Ultraman Tiga (series)

is the 12th entry in the Ultraman Series, airing from September 7, 1996 to August 30, 1997. It was the first Ultraman Series broadcast in Japan since 1980's Ultraman 80. The series is notable for revolutionizing and revitalizing the franchise, not to mention the great effect it had on the tokusatsu genre as a whole outside of Tsuburaya.
Despite being preceded by Ultraman Great as the first Ultraman Series to be aired in Japan in the Heisei period, and by Ultraman Neos to be the first Japanese-made Ultraman Series in the Heisei period, it is Ultraman Tiga that is officially and unofficially recognized as Tsuburaya Productions' first proper Ultraman Series entry in the Heisei period.
Set in a universe different from all previous series, Ultraman Tiga introduced new and radical updates to the Ultraman character for a new generation of audiences; most notably starring the first instance of the thematic concept of humanity as light or Ultraman being a human instead of alien, as well as the first Ultraman with multiple combat modes and non-red colors (purple and gold). It is also considered one of the most popular entries in the franchise.
The series can be viewed on Roku.
==Production==
In the mid-1990s, following the historic merchandising success of the original videos Ultraman: Towards the Future and Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero produced in collaboration with overseas companies, Tsuburaya Productions aimed to commemorate the upcoming 30th anniversary of Ultraman in 1996. To this end, they submitted a proposal for Ultraman Neos to TBS, strongly pushing for the launch of a new TV series after 15 years. Despite Tsuburaya Productions' high enthusiasm for Ultraman Neos and the production of a pilot episode incorporating various new digital technologies, TBS had reservations and demanded entirely new characters that had not been previously exposed. Consequently, Tsuburaya Productions' planning department quickly devised a new proposal, eventually presenting a new plan called , which formed the basis for ., pg 4Ultraman Tiga (TV Magazine Special Edition) pg 76
The New Ultraman tells the story of a luminous life form born alongside the universe's Big Bang, crossing through time and space to arrive on modern-day Earth. This luminous entity later evolves into Ultraman of the Nebula M78, transforming into Ultraman by inhabiting humans. Imagined as a primal, wild, and untamed Ultraman, this new Ultraman exudes a powerful presence with a fresh concept. Designer Hiroshi Maruyama has crafted bold design proposals for this character. However, TBS's response to this project was not confirmed until summer and was disappointing—TBS found it difficult to ensure that the series could air in April 1996 as planned.
Companies like Bandai, Kodansha, and Yomiuri Advertising Agency were also involved in the project. Yomiuri Advertising Agency suggested that if producing with TBS was problematic, they could pitch the proposal to Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS), a quasi-key station in Osaka. Given that MBS is part of the TBS network and has many nationwide broadcast slots, pushing the project there seemed feasible. However, this required adjustments to the original proposal intended for TBS. At that time, Kazuho Mitsuta, then-executive director of Tsuburaya Productions, participated as a planner. Under his guidance, a new New Ultraman proposal was created.
When the proposal was submitted, the desired broadcast time was autumn 1996 (around October), and MBS was informed that a response was needed by the end of March to plan production accordingly. However, Tsuburaya Productions did not receive a response from MBS by the end of March. It wasn't until around April 20th that Mitsuda Ikuo finally received a response from MBS—confirming that the series was suddenly decided for production shortly after April 12th. However, despite the new project being scheduled for autumn, it was not in October as initially estimated, but moved up to the first week of September. This adjustment left the production team with only four months. Such a tight timeline was extremely challenging for the Ultraman series, which required substantial effort. Consequently, all members rushed into production, and Tsuburaya Productions collaborated with Yomiuri Advertising Agency to plan this project.
The original storyline of "New Ultraman" begins with a worldview unrelated to the Nebula M78. In 2020, after a meteorite impact and the discovery of a time capsule, GUTS received news of the resurrection of Orgo and Melba. Daigo, a member of GUTS, transformed into light through a teleportation beam and inhabited a stone statue in the northeastern pyramid, becoming Ultraman. The anticipated Ultraman to debut had once guarded Earth as an ancient warrior 30 million years ago, establishing diverse transformation forms including Sky Type and Power Type. These details were gradually refined through consensus among Chiaki J. Konaka and other team members., pg 5
After a series of adjustments, the setting book for was completed on May 7th, marking the official commencement of detailed preparation work.Ultraman Tiga (TV Magazine Special Edition) pg 77 Tsuburaya Productions' planning department further developed an extensive setting book. Masakazu Migita was tasked with preparing scripts for episodes 1 to 2, and commissioned storyline synopses from several writers. Following discussions, they finalized the approach for writing scripts from episode 3 onwards.https://www.cinematoday.jp/page/A0008093
In mid-May, Hiroshi Maruyama's final design for Ultraman was completed, incorporating armor as requested by Bandai's executive, Katsushi Murakami. Murakami also suggested using the Indonesian word "Tiga," representing the sacred number 3, as the name. Thus, the program title Ultraman Tiga was officially confirmed, and regular casting for actors commenced.https://www.sanspo.com/article/20230823-C6XYKQIKRRL2RJKPM2WJIY5SOU/
MBS planner Yoshihiko Marutani negotiated with Johnny & Associates to meet MBS's requirement for a protagonist who could boost viewership. Eventually, Hiroshi Nagano from V6 was chosen to play the protagonist, Daigo. At the same time, Masato Oida, who previously served as a producer for Gridman the Hyper Agent and Ultraman Neos, was appointed as the literary producer. He would primarily oversee scriptwriting, public relations, and magazine supervision. To reflect the advancement of women's status in society and convey the concept of gender equality, two distinct female characters were introduced within the protagonist's defense team. One is the responsible and highly skilled captain, portrayed by Mio Takaki. The other is the female lead, second only to the protagonist Daigo, played by Takami Yoshimoto, the daughter of Susumu Kurobe who portrayed the protagonist in the 1966 series Ultraman.
In terms of on-site personnel such as directors, cinematographers, lighting, and art departments, invitations were extended to Toshihiro Iijima's Kinoshita Productions, Akio Jissoji's Kodai Group, and members of the production team involved in Gridman the Hyper Agent. Facing tight deadlines, Tsuburaya Productions invested funds to renovate the primary filming location for tokusatsu production, Stage 5 of Toho Studios, to elevate the filming environment's standards. A production press conference was held on June 28 at the Capitol Tokyu Hotel in Akasaka, Tokyo.
Amidst intensive preparations, filming for Ultraman Tiga officially commenced on July 1st. The first episode's principal photography was led by director Shingo Matsubara in Doshi Village, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi Prefecture. The tokusatsu sequences began filming on July 2nd under director Koichi Takano. However, both sets of filming began without the final draft being completed. The initial shoots depended on scripts that were still in progress.
After numerous discussions, Ultraman Tiga decided to adopt a filming method using conventional 16mm film for main shooting and high-sensitivity 16mm film for special effects, reducing the need for extensive lighting. The final product was delivered to the television stations in video format. This approach facilitated easier color adjustments during composite editing compared to traditional optical synthesis methods, and post-production tasks like editing proceeded faster than relying solely on film. Despite early concerns about the limited stock of episodes, improvements in technology gradually increased the inventory and improved shooting progress from the mid-term onwards.
Initially, MBS had only signed a six-month broadcasting contract with Tsuburaya Productions. However, around October 1996, they extended the contract for two more seasons, extending the broadcasting period to the end of August the following year. Ultraman Tiga garnered popularity across various age groups, including children and their parents, heralded as a revival within the Ultraman series, leading to the production of the subsequent series, Ultraman Dyna.
In 1998, Ultraman Tiga received the Seiun Award in the Film, Performance, and Multimedia category at the 29th Seiun Awards, marking the first time a work from the Ultraman series had won this award. In 2000, Tsuburaya Productions released the film Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey, and in 2008, the film Great Decisive Battle! The Super 8 Ultra Brothers featuring Tiga as a central character was released. To this day, Ultraman Tiga remains highly popular within the entire Ultraman series.https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2248942/full/
In 2021, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the series, Tsuburaya Productions announced the production of Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga, based on the concepts and background of Ultraman Tiga.https://m-78.jp/news/post-5839 On September 7 of the same year, the 25th anniversary of Ultraman Tiga, Tsuburaya Productions announced that the series would be re-broadcast on their platform TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION, exclusively available for viewing in Japan.https://m-78.jp/news/post-6038https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/444170
==Synopsis==
Ultraman Tiga was the giant of light that protected the ancient human civilization 30 million years ago. After the human civilization perished, Tiga become a stone statue. In the present times, Tiga was resurrected by merging with pilot Daigo from GUTS defense team, who also possess Ultra DNA in his body. At the same time, the 21st century Earth is facing threats of invaders from space and other dimensions.
Can Daigo and GUTS protect humankind from those invaders and saving Earth from destruction?
==Characters==
===Protagonist===
*Daigo Madoka
===TPC===
*Souichiro Sawai
*Masayuki Nahara
*Tetsuji Yoshioka
*Mayumi Shinjoh
*Naban Yao
*Reiko Kashimura
*Yuuji Tango
*Omi Yanase
*Shin Hayate
*Ryosuke Sanada
*Sayaka Ijuin
====GUTS====
*Rena Yanase
*Megumi Iruma
*Seiichi Munakata
*Masami Horii
*Tetsuo Shinjoh
*Jun Yazumi
===Others===
*Mitsuo Itahashi
*Keigo Masaki
*Yuzare
*Michiru Ezaki
*Makio Kirino
*Tomoki Miura
*Takehiko Onoda
*Takuma Aoki
*Kagetatsu Nishikida
*Masachika Nezu
*Asami Nezu
*Yuri Tezuka
===Ultras===
*Ultraman Tiga
*Tiga's companions
*Evil Tiga
*Ultraman
===Kaiju===
*Golza
**Fire Golza
*Melba
*Gakuma
*Kyrieloid
**Kyrieloid II
*Ligatron
*Sealizar
*Gazort
**Clitters
**Gazort II
*Alien Reguran
*Gilanbo
**Different Dimension Witch
*Saki
*Machina
*Gagi
**Gagi II
*Evolu
**Illusion Evolu
*Leilons
*Alien Raybeak
**Virtual Alien Raybeak
*Alien Muzan
**Virtual Alien Muzan
*Rucia and Zara
*Sukunaoni
*Alien Standel
**Abolbus
**Redol
*Gobnu
**Vaha
**Giga
**Ogma
*Enomena
*Deban
*Magnia
**Magnia Parasites
*Dinosauroid
*Naga
*Weaponizers
*Litomalus
*Silvergon
*Shadow
*Obiko
*Jobarieh
*Maya Cruz
*Alien Natarn
*King Molerat
**Molerat
*Bizaamo
**The Life Form of Planet Bizaamo
*Shiela
*Kyuranos
*Desimonia
**Small Desimonia
*Alien Desimo
*Guwam
*Goldras
*Alien Manon
*Dethmon
*Faldon
*Galra
*Bakugon
*Iludo
*Faivas
**Karen E-90
*Geozark
*Guardie
*Gijera
*Nook and Terra
*Metamorga
*Menjura
*Charija
*Yanakargie
*Zoiger
*Gatanothor
==Adaptations==
===4Kids Entertainment===
Ultraman Tiga was the fourth Ultraman Series to be adapted for a U.S. release, following Ultraman, Ultraseven, and Ultraman: Towards the Future. It was licensed by 4Kids Entertainment and aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company's FoxBox Saturday morning programming block. The first episode premiered on September 14, 2002.
Unlike the Super Sentai Series' adaptation into Power Rangers, which combined the original shows' tokusatsu sequences with an entirely new cast, Ultraman Tiga was simply dubbed into English. Nonetheless, 4Kids made a number of significant changes. There was an entirely new theme song and the original soundtrack for the series was replaced. Episode storylines was altered and simplified to comply with Fox's Standards and Practices division and accommodate the differences between Japanese and American commercial breaks and broadcasting scheduling. Each episode was typically one or two minutes shorter than its Japanese counterpart.
There was also a lot more blatant and crude humor. The Japanese Ultraman Tiga had a few moments of subtle humor and charming moments. The Americanized version came with dialogue that poked fun of the original material as well as the dubbing in general, which changed the personalities for some of the characters (Notable in this aspect was the transformation of Captain Iruma from a smart, level-headed individual into a complete airhead.) Additionally, Captain Iruma was referred to as a "sir" instead of a "ma'am", perhaps in an attempt at being politically correct. This caused some problems within the addressing of a commanding officer whether that person was male or a female.
Some monsters were given new sound effects, and the transformation sequence was altered altogether, showcasing all of Tiga's forms and emphasizing the change from Daigo to Tiga. Tiga's "Multi, Power, and Sky Types" are changed into "Omni, Power, and Speed Modes," respectively. The Sparklence was renamed the "Torch of Tiga". His light techniques were called "Luminizers", and the Color Timer is referred to as the "Biotic Sensor."
Despite Producer Norman Grossfeld's enthusiasm of its successUltraman Tiga Fans of Japanese live-action superheroes know Ultraman has dominated that country for over three decade. The original show was even syndicated, and did quite well; domestically back in the 1960's."When I was a kid, I was very high on Ultraman," says Grossfeld. "I think it's going to be a big hit for us, I always felt if we had our own network we would show everybody why Ultraman has been the top action figure for Japan for the last 30 years." - Beckett Yu-Gi-Oh! Collector issue #1, Ultraman Tiga was removed from the FoxBox lineup on March 15, 2003, due to low ratings, with only 25 episodes of the 52-episode series having aired. 4Kids initially planned to relaunch the show in September, but decided to release the Japanese episodes on DVD instead.Henshin! Online, 2/28/03 - Tiga Reloaded! As a result, their dub is only viewable through recordings of the original broadcasts.
Erica Schroeder (who voiced Rena) claimed that part of the reason for Ultraman Tiga's limited success in the U.S. was due to 4Kids' indecision whether to satirize the show or make it serious. The English dub never aired its 2nd half which is now considered lost media. The co-producer of the dub, Michael Pecoriello, confirmed the series was fully adapted into English during a recent interview.https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxZwIwDBbCVIH2w41cxXhEfjrEkBag71EK?si=EPLkFLYeMQiZ5yOe
The completely produced dub aired on the TV channel POGO in India. One surviving episode title, which is called "Dark Warrior Part 1," which adapts Japanese episode 43, can be found in the link below. Footage from "Dark Warrior Part 2" of Ultraman Tiga battling Evil Tiga can be found in the "Enemy Database: Monster Files" segment for Evil Tiga below, as well as Japanese Text is edited off the signs in the background.
===Uchūsen Magazine===
Uchūsen (Spacecraft) Magazine began a serialization of an Ultraman Tiga manga in the Summer of 1997 written by Mamoru Uchiyama.
===Dark Horse Comics===
Dark Horse Comics published a manga-style series based on Ultraman Tiga in 2003–2004.
==Cast==
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===Guest Cast===
*: 
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*: (voice)
===Suit Actors===
*Ultraman Tiga (Multi Type, Sky Type), Evil Tiga, Ultraman: 
*Ultraman Tiga (Multi Type, Power Type, Glitter Tiga), Evil Tiga: 
*Kaiju:
**
**
**
**
===English Dub===
*Wayne Grayson as Daigo Madoka
*Erica Schroeder as Rena Yanase
*Megan Hollingshead as Megumi Iruma
*David Moo as Seiichi Munakata
*Jimmy Zoppi as Masami Horii
*Christopher Collet as Tetsuo Shinjoh
*Sebastian Arcelus as Jun Yazumi
*Dave Ward as Ultraman Tiga
*Dan Green
*Mike Pollock
*Corinne Orr
*Kerry Butler
*Daniel DeSanto
*Jason Samuels
*Eric Stuart
*Shayne Dukevitch as Marnie Shinjoh
==Music==
:;Opening Theme
*TAKE ME HIGHER
**Lyrics and Composition: Jennifer Batten, Alberto Contini, Dave Rodgers
**Japanese Lyrics: 
**Arrangement: 
**String Arrangement: 
**Choral Arrangement: 
**Artist: V6
*
**Lyrics and Composition: Aritaka Hara
**Composition/Arrangement: Fumio Hara
**Artist: Voyager
**Alternative theme song for international broadcasts. First released on Voyager's ULTRA GALAXY album in 2014.
*Larger Than Life
**The theme song for the 4Kids English dub.
:;Ending Theme
*Brave Love, TIGA
**Producer: 
**Lyrics: Sunplaza Nakano-kun
**Composition: 
**Arrangement: 
**Artist: 
**Leader: Goro Kishitani
**Members: 
***
***Toshiaki Karasawa
***
***Sunplaza Nakano-kun
***
***Masahiko Nishimura
***Barbe-Q Wasada
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Ultraman Tiga has a special opening theme and ending theme exclusive to Chinese TV version named "奇迹再现" (The Miracle Reappear) and "永远的奥特曼" (Ultraman Forever).
==Home Media==
Ultraman Tiga is released in VHS in 1997, and DVD from 1999 till 2007. In January 25, 2008, the entire series has been condensed down into a 1-hour special, released under the "Climax Stories" DVD series.
In 2014, the entire series has been remastered and released as part of the "Complete Blu-ray BOX". The Remastered episodes are actually done with upscaling and noise-reduction.
Mill Creek Entertainment released the entire series and tie-in films, except for The Final Odyssey due to music rights issues, in October 2021 on DVD in North America.
51ohO475XJL. SY445 .jpg|Volume 1 (episodes 1-4)
Cfcc0ea164 060972 450.jpg|Volume 2 (episodes 5-8)
071478f49f 060973 450.jpg|Volume 3 (episodes 9-12)
D950318287 qvga 060974 180.jpg|Volume 4 (episodes 13-16)
51SCNY490KL.jpg|Volume 5 (episodes 17-20)
51YJBAJEGVL.jpg|Volume 6 (episodes 21-24)
Dc0ac8c71b 060977 450.jpg|Volume 7 (episodes 25-28)
1f682a527b 060978 450.jpg|Volume 8 (episodes 29-32)
5160377RWEL. SY300 .jpg|Volume 9 (episodes 33-36)
1ec7ea691d 060980 450.jpg|Volume 10 (episodes 37-40)
51CEQYGESPL.jpg|Volume 11 (episodes 41-44)
Ff040053b6 060982 450.jpg|Volume 12 (episodes 45-48)
51YDJASQNPL.jpg|Volume 13 (episodes 49-52)
Climax Stories Tiga.jpg|Climax Stories: Ultraman Tiga
XATD 4934569628497.jpg|Memorial Box (episodes 1-52)
Tiga BR Box.jpg|Complete Blu-ray Box (episodes 1-52)
File:Tigadvd.jpg|Mill Creek's DVD box set (episodes 1-52)
==Gallery==
===Images===
Ultraman Tiga 1996 001.png
Ultraman Tiga 1996 002.png
Ultraman tiga Logo.webp
Ultraman Tiga English Logo.png
GUTS HD 100.png|GUTS
ULTRAMAN Tiga 2022 promotional poster.jpeg|2022 new promotional poster
==Trivia==
*This is the first entry of the Ultraman Series to use Chroma key special effects instead of doll props for aerial combat scenes.
*While the series is available for streaming at TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION on September 7, 2021, the entire series has yet to be available in some streaming services such as Amazon Video.
*The 4Kids Ultraman Tiga English dub was fully produced, but episodes 24-48 remain lost media to this day. It aired fully in India in the mid-2000s, and the co-producer of the dub, Mike Pecoriello, reiterated the dub was fully completed as well but remained unaired in the US.https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxZwIwDBbCVIH2w41cxXhEfjrEkBag71EK?si=EPLkFLYeMQiZ5yOe
==References==
id:Ultraman Tiga (seri)
ja:ウルトラマンティガ
Category:Series
Category:Productions
Category:Ultraman Tiga
Category:Heisei Series
Category:Shows Dubbed in English