Ultraman: Rising

Ultraman: Rising (Japanese: ウルトラマン: ライジング, Hepburn: Urutoraman: Raijingu) is a 2024 animated superhero film based on Tsuburaya Productions' Ultraman franchise. A Japanese-American co-production between Netflix Animation and Tsuburaya Productions, with animation by Industrial Light & Magic, it is the 44th film in the franchise. Directed by Shannon Tindle (in his feature directorial debut), who co-wrote it with Marc Haimes, the film stars Christopher Sean as Ken Sato/Ultraman, alongside the voices of Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young, and Julia Harriman.
Ultraman: Rising was released worldwide on Netflix on June 14, 2024. The film has received positive reviews from critics who praised the film's animation, writing, and voice performances (particularly Sean's).
== Plot ==
Kenji "Ken" Sato, a professional but egotistical baseball player, returns to his native home in Japan, despite being on the verge of a championship win in America. Reporter Ami Wakita attributes his sudden departure to rumored unfinished family business. But secretly, Ken is returning to Japan to battle kaiju (giant monsters) as the giant superhero Ultraman, a mantle he reluctantly accepts from his father, Professor Sato. After a battle with the monster Neronga, Ken feels under appreciated after citizen complaints. Ken vents that he never wanted to become Ultraman and reminisces about his mother Emiko, who's gone missing recently.
Dr. Onda, Chief Officer of the Kaiju Defense Force (KDF) who harbors a grudge against Ultraman and kaiju, monitors a transport team delivering a secret package. However, they are pursued by the winged bird-like kaiju Gigantron. Ken is forced to abandon a game and battle the beast. Gigantron loses consciousness on top of the package, which is revealed to be an egg. An infant Gigantron soon hatches, forcing Ultraman to take her with him before the KDF kill her.
The baby imprints on him as her parent. With the help of his A.I. assistant Mina, Ken reluctantly raises the baby, named Emi after Ken's mother. Unwilling to accept his father's help due to their estranged relationship, Ken struggles with his career and parental duties. He reach out to Ami, a parent herself, and asks how she deals with parenthood. She acknowledges that it's not easy but can be rewarding and surprising. Over time, Ken grows emotionally attached to Emi and teaches her how to play baseball. One night, Ken drops out of an interview with Ami due to Emi escaping and running around Tokyo. Recognizing Emi as the missing asset, Onda demands Ultraman to hand her over. Ultraman refuses and accidentally injures Emi's shoulder while trying to save her. He takes Emi home and finally contacts his father for help. Sato succeeds in healing Emi and aides Ken in raising the baby.
Onda reveals to the KDF's Captain his plan to exploit Emi's echolocation to find the undiscovered kaiju island and destroy all monsters. Onda justifies this as a means to an end to protect humanity, after his family perished during a kaiju/Ultraman incident. At a family cabin, Ken and Sato reconcile their relationship, now that Ken understands the struggle of being both a parent and Ultraman. However, Emi enters a pupal stage as the KDF find and attack them, injuring Sato. Ken places his father in a healing tube back home and Emi hatches from her cocoon, now sporting wings. She hears the calls of her birth mother across Tokyo Bay and flies towards her.
The KDF soon attack Ken's home, destroying Mina and his father's tube disappearing into the sea. Ultraman tracks Emi to the middle of the Bay where they both encounter a mechanized Gigantron. Ultraman attacks it but stops when he notices flesh beneath the metal; realizing it's not a machine but the original, still alive, with armor plating. However, Ultraman exceeds his energy and reverts to Ken but is saved by his father in Ultra form, Ultradad. Emi manages to break the KDF's control over Gigantron. Onda transforms a KDF craft into a giant mecha and battles the two Ultras and kaiju, blaming Ultradad for the death of his family. Onda is defeated but triggers a self destruct sequence. Ultraman forms a barrier encircling him and the mecha; Onda watches videos of his family one last time before the detonation.
Later, Ami finally interviews Ken, having survived and now sporting an injured shoulder. Ami notes that Ken has matured recently and Ken attributes it to his family. He shares a voicemail from his mother that expresses her hopes of Ken reconciling with his father and that their decisions as parents came from a place of love to prepare him for life. Ken and Sato succeed in finding kaiju island, with the help of Emi and Gigantron.
In a mid-credits scene, Emiko contacts Ken for help, revealing that she is stuck on Ultraman's home planet Nebula M78.
Category:Japanese films
Category:Netflix original films
Category:Animated films
Category:2024 films
Category:Rated PG
Category:Superhero films
Category:Animated superhero films