Ultraman Nexus

Ultraman Nexus (ウルトラマンネクサス) was produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting (CBC), and Dentsu. It was the 18th entry in the Ultra Series and the first to be made for an adult audience. The series aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System, including TBS, CBC, MBS, etc. The show ran from October 2, 2004 until June 25, 2005, with a total of 37 broadcast episodes. Subsequent DVD releases from Bandai Visual saw a brand new 45-minute Episode EX and an extended 45-minute Director's Cut of Episode 29.

On April 24, 2017, Toku announced that the series would be broadcast in the United States on its channel beginning May 9, 2017 until June 2, 2017.

History
Ultraman Nexus was part of Tsuburaya Productions' Ultra N Project, an experiment in 2004 to re-invent Ultraman for a new generation of fans. Prior to this, however, Tsuburaya had begun a project called Ultra Collaboration 2 at the end of 2003, which involved a brand-new radio adaptation of Ultra Q called The Ultra Q Club. The project was also due to include a new TV series called Ultraman Noa in early 2004, which is presumably what Ultraman Nexus evolved into. Following the success of the new radio show, Tsuburaya forged a brand-new season, Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy on April 6, 2004, a show which attracted top-rung directors such as Shusuke Kaneko (popular with fans for his work on the Gamera series and Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack).

The first stage of the Ultra N Project was entitled Noa: Nostalgia. The project mascot, Ultraman Noa, was a rather radical change design - an all-silver Ultraman with protruding wings on its back. Ultraman Noa was mainly used for live stage shows and merchandising. The second stage of the project was Next: Evolution. This saw the creation of a new theatrical film, ULTRAMAN. The final stage was Nexus: Trinity - the piece that ties the entire project together. Unlike the previous series Ultraman Cosmos, which was strictly aimed at young children, Ultraman Nexus was the first Ultraman TV series specifically aimed at adults. The show abandons the traditional monster-of-the-week stories in order to be replaced with longer character-based story arcs. Tsuburaya Productions had intended the show to be run during prime time, but the CBC network gave the show a 7:30 AM Saturday morning slot once Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon ended its 49-episode run. The TV series received weak ratings which were attributed to the change in style and not being able to have the target demographic tune in, resulting in the series being cut short from around 50 episodes down to 37.

Three months after its initial run, it was re-run in a new time slot. This time the show aired at 2:30 AM on Tuesday mornings and the ratings met the expectations that were set for the Ultra N Project. Following the ULTRAMAN movie, Tsuburaya ran a teaser trailer for Ultraman 2 Requiem. Due to the performance of Ultraman Nexus, the film was canceled, and Tsuburaya moved ahead with a theatrical version of the then-current television series, Ultraman Mebius.

Story
Taking place four years after the events of Ultraman: The Next (2008, the series progresses into 2009 before the finale), Nexus focuses on the viewpoint of Night Raider rookie Kazuki Komon in the fight against Space Beast threats. During their mission, Komon frequently comes in contact with the titular Ultraman and the relationship he established with the latter's hosts.

At the start of the series, Ultraman Nexus bonds with ex-cameraman Jun Himeya, who was traumatized by his inability to save a young girl from his past. Despite Komon's good relationship with Himeya, TLT views him as a threat regardless of Ultraman's constant attempts in rescuing them. The reveal of Komon's girlfriend, Riko Saida as Dark Faust and her immediate sacrifice nearly sent him into despair until Himeya and Nagi managed to bring him to his senses. Sometime later, Night Raider deserter Shinya Mizorogi returned as the host of Dark Mephisto and captured a weakened Nexus in the Land of the Dead, aiming to strengthen himself with the Ultraman's power, but Himeya's renewed courage and the Night Raider's help resurrected the hero back to life. The battle between two giants resulted in a massive explosion that seemingly claimed their lives, but Himeya reassures Komon that the batton of light shall be passed to someone else.

Not long after, the light of Nexus was inherited by Ren Senjyu, a Promethean child with a short life expectancy who escaped from America to spend the remainder of his life in happiness. In the same way as his predecessor Himeya, Ren becomes fast friends with Komon and develops a relationship with Mizuo, a Memory Police who was sent to spy on him. After redeeming himself, a dying Mizorogi exposed the traitor to be a Night Raider member. Ren eventually outlived his original life expectancy due to the Raphael drug's intervention, but the light of Nexus left him for another candidate.

When the light finally chooses Nagi, the perpetrator behind all Space Beast attacks reveals himself and gloats about how the past events were all for the sake of having Nagi inherit Nexus' light and revive himself. By tricking Nagi into transforming, the Unknown absorbed her into Lethe as he resurrected him in the form of Dark Zagi to attack the city. Komon managed to save Nagi from the darkness as his actions allow him to inherit the light. Transforming into Nexus, Komon used up the forms of his predecessors and their memories until encouragement by the public allows him to evolve into Nexus' long-lost form; Ultraman Noa. With his full power, the silver giant expels Zagi to space and puts an end to his doppelganger. A year later, the Space Beast threat has become public knowledge but is put under control with TLT's expended forces.

Cast

 * Kazuki Komon (孤門 一輝): Takuji Kawakubo (川久保 拓司)
 * Jun Himeya (姫矢 准): Yusuke Kirishima (桐島 優介)
 * Ren Senjyu (千樹 憐): Masato Uchiyama (内山眞人)
 * Nagi Saijyo (西条 凪): Yasue Sato (佐藤 康恵)
 * Eisuke Wakura (和倉 英輔): Tamotsu Ishibashi (石橋 保)
 * Shiori Hiraki (平木 詩織): Keiko Gotō (五藤 圭子)
 * Mitsuhiko Ishibori (石堀 光彦)/Hajime Yamaoka (山岡 一)/Dark Zagi (ダークザギ): Kosei Kato (加藤 厚成)
 * Yu Kirasawa (吉良沢 優): Nobuhiko Tanaka (田中 伸彦)
 * Yōichirō Matsunaga (松永 要一郎): Masami Horiuchi (堀内 正美)
 * Tōgō (東郷): Kenji Sahara (佐原 健二)
 * Riko Saida (斉田 リコ): Shion Nakamaru (中丸 シオン)
 * Shinya Mizorogi (溝呂木 眞也)/Dark Mephisto (ダークメフィスト): Mitsutoshi Shundō (俊藤 光利)
 * Saya Shutō (首藤 沙耶): Hitomi Hidaka (日高 ひとみ)
 * Hiroyuki Misawa (三沢 広之)/Dark Mephisto (Zwei) (ダークメフィスト（ツヴァイ）): Yoshito Takeuchi (竹内 義人)
 * Mizuo Nonomiya (野々宮 瑞生): Tomomi Miyashita (宮下 ともみ)
 * Sera (セラ): Mai Tanaka (田中 舞)
 * Jinzou Negoro (根来 甚蔵): Hiroshi Ōkōchi (大河内 浩)
 * Megumi Sakuta (佐久田 恵): Tomoko Kawashima (川嶋 朋子)
 * Naoichi Harisu (針巣 直市): Eiichi Kikuchi (きくち 英一)
 * Takashi Ojiro (尾白 高志): Kei Suzuki (鈴木 圭)
 * Hayato Kaimoto (海本 隼人): Hisataka Kitaoka (北岡 久貴)

Voice actors

 * Ultraman Nexus (ウルトラマンネクサス): Yasunori Masutani (増谷 康紀)
 * Dark Faust (ダークファウスト): Tetsu Inada (稲田 徹)
 * White Sweepers (ホワイトスイーパー): Kōichi Imamura (今村 公一), Keizō Kawakura (川倉 けいぞう), Eiji Yokota (横田 エイジ)

Guest cast

 * Horokusa (保呂草): Yasufumi Hayashi (林 泰文)
 * Nanaka (七夏): Rei Yoshii (吉井 怜)
 * Taichirō Yamada (山田 太一郎): Satoru Saitō (斉藤 暁)
 * Sara Mizuhara (水原 沙羅): Kyōko Tōyama (遠山 景織子)
 * Shigeki Takatsuki (高槻 茂樹): Shigeki Kagemaru (影丸 茂樹)

Songs

 * Opening themes
 * "Eiyū" (英雄)
 * Lyrics, Composition, & Arrangement: Akihito Tokunaga (徳永 暁人)
 * Artist: doa
 * Episodes: 1-25
 * This song is used as the ending theme of episode 37.
 * "Aoi Kajitsu" (青い果実)
 * Lyrics: Daiki Yoshimoto
 * Composition & Arrangement: Akihito Tokunaga
 * Artist: doa
 * Episodes: 26-37
 * The opening uses the second verse of the full song.
 * Ending themes
 * "Itsumo Kokoro ni Taiyō o" (いつも心に太陽を)
 * Lyrics & Composition: U-ka Saegusa
 * Arrangement: Masazumi Ozawa (小澤 正澄)
 * Artist: U-ka Saegusa in dB
 * Episodes: 1-13
 * "Tobitatenai Watashi ni Anata ga Tsubasa o Kureta" (飛び立てない私にあなたが翼をくれた)
 * Lyrics: U-ka Saegusa
 * Composition: Aika Ohno (大野 愛果)
 * Arrangement: Masazumi Ozawa
 * Artist: U-ka Saegusa in dB
 * Episodes: 14-25
 * "Akaku Atsui Kodō" (赤く熱い鼓動)
 * Lyrics & Artist: Rina Aiuchi
 * Composition: Masaaki Watanuki (綿貫 正顕)
 * Arrangement: Masazumi Ozawa
 * Episodes: 26-36
 * Image songs
 * "Fight the Future ~ Ultraman Nexus Theme ~"
 * Lyrics: Goro Matsui
 * Composition: Kawai Kenji
 * Arrangement: Yushima Kuwashima
 * Artist: Project DMM
 * "NOA: Kiseki o Sono Te Ni (NOA奇跡をその手に, lit. NOA: A Miracle in Those Hands)"
 * Lyrics & composition: Yuki Hitomi
 * Arrangement: Daimon Kazuya
 * Artist: Project DMM

Video game
A video game based on the series was produced by Bandai for the PlayStation 2, under the name Ultraman Nexus.

Home media
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. Ultraman Nexus, amongst other titles, will stream in the United States and Canada through Shout! Factory TV and Tokushoutsu.