Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero

Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero, known as in Japan, is a tokusatsu show co-produced by Major Havoc Entertainment (later renamed Steppin Stone Entertainment) and Tsuburaya Productions in the United States in 1993, running for 13 episodes. Following in the footsteps of the Australian-produced Ultraman: Towards the Future, this was the second live-action Ultraman Series produced outside Japan and the eleventh entry in the franchise overall.
Despite being produced in America, the show was never broadcast there. In Japan, the series released on home video from December 16, 1993, and later aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System from April 8 to July 1, 1995. After this series, Tsuburaya has since focused on domestic productions.
==Production==
In the 1990s, the Australian-produced Ultraman: Towards the Future received positive reviews in Japan. The production committee model proved to be very effective in securing the production budget. Tsuburaya Productions initially planned to advance the second season of the series with the same character setup as Ultraman: Towards the Future, under the direction of Kiyoshi Suzuki., pg 20
Given the immense response to Ultraman: Towards the Future produced in Australia, there was a plan to expand and shift the project to Hollywood. This situation led Kazuo Tsuburaya, who was in charge of Tsuburaya Productions' business at the time, to collaborate with Bandai in 1991 to develop a new Ultraman project. Compared to the reboot of Ultraman: Towards the Future, the new Ultraman series focused on reconstructing the world and characters from the 1966 series Ultraman, incorporating Hollywood techniques with the aim of creating popular monsters. This concept became the guide for determining the direction of the next overseas expansion.
Ultraman: Towards the Future was broadcast in the United States in 1992 and achieved higher ratings. This trend significantly boosted Bandai America's product sales, leading to the introduction of the new Ultraman series in the U.S. This movement received approval from all relevant parties. In the summer of 1992, Japan's Gonzo production team collaborated with Bandai on the Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero project. The entire script and design for the series were completed in Japan by January 1993.
The series' filming was a collaboration with Major Havoc Entertainment in the United States. The American side, led by director King Wilder, was responsible for translating the script into English. He and other American writers then rewrote the script locally, taking budget constraints into account.https://vantagepointinterviews.com/2018/08/07/the-ultimate-director-king-wilder-on-directing-americas-take-on-ultraman/https://vantagepointinterviews.com/2020/07/25/bringing-the-easts-greatest-hero-to-the-west-todd-gilbert-on-scripting-ultraman-the-ultimate-hero/https://vantagepointinterviews.com/2018/09/01/ultraman-gets-a-rewrite-john-douglas-on-scripting-ultraman-the-ultimate-hero/ Production and filming took place from the summer to the fall of 1993. The special effects scenes were primarily shot on open sets constructed in northern Los Angeles. The fight scenes were mainly filmed on these sets and other outdoor locations. Initially, the plan was to use the original designs of Ultraman and the monsters, but to ensure the uniqueness of the characters and for merchandise development, redesigns were made, incorporating more advanced special effects technology than what was available in Japan.
, pg 21
Although the costume designs are vastly considered impressive, the action was quite downplayed compared to other installments of the Ultraman Series and consisted mostly of the actors nudging each other and using attacks involving special effects with minimal physical contact, due to the costumes being fragile and fear by the production staff of damaging them after the hard work put into crafting them.https://vantagepointinterviews.com/2022/08/01/ultraman-flies-into-hollywood-eric-brown-on-his-design-and-modelmaking-work-on-ultraman-the-ultimate-hero/https://vantagepointinterviews.com/2018/07/01/how-to-make-ultraman-kevin-hudson-on-his-experience-creating-ultraman-the-ultimate-hero/https://vantagepointinterviews.com/2018/07/01/living-the-dream-wes-caefers-journey-into-japanese-monster-sfx/ Since Hollywood bore most of the production costs, the production control and rights were held by Hollywood. Tsuburaya Productions' rights were limited to merchandise sales within Japan.
==Synopsis==
The members of WINR (pronounced "Winner") respond when members of the Alien Baltan race attack Earth, but the Baltans are only fended off when a gigantic alien, Ultraman Powered, joins with WINR member Kenichi Kai and gives him the power to metamorphose into Ultraman in times of danger. At the end of the first episode Ultraman declares that the Baltans were not completely defeated and that he will remain on Earth to continue the fight.
==Characters==
===WINR===
*Kenichi Kai
*Russel Edlund
*Theresa Beck
*Julie Young
*Rick Sanders
===Others===
*Officer Sam
*Officer Callahan
*Herlicki
*Roger Schecter
*Bamara
*Pete
*Katanga
*Kyle Morrison
*Keynes
*Windler
*Fenton
*Dr. Yusna
*Sean Malloy
*Mark Mitchell
*Dr. Whitaker
*Jesse
*Dennis
*Jamra Miller
*Karen Miller
*Patty Miller
*Colonel Essex
*Dan
*Potter
*Arturo Mendez
*Gurnaaz
*Dr. Hasegawa
*Sylvia Jackson
*General Garcia
===Ultras===
*Ultraman Powered: Simply called "Ultraman" in the original English version.
===Kaiju===
*Powered Alien Baltan
*Powered Kemular
*Powered Red King (male and female)
*Powered Chandlar
*Powered Pigmon
*Powered Telesdon
*The Sun People
*Powered Gabora
*Powered Dada (A, B & C)
*Powered Aboras
*Powered Banila
*Powered Jamila
*Powered Zumbolar
*Powered Pestar
*Powered Gomora
*Powered Dorako
*Psycho Baltan
*Powered Zetton
==Cast==
Character 	English 	Japanese Dub
Kenichi Kai 	Kane Kosugi 	Toshiyuki Morikawa
Russel Edlund 	Harrison Page 	Kenji Utsumi
Julie Young 	Robyn Bliley 	Aya Hisakawa
Theresa Beck 	Sandra Guibord 	Keiko Toda
Rick Sanders 	Rob Roy Fitzgerald	Masashi Ebara
Voice of Ultraman Powered	Unknown 	Sho Kosugi (episode 1)Akio Otsuka (episode 13)
===Guest Cast===
Character 	English 	Japanese Dub
Officer Callahan 	Mari WeissEpisode 1 credits 	Mami Horikoshi
Officer Sam 	Steven R. Barnett 	Shigeru Ushiyama
Herlicki 	Conrad BachmannEpisode 2 credits 	Eken Mine
Rancher 	Ed Morgan 	Yu Shimaka
Reporter 	Patti Pelican 	Yuko Sasaki
Roger Schecter 	Jeffrey CombsEpisode 3 credits 	Takayuki Sugo
Bamara 	Julie Uribe 	Yuko Sasaki
Pete 	Philip Tanzini 	Masaki Aizawa
Katanga 	Elias Gallegos 	Masayuki Omoro
Kyle Morrison 	Alex NevilEpisode 4 credits 	Ken Narita
Seismologist 	Judy Jean Berns 	Tamie Kubota
Army Officer 	John Towey 	Toshihiko Kojima
Sun People's Leader 	Bruce Spaulding Fuller 	
Sun People 	Jim EustermannKevin Hudson 	Masaaki TsukadaOthers
Mr. Keynes 	Danny HicksEpisode 5 credits 	Toshihiko Kojima
Windler 	Kevin Page 	Nobuaki Fukuda
Nuclear Power Plant Staff	Brenda KlemmeRay Raglin 	Atsuko TanakaKen Narita
Mining Company Employee 	Art Bonilla 	Masaaki Tsukada
Fenton 	Bill Mumy 	Naoki Bando
Dr. Yusna 	Jack OngEpisode 6 credits 	Takehiro Koyama
Neuro Net Executive 	Wendy Robie 	Kikuko Inoue
Mark Mitchell 	Wolf Muser 	Hiroaki Hirata
Detective 	Steve Eastin 	Takao Ohyama
Sean Malloy 	Jeffery Thomas Johnson 	
Mark Mitchell's Neighbor 	Rose Marie 	Ai Sato
Voice of Dada 	 	Aruno Tahara
Dr. Whitaker 	Jason Todd MajikEpisode 7 credits 	Takao Ohyama
Jesse 	Catherine Nagan 	Kikuko Inoue
Dennis 	John G. Hertzler 	Hiroaki Hirata
Waterworks Employee 	Steve Monarque 	Takehiro Koyama
Whitaker's Assistant 	Shano Palovich 	Ai Sato
Jamra Miller 	Phillip StewartEpisode 8 credits 	Shinpachi Tsuji
Karen Miller 	Marisa Theodore 	Akemi Okamura
Colonel Essex 	John McCann 	Kinryuu Arimoto
Patty Miller 	Kimberly Beck 	Keiko Aizawa
Potter 	Jesse Goins 	Taro Arakawa
Dan 	Steven Kramer 	Ryuji Mizuno
Firefighters 	Michael HungerfordEpisode 9 creditsGreg CallahanWill JeffriesMichael R. Long	Ryuji Mizuno
Arturo Mendez 	Jaime P. GomezEpisode 10 credits 	Shigeki Kagemaru
Inspector 	Tom Finnegan 	Yuzuru Fujimoto
Gurnaaz 	Millie Novak 	Rica Fukami
Oil Company Employees 	E.E. BellMartin Brinton 	Yuichi Nagashima
Reporter 	Judy Louise Johnson 	Kyoko Hikami
Dr. Hasegawa 	Danny KamekonaEpisode 11 credits 	Yuzuru Fujimoto
Sylvia Jackson 	Sandra Spriggs 	Rica Fukami
Newscaster 	Warren Stanhope 	Shinpachi Tsuji
Weather Forecaster 	Dan Lorgé 	Yuichi Nagashima
Security Guard 	Tracey Walter 	Masaaki Tsukada
Helicopter Pilots 	Ted PriorEpisode 12 creditsKarl A. Lucht 	Nobuyuki FurutaAkio Otsuka
General Garcia 	Harold Cannon-Lopez 	Tamio Ohki
===Suit Actors===
*Ultraman Powered: Scott Rogers
*Monsters:
**Monty L. Simons
**Michael R. Long
**Terrance James
**Gary Paul
**Anthony Kramme
**Jennie Kaplan
==Staff==
*Production Production: Major Havoc Entertainment (later renamed Steppin Stone Entertainment) 
*Executive Producer: Noboru Tsuburaya
*Supervision: Makoto Yamashina, Noboru Tsuburaya
*Producers: Kazuo Tsuburaya, Shigeru Watanabe
*Assistant Producers: Masato Oida, Tomoaki Imanishi
*Coordinator: Hirohiko Sueyoshi, Kiyotaka Ukawa, Kenichi Yatomi
*Production Producer: Julie Avolahttps://vantagepointinterviews.com/2018/08/03/remembering-ultraman-the-ultimate-hero-producer-julie-avola-on-bringing-japans-greatest-hero-stateside/
*Director: King Wilder
*Special Effects: Joseph Biscoeire
*Music: Toshihiko Sahashi
*Monster & Mechanical Design: Shinji Higuchi, Mahiro Maeda, Toshio Miike
*Ultraman & Monster Modeling: Kevin Hudson
*Casting: Aron Cliffis
*Costume Designer: Elizabeth Jett
*Production Designer: Aron Osborne
*Director of Photography: Don E. Fantleroy, Carlos Gonzalez Baaret
*Edited by: Nina M. Gilberti
*2nd Unit Director/Director of Photography: R. Michael Stringer
*Stunt Coordinator: Gary Paul
*Japanese Version Director: Tsuyoshi Takahashi
*Translation: Keiko Sato
*Coordination: Toru Kumakura
*Japanese Version Production: Tohokushinsha
*Production: Tsuburaya Productions, 
**Ultraman Powered Production Committee (Bandai Visual, Kodansha, Suntory, Marubeni, Yomiuri Advertising)
Veteran makeup artist and Ultraman Series fan Steve Wang was briefly involved with the production of the show. He and his team created a miniature suit model of Ultraman which Tsuburaya Productions approved.
==Music==
:;Opening Theme
*: The opening theme. The US version uses an instrumental version.
**Lyrics: Goro Matsui
**Composition: Suzuki Kisaburo
**Arrangement: Tatsumi Yano
**Artist: Tatsuya Maeda
:;Ending Themes
*
**Lyrics: Goro Matsui
**Composition: Suzuki Kisaburo
**Arrangement: Tatsumi Yano
**Artist: Tatsuya Maeda
*STARLIGHT FANTASY
**Lyrics: MoriYuki KoreSusumu C
**Composition: YoMinoru Akihiro
**Arrangement: Y2
**Artist: Hitomi Sudo
==Gallery==
Ultraman The Ultimate Hero Logo.png
Ultraman Powered title.jpg|Japanese title
Ultraman-powered_logo.png
Ultraman powered poster 003.png
===Behind the Scenes===
Powered behind the scene.jpg|Scott Rogers (in his Ultraman suit) in the set.
Ultraman-The-Ultimate-Hero-BTS-helmet-interior.jpg|Powered's Helmet interior.
Ultraman-The-Ultimate-Hero-BTS-suits.jpg|Powered's suits, with only 13 made.
==Trivia==
*When broadcast in Japan in 1995, episodes 6 to 9 were aired in a different order: 8, 9, 6, 7.
*As seen in the Blu-ray release, Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero is the only Heisei Ultra Series to be shot in high definition.
*Like Ultraman: Towards the Future, Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero is one of the few Ultraman Series not to have an official DVD release.
*The show spawned a video game, called Ultraman Powered, released for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer.
*Sho Kosugi, who provides Ultraman Powered's voice in the first episode of the Japanese dub, is the father of Kane Kosugi, who plays Kenichi Kai.
*This series marks the first time a Red King that is actually red appeared (as opposed to gold and blue).
*Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero is one of the shows that has not yet been released as part of TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION's streaming list.
==External Links==
*Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero at Tsuburaya Productions' official website
==References==
Category:Series
Category:Shows Dubbed in Japanese
Category:Productions
Category:Heisei Series