Ulala

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 When do I ever lose? Come on everybody, let’s work together!
 — Ulala, Space Channel 5 Part 2

**Ulala** is the mascot and main protagonist of the *Space Channel 5* series. Being the sole survivor of a deadly incident, Ulala grows up to become the lead reporter for Channel 5, starring on “Ulala’s Swingin’ Report Show.” Although she may just be a reporter, Ulala has saved the Galaxy from immediate danger several times, alongside fellow reporters, Pudding and Jaguar. As described by her fans, Ulala is sweet, compassionate, and an ideal savior who puts others, including rivals, before herself.

Ten year after surviving a deadly incident, Ulala is recruited by Fuse as a reporter for Channel 5, and investigates the Morolian Invasion at Spaceport 9. While trying to figure out the cause behind the sudden attacks, Ulala encounters her ever-persistent rival, Pudding, as well as one of her closest allies, Jaguar. Eventually, they come together after finding out the Morolians were never actually evil (but brainwashed), and attempt to put an end to Blank and his obsession for ratings.

Ulala later encounters the Rhythm Rogues and one of their mysterious leaders, Shadow. Determined to put an end to another evil, Ulala investigates the kidnapping of President Peace to find a man by the name of Purge is kidnapping people across the galaxy and forcing them to dance. With the help of one of her closest colleagues, Space Michael, and several others, Ulala sets out to find the president and to put an end to the mysterious happenings across the Galaxy.

Three years later, Ulala recruits Kee and Lou and they set out to find the Morolians have been acting up once again, only to realize they are being controlled by the infamous Glitter. Eventually, Ulala and several other reporters are kidnapped and are eventually saved by the two newbies.

## History

### Past

Ulala was the daughter of two unnamed parents, and was born somewhere on the planet Earth on May 30, 2477 at 1:18 AM. Her name was inspired by the town of a small country in East Nippon, where her mother was born. As a young child, Ulala enjoyed watching Galaxy Kids News, presented by Shinichiro Tachibana on Channel 1.

In 2489, at the age of 12, Ulala was on board of a spaceship which was involved in a deadly space incident. She was eventually saved and rescued by Jaguar, unaware of the fact that he was the one who saved her. Ulala was the only survivor of the incident, and was inspired to join and apply as a reporter for Channel 5 after the man had saved her.

Years later, Ulala finally applied for a job as a space reporter for Channel 5, and got the job, and was recruited in 2497 by another reporter by the name of Fuse.

## Other game appearances

### *Project X Zone* series

> *Main article: Ulala (Project X Zone)*
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## Cameos in other media

> *Main article: List of cameos and references*
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Outside the *Sega* and *Space Channel 5* universe, Ulala has appeared in several video games, movies, and television shows since her debut.

## Paraphernalia

### Outfits

> *Main article: Ulala’s costumes*
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Ulala is known for changing her style consistently throughout the series.

## Trivia

* Ulala was a character created to appeal male audiences, ones who would “fantasize” over her.
	+ Some of SEGA Japan’s staff have said the audience appeal would increase just because of her, especially if she was an attractive lead female character.
* The identity of Ulala's japanese voice actress was kept as a secret for years. In Japan, the games would credit Ulala "as herself". Eventually, it was later revealed that her japanese voice actress was Mineko Okamura, the CEO of Grounding Inc. However, the reason as to why Mineko was credited as "Ulala herself" is still left unclear to this day.
	+ For years, people speculated that Nahoko Nezu was her Japanese voice actress. Nahoko was the game's choreographer, and she did some motion captures for the game. Not only that, but she was also born on May 30th, which coincidentally happens to be Ulala's ficctional birthday. She also dressed up as Ulala to promote the game at the Tokyo Game Show.
* Ulala was an inspiration to the late Michael Jackson, particularly to some of his dance moves during on-stage performances.
* Ulala has herpetophobia, which means she has a fear of reptiles (specifically lizards).
* Ulala was mentioned in the song "Sunshine Slayer" by her former voice actress, Apollo Smile since one of the lines in the lyrics says "groovy like Ulala" in the song.
* Sega was the defendant in the lawsuit *Kirby v. Sega of America, Inc.* in 2003 by Kierin Kirby (also known as Lady Miss Kier, lead singer of pop/dance group Deee-Lite). Kier alleged that the number of similarities was too great, citing dress, hair, and makeup. She further alleged that "viewers, listeners, and consumers" were and are likely to confuse the two. She claimed that Sega had offered her $15,000 between May and July 2000 for her "likeness, image, and name" to be used in a video game. She sought $750,000 in damages. In 2006, the lawsuit was dismissed, with the court determining that Ulala's design (such as her "anime" art style, height difference, and different style of dance) and Lady Miss Kier's appearance were different enough to be "transformative." The court applied Comedy III Productions, Inc. v. Gary Saderup, Inc. in its ruling, noting that Lady Kier was "at best the raw material" for Ulala. The court found that the "public interest in free artistic expression" outweighed the risk of public confusion between Kier and Ulala's designs.
* According to the game's art Director, Noburo Hotta, Ulala wore orange in the first game because it was both the colors of the Dreamcast (the console where Ulala made her debut) and because it was symbolizing something new and exciting for Sega.
* Ulala was one of the many characters/people of inspiration for Dare (a character from the *Dance Central* series). Lady Gaga was also an inspiration for the character.
* Ulala was nominated in 2000 for "Original Game Character of the Year" by the International Game Developers Association, while she was voted as one of the top 10 favorite Sega characters in a fan poll. *IGN* staff anticipated that Ulala would be a character who stands out among American players, while later declaring that she is such a "strong character" that her design would be "instantly recognizable" on any kind of product.
* Ulala may have been named after the French expression "*Ooh La La*" in translations of the game.
	+ Although "Ulala" is the official English spelling of her name, her Japanese name is "Urara." Urara is a Japanese girl's name, and her name is written in Hiragana ("うらら"). This is also due to the fact that the Japanese "R" sound is equal to that of an "L" sound in other languages.
* Currently, Ulala has made more cameo appearances compared to her original series.
* Ulala has made more appearances in the *Sega Superstars* series than her main games.
* Ulala and Pudding were rumored to appear in *SEGA Heroes,* but the mobile game was shut down before they were officially confirmed.
* The Ulala Mic item information in the changing room (in *Kinda Funky News Flash!*) states that Ulala painted her Channel 5 microphone blue without asking for permission first.

## References

1. ↑ https://gamicus.gamepedia.com/Ulala
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulala\_(Space\_Channel\_5)
3. ↑ https://spacechannel5.fandom.com/wiki/Ulala