Ultraman Z

Ultraman Z (ウルトラマン) is a Japanese tokusatsu drama produced by Tsuburaya Productions. It is the 32nd entry to the Ultra Series and the eighth entry to the  lineup, celebrating the 10th anniversary of Ultraman Zero. It premiered in TV Tokyo on June 20, 2020. On April 2, 2023, an English dub was announced, with the premiere date of April 8 on the official Ultraman Youtube Channel, with new episodes uploaded every Saturday and Sundays at 11 pm JST.

Synopsis
Remnants of Ultraman Belial, known as the Devil Splinters, were scattered across the universe and turned infected monsters into berserkers. To combat the resulting chaos, the Land of Light created the Ultra Medals and Z Risers, but several of these devices were stolen by Celebro, forcing Ultraman Zero and his self-proclaimed disciple Z to chase it to the Earth. Z carried out his incapacitated master's mission and the Z Riser to recover the stolen Ultra Medals on Earth, where he bonded with STORAGE officer Haruki Natsukawa to combat the space monster Genegarg. Ever since then, Haruki assisted Z in reclaiming lost Ultra Medals and at the same time defending mankind from monsters and extraterrestrial threats. Haruki's mission as a STORAGE member is accompanied by his senior/ace pilot Yoko Nakashima, the young scientist Yuka Ohta, the elderly repairman Kojiro Inaba and his captain Shota Hebikura, whose true identity is Jugglus Juggler from Ultraman Orb.

Meanwhile, the space parasite Celebro took possession of a youth named Shinya Kaburagi to create chaos and experiment with the Ultra's technology to harbor the power of monsters. In addition to Ultraman Z, he is also assisted by guests appearing as Ultras; Riku/Ultraman Geed, Zero, and his godfather Ace. STORAGE begins to create stronger machines and armaments, but as the series progressed, Celebro took over the GAFJ director Kuriyama to further the advancements of new weaponries and disbanded STORAGE. His true plan is to provoke mankind into creating their strongest weapon and turn it against them. He eventually possessed Yoko to hijack Ultroid Zero and transform it into the cyborg monster known as Destrudos to initiate his Civilization Self-Destruction Game on Earth. Juggler reforms STORAGE to rescue Yoko as Haruki succeeded through sheer will, forcing Celebro to abandon her and possessed Destrudos as a last resort. After being knocked out of his strongest form, Ultraman Z unleashed his full power to destroy Destrudos and finally save Earth. Celebro was captured by STORAGE and a vengeful Kaburagi to be dissected as Juggler resigned from the team to leave Earth. Haruki retains his bond with Z, but instead of staying in STORAGE, he decided to leave for outer space to continue Z's mission as an Ultraman, though he assured the rest of STORAGE that he would return to Earth on regular occasions.

Production
The entire project was conceived by Tsuburaya Productions with a different draft and story composition. Chief producer Tsugumi Kitaura offered Taguchi the role of the main director in August 2019 and the latter requested the inclusion of Kota Fukihara, as well as the pair to rewrite the original draft to their own preference. Production of the series started two months earlier than most of the New Generation Heroes series so as to anticipate the 2020 Summer Olympics prior to its initial postponement from the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. He also invited a screenwriter named Keigo Koyanagi and military supervisor Yasuhiro Koshi to provide an in-depth accuracy to the themes of military. Because Taguchi had participated in most of the New Generation Heroes instalments since Ultraman Ginga S, he decided to turn Ultraman Z as his own version of the line's conclusion. Jugglus Juggler's inclusion into the series was to expand his character after his last appearance in Ultraman Orb.

In previous entries of the Ultra Series, the defense team concept was dropped out so as to save the production cost, but Taguchi proposed the inclusion of giant robots as alternatives to combat vehicles. The first to be created was King Joe STORAGE Custom, but Sevenger was introduced earlier in the series to garner attention from fans for its cuter appeal. The late inclusion of King Joe was to emphasize STORAGE's growth as an attack team and to prevent it from overshadowing Ultraman Z in the early episodes.

The show's name was trademarked in China on December 27, 2019, and later in Japan on January 21, 2020, around 3 month before its announcement. Ultraman Z was immediately announced by official website of Tsuburaya Productions on March 26, 2020. As the first trailer of the series was released on April 16, 2020, the official website of Tsuburaya Productions quickly announced Kiyotaka Taguchi as its main director, Tatsuomi Hamada's return as the show's supporting cast and finally Masaaki Endoh and Nami Tamaki singing the opening and ending themes respectively. The entire cast members of STORAGE and GAFJ members made their live broadcast on June 5, 2020. Automobile manufacturing company Toyota announced their cooperation in the series production by providing Toyota LQ as STORAGE's main transport.

After his passing on May 17, Kōta Fukihara's role as the story editor was subsequently taken over by Taguchi, with Tsuburaya Productions and the production staffs of Ultraman Z publishing their tribute in the official sites. According to Kohshu Hirano, filming of Ultraman Z was among those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan and went postponed for two months before it was resumed. This happened at some point before the series premiere on June 20.

Ultraman Z & Ultraman Zero Voice Drama
Ultraman Z & Ultraman Zero Voice Drama (ウルトラマンゼット&ウルトラマンゼロ ボイスドラマ) is a series of 24-episode audio dramas streamed on Tsuburaya Productions' YouTube channel. The series focuses on Ultraman Z's encounter with Ultraman Zero back in the Land of Light.
 * 1) The Story of the Encounter Between Z and Zero (ゼットとゼロの出会いの話)
 * 2) If You Face a Transparent Monster (透明怪獣に出会ったら)
 * 3) Master's Friend (師匠の友達)
 * 4) The Trusty Capsule Monsters (頼もしいカプセル怪獣)
 * 5) Ultraman and Ancient History (ウルトラマンと太古の歴史)
 * 6) Ultra Z Riser (ウルトラゼットライザー)
 * 7) Turn Back Time (時間よ戻れ)
 * 8) Other Space-Time Ultramen (別の時空のウルトラマン)
 * 9) The Younger Brother of Steel (鋼鉄の弟さん)
 * 10) Alien Barossa (バロッサ星人)
 * 11) About Master Zero's Father (ゼロ師匠のお父さんのこと)
 * 12) Robots Are Reliable! (頼もしいぜ、ロボット!)
 * 13) Ultra Medals (ウルトラメダル)
 * 14) Spark Dolls Theater Z (スパークドールズ劇場Z)
 * 15) Strongest Form! (最強の姿!)
 * 16) The Story of Not Knowing What Is Useful (何が役に立つかはわからないという話)
 * 17) Black Ultramen (黒いウルトラマン)
 * 18) Train Your Head! (頭を鍛えろ!)
 * 19) Brothers (兄さん)
 * 20) Galaxy Rescue Force (ギャラクシーレスキューフォース)
 * 21) Brother Mebius (メビウス兄さん)
 * 22) Recruitment Examinations: Part 1 (採用試験①)
 * 23) Recruitment Examinations: Part 2 (採用試験②)
 * 24) Starting from Here (ここから始まる)

Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy
Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy (ウルトラギャラクシーファイト 大いなる陰謀) is the second of the Ultra Galaxy Fight miniseries to be made and set to air on YouTube on November 22, 2020. In addition to being a prequel series, the title character of Ultraman Z made his appearance as one of the characters involved.

Fight! Sevenger
Fight! Sevenger (戦え！セブンガー) is a manga spin-off that was serialized in the Televi-Kun magazine from the April 2021 issue to the April 2022 issue. It is written by Kiyotaka Taguchi and illustrated by Tetsuya Kawaishi, the latter having served as a storyboard artist in episodes 12 and 14 of Ultraman Z. It serves as a prequel to the television series, taking place prior to the arrival of Ultraman Z on Earth. The events of the special episode take place during Sevenger's decommit in the television series.
 * N/A
 * 1) Suruga Bay Close Call! The Deeplus Defeat Operation! (駿河湾危機一髪！ディプラス掃討作戦！)
 * 2) The Rough Mountain God! Jirangon's Fury! (荒ぶる山神！ジランゴンの猛威！)
 * 3) Nightmare Overseas Dispatch! Giant Insect Majaba! (悪夢の海外派遣！巨大昆虫マジャバ！)
 * 4) The Dreadful Red Cloud! Red Smogy's Fury (恐怖の赤い雲！レッドスモーギの猛威)
 * 5) The Fast Monster! Stop Idatenran! (俊足の大怪獣！イダテンランを止めろ！)
 * 6) The Astonishing Exploding Flame Monster! Vortech Fire's Rampage! (驚異の爆烈炎怪獣！ボルテックファイヤー大暴れ！)
 * 7) Show It! STORAGE's Underlying Strength! Defeat Vortech Fire (見せろ！ストレイジの底力！ボルテックファイヤーを倒せ)
 * 8) Crash! The Thick-Skulled Rock Monster Gakuma! (大激突！石頭の岩石怪獣ガクマ！)
 * 9) The Two-Sided Demon! Ashuran's Attack! (二面の悪魔！アシュラン大襲撃！)
 * 10) Raging Counterattack! Double Sevengers vs. Ashuran! (怒涛の大反撃！セブンガー対アシュラン！)
 * SP1. Defeat Samekujira! The Secret Story of the Completion of the Drill Attack (サメクジラを倒せ！ドリルアタック完成秘話)
 * SP2. Namegon Attack! The First Deployment of the Unbroken Iron Body Sevenger! (ナメゴン襲来！沈まぬ鉄塊・セブンガー初出動！)

Sevenger Fight
Sevenger Fight (セブンガーファイト) is a 10-episode miniseries based on the low-budget miniseries Ultra Fight, released as a pay-per-view content. The first to seventh episodes are available in Tsuburaya Imagination website while the remaining three episodes would be available in the Ultraman Z Perfect Super Complete Works STORAGE Box (ウルトラマンZ完全超全集ストレイジBOX) in July 2021. All mini episodes are directed and written by Kiyotaka Taguchi and Junichiro Ashiki respectively, while Kohshu Hirano, Rima Matsuda, Hikari Kuroki and Takaya Aoyagi provided the background voices.

Life's Decision Height: The Story of STORAGE's Foundation
Life's Decision Height: The Story of STORAGE's Foundation (擲命のデシジョン・ハイト ―ストレイジ創設物語―) is a two-part novel spin-off released on Tsuburaya Imagination. It is written and supervised by Keigo Koyanagi and Kiyotaka Taguchi respectively, and serves as a prequel to the television series from GAFJ's perspective.

Ja no Michi wa Hebi
Ja no Michi wa Hebi (ジャの道は蛇) is a short novel spin-off included in the Ultraman Z Perfect Super Complete Works book. It is written by Takao Nakano and supervised by Kiyotaka Taguchi and Tsuburaya Productions, and serves as a prequel to the television series from Jugglus Juggler's perspective.

Cast

 * Haruki Natsukawa (ナツカワ ハルキ): Kohshu Hirano (平野 宏周)
 * Yoko Nakashima (ナカシマ ヨウコ): Rima Matsuda (松田 リマ)
 * Yuka Ohta (オオタ ユカ): Hikari Kuroki (黒木 ひかり)
 * Shota Hebikura (ヘビクラ ショウタ)/Jugglus Juggler (ジャグラスジャグラー): Takaya Aoyagi (青柳 尊哉)
 * Kojiro Inaba (イナバ コジロー): Jun Hashizume (橋爪 淳)
 * Shinya Kaburagi (カブラギ シンヤ): Rihito Noda (野田 理人)
 * Satoshi (サトシ): Reo Sato (佐藤 玲央)
 * Seiji (セイジ): Fuma Kakuda (角田 楓馬)
 * Hiroshi (ヒロシ): Daichi Takaoka (高岡 大地)
 * Mai Yuki (ユウキ マイ): Maya Hayashi (林 摩耶)
 * Director Kuriyama (クリヤマ長官): Hisahiro Ogura (小倉 久寛)
 * Riku Asakura (朝倉 リク)/Ultraman Geed (ウルトラマンジード): Tatsuomi Hamada (濱田 龍臣)
 * Ultraman Z (ウルトラマンゼット): Tasuku Hatanaka (畠中 祐)
 * Ultraman Zero (ウルトラマンゼロ): Mamoru Miyano (宮野 真守)
 * STORAGE AI voice: Katsumi Fukuhara (福原 かつみ)
 * Beliarok (ベリアロク): Yūki Ono (小野 友樹)
 * Ultra Z Riser announcement: Patrick Yu (パトリック・ユウ)

Guest cast

 * Alien Pitt "Fa" (ピット星人 ファ): Kanon Miyahara (宮原 華音)
 * Ultraman Ace (ウルトラマンエース): Keiji Takamine (高峰 圭二)
 * Ultraman Ace (ウルトラマンエース): Keiji Takamine (高峰 圭二)

English Dubbing Cast
Voice cast:
 * Haruki Natsukawa: Zeno Robinson
 * Ultraman Z: Matt Shipman
 * Yoko Nakashima: Mallorie Rodak
 * Yuka Ohta: Macy Ann Johnson
 * Shota Hebikura/Jugglus Juggler: Mick Lauer
 * Saburo Kuriyama: Ben Phillips
 * Shinya Kaburagi: Howard Wang
 * Beliarok: Patrick Seitz
 * Ultraman Zero: Sean Schemmel
 * Riku Asakura/Ultraman Geed: Kevin K. Gomez
 * Pega: Brina Palencia

Theme songs

 * Opening theme
 * "Goshōwa Kudasai Ware no Na o!" (ご唱和ください 我の名を！)
 * Arrangement: Kyoichi Miyazaki (宮崎 京一) (KEYTONE), Ryota Iida (飯田 涼太) (KEYTONE)
 * Lyrics, Composition, & Artist: Masaaki Endoh (遠藤 正明)
 * Episodes: 1-13 (Verse 1); 14–24, SP3 (Verse 2)
 * In episode 25, this song is used as an insert song.


 * Ending themes
 * "Connect the Truth"
 * Lyrics, Composition, & Arrangement: Takumi Ozawa (尾澤 拓実)
 * Artist: Nami Tamaki (玉置 成実)
 * Episodes: 1-13
 * In episode 15, this song is used as an insert song.
 * "Promise for the future"
 * Lyrics: Mike Sugiyama (マイク スギヤマ)
 * Composition: Toru Watanabe (渡辺 徹)
 * Arrangement: ats-, Takehito Shimizu (清水 武仁) & Toru Watanabe (Blue Bird's Nest)
 * Artist: Tasuku Hatanaka
 * Episodes: 14-24
 * In episode 25, this song is used as an insert song.

International broadcast
In Hong Kong, this series aired on ViuTV on May 15, 2021. In Philippines, this series aired on GMA on July 24, 2022. In Vietnam, this series aired on FPT Play on June 1, 2024

Reception
Ultraman Z was ranked sixth place on 2020's "100 Internet Buzzwords" in Japan, held by Nico Nico Pedia and Pixiv Encyclopedia. The physical award was given to director Kiyotaka Taguchi during the award ceremony on December 15, 2020. Shota Hebikura, the alias of Jugglus Juggler in the series was also one of many entries in said award, having ranked 45th place. Taguchi admitted that Ultraman Z being an action-packed series was to originally anticipate the Olympics. On July 21, 2021, Ultraman Z was labelled as the winner of the Best Dramatic Presentation category from the Seiun Award, making the series as the second entry in Ultra Series to obtain the award after Ultraman Tiga in 1998.

In addition to television airing, episodes of Ultraman Z were rebroadcast on YouTube for worldwide audience to watch, at Taguchi's suggestion, which also included English subtitles. According to Taguchi's interview in August 2020, the first episode met with good reception from various audience in the worldwide, especially the United States.

Anime mecha designer and former Bandai employee Tsuyoshi Nonaka wrote his commentary in the fortieth Ultra Tokusatsu Perfect Mook, pertaining to Ultraman Z, he applauded Taguchi for the use of robots for defense team, an idea that the former actually brought to Bandai in the 1990s, but was rejected out of fear that the Ultraman would be overshadowed. Nonaka compares Beliarok, the sentient sword that is used by the eponymous Ultraman Z, to the Byakkoshinken from Gosei Sentai Dairanger, but he felt that the sword's introduction into the show is abrupt and sees the interaction of an Ultraman Belial-based character with Ultraman Z and Haruki is unfit. This is because due to Ultraman Belial's interaction with other Ultras would have been Zero and Geed, therefore suggesting that Juggler would be a better candidate due to his frequent run-in with the main characters of the series, as well as sharing a neutrality stance in any conflict being similar to Beliarok as well.