Ultra Heroes EXPO 2023 Summer Festival Stage 2

is the second stage show held at Ultra Heroes EXPO 2023 Summer Festival. An archive of one of its August 22 performances was released online through SPWN on August 28 and at TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION from November 1.https://m-78.jp/news/post-6901
==Synopsis==
In the first part, titled , Ultraman Blazar and members of SKaRD find themselves stuck in a endless loop of fending off kaiju in a dimension filled with various environments.
In the second part, titled , some of the New Generation Heroes face Nodachi Zamsher, a warrior aiming to conquer all worlds, who Ultraman Z's ally, Beliarok, has decided to side with.
The show concludes with a finale segment with many Ultras fighting monsters.
==Plot==
The show opens with Ultraman Z viewing shooting stars and wishing for his master, Ultraman Zero, to praise him. The sight reminds him of a story that claims that a star that could grant wishes really existed, and that the story may be the reason people make wishes on stars. He leaves the stage, wondering if that star is currently granting someone's wishes.
===Ultraman Blazar Chapter: "The Revolving Star of Wishes: SIDE Blazar"===
SKaRD member Ryuma Hashido/Maito Kudo is dispatched to Sunshine City, Ikebukuro to await orders from Gento Hiruma. Noticing that the audience, referred to as SKaRD Special Members, have also arrived, he and some other workers instruct them on cheering. Right as Ryuma realizes that the SKaRD's new rookie is late, Gento contacts them, ordering the team to investigate the series of disappearances that have occurred the Sunshine City building, and to be on the look out as kaiju have recently appeared there. Afterwards, Ryuma begins to plan their next move, mentioning that the disappearances only began after Dorgo was unsealed, but then the whole group suddenly collapses. Upon learning that they have all vanished, Gento decides to head there himself.
A rookie at the SKaRD, Ayari Takeda/Yumi Isseki, arrives, apologizing for being late, though is surprised to see that no one is there apart from the SkaRD Special Members. She then hears an announcement stating that the building is now open, and that morning cleaning will begin, as three aliens with aprons armed with cleaning equipment appear. Ryuma appears, effortlessly fending off the employees and destroying them with his gun.
He then instructs Ayari to hold a broom in place, while he stands and holds a bucket. Although confused, she does as she is told, and a fourth cleaner alien appears, trips on the broom and bashes his head on the bucket. Ayari is surprised at how Ryuma knew that another alien would appear, but before he can explain, various kaiju arrive. Ryuma assures her that they'll be saved and while they escape, Ultraman Blazar appears and fights the kaiju.
Elsewhere, Ryuma reveals that he knows what will happen as he has already repeated these events 30 times. He explains that they are trapped in an alternate dimension, and that the culprit is hidden somewhere inside, behind one of numerous colored doors. Knowing that they have to find them before a certain song plays and time resets again, they enter a blue door and find themselves in a oceanic room and submerged underwater, where Ultraman Blazar is battling a Digon. Ryuma and Ayari enter the Earth Garon to aid him.
After the monster is defeated, they exit the water, but Ayari gets motion sick and messes with the Earth Garon's controls, causing it to dance and move erratically. This causes a masked boy to appear, laughing at the robot. Ryuma recognizes his voice as the one trapping all of them and declares that he will not escape this time. However, the boy reveals that the dimension is molded by his feelings and resurrects Digon. As the fight starts again, a song starts to play and time resets, bringing them into the 32nd loop.
Ayari finds herself in the room she arrived in, and the cleaning staff appear again. As Ryuma combats them in the same way, he explains that when that chime plays, the day resets from morning. All the living beings inside repeat the same actions, apart from the boy controlling everything. He also believes that the reason they are always attacked is because the boy enjoys watching them fight.
This time, the group enters a different door to some ancient ruins, where they encounter Gomora. Blazar climbs a wall to goad Gomora into charging into it, which allows Earth Garon to destroy it with its Earth Fire. The masked boy is overjoyed, seeing them as strong and imitating them. Gento takes control of Blazar and reaches towards him, creating a telepathic link between him and the boy. As Blazar is confused by Gento's control of his body, Gento makes the boy promise not to reveal he is Blazar.
Gento asks the boy if his mother and father might be worried about him if he does not go home, though the boy retorts that they are fine without him as they think his little brother is cuter. Gento is certain that no parent would feel that way and questions if, deep down, he already knows that. To avoid answering, he performs a "Super Miracle Hyper Punch" and escapes as the song plays and another loop begins.
Gento, alone, ponders what they should do. Recounting the events so far, he is concerned that if they do not do something, more people will get trapped in the dimension. Though not thinking of a solution, he resolves to keep trying and transforms into Ultraman Blazar. Another 13 loops go by, bringing them to the 47th, in which Blazar and Earth Garon are battling Blackium in a space room. Ayari realizes that the dimension seems to based on Sunshine City, with the themes of the rooms they entered based on its various attractions. Ryuma theorizes that the boy treasures his memory of visiting Sunshine City and that the looping allows him to constantly relive that day. He is proven right, as a memory of the boy's visit with his parents are shown, in which he wished for the day to never end.
In the 48th loop, Gento begins to understand that the boy created this looping dimension due to his loneliness from both being bullied for playing as a hero and his parents paying more attention to his little brother. The boy reveals he was able create the dimension by wishing on a star that appeared in front of him. Although he is happy to have a whole dimension to himself where he can be a hero and no one makes fun of him, even creating new parents that act like their old selves to go with it, Gento questions whether people from the real world were pulled into the dimension because he wants to be saved, even if he does not realise it. Scared of leaving, the boy's negative emotions create a large group of monsters that Ultraman Blazar and Earth Garon struggle against.
To show he is not alone, Ayari persuades the audience to raise their hands if they also love heroes. Gento assures him that he doesn't need to stay with people he cannot get along with, that he's sure to find people who geuninely like him, and that there's no need to change what he likes just to bond with others. The boy realizes that he knew this all along, that his parents do love him and that he loves his brother, but was taken in by negative emotions. Apologizing and declaring that he wants to play with real friends, the dimension begins to crack and the monsters find themselves disoriented.
Gento, ascertaining that if the boy can find hope for tomorrow, they can break free of the dimension, requests help from Ryuma and Ayari, who ask the SKaRD Special Members to send their light to the boy, weakening the monsters. As the boy and the audience cheer for Blazar, he is able to defeat the remaining monsters, but holds back from delivering the final blow to the last one, Bazanga, as Gento wants the boy to confront his darkness himself. By delivering a "Super Miracle Hyper Punch" to Bazanga, it explodes and the dimension shatters.
As Blazar and the boy are returned home, Gento simply tells him to thank everyone, rather than apologize. After doing so, Gento says there's now nothing more to worry about, and tells him to become a cool hero. The boy agrees, removing his mask as he leaves together with Blazar.
===Stars Chapter: "The Revolving Star of Wishes: SIDE Stars"=== 
Ultraman Decker and Ultraman Trigger, protecting their own world, defeat two aliens with ease. Ultraman Zero and Ultraman Z are knocked aside by a powerful enemy, Nodachi Zamsher, who is wielding Beliarok. When Z pleads with him to return to their side, Beliarok explains that, as he has said before, he was only working with them because he felt like it, but now wants to work with Nodachi Zamsher to take over all universes. Zero states that he thought Beliarok was untrustworthy, but is surprised that they would do this. Commanding Beliarok to show if he can be useful to him, Nodachi Zamsher fights the four Ultras, completely unaffected by all their attacks.
When Nodachi Zamsher reveals that he acquired an invincible body with the power of a wishing star, Zero explains the story of the wishing star, having heard it from his father. Known as the , the wishing star was said to have the power to grant wishes and was sealed along with a mountain kaiju in a particular universe. Hearing rumors that the kaiju had been unsealed, Nodachi Zamsher had searched for and found said wishing star.
As Nodachi Zamsher continues to beat the Ultras, Z reveals that he was always uncertain about working with Beliarok, as he refused to do what Haruki said and was always selfish. Despite that, he saw them as precious comrades who went through a lot together, and begs him to return to his side. However, Beliarok calls him stupid and uses a Deathcium Slash that knocks away the Ultras. Nodachi Zamsher is impressed by Beliarok's ruthlessness.
Beliarok, satifised with defeating their opponents, states that they should destroy this universe and head to the next using the wishing star, but when Nodachi Zamsher pulls out the the star, Beliarok speeds forward, steals it, and throws it into a portal to another dimension. Zero reveals that the whole thing was a ruse to get Nodachi Zamsher to trust Beliarok so they could take the wishing star away. Although Decker and Trigger were in on it, Z is shocked, and Zero explains that Haruki told him not to tell Z because he can't act.
Nodachi Zamsher, declaring that they will pay, summons some aliens to the fight, one of which brings him his sword. Beliarok returns to Z, allowing him to transform into his Deathcium Rise Claw form. The four Ultras begin the final battle against the aliens. As each Ultra fights, Z introduces them before the audience chants their name, though his overly long description for Zero annoys him. Zero uses the Ultra Zero Lance to fight Nodachi Zamsher, and eventually, the Ultras regroup and defeat him and the other aliens with a simultaneous beam attack.
Although the battle was won, Zero is annoyed that they now have to search for the wishing star again as Beliarok threw it away. Beliarok retorts that he had gotten tired of doing everything as he was told. Irritated, Zero grabs hold of Beliarok, who drags him off-stage. Z chases them, trying to take Beliarok back. Trigger and Decker then speak to the audience. Trigger thanks everyone, saying there is no wall between them. Decker tells the audience to never lose voices that can reach others and hands that can take hold of others, and that they should keep helping others so they can connect the light together, no matter where they are.
===Finale===
Ultraman Z asks the audience what they would wish for if they had the wishing star, at first wondering if they would wish for lots of candy, or for a large plush toy. Suggesting that they wish to meet someone they love, all of the Ultras return, in addition to Ultraman Orb, Ultraman Geed, Ultraman Gaia and Ultraman Agul, who battle various monsters and aliens. Gaia and Agul fuse to become Gaia Super Supreme Version and fight with Trigger and Decker. Ryuma also joins the fight.
After winning, the Ultras walk around and greet the audience, before returning to the stage and posing. Z thanks everyone for chanting their names and the show concludes.
==Appearances==
==Cast==
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===Voice Actors===
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===Special Guests===
Characters from Ultraman Blazar only appeared onstage on certain days the show was performed, though Gento Hiruma appeared via the stage screen in every performance.
Date 	Guests
August 10	Gento Hiruma
August 11	Emi Aobe
August 12	Anri Minami
August 13	Yasunobu Bando
August 14	Teruaki Nagura
August 19	Yasunobu Bando
August 20	Anri Minami
August 26	Teruaki Nagura
August 27	Emi Aobe
==Home Media==
A set containing both a Blu-ray and DVD of this stage show and Stage 1 was released on February 9, 2024, after being available early at Ultra Heroes EXPO 2024 New Year Festival and Tsuburaya Store ONLINE from December 29, 2023. These are the first Ultraman Series stage shows to be released on Blu-ray.
UlSummer 2023 Blu-ray DVD.jpg
==Gallery==
===Images===
UlSummer Stage 2 Image 1.jpg|https://twitter.com/m78expo/status/1689095599696818176
UlSummer Stage 2 Image 2.jpg|https://twitter.com/m78expo/status/1689601309736050688
UlSummer Stage 2 Image 3.jpg|https://twitter.com/m78expo/status/1690293047786156033
UlSummer Stage 2 Image 4.jpg|https://twitter.com/m78expo/status/1692816169051238440
UlSummer Stage 2 Image 5.jpg|https://twitter.com/m78expo/status/1695352885020680664
UlSummer Stage 2 Image 6.jpg|https://twitter.com/m78expo/status/1696447617763627080
===Videos===
「ウルトラヒーローズEXPO2023 サマーフェスティバル」ステージがBlu-ray+DVDセットにて2024年2月9日発売！先行販売も実施！
==Trivia==
*This stage show features the suit debut of Nodachi Zamsher, a character from Mega Monster Rush Ultra Frontier. He is also equipped with his sword from the game.
*Blackium's appearance in the space room, which is based on Sunshine City's planeterium, may be a reference to the fact that Blackium debuted in Ultraman Planetarium Special Episode, a 1998 film shown in planetariums.
*Exclusively in the final performance of the show, the boy's final line was expanded from just agreeing to become a hero to saying he wants to be a hero like Blazar, and they hold hands as they leave.https://twitter.com/777knka/status/1696097426955030671 "Minna Daisuki na Ultraman" also played in the credits.https://twitter.com/777knka/status/1696083158498975974
==External Links==
*Official website
*Ultraman SPWN page
==References==
Category:Stage Shows
Category:Summer Festival Battle Stages
Category:THE LIVE Series
Category:Ultraman THE LIVE