Ultraman Z (character)

https://en.tsuburaya-prod.co.jp/news/1933https://en.tsuburaya-prod.co.jp/heroes/ultraman-zhttps://twitter.com/TedoriFLpark/status/1316605440424251392?s=20 is the titular Ultra Hero of the series Ultraman Z. He is Ultraman Zero's self-proclaimed disciple. To protect the Earth against rampaging monsters, Z bonded with STORAGE member Haruki Natsukawa during the fight against Genegarg.
==Conception==
===Etymology===
Z is the last letter in the English alphabet, and invokes a sense of finality. In-universe, Z's godfather Ultraman Ace gave him this name in hopes that Z would be the "Last Hero" who might bring peace to the universe one day.
All the names of Z's Ultra Fusion forms start with a Greek letter, including the order of their appearances in-series.
===Design===
Despite being Z's base form, Original was actually made by simplifying the design of Alpha Edge.Uchusen 169, pages 80-81 Each of the other forms are designed with the concept of combat uniforms and drastically changing the main silhouette. LEDs on the eyes and Color Timer can be adjusted in accordance to the brightness of the filming locations. In production stills, the Color Timer appears to be whitish, but its actually dark blue.Uchusen 169, page 78
*Alpha Edge: The first form to be designed. The black and thin lines of the suits were made with laser, which is the first time this was ever implemented to a suit. Materials with different thicknesses were implemented on each parts of the body so as to emphasize a three-dimensional movement.
*Beta Smash: The mask was initially meant to be silver, until director Kiyotaka Taguchi came up an idea to paint the mask in red as well.https://twitter.com/TakahashiHyouri/status/1279220457590321153
In an interview for Tsuburaya Galaxy, Taguchi revealed that Z's first three Ultra Fusion forms are meant to represent three most recent eras of Japan's monarchy:
*Alpha Edge: Reiwa
*Beta Smash: Showa
*Gamma Future: Heisei
==History==
===Pre-Ultraman Z===
Alongside Ultraman Taiga, Z and most of the young Ultras in the Land of Light received a formal education from Ultraman 80. Z admired Ultraman Zero and sought an apprenticeship under his idol by literally bumping into him during their first meeting. Zero was initially reluctant on taking another student under his wing, but proceeded to do so after multiple persuasions from Z. Aside from providing physical training, Z was briefed of Zero's past exploits, meeting at least two members of Ultimate Force Zero and receiving valuable knowledge. To combat the Devil Splinter cases in outer space, Z was ordered by Zero to become Ultraman Hikari's neutral test subject for the creation of a new device. The result was the Z Riser, named after the tester himself with the ability to augment its user with the powers of Ultra Medals. 
In order to follow Zero's footsteps even further, Z decided to take the entrance test for the Inter Galactic Defense Force. After failing the written test due to Zero's part in the misinformation, he was informed of an alternative test by Ultraman Mebius. His challenger/examiner turned out to be Zero, and the two duel against each other to prove Z's worth as an Inter Galactic Defense Force member and as Zero's student. Zoffy gave Z a membership in the organization for passing his test, but still had a long way to win his master's approval. 
===Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy===
Z had been training with Ultraman Mebius, when Ultraman Taiga came along to ask to train with him. The two of them talked about the bond between Ultras, such as Seven, Leo and Zero's master and student relationship and compared it to their own with Taro, while watching Z practice. 
Yullian and Ultraman 80 had crash landed on Planet Ebil on the way to a Galactic Federation Peace Conference on Planet Kanon and were soon attacked by Zett and his Zetton army. They sent a distress signal to the Land of Light. Responding to the message, Taiga, Mebius and Z immediately left the Land of Light and arrived on Planet Ebil to assist them. They were later joined by Ultraman Zero, Ultraman Joneus, Ultraman Titas, Ultraman Fuma, Ultrawoman Grigio, Ultraman Ribut and Andro Melos, and they all fought the Zetton army together. After fusing into Tri-Strium, Taiga handled Zett in place of 80 and Mebius, attacking him with a barrage of finishers while being helped by Ultraman Z, who fired the Zestium Beam at Zett just after Taiga had impaled him with the Taiga Blast Attack. In desperation, Zett tried to regenerate his Zetton army once more, but they were promptly finished off by Taiga Tri-Strium's new move, Rainbow Strium Burst.
Soon after defeating Ultimate Shining Zero in Narak, Absolute Tartarus appeared, taking Yullian hostage and informing the heroes of his true motives before getting Ultraman Belial and Ultraman Tregear to fire their beams at them all. The group also received word from Ultraman Hikari that Genegarg had stolen a Z Riser and Ultra Medals from the Land of Light, causing Z to fly off in a hurry while Zero followed him. The Ultra League and the Tri-Squad prepare to recruit more heroes for the upcoming fight against The Kingdom. 
===Ultraman Z===
====Landing on Earth====
Soon, he and his master chased down Genegarg to Planet Earth. Just as Zero was falling into Bullton's wormhole, Z received from him the Z Riser and Ultra Medals, continuing on without Zero. Z bonds with STORAGE member Haruki Natsukawa, who died piloting Sevenger against Genegarg. Z revived the young man and used the items he received from Zero to perform Ultra Fusion, transforming into Alpha Edge to defeat Genegarg. After the battle, Z instructs Haruki to collect the Ultra Medals that Genegarg scattered upon its destruction. 
Facing several other threats alongside Haruki and STORAGE, Z eventually obtained the Z Lance Arrow, a "gift" from an ancient Ultraman, during Peguila's rampage. Sensing Z and Haruki's determination to save lives, the artifact reacted to them and unveiled its true form, which Z used to defeat Peguila. Shota Hebikura, who had been watching them the whole time, unveiled his true identity to face them as Zeppandon, which he transformed into after copying Haruki's Z Riser. Still, Z managed to defeat Zeppandon. 
====Celebro's Plan====
Z was later assisted by Ultraman Geed/Riku Asakura, who had gained a Z Riser after his Geed Riser had been damaged while fighting Gillvalis, who was revived by a Devil Splinter. He was ecstatic to be fighting alongside Geed as he told Haruki that Geed was not only a fellow student of Zero's, but the one who destroyed Ultraman Belial. Later on, Shinya Kaburagi/Celebro took control of the Valis Raiders through Gillvalis' remains and had Riku abducted to extract the Belial Factor from him, which he used to successfully create the Belial Medal. Unable to stop the Vallis Raiders, Z took control of Haruki and fought them off alongside Yoko Nakashima, at human size. Celebro then used the Belial Medal to transform into the Belial Fusion Monsters Skull Gomora, Thunder Killer and Pedanium Zetton. Z and Geed attempted to fight them off, but were being overwhelmed by their power until Ultraman Zero reappeared, helping them win the battle against Celebro. Because of other cases of monsters rampaging due to the Devil Splinters, Zero and Riku left the Earth in Haruki and Z's care while they flew off into space. 
====Haruki's Breakdown====
After destroying a Red King and letting its mate and their egg go, Z's bond with Haruki started deteriorating as Haruki started to have an emotional breakdown due to Haruki having lost his own father, whose death anniversary it was that day. Not understanding why their bond was breaking, Z grew worried. 
In the midst of fighting Grigio Raiden, Z, in Alpha Edge, was about to fire his Zestium Beam when Haruki was overcome by his guilt, which stopped Z from destroying it. This caused Z to revert to his original form. Later, during the final battle, a similar event happened when Haruki saw that Grigio Raiden was crying out in pain, again causing Z to revert to his original form and become unable to defend against the monster's Destroy Cannon, forcing King Joe STORAGE Custom to take immediate action. 
After Haruki talked about his time with Z to Kanegon, who had eaten Haruki's Ultra Medals, Z finally understood why his host was feeling the way he was and promised they would work together, re-establishing their bond. 
Haruki later fully reconciled with his emotions after they were interpreted by Bullton's Four-Dimensional Willpower to transport him to the past, during a time when his father was still alive. After meeting his father and asking him how he would approach saving people, even if this meant others would be brought to harm, Haruki learned the value of protecting those within his reach. With his guilt relieved, Haruki resolved to protect those he could and remember those he could not, fully restoring Z's strength. The evening after Z defeated Bullton, a strange dimensional rift appeared in the sky, heralding Greeza's arrival. 
====Power Beyond Logic====
On the day after the fight against Bullton, Greeza had devoured eleven disaster disposal workers, making it as if they vanished into thin air. Riku contacted Haruki when he detected void vibrations on Haruki's Earth, saying that Bullton's destruction caused a hole to be formed in the universe as it was no longer around to bear "irrationalities" to sustain the universe. Just then, Greeza fully materialized and started to attack the city. Z and Geed transformed to fight against the void monster, and were then joined by Jugglus Juggler, transformed into Tri-King and then Five King. Still, their efforts were not enough to bring Greeza down. Geed decided to sacrifice himself by fusing with Greeza to trap it between reality and unreality, sealing it in its first form. He had told Z that a "needle" existed beyond the void, and gave Z his Ultra Medal for later use.
Having been completely overwhelmed, Z informed Haruki that the only way they could defeat Greeza was with a "power beyond logic," which meant fusing the powers of Zero, Geed and Belial, the latter of which they did not have. Fortunately, Juggler decided to help Haruki obtain the Belial Medal by attacking Celebro at his hideout and forcing him to give up the medal. The three medals reacted with each other to create the Rise Ultra Medals, which Z and Haruki used to transform. After forcing the Belial Atrocious Rise Medal into the Z Riser, Z transformed into Delta Rise Claw, a form that had the power to withstand getting absorbed by Greeza.
Z managed to free Geed from the void and pull out the Beliarok from within Greeza, which was the proverbial "needle" that was required to sew the hole in space and destroy Greeza. After a brief fight, Z and Haruki managed to convince the Beliarok to fight along side them and finished off Greeza with the Deathcium Slash. 
====Godfather and Godson Reunited====
One day, a strange portal appeared in the sky during a battle between STORAGE's units and the space monster Bemstar. This portal eventually opened fully to reveal the Terrible-Monster Baraba, which had come to Earth to seek out and kill Ace, but due to the energy being given off by Haruki's Ace Medal, it mistook Haruki and Z for being Ace himself - Yapool's eternal grudge against the Ultras had not faded, and though he had yet to revive, his Terrible-Monsters lived on, as this was the alien mastermind's plan.
Z came to fight Baraba in Ace's stead, aware of his godfather's battle against Yapool and his legion of Terrible-Monsters in the past, but was sorely outclassed against the monster's weaponry, as he had never fought a Terrible-Monster before. Baraba moved in for the kill, and very nearly executed Z with his sword, before Ace arrived just in time to save his godson's life. Reunited, the two Ultra Warriors fought valiantly on, and eventually Z managed to destroy Baraba with the aid of Ace's Space Q, which was incorporated into Z's brand new Space Z ability created from a combination of his own energy and that of Ace. After the battle was over, Ace commended Z on how much stronger he was, and also that he was incredibly proud of everything Z had done so far. 
====The D4 Crisis====
After Baraba's defeat, the Terrible-Monster's sword was recovered by GAF and studied extensively for the creation of a new superweapon, the D4, which incorporated energy from Yapool's Alternate Dimension to create an extremely powerful device, capable of ripping the fabric of time and space itself. Though Haruki was concerned about what would happen if humans were to have access to this power, Z took a more neutral approach, believing that humans trying to defend themselves without the assistance of Ultras was an admirable effort, and that the decision on whether the D4 should be used or not rested on humanity's shoulders.
Unfortunately, Z's faith in humans turned out to be misplaced; the detonation of the D4 prototype, though successful, lured the Mother Kelbim towards Earth, who began bombarding the planet with her children with the intention of infesting it. Though Z managed to defeat the Mother Kelbim, Yoko Nakashima was pressured by Director Kuriyama into firing the second D4 weapon, the D4 Ray, from King Joe STORAGE Custom. This destroyed the Mother Kelbim's children, but also started a dimensional collapse. As the very dimension itself began to collapse, Z arrived and managed to stop its spread with a boosted Zestium Beam. However, a large area of the city was left devastated. 
Undeterred by this accident, GAF continued its research into stabilising the D4 after disbanding STORAGE. During Z's subsequent fight against Alien Barossa III and Tri-King (and later, Five King), GAF was able to get the necessary data from Z's Zestium Beam that they believed would prevent the D4 Ray's energy from going haywire after Tri-King used King Joe as an impromptu 'meat shield' to block Z's beam. With this data in hand, the next Special Airborne Armor unit, Ultroid Zero, could finally be completed, with the D4 ray supposedly safe to use. 
====The Civilization Self-Destruction Game====
Soon after Ultroid Zero's completion, several monsters awakened on the day of the robot's test run in response to Ultroid Zero's activation, having seemingly arrived to fight against the machine as a manifestation of the Earth's desire to destroy the D4 Ray for the sake of the planet's safety. Ultraman Z helped Yoko, who was piloting the robot, defeat the monsters, though the D4 Ray was used on the final targets, obliterating them. The kickback caused damage to the robot and knocked Yoko out cold. Jugglus Juggler took this opportunity to reveal his true identity and intentions to Haruki, who learned that he Juggler had simply wanted to steal the robot in the end. Celebro, possessing Director Kuriyama, transformed into Five King while Juggler transformed into Zeppandon, to fight over the possession of Ultroid Zero for their own ambitions. Z joined the battle, but since he had already been weakened, he was defeated. Celebro then took back the Belial Medal from Haruki after threatening Juggler with his life.
Celebro then possessed Yoko and stole Ultroid Zero, activating the machine with the Belial Medal, and went around the world absorbing various Kaiju. Z arrived just in time to protect Red King B's egg from Ultroid Zero's rampage, though he was unable to save Red King B herself from meeting the same fate as all the other monsters. As Z defended the egg, Celebro fed the robot with more Kaiju Medals, transforming it into Destrudos. After placing the egg in a gap in the rock face at the battlefield, Z attempted to engage Destrudos directly, though his attacks were easily shrugged off and eventually he was defeated in a beam clash against his Zestium Beam and Destrudos's Destrudo D4 Ray. Having suffered immense damage from the weapon, Z had split from Haruki to protect both his life and that of his host, as he knew that the next attempt at transforming would surely kill them both.
====Celebro's Defeat====
After being defeated by Destrudos, Haruki reawakened surrounded by his former STORAGE team members, planning to take the SAA units back to fight Destrudos. They managed to regain control of the SAA units by forcing their way through the SAAG personnel, Haruki and Juggler used them to fight Destrudos and were later joined by Kojiro Inaba piloting Sevenger. Using King Joe, Haruki plunged through Destrudos' chest, and somehow connected with Yoko inside, freeing her from Celebro's influence and regaining the Belial Medal. As they both fell from the sky, Haruki's resolve reached Ultraman Z and allowed him to transform once more. 
Z fought as Delta Rise Claw until Destrudos fired its D4 Ray once more. The Beliarok decided to consume the beam and said goodbye to Z and Haruki before being destroyed. Having reverted back to his original form, all seemed lost for Z and Haruki until all their fellow STORAGE members cheered them on, giving them the strength to overcome Destrudos and destroy it once and for all by firing the Zestium Beam at it. After the whole ordeal, Haruki bid his farewells to his friends, and left to space with Z. They were surprisingly greeted by the Beliarok, who claimed that it was immortal. 
===Sevenger Fight===
Ultraman Z appeared in Beta Smash in episode 7 of Sevenger Fight.
When Space Sevenger (boarded by Yoko and Yuka) were stranded in a monster planet and surrounded by the monster army, Ultraman Z appeared to support the SAA Unit in its fight. After killing a Re-Pandon, Z decided to bring the depleted Space Sevenger to Earth before he would resume his journey in outer space.
===Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad===
Ultraman Geed, Ultraman X and Ultraman Titas were battling the remnants of the fallen Belial Galactic Empire, but found themselves overwelmed by the number of opponents. Z arrived by himself after Haruki temporarily left his body to assist the trio, giving Geed the Ginga, X and Orb Ultra Medals back so he could regain his Galaxy Rising form. The four Ultras, with the additional help of Z's Gamma Illusion clones of Tiga, Dyna and Gaia, took down the remaining foes and retrieved the Devil Splinter that had awoken them, before heading to assist their comrades in the ongoing battle against The Kingdom. 
The New Generation Heroes regroup in the Monster Graveyard, where Absolute Tartarus, Alien Bat, Reibatos, Ultrawoman Grigio Darkness and Gina Spectre were attacking Ultrawoman Grigio, Ultraman Zearth, Ultraman Nice and Ultraman Boy to take the Devil Splinter they found there. Geed and Z transforms into Royal Megamaster Z and Delta Rise Claw to fight against Gina, but the Beliarok goes to Geed instead because he has a "familiar scent" and also because Haruki is not with them. However, Tartarus uses the gathered Devil Splinters to empower Reibatos, who recreates the Giga Battlenizer, and fuses Gina with the souls of her brothers to create Gua Spectre before he dies of an overdose. Z fought against the Mecha Baltan and Cyber Mecha Baltan that Gua Spectre summoned while the other New Generation Heroes fused into Ultraman Reiga to fight Gua. Just after the battle, Geed and Taiga are struck by Belial and Tregear who retreat shortly after, stealing the Beliarok from Z in the process.
After the rescue team had managed to secure Yullian and Ultraman Regulos from their imprisonment, they were sent to Planet Blizzard where a large gathering of Ultras were awaiting, just as the Absolutians pursued them. Belial fought against Zoffy, Geed and Z, with the latter two using their Z Risers to transform into Galaxy Rising and Delta Rise Claw. In the middle of their battle, the Beliarok defected from Belial saying he got bored, and went back to Z to power him up into Deathcium Rise Claw, who then fired the Zestium Death Burst at Belial. Geed attempted to talk to his father, but Belial would not listen and left the battlefield, saying that he has no son. 
At the climax of the battle, Tartarus was overwhelmed by Zero with his new abilities. He decided to unleash his Absolute Maximum Destruction on the planet, but it was blocked by a barrier from Ultraman King, creating a wormhole from the impact. Ultraman Ribut created his own barrier to protect the other Ultras present, but he and Tartarus fell through the wormhole another universe as a result. After things had settled down and time had past, Z observed Regulos and Zero training. Upon learning more about Regulos, Z decided to leave the Land of Light once again, meet back up with Haruki and return to their Earth, whilst being on the trail of more Alien Barossas, who were still causing trouble. 
===Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga===
While Z and Haruki were visiting STORAGE on their Earth, a fourth Alien Barossa stole King Joe STORAGE Custom, causing Z and Space Sevenger to chase it down. While in pursuit, Barossa summoned a Bullton, sucking Z, who had protected Sevenger from being caught as well, into its vortex as it had done to his master previously. While stuck within, the Barossa's Baby Zandrias tried to steal Haruki's Ultra Medals. The Z Riser was damaged in the process, and the Medals were then successfully stolen by the Barossa, leaving Haruki unable to transform into Z.
With everyone now in a different universe, Haruki was soon found by GUTS-Select. Sensing that Kengo Manaka is also an Ultraman, Z and Haruki invited both him and Akito Hijiri into Z's Inner Space to explain their situation. Kengo offered Akito's services in repairing the Z Riser and providing a temporary solution by transferring Z's power into a GUTS Hyper Key to use in conjunction with the GUTS Sparklence to attain his Ultraman body.
Soon, the Barossa had grown to giant size in an attempt to crush Ignis who had stolen the Ultra Medals, then try to recover King Joe. Ultraman Trigger engaged with him, soon became overpowered by the alien and his plundered weapons. With the Z Original Hyper Key finished, and after a few failed transformation attempts from Haruki's hastiness, Z joined Trigger in fighting the familiar foe. Even with the two Ultras there, the Barossa still proved to be a struggle with his weapons. Beliarok soon arrived to assist, and now with the two heroes' own weapons, the Barossa became short work. After the battle, Ignis returned the Ultra Medals to Haruki, but with the Z Riser still under repairs, Z and Haruki would need to stay a little while longer on Trigger's Earth. 
With the Z Riser still broken, Akito transferred the Ultra Medals' power into GUTS Hyper Keys, allowing Z to access his other forms, which he did against Dada PDO-3, who had hacked into King Joe. After the battle was over, Beliarok informed Z that they could go home by cutting a hole in space and time. Kengo bid farewell to Z and Haruki as they left, bringing the broken King Joe with them. 
===Ultraman Trigger: Episode Z===
Z and Haruki returned to Trigger's world to track down Celebro, who had escaped from custody and was looking for a way to control monsters, which the Leyrah cultists had acquired. He fought against Pagos and defeated just when GUTS-Select were unable to finish the job.
Z then helped Trigger fight against Genegarg and Deathdrago, using Gamma Future and Sky Type at first before changing to Beta Smash and Power Type to counter their strength in a wrestling match, defeating the two monsters with the Zestium Beam and Deracium Beam Torrent respectively. However, Z began to go berserk and revert back to his Original form with a red eye, as Celebro had managed to take control of Haruki prior to his transformation. He attacked and defeated Trigger and shot at Zabil, allowing him to escape and drop his disguise as Ryuichi Tokioka as he prepared for his transformation into Evil Trigger.
As Zabil completed the ritual needed to gain the "light", Celebro, still possessing Haruki, transformed into Z again for security. He attacked the Nursedessei and fought with Trigger Dark when he appeared, until Evil Trigger joined the battle. Kengo managed to recover the GUTS Sparklence and Hyper Keys and joined the battle, successfully helping Haruki expel Celebro from his body, returning Z to normal. The three of then then ganged up on Evil Trigger, who was going mad with his obsession with the "light".
Trigger Dark and Z then fought Destrudos, who was summoned by Celebro, but were starting to get overwhelmed until Yuna gave Trigger a fragment of the Eternity Core at the cost of Yuzare's ring and the Eternity Core's ruins itself but allowed Trigger to become Glitter Trigger Eternity. Trigger Dark and Z fire their finishers at Destrudos and finished it off before helping Trigger fight Evil Trigger, who had grown to giant size because of the overflowing darkness within him. After a short fight, the three of them fired their signature Ultra Beams at Evil Trigger, who shattered into pieces. Z and Haruki use the Beliarok go back to their world after Celebro had been recaptured. 
==Personality==
Z is a hot-blooded hero who greatly looked up to Ultraman Zero, who became his mentor. Although Zero recognizes his talent and potential, he says that in his current state Z is only "half or maybe one-third" of a fully-fledged hero. Tough and athletic, Z always operates at full power. Z also has a humorous side, as he is unaccustomed to Earth's culture and sometimes uses words incorrectly. While Z is inexperienced and still developing, he's also a passionate hero who loves peace and justice.
He tends to use the word "Ultra" as a prefix to adjectives (such as "Ultra Awesome!" and "Ultra Strong!").
The voice drama episodes show that he does not take his classes very seriously and that he prefers to use his instincts against his enemies instead of studying them.
==Profile==
===Stats===
*Height: 52 m
*Age: 5,000 years old
*Home World: Land of Light
*Time Limit: 50 seconds (Human Size)/3 minutes (Normal)
*Weakness: Z will degrade into his Original form from his Ultra Fusions if he is significantly injured or if Haruki becomes overwhelmed and loses his will to fight. In such a case, Z will be severely weakened and his Color Timer will go off immediately.
===Body Features===
===Transformation===
===Forms===
===Standard Abilities===
:;Techniques
::;Special
*: Z's signature Ultra Beam, fired from his arms in a "+". It can be used by all of Z's forms. Z is also able to increase the power of his beam at will, as demonstrated when he used an enhanced Zestium Beam to halt a dimensional collapse induced by the prototype D4 Ray.
**Empowered Zestium Beam: An even stronger version of Z's Zestium Beam, accessed by the Ultra gaining power from those around him. It was first used in the final battle against Destrudos.
*: Z shoots energy projectiles from his crest. This is Z's standard energy attack for all his forms in Ultraman Fusion Fight!.
::;Other
*: An energy barrier used to block attacks.
:;Weapons
*Z Riser: Z can use his transformation device as a weapon.
**: Using Cosmos, Nexus, and Mebius' powers, Z summons lightning bolts to strike down the enemy.
**: Using Zoffy, Jack, and Father of Ultra's powers, the Z Riser unleashes an energy blade to fight with a katar. Later on, Z creates a whirlwind to blow the opponent away, and throws a buzzsaw disc at them.
**: Using Ginga, X, and Orb's powers, an energy slicer is fired from the Z Riser.
*: A lance weapon that Z uses in combat.
**: A slicing attack.
**: Whenever he pulls down the lever each time, an energy projectile fired from the lance's tip.
**: After pulling down the lever once, Z draws the letter Z with flames, which he then sends flying towards the opponent, combusting them alive.
**: After pulling down the lever twice, Z creates a large energy bow, which launches an arrow that freezes its target.
*: A sword with an arm guard themed after Belial's head. It is capable of speech and intelligent thought.https://en.tsuburaya-prod.co.jp/news/2261 Although the weapon is normally used by Delta Rise Claw due to the form's enormous power, Z's later appearance in Trigger has him wielding it in Original without any ill effect.
**Reversal: The Beliarok can be used to absorb an enemy's attack before redirecting it back at them.
**Energy Slash: Z can unleash a purple energy slash from the Beliarok.
**: A beam fired from the Beliarok's eyes. It can be used to attack or temporarily split two fused beings.
**: Pressing the button thrice, Z slashes a "Z" through the opponent's body with the Beliarok.
***Another variation has Z trace a "Z" in the air, then thrust the sword to generate an energy drill with which he impales the opponent.
***A third variation is a slashing energy wave from the sword, powerful enough to split an alien from its host and tear open a dimensional rift.
***In Ultraman Trigger: Episode Z, Z traces a "Z" in the air, which is launched at the opponent as a giant rotating cutter.
**: Pressing the button twice, an apparition of Belial's head chomps down on the opponent.
**: Pressing the button once, Z impales the Beliarok into the ground. It summons two giant claws to form a binding ring of energy. It can be used for offensive means like using the energy claws to stab the opponent multiple times. During mid-air, Beliarok summons a circle of giant claws that crush down on the enemy.
**Dimensional Travel: The Beliarok can cut through the walls between dimensions, allowing Z to travel between universes.
==Combinations==
Like Orb and Geed, the Ultras used in each of Z's fusion forms share something in common with each other.
*Ultraman Zero + Ultraseven + Ultraman Leo = Alpha Edge: They share a chain of mentor and disciple relationships, with Seven training Leo and then Leo training Zero, who in turn trained Z. In addition to being trained in terms of physical resilience, they can also perform combination attacks together. Seven and Leo are also the most important Ultras in Zero's life, as the former is his father and the latter is his mentor. Both Seven and Leo (under their human guises of Dan and Gen respectively) were also members of MAC.
**They are also related somewhat related to Geed in that while Zero periodically fought alongside Geed, Seven and Leo are components for Geed's Solid Burning form.
*Ultraman + Ultraman Ace + Ultraman Taro = Beta Smash: Taro is Ace's adoptive brother, and the three are all part of the Ultra Brothers. They also each had a human host they were forced to separate with, either due to massive injury on the former or by personal choice in the latter party.
*Ultraman Tiga + Ultraman Dyna + Ultraman Gaia = Gamma Future: They revived the franchise in the late 90's and are officially the first three Heisei Ultras. They are also often placed together during crossovers and popularize the concept of , wherein the human hosts are in control of their Ultraman alter-egos.
*Ultraman Zero + Ultraman Belial + Ultraman Geed = Delta Rise Claw: All three of them are powerful Ultras with great potential in their youthful age. Zero and Geed are in fact foils of Belial and the two would have fallen to the same dark path as Belial had if someone had not interfered. Aside from that, these three share an intimate, complex relationship, direct beings on the path the others took. Belial was defeated by both Geed and Zero, making them both heroes. Zero was bitter enemies with Belial, and guided Geed as an Ultra, becoming like a big brother to him. To Geed, Belial is his father, a part of his life. Another thing in common is the fact that the form of Zero Beyond, Geed Primitive, and Belial Atrocious are accessed with the Riser in Ultraman Geed.
**Zero was as power-hungry as Belial, but he was prevented from touching the Plasma Spark by his father and eventually matures into a heroic Ultra Warrior that eventually saved the Land of Light.
**Being a clone of Ultraman Belial, Geed was pressured by the public opinion due to the uncanny resemblance of his father and would have joined his father had Laiha not interfered. Geed as well saved the World of Side Space by destroying his father once and for all and was eventually honored as a hero.
*Zoffy + Ultraman Tiga + Ultraman Mebius = Sigma Breastar: Zoffy, Tiga and Mebius had their powers shared to Ultraman Orb during his mission to eradicate Lord Monsters that they previously sealed on Earth. All three of them are related to the original Ultraman in many important aspects, down to the point of adopting his design archetype. In-universe however, this form was conceptualized by Zero and Z due to Zoffy and Mebius' thermal-based attacks, while taking into account Tiga's ability to balance the fighting skills. 
==Other Media==
===Ultraman Day 2020===
On Ultraman Day (10 July) 2020, the Ultraman series Twitter account roleplayed as Z.https://twitter.com/ultraman_series/status/1281241718516379648 Z had a conversation with Zero over a messaging app written in Ultra Language on what Ultraman Day is.https://twitter.com/ultraman_series/status/1281060995339743232
At first, he struggled to use a hashtag (using 丼https://twitter.com/ultraman_series/status/1281242961695526913 and then 井https://twitter.com/ultraman_series/status/1281244227339341827 instead) for Ultraman Day but eventually got it right.https://twitter.com/ultraman_series/status/1281245491309588487 He then set out to collect the feelings of appreciation (in the form of glowing orbs with their Ultra Signs in them) for Ultraman, from the other 5 Ultra Brothers. Z first went up to Taro and Zoffy, then met with Ace looking at the stars, then trained with the Ultra Lance with Jack. Z then met with Seven, who threw the orb at him. 
With all five gathered, Z mustered up his courage to deliver them to Ultraman, who accepted him and his offering. Ultraman performed the with Z to signify their bonds.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJJ3THk-FW0
【7 10は「ウルトラマンの日」】記念特別動画♪「ご唱和ください、“彼“の名を！」絆を結ぶ、新たなる印「クロスタッチ」誕生！【ウルトラマンＺ】
==Trivia==
*Z is:
**The second primarily blue Ultra to have his own series, after Ultraman Cosmos.
**The first Ultra from the Land of Light known to have natural black markings, besides non-canon characters.
*The surface of Z's Color Timer is engraved with a pattern of letter Zs.
*In the Ultraman Z Premiere Online Eventhttps://youtu.be/iMUX2nMKsAg?t=1564s held on June 5th, the show's director Kiyotaka Taguchi mentions that the reason behind Z's catchphrase was because he noticed that having Haruki, a complete novice at being an Ultraman, call out the name of Z, just like his predecessors who proclaimed their Ultra personas during their transformation sequences, would be rather unnatural. After much discussion with the cast and crew, they settled on the current catchphrase, where Z himself tells Haruki to chant his name.
*The classes Z takes in the Inter Galactic Defense Force include space meteorology, ancient space literature, and monster ecology. 
*The black markings on Z Original's body has been a source of mystery, even in-universe, because Residents of the Land of Light do not have natural black colors on them. When Zero was about to ask Z of them, he dodges the question and says that his mysterious side must be kept a secret. 
*The similarity between Beta Smash and Redman are pointed out by many fans and is also acknowledged by one of the series' writers, Takao Nakano.https://twitter.com/galshocker/status/1279213603292233729 However, designer Masayuki Gotoh admitted that it was never meant to resemble the red figure in any way or another.https://twitter.com/aws49T8EvYnPX7U/status/1279224724032126976
**This gets a recognition in-universe when a lost Kanegon quickly compared this form to a certain "red guy". 
**His appearance in Sevenger Fight as Beta Smash is to further reinforce the references of Redman, to the point of tossing monsters down the cliff and stabbing an Alien Icarus.
*Suit actor Hideyoshi Iwata revealed that Beta Smash's moves were inspired by pro-wrestlers from 1990, especially the Super Generation Army team. His use of a cutter was inspired by Japanese wrestler Satoshi Kojima's Koji-Koji Cutter. Z's performance of this technique in against Telesdon even caught the interest of Diamond Dallas Page.https://twitter.com/iwatahideyoshi/status/1285191148965728256
*For some reason, when Z uses the Galaxy Burst, it unleashes dark lightning and has the Wrecking Burst sounds incorporated into it, despite having no influence from Geed.
==References==
ms:Ultraman Z (watak)
Category:Reiwa Ultras
Category:Ultraman Z
Category:Ultraman Z Characters
Category:Heroes
Category:Ultra Warriors
Category:Protagonists
Category:Unique Type Ultras
Category:Blue Ultras
Category:Form-Changing Ultras
Category:Land of Light Ultras
Category:New Generation Heroes
Category:Inter Galactic Defense Force Members
Category:Ultraman Trigger
Category:Ultraman Trigger Characters
Category:Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad
Category:Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad Characters