Tsuburaya Productions

Tsuburaya Productions' current logo

Tsuburaya Productions (円谷プロダクション,   Tsuburaya Purodakushons) is a production company and special effects studio founded by tokusatsu pioneer Eiji Tsuburaya in 1963. It is most famous for creating the giant hero Ultraman in 1966.

History

Toho's renowned director of special effects, Eiji Tsuburaya, founded Tsuburaya Productions in 1963 as a means to achieve greater creative freedom. Drawing from both Tsuburaya's staff at Toho and other artists from across Japan, the company's first assignment was the 1963 Ishihara/Nikkatsu film Alone Across the Pacific. Its first in-house project was Ultra Q, a black-and-white science fiction TV series about a reporter and two pilots who investigate mysterious events, in 1966. Boasting special effects comparable to Toho and Daiei's kaiju films, it was a tremendous success, and guaranteed a follow-up. Later that year, Tsuburaya debuted the color series Ultraman, starring one of the first Kyodai (Giant) Heroes, to even greater ratings. Ultraman's formula of an alien warrior merging with a human host to defend the planet against kaiju and aliens would become the foundation for Tsuburaya's signature Ultra Series, which continues to this day.

Following Eiji Tsuburaya's death in 1970, his eldest son Hajime assumed control of the company. Tsuburaya Productions would remain a family business until 2007, when it was sold to TYO Inc. Today, Fields Corporation owns a 51% stake in Tsuburaya, with the other 49% is controlled by the toy company Bandai, whose Ultraman products have been prominently featured in every Ultra Series installment since Ultraman Ginga in 2013.

Kaiju Television Series

1960s

• Ultra Q (1966)
• Ultraman (1966-67)
• Monster Booska (1966-67)
• Ultra Seven (1967-68)

1970s

• Ultra Fight (1970-71)
• Return of Ultraman (1971-72)
• Mirror Man (1971-72)
• Redman (1972)
• Ultraman Ace (1972-73)
• Jumborg Ace (1973)
• Fireman (1973)
• Mirror Fight (1974)
• Ultraman Taro (1973-1974)
• Ultraman Leo (1974-1975)
• Born Free (1976-1977)
• Aizenborg (1977-1978)
• The☆Ultraman (1979-1980)

1980s

• Ultraman 80 (1980-1981)
• Andromelos (1983)
• Ultraman Kids (1986)
• Ultra Monster Encyclopedia (1988-90)

1990s

• Ultraman M178 (1990-91)
• Ultraman: Towards the Future (1990-91)
• Ultraman M175 Ultra Hero Finishing Attack Study (1991-92)
• Ultraman Kids II (1991-92)
• Ultraman M730 Ultra Monster Encyclopedia (1992-93)
• Ultraman M730 Ultra Monster Battle Game (1993-94)
• Gridman (1993-94)
• Ultraman Tiga (1996-97)
• Ultraman Dyna (1997-1998)
• Ultraman Gaia (1998-1999)

2000s

• Ultraman Neos (2000-01)
• Ultraman Cosmos (2001-02)
• Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy (2004)
• Ultraman Nexus (2004-05)
• Ultraman Max (2005)
• Ultraman Mebius (2006)
• Ultraseven X (2007)
• Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle (2008-09)
• Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle: Never Ending Odyssey (2008-09)

2010s

• Ultraman Retsuden (2011-16)
• Ultra Zero Fight (2012)
• Neo Ultra Q (2013)
• Ultraman Ginga (2013)
• Ultraman Ginga S (2014)
• Ultra Fight Victory (2015)
• Ultraman X (2015)
• Ultraman Orb (2016)
• Ultra Fight Orb (2017)
• Ultraman Zero: The Chronicle (2017)
• Ultraman Geed (2017)

Kaiju Films

1960s

• Ultraman (1967) [compilation film]
• Ultraman, Ultra Seven: Giant Monster Extreme Battle (1969) [compilation film]

1970s

• Return of Ultraman (1971) [compilation film]
• Return of Ultraman: Terror of the Tornado Monster (1971) [compilation film]
• Daigoro vs. Goliath (1972) [Toho co-production]
• Jamborg Ace and Giant (1974) [Chaiyo co-production]
• Hanuman vs. 7 Ultraman (1974) [Chaiyo co-production]
• The Last Dinosaur (1977) [Rankin/Bass co-production]
• The Bermuda Depths (1978) [Rankin/Bass co-production]
• Director Akio Jissoji's Ultraman (1979) [compilation film]
• Ultraman: Great Monster Battle (1979) [compilation film]

1980s

• Ultraman Zoffy (1984)
• Ultraman Kids: The Movie (1984)
• Popular Monster's Parade (1984)
• Ultraman Story (1984)
• Anime Chan (1984)
• Ultraman: The Adventure Begins (1987)

1990s

• Ultra Q The Movie (1990)
• Ultraman: The Alien Invasion (1990) [compilation film]
• Ultraman: The Battle for Earth (1990) [compilation film]
• Rosetta the Masked Angel: Rosetta vs. Freia (1999) [Toho co-production]

2000s

• Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey (2000)
• Ultraman Tiga Gaiden: Revival of the Ancient Giant (2001)
• Great Decisive Battle! The Super 8 Ultra Brothers (2008)

2010s

• Ultraman Zero The Movie: Super Deciding Fight! The Belial Galactic Empire (2010)
• Ultraman Ginga S The Movie: Showdown! The 10 Ultra Warriors! (2015)
• Ultraman X The Movie: Here Comes! Our Ultraman (2016)
• Ultraman Orb The Movie: Lend Me The Power of Bonds! (2017)

TV Specials

1990s

• The World of Ultra Q (1990)

OVAs

1990s

• Ultraman Graffiti (1990)

Trivia

• Eiji Tsuburaya's ties with Toho allowed props, suits, sound effects, and even footage from the studio's kaiju films to appear in Ultra Q and Ultraman. Godzilla became Gomess and Jirass, Baragon became Pagos, Neronga, Magular, and Gabora, Maguma became Todora, the Giant Octopus became Sudar, King Kong became Goro, and Manda became Kai Dragon.
• Toho employees who worked on the early Ultra Series installments included Ishiro Honda (director of several Return of Ultraman episodes), Shinichi Sekizawa (writer of the pilot episode of Ultraman), Kenji Sahara (Jun Manjome in Ultra Q), and Akihiko Hirata (Chief Hanazawa in Ultra Q, Professor Iwamoto in Ultraman, and Staff Officer Yanagawa in Ultra Seven).

External Links

• Official Website
• Official YouTube Channel
• Official Facebook page
• Official Twitter page