Kei Marume

is one of the main characters from The☆Ultraman. He is a member of the Science Guard Party.
==Personality==
Marume possesses a sincere and passionate personality, often expressing his thoughts with a straightforward attitude. Despite the occasional conflicts arising from his direct style with other team members, Marume is not disliked due to his genuine demeanor; on the contrary, he has become one of the most active members in the team.
In routine tasks, Marume takes pride in his formidable strength and exceptional shooting skills. However, when faced with certain beautiful women, especially Mutsumi Hoshikawa, he reveals a somewhat vulnerable and secretly admiring side. Additionally, he exhibits versatile talent and excels in crafting various mechanical tools.
==History==
===The☆Ultraman===
Marume hails from Kyushu and initially served in the Operations Staff Office of the Earth Defense Army. At the commencement of the series, upon learning about the establishment of the Science Guard Party, he promptly sought out his longtime admired figure, Tetsuo Akiyama. After a direct appeal, Marume was eventually reassigned to the Science Guard Party, becoming the sole member to join the team without Akiyama's recommendation.
Subsequently in the series, he frequently assumes the role of a frontline member, joining forces with the team to combat the threat of cosmic Kaijus. However, at crucial moments, such as the appearance of Ultraman Joneus, he keenly observes when Choichiro Hikari is absent from his post. At times, he expresses his displeasure with a mocking tone, and occasionally accuses him of being a coward who evades responsibilities, exhibiting a lack of trust in Hikari's performance.
Before celebrating Mutsumi's birthday, in an effort to capture her attention, he specially prepared a unique pendant as a gift. Marume then disguised himself as a substitute team member and accompanied Mutsumi to investigate a tornado. However, this mistake led to Mutsumi being engulfed by the spiral. In a daring move to rescue her, he ventured into the tornado and successfully guided Mutsumi in using the pendant's features, allowing Ultraman Joneus to identify the location of the Spiral and ultimately defeat the enemy. Afterwards, he joyfully joined other team members in celebrating Mutsumi's birthday party.
During a confrontation with the "Wanigodon" Kaiju that appeared in the city, Marume successfully defeated the monster using a rocket launcher. Under the command of Director Shimada from the Space Biology Research Division, the remains of the monster were recovered. Despite Wanigodon's heart having stopped beating, its body occasionally exhibited movement, and its cells remained alive. Marume and the team returned to the Far East Base, but Director Shimada revealed the unsettling news that a new monster might hatch from the fragments of Wanigodon's body, causing Marume to worry and find it difficult to sleep.
On the other hand, a boy named Takashi discovered an unknown small animal on his way home from school and named it "Pero", secretly bringing it home. The next day, Marume learned from Director Shimada that the monster fragments might enlarge in the afternoon. Concerned that he hadn't completely defeated the Kaiju, potentially leading to another attack on the city, Marume took unauthorized action by activating an Bardy to fly to the scene.
Later, when Marume encountered Takashi, he inquired about any sightings of strange animals. While Takashi was cautious about the police searching for Pero, he trusted Marume as an animal lover and guided him to a cave near the beach, where Marume discovered Pero. However, Pero had grown larger than what Marume saw in the morning, leading him to believe Pero was Wanigodon's offspring, and he attempted to take Pero home. Takashi, however, did not believe Marume, despite his attempts to persuade him, recalling a childhood friend who had raised a bear that later harmed the neighbors. Yet, Takashi remained unconvinced.
To divert Takashi's suspicion, Marume, under the guise of "building a home for Pero", guided Takashi to a lumber store, getting him away from the scene. During this time, Pero rapidly grew into a giant Wanigodon. When Ultraman Joneus fought Wanigodon, Marume tried to stall for time at the lumber store but was discovered by Takashi. To prove that the giant Wanigodon was Pero, Takashi played a grass flute that Pero responded to. As a result, Wanigodon reacted to the music. Takashi finally realized that the monster before him was Pero, feeling shocked that his beloved animal turned out to be a terrifying monster.
In the end, Joneus defeated Pero transformed into Wanigodon, and Marume comforted the grieving boy at sunset.
Upon learning of multiple ship disappearances in recent events in the Kyushu region, the Science Guard Party dispatched members to Marume's hometown for an investigation. When Marume and Hiroaki Tobe went to the sea for inspection, they encountered a mysterious red-black cloud. Tobe was thrown overboard, and Marume, along with the boat, was absorbed by this cloud.
Tobe swam back to Marume's home, and upon hearing the news of Marume's disappearance, the team took a motorboat to search for him. Meanwhile, Marume awoke in the mysterious space, hearing a childlike voice crying, "I want to go home". Later, the team found Marume rowing a boat. When questioned about what happened, Marume remained silent and returned to headquarters alone. Marume began crafting the "Dimension Compass" while concealing it from Captain Akiyama. At Pigu's request, Marume began recounting the events.
In the mysterious space, Marume encountered a creature named Zaanmoth. Zaanmoth seemed to have fallen from another dimension, fearing discovery by humans, and hence had a protective barrier. However, Zaanmoth's body emitted strong magnetic forces. When the barrier was lifted to observe the situation, nearby ships were unexpectedly attracted to Zaanmoth's body. To save Zaanmoth, Marume decided to create the "Dimension Compass" to locate the entrance to the alternate dimension.
Captain Akiyama became suspicious of Marume's actions and, during the investigation, discovered Zaanmoth's protective barrier. Akiyama destroyed the barrier, inadvertently triggering an explosion on a nearby oil tanker. The Science Guard Party attempted to attack Zaanmoth, but he came ashore and began destroying buildings. With the assistance of Joneus, Marume completed the "Dimension Compass" and successfully safely returned Zaanmoth to his original dimension, rescuing the missing sailors in the process.
In the final stages of the series, Marume developed suspicions about the relationship between Hikari and Joneus. During a mission to infiltrate the Heller Empire's Titan Base, he insisted on accompanying Hikari on the operation. However, when Hikari and Amia secretly entered the base, they were captured by Heller's Soldiers. Marume arrived at the scene and rescued them. He questioned how Hikari could withstand toxic gas without wearing a spacesuit. As the three attempted to escape the base, they encountered an attack from Hella Umaya. Marume witnessed the moment when Hikari was shot down and fell, simultaneously witnessing the sudden appearance of Joneus. Afterwards, upon seeing Hikari return with wounds identical to Joneus's, he raised his suspicions once again.
To resolve the conflict with the Heller Empire, the entire Science Guard Party members traveled together to the Planet U40. However, when witnessing Heller threatening the life of the Great Sage to force the Science Guard Party to hand over Ultraman, Marume accused Hikari of hiding his true identity. However, at this point, Hikari could not transform in public, and ultimately, Heller sacrificed the Great Sage through atomic disintegration.
Afterwards, Marume realized that he had relied too much on the captain and his comrades, and he regretted it. Deciding not to depend on the power of Ultraman anymore, he and other members took independent action to confront Heller's Soldiers. However, shortly afterward, Heller's Soldiers captured all the members, taking them to a barren plain and tying them to yellow pillars. Using Makdatar as a threat, they demanded Joneus' appearance to save the team. Just as Makdatar's foot began to descend, attempting to crush the team, Hikari once again fused with Joneus, revealing his secret and transforming to join the battle.
After Joneus successfully defeated the Heller Empire, peace was restored to both U40 and Earth. Upon the return of the Science Guard Party members to Earth, they bid farewell to Joneus and Amia, who were about to embark on their journey back to U40.
==Gallery==
===The☆Ultraman===
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===Miscellaneous===
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== Trivia ==
*In the English dub, his name is Lieutenant Marconi.
Category:The☆Ultraman
Category:The☆Ultraman Characters
Category:Science Guard Party
Category:Male Characters
Category:Human Characters
Category:Allies