Production and Tokyo Broadcasting System and animated by Sunrise. The series aired on TBS Television affiliates on the Wednesday 7:00 PM time slot from April 4, 1979 to March 26, 1980, lasting a total of 50 episodes. It was the eighth installment in the Ultra Series and began airing four years after the end of Ultraman Leo.

The show was the first animated incarnation of Tsuburaya's iconic superhero Ultraman, as well as one of the earliest works of anime studio Nippon Sunrise (now known as Bandai Namco Filmworks), who also worked on their now-iconic mecha series Mobile Suit Gundam during the same year.

Story
In the 21st century, various mysterious events occur on Earth, causing monsters to appear all of a sudden. EGG3 officer Chouichirou Hikari was scouted to join the Science Defense Squad on Earth but while on his way back, he was bonded to Ultraman Jonias, an Ultra-Person of U-40 who was sent by his brethren to fight against the monster threats and alien invasions. This allows the youth to become an Ultraman against countless enemies while keeping his identity a secret from his fellow members. Almost in the middle of the series, both Hikari and Jonias lost their lives from fighting the Spirit Parasite. They were spirited to the Ultra Planet of U-40 by Elec, and discovered the Ultra People's connection to the Earth in the past. Hikari and Jonias were revived in said planet and helped foiled the invaders Badel People to reclaim the stolen Ultra-mind.

Starting from episode 28, Daisuke Gondo becomes a new captain to the SDS. Despite their rocky start, the team learn to accept him due to his great intuition and brotherly instinct. Amia would return to Earth to warn Hikari and the SDS of the invasion of Heller Empire, a renegade faction of Ultra People that invaded their home world and saw Earth as their next target due to Jonias's involvement. The Heller Empire was led by Heller, who was banished due to his misuse of the Ultra-mind for immortality. The SDS were given the Ultria, an ancient battleship made by the Ultra People to counter invasion attempts made by the Heller Army. In the four final episodes, Heller sent a full-scale invasion on Earth to wipe humanity after fearing that they would cooperate with the remaining Ultra People. The SDS disobeyed the Earth Self Defense Army to go into space, joining forces with the remaining U-40 resistances to form the U Fleet and attacked the Titan Base on Saturn to prevent more invasion forces from coming to Earth. On U-40, the SDS made a risky attempt to sneak into the Heller City to weaken its defense as the U Fleet attacked Heller's forces in the planet's outer atmosphere. When the SDS were about to be killed by Mac Datar, Hikari's secret was exposed to save his comrades before joining the remaining seven Ultras in foiling Heller's attempts to escape. With Amia and the Wiseman being rescued, Heller died in the ensuing explosion as U-40 celebrated their victory. Jonias finally separated from Hikari and spent several months to observe Earth with his sister Amia. Once assuring that peace had returned, they bid farewell to the SDS and promised to return when the Earth's safety is threatened once more.

Episodes

 * 1) The Hero is Born (新しいヒーローの誕生!!)
 * 2) The Secret of the Shining Pendant (光るペンダントの秘密)
 * 3) Sound of the Flute in the Setting Sun (草笛が夕日に流れる時)
 * 4) The Mystery of the Red Cloud (謎の赤い雲を追え!!)
 * 5) The Adventure of the Passenger (パッセージャー号地底突破!!)
 * 6) Escape From the Deepest Sea (燃える深海への挑戦)
 * 7) Problems for Pig (攻撃指令!目標はピグ!!)
 * 8) The Secret of Hikari (ヒカリ隊員の秘密が盗まれた!?)
 * 9) The Horror in the Old Castle (目覚めた古代生物の恐怖!!)
 * 10) Strategy of the Monster Mirage見えたぞ! まぼろしの怪獣が... (Mieta zo! Maboroshi no Kaijū ga...)
 * 11) Old Friendship Revived in the Himalayas (科学警備隊へのチャレンジ!!)
 * 12) The Sad Roar Goes On and On (怪獣とピグだけの不思議な会話)
 * 13) The Resurrection of the Legend (よみがえった湖の悲しい伝説)
 * 14) The Devil Star Has Come! (悪魔の星が来た!!)
 * 15) Ultraman and Hikari (君がウルトラマンだ)
 * 16) The Rebirth of the Kingmore, the Prehistoric Bird (生きていた幻の鳥)
 * 17) Betamy Has Disappeared! (ベータミーが消えた!!)
 * 18) The Mysterious Monster Island (謎のモンスター島)
 * 19) This is the Planet Where Ultraman was Born - Part 1 (これがウルトラの星だ!! 第1部)
 * 20) This is the Planet Where Ultraman was Born - Part 2 (これがウルトラの星だ!! 第2部)
 * 21) This is the Planet Where Ultraman was Born - Part 3 (これがウルトラの星だ!! 第3部)
 * 22) The Mysterious Space in the South Sea (南海の怪しい空間)
 * 23) Supersonic War Breaks Out (超音速の対決)
 * 24) Twin Sister of Mutsumi (ふたりのムツミ隊員)
 * 25) The Devil Flower (悪魔の花園)
 * 26) Earth's Greatest Crisis (地球最大の危機!!)
 * 27) The Island of the Monsters (怪獣島浮上!!)
 * 28) A New Captain Takes Command (新キャップが来た!!)
 * 29) The UFO With the Devil-Heart Attacks! (悪魔のUFO大襲来)
 * 30) The Moving Skeleton動きだした巨大化石 (Ugokidashita Kyodai Kaseki)
 * 31) The Woman Fighter From Ultra (ウルトラの女戦士)
 * 32) Object "X" (宇宙からの物体X)
 * 33) Duel With Ultraman (GO!! マグマの決死圏)
 * 34) Break-Out at Prison Planet! Part 1: The Monsters are Loose (盗まれた怪獣収容星（前編）)
 * 35) Break-Out at Prison Planet! Part 2: A Planet is Hijacked (盗まれた怪獣収容星（後編）)
 * 36) The Snow-Queen From Outer Space (宇宙から来た雪女)
 * 37) Danger on U-40 (ウルトラの星U40の危機!! ウルトリアの謎?)
 * 38) The Great Ultra War (ウルトラ大戦争!! 巨大戦闘艦ウルトリア出撃)
 * 39) The Hell Cat Appears (ねらわれた巨大戦闘艦ウルトリア)
 * 40) The Boy From the Green Planet (怪獣を連れた少年)
 * 41) The Day Ultraman Fought Against Ultraman (激突!! ウルトラマン対ウルトラマン)
 * 42) A Plan to Capture Ultramanウルトラマン生けどり作戦 (Urutoraman Ike Dori Sakusen)
 * 43) Monchi Became a Monster (怪獣になったモンキ!?)
 * 44) The Twin Craft of Ultria and the Monster "Spader" (ウルトリアが二つに割れた!?)
 * 45) Pig Becomes a Walking Bomb (爆弾を抱いたピグ)
 * 46) The Remote-Control Monster (よみがえれムツミ)
 * 47) To the Planet of Ultra - Part 1: Advice of the Female Warrior (ウルトラの星へ!!第1部 女戦士の情報)
 * 48) To the Planet of Ultra - Part 2: Assault on the Titan Base (ウルトラの星へ!!第2部 前線基地撃滅)
 * 49) To the Planet of Ultra - Part 3: The Great Battle of U-40 (ウルトラの星へ!!第3部 U(ウルトラ)艦隊大激戦)
 * 50) To the Planet of Ultra - Part 4: Victory for Peace (ウルトラの星へ!!完結編 平和への勝利)

Theme Songs
This serves as the first case of an entry in the Ultra Series having an ending sequence. Performed by BGM staff who had previously composed the theme song for "Ultra Seven". Both songs were recorded in Los Angeles, as was the in-play music.
 * Opening theme: "The Ultraman"
 * Song: Aku
 * Composition and Arrangement: Miyauchi Kunio
 * Song: Isao Sasaki and Columbia Yurikakai
 * Ending theme: "Brave men of love"
 * Lyrics: Aku
 * Composition and Arrangement: Kunio Miyauchi
 * Songs: Isao Sasaki

Insert Songs
Sasaki, who was in charge of the song, made it the most difficult song he had ever sung. It was used in Episode 18, and in Episode 23, the instrument was used. In the 15th episode of the next series, Ultraman 80, Emi Johno was used in the scene singing a lullaby to the monster Mue and in 44 the instrument was used in the scene where 80 and the Delusion Ultra Seven fight. In addition, the "popular monster large parade" of "5 Nights Series Super TV" (March 26–30, 1984, Ultraman Taro, Mirrorman, Fireman, Jumborg Ace) digest version had been featured. It is also used as an ending.
 * "Ultraman Hymn"
 * Lyrics: Kazuho Mitsuda
 * Composition and Arrangement: Toru Fuyuki
 * Song: Isao Sasaki
 * "Star of Ultra"
 * Lyrics: Tani Noboru
 * Composition and Arrangement: Toru Fuyuki
 * Song: Columbia Torigokai
 * "Song of Mutsumi"
 * Lyrics-Kazuho Mitsuda
 * Composition: Noboru Tani
 * Arrangement: Hiroshi Takada
 * Song: Mitsuko Horie
 * "Super Murdoch"
 * Lyrics and Composition: Tani Noboru
 * Arrangement: Hirotaka Takada
 * Song: Isao Sasaki
 * "Our Science Garrison"
 * Lyrics: Kazuho Mitsuda
 * Composition: Noboru Tani
 * Arrangement: Hirotaka Takada
 * Songs: Isao Sasaki
 * "Robot Pig's Song"
 * Lyrics: Noboru Tani
 * Composition: Toru Fuoki
 * Arrangement: Masahito Maruyama
 * Song: Junpei Takiguchi
 * "Tomorrow ..."
 * Lyrics and Composition: Noboru Tani
 * Arrangement: Hiroshi Takada
 * Song: Takashi Toyama
 * "Monster Requiem"
 * Lyrics: Kazuho Mitsuda
 * Composition and Arrangement: Toru Fuyuki
 * Songs: Isao Sasaki

English versions
In the United States, there have been two feature-length movie compilations: The Adventures of Ultraman (1981), and Ultraman II: The Further Adventures of Ultraman (1983). The Adventures of Ultraman was a feature-length film produced by Tsuburaya Productions specifically for the English-language market. The film is composed of edited footage from several episodes of the series. The storyline was rewritten for this adaptation with a new script by Jeff Segal and music composed by Mark McKinniss. Ultraman II was a dub of the first four episodes co-produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Associates Entertainment International. Despite the title, it has no continuity with the previous English dub of the series. Although the translation is closer to the original Japanese scripts than the first movie, the characters' names were still changed (although, the names given to the characters are not the same ones used in the previous dub). The order of the third and fourth episodes were also switched.

On April 5, 1980, episode 14 of The Ultraman aired on U.S. national television when New York superstation WOR-TV Channel 9 (now WWOR) aired it as the first part of "Japan Tonight!", a special seven-hour block of programming from TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System), hosted by actor Telly Savalas. Japanese actress/author/talk show host Tetsuko Kuroyanagi introduced the episode surrounded by assorted Ultraman toys and merchandise while explaining to the American audience just who Ultraman is, "It's very, very popular in Japan - He's like your Superman". The episode was dubbed into English by William Ross (Frontier Enterprises) in Japan and was sponsored by Bandai America.

Home media
In 2018, the series was released on the streaming service Toku.

In July 2020, Shout! Factory announced to have struck a multi-year deal with Alliance Entertainment and Mill Creek, with the blessings of Tsuburaya and Indigo, that granted them the exclusive SVOD and AVOD digital rights to the Ultra series and films (1,100 TV episodes and 20 films) acquired by Mill Creek the previous year. The Ultraman, amongst other titles, will stream in the United States and Canada through Shout! Factory TV and Tokushoutsu.

It was released in the United States on DVD September 14, 2021 by Mill Creek Entertainment.