Shin Ultraman (2022)

Shin Ultraman See alternate titles Directed by Shinji Higuchi Producer Hidetoshi Yamamoto et al. Written by Hideaki Anno Music by Shiro Sagisu, Kunio Miyauchi Visual effects by Atsuki Sato, Satoru Sasaki Funded by Shin Ultraman Film Partners Production companies TOHO Studios, Cine Bazar Distributor TohoJP, Fathom EventsUS Rating GJP, PG-13UAE, PGUK Box office ¥4.44 billionJP, $601,490US Running time 112 minutes (1 hour, 52 minutes) Rate this film! 4.48 (31 votes)

“	Fantasy and romance. Along with, friendship. (空想と浪漫。そして、友情。)	„
	— Tagline

“	Have you become so fond of humans, Ultraman? (そんなに人間が好きになったのか、ウルトラマン。)	„
	— Early tagline

Shin Ultraman (シン・ウルトラマン,   Shin Urutoraman) is a 2022 Japanese tokusatsu kaiju film directed by Shinji Higuchi and supervised, written, co-produced, and co-edited by Hideaki Anno, with VFX supervised by Atsuki Sato and directed by Satoru Sasaki. Funded by the Shin Ultraman Film Partners—consisting of Tsuburaya Productions, Toho, and khara, Inc.—and produced by TOHO Studios and Cine Bazar, it is the third entry in Anno's Shin anthology series, as well as a loose film adaptation of the 1966 television series Ultraman. The film stars Takumi Saitoh, Masami Nagasawa, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Daiki Arioka, Akari Hayami, and Tetsushi Tanaka. The film was released to Japanese theaters by Toho on May 13, 2022, and had its United States premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival that July 23. Fathom Events gave it a limited two-night engagement in select U.S. theaters on January 11 and 12, 2023.

Description

“

The existence of Kaiju, giant unidentified lifeforms, has become commonplace in Japan. Designated as “S-Class Species” by the Japanese Government, these creatures have proven impervious to conventional weapons. Having exhausted all other options, the government issued the S-Class Species Suppression Protocol and gathered specialists to form an enforcement unit, known as the SSSP, to combat the evil beasts. The members chosen for the unit are Team Leader Fumio Tamura (played by Hidetoshi Nishijima), Executive Strategy Officer Shinji Kaminaga (Takumi Saitoh), Unparticle Physicist Akihisa Taki (Daiki Arioka), and Universal Biologist Yume Funaberi (Akari Hayami). As the threat of the S-Class Species worsens, a silver giant suddenly appears from beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Analyst Hiroko Asami (played by Masami Nagasawa) is newly appointed to the SSSP to deal with this giant and is partnered with Shinji Kaminaga. In Hiroko’s report, she writes… “Ultraman (tentative name), identity unknown”.

„

Plot

In the recent past, the emergence of gigantic hostile creatures known as Kaiju has become increasingly common in Japan. One after another, the Kaiju Gomess, Mammoth Flower, Peguila, Larugeus, Kaigel, and Pagos have attacked Japan and caused major devastation before eventually being defeated by the JSDF. In order to combat the threat posed by Kaiju, formally designated "S-Class Species," the Japanese government issued the S-Class Species Suppression Protocol and formed an elite unit called the SSSP designed to support the JSDF's efforts. The SSSP is led by Kimio Tamura and includes strategy officer Shinji Kaminaga, physicist Akihisa Taki, and biologist Yumi Funaberi.

When an invisible Kaiju begins tearing through the countryside, the SSSP attempts to analyze it and determine possible countermeasures. The creature, designated Neronga, feeds on electrical current from a power substation before becoming visible. The JSDF's ground forces open fire on Neronga, but the monster shoots down all of their missiles with an electrical beam from its horn. Upon seeing a single unevacuated child still in the area on a video feed, Kaminaga rushes into the battlefield to rescue them. As he does, an unidentified object rapidly approaches from the atmosphere and crashes nearby. A humanoid silver giant rises from the impact site and draws Neronga's attention. Neronga fires its electrical beam, but the giant harmlessly blocks it. Neronga cloaks itself once again and begins crawling backward onto a hill, but the giant crosses its arms and fires a ray of energy that strikes the Kaiju and causes it to explode almost instantly. The SSSP members are amazed at the giant's sudden appearance and abilities, and watch as it leaps into the air and flies away. Tamura tells the JSDF to not lose sight of the giant, but all tracking systems lose it almost immediately. In the aftermath of the battle, an unharmed Kaminaga carries the child to safety.

Government analyst Hiroko Asami is assigned to the SSSP to investigate the silver giant, giving it the name "Ultraman" in her preliminary report. She is partnered with Kaminaga, who spends all of his time flipping through the pages of books. The other SSSP members tell Asami that Kaminaga is somewhat mysterious and keeps to himself, and she is frustrated by his lack of cooperation and strange behavior. A subterranean Kaiju is spotted tunneling toward a nuclear waste storage facility, and the SSSP is sent to deal with the threat. An American Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit drops Massive Ordnance Penetrators into the Kaiju's path, but fails to stop it before running out of ammunition. The SSSP determines that the subterranean Kaiju, dubbed Gabora, is similar to Pagos and intends to feed on the nuclear material. SSSP members don protective suits in order to get closer, but Kaminaga slips away. Running through the woods, Kaminaga pulls out a device which he activates, causing him to transform into Ultraman. The SSSP witnesses Ultraman suddenly appear from the ground, noticing that the once-silver patterns on his body have turned red. Ultraman stands before the nuclear facility as Gabora emerges from below ground and charges toward him. Realizing that destroying the nuclear-powered Gabora with his beam could trigger an explosion and spread fallout across the area, Ultraman instead tries to block Gabora's spinning drill-covered head from penetrating the facility. Finally, Ultraman is able to lift and throw Gabora away. Furious, Gabora opens the drill around its head, with the SSSP noticing its strong anatomical similarities to both Pagos and Neronga. It fires a beam of energy that strikes Ultraman, who withstands the blast as he slowly approaches his foe. After closing the distance, Ultraman punches Gabora in the face, felling it instantly. Ultraman lifts Gabora's body and looks back at the SSSP before taking off and flying away.

The members of the SSSP, particularly Asami, are now convinced that Ultraman is aware of them and actively trying to protect humanity. One night, their servers are suddenly wiped as their headquarters lose power. As Funaberi laments the complete loss of all of their data, a bizarre creature wearing a cloak and hat appears in the SSSP office. The creature introduces himself as "Extraterrestrial No. 2," Zarab. He apologizes for wiping the SSSP servers, saying it was an unintended consequence of materializing in the building, and promptly restores the power and all data. Zarab requests a meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan to form a treaty, which is granted in secret. Zarab reveals many details about Ultraman's nature, such as that his body and energy attacks are composed of the element Spacium-133.

Kaminaga secretly meets with an associate in his car to obtain information about Zarab's activities. He learns that Zarab has been holding secret meetings with government officials even outside of Japan, drafting treaties that vastly favor him. After his associate leaves, Zarab suddenly appears in the car next to Kaminaga. He asks Zarab what his true intentions are, and the alien responds that he is pitting humans against each other so that they will wipe each other out, allowing him to claim the Earth for himself. When Kaminaga says he will stop him, Zarab responds that he will simply have to detain him and uses his powers to knock him unconscious, before turning invisible and carrying him away. That night, Ultraman suddenly attacks Yokosuka Naval Base, unaffected by anti-ship missiles. While much of the government is quick to declare Ultraman its enemy, the SSSP suspects all is not what it seems. Furthermore, Kaminaga has vanished without a trace, while videos showing him becoming Ultraman have leaked online. Zarab urges the Japanese government to destroy Ultraman, all while detaining Kaminaga in a building in Tokyo. Zarab asks Kaminaga where the Beta Capsule that enables his transformation into Ultraman is, but is content that at least Kaminaga does not have it.

At SSSP headquarters, Asami discovers an envelope addressed to her from Kaminaga containing the Beta Capsule. When Ultraman appears in Tokyo and begins causing destruction again, Kaminaga's associate gives Asami a way to track his location. She finds Kaminaga handcuffed to a chair in the building where Zarab is detaining him, and frees him from his restraints before handing him the Beta Capsule. Suddenly, the Imitation Ultraman tears through the building and grabs Asami in his hand. Kaminaga activates the Beta Capsule and transforms into Ultraman, retrieving Asami and setting her down safely. Ultraman fights his impostor until its disguise is damaged, revealing it as Zarab. Zarab tries to fly away, but Ultraman pursues him. After a brief dogfight, Ultraman forms a disc of energy in his hand and throws it at Zarab, slicing the alien cleanly in half.

With Ultraman's identity exposed, Kaminaga and Asami have both disappeared. However, Asami suddenly appears in Tokyo, inexplicably grown to gigantic size and seemingly in a trance. As the JSDF prepares to attack her despite her comrades' protests, a disembodied voice tells them that this was merely a demonstration. Suddenly, the giant Asami loses consciousness and falls to the ground, where she is restrained. The JSDF cannot retrieve any samples of her tissue or clothing, as she is seemingly indestructible, and readings indicate she is somehow composed of an unidentified energy. A suited man appears to the SSSP and politely introduces himself as Extraterrestrial No. 0, Mefilas. He says he actually arrived on Earth before Ultraman, and that he was the voice from before. To prove his identity, Mefilas reveals a gigantic device called the Beta Box and uses it to return Asami to her original size. Mefilas meets with the Japanese government and proposes an agreement whereby he would give the Beta Box to mankind and allow humans to attain a gigantic invincible state in order to defend themselves from other hostile extraterrestrials like Zarab. In exchange, he asks that humans accept him as their new ruler, though he promises this will not affect their laws or daily lives.

Mefilas meets with Kaminaga in a park, attempting to persuade him to accept his pact with the humans. Kaminaga asks what Mefilas' true intentions are, and the alien reveals that he intends to use the Earth's human population as bioweapons through the Beta Box. He also admits that he orchestrated all of the prior Kaiju attacks as well as Zarab's recent invasion in order to ensure the success of his plan. The first few Kaiju were dormant bioweapons on Earth that he activated and passed off as consequences of human advancement, after which he began unleashing his own advanced bioweapons with Pagos, Neronga, and Gabora. This lured Ultraman to Earth, who in fusing with Kaminaga demonstrated that the Beta Box's technology was compatible with humans. He used Zarab to make humans fear the threat of extraterrestrials, and his own demonstration of the Beta Box to make humans feel intellectually inferior and powerless, all to ensure the success of his plan. When police surround both of them, Mefilas uses his powers to teleport himself and Kaminaga to a bar to continue their discussion in peace. Mefilas reminds Ultraman that by the laws that govern both of their people, Ultraman is forbidden from interfering with the humans' treaty with Mefilas. Kaminaga responds that while Ultraman may be forbidden to interfere, the human with whom he bonded is obligated to fight back. Mefilas expresses his disappointment that they could not come to an agreement, and leaves.

Kaminaga meets with the SSSP and apologizes for involving them in all of this, but asks for their help in stopping Mefilas' plan. He says that their only option is to recover the Beta Box before Mefilas hands it over to the Japanese government, but unfortunately it is currently stored in the Planck Brane dimension, making it impossible to find using sight. However, Kaminaga says that by tracking the smell of Asami, who was in contact with the Beta Box, he may be able to find it. At the formal ceremony where Mefilas is to hand over the Beta Box, Ultraman's hand suddenly extends through the Planck Brane and grabs it. Mefilas tells a government official that he will be back, then transforms into his true form and grows to gigantic size. Ultraman throws the Beta Box into a chopper piloted by the SSSP, and they take it away. Mefilas confronts Ultraman in a nearby refinery, and the two extraterrestrials trade blows. Ultraman tosses Ultra Slices at Mefilas, who easily deflects them. Ultraman fires his Spacium Beam, which collides in midair with an energy beam fired by Mefilas. Mefilas boasts that while Ultraman's energy reserves are severely limited by his bonding with Kaminaga and use of the Beta Capsule, he possesses limitless energy through the use of negentropy. As Ultraman's energy wanes and the red patterns on his body turn green, his Spacium Beam weakens and Mefilas begins to close the distance. However, Mefilas observes a gold-colored member of Ultraman's species hovering behind him, and abruptly ends his attack. He remarks that matters have been complicated and that this planet is no longer worth killing Ultraman. He agrees to take the Beta Box and leave, then uses his powers to recover it from the chopper before vanishing.

The SSSP members are detained and questioned by the government for interfering in the deal with Mefilas, but are eventually released. Kaminaga sits in the forest where Ultraman first landed on Earth, before the preserved body of the real Kaminaga. The gold alien appears behind Kaminaga and addresses him by his real name, "Lipiah," before deciding to address him by the humans' designation of "Ultraman." He introduces himself as Zōffy, a representative from the Planet of Light appointed to serve as the adjudicator for Earth following Ultraman's actions. He says that Ultraman has broken several of their planet's laws, most importantly by fusing with a native lifeform. Ultraman explains that when he first arrived on Earth, he accidentally killed Kaminaga while the latter was trying to protect a child. He wanted to understand Kaminaga, and so he merged their life forces together and learned what it was like to be human. Zōffy says that Ultraman has exposed the potential for humanity to be exploited as a bioweapon to the rest of the multiverse, and that the species must now be exterminated. He reveals that he has brought the Ultimate Weapon for Celestial Suppression, Zetton, to vaporize the Earth along with its entire solar system. Ultraman pleads with Zōffy to spare the humans, but the latter replies that with the billions of documented intelligent species in the multiverse, exterminating one for the benefit of the rest is the best option. Humans are undeveloped, weak, and short-lived lifeforms, he says, and their destruction will prevent other extraterrestrials from obtaining billions of new bioweapons and upsetting the order of the multiverse. Ultraman protests that humans are creatures worth protecting, but Zōffy releases Zetton into Earth's orbit, where it begins assembling its firing system.

With Zetton becoming visible in the sky, Kaminaga explains its purpose to the rest of the SSSP. He states that he will try to destroy it, and leaves behind a flash drive before transforming into Ultraman and flying into orbit. Ultraman bombards Zetton with his Ultra Slices and Spacium Beam, but they have no effect. Zetton retaliates with various defensive lasers, which push Ultraman back into Earth's atmosphere. As he plummets toward the ocean, Zōffy appears and urges Ultraman to stop resisting and let humanity be cleansed. Asami sits next to Kaminaga in the hospital, realizing that he knew all along that he couldn't defeat Zetton. At SSSP HQ, Taki laments humanity's inevitable demise before Funaberi points out the flash drive that Kaminaga left behind. Inside is a full explanation of the Beta System's technology, translated into human language. A digital meeting of the world's greatest minds is organized to formulate a method to stop Zetton.

As Zetton completes its assembly and descends into its final firing position, Kaminaga awakens in the hospital and rushes to SSSP HQ. He learns that Taki and other scholars have found a way to defeat Zetton. If Ultraman flew toward Zetton and used the Beta Capsule twice, he would temporarily open a sixth-dimensional wormhole that would pull them both in and seal them in a parallel dimension, with the whole maneuver needing to be completed within one millisecond. Tamura opposes a plan that will sacrifice Ultraman, but Kaminaga replies that he is willing to give his life to save mankind. Kaminaga bids farewell to Asami, who tells him to promise to return. Kaminaga agrees before transforming into Ultraman and flying toward Zetton. As Zetton begins to fire, Ultraman collides with it and activates the Beta Capsule, opening a wormhole that immediately absorbs Zetton. Ultraman struggles against the force of the wormhole, but he too is pulled in. After the wormhole closes, Zetton and Ultraman are both nowhere to be seen.

Zōffy manages to find Ultraman within the parallel dimension, sensing his strong will to live. Touched by this courage, intelligence, and determination possessed by humanity, Zōffy agrees to spare mankind. Ultraman requests being allowed to return to Earth and continue living among the humans, but Zōffy says that he must be brought back to the Planet of Light to answer for his violations of their code. Ultraman then requests instead to give up his own life energy so that Kaminaga may live. Zōffy eventually agrees to Ultraman's wish, and uses his Beta Capsule to separate Ultraman's body from Kaminaga's and imbue the human with Ultraman's life energy.

On Earth, Kaminaga awakens surrounded by the other members of the SSSP.

Staff

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

• Directed by   Shinji Higuchi
• Associate director   Katsuro Onoue
• Deputy director   Ikki Todoroki
• Assistant director   Masayuki
• Written and supervised by   Hideaki Anno
• Chief executive producer   Hidetoshi Yamamoto
• Executive producers   Takayuki Tsukagoshi, Minami Ichikawa, Hideaki Anno
• Co-executive producers   Hiroyasu Matsuoka, Tomoyuki Ogata, Masayuki Nagatake
• Associate executive producers   Hisashi Usui, Kei Kurosawa
• Produced by   Hideaki Anno, Kazutoshi Wadakura, Takehiko Aoki, Tomoya Nishino, Masaki Kawashima
• Associate producer   Akihiro Yamauchi
• Music by   Kunio Miyauchi, Shiro Sagisu
• Theme song "M87" written, performed, composed, and arranged by   Kenshi Yonezu
• Cinematography by   Osamu Ichikawa, Keizo Suzuki
• Edited by   Yohei Kurihara, Hideaki Anno
• Production design by   Yuji Hayashida, Eri Sakushima
• First assistant director   Kensei Nakayama
• Visual effects supervisor   Atsuki Sato
• Visual effects director   Satoru Sasaki

Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right. Takumi Saitoh   as   Shinji Kaminaga, SSSP strategic planner and Ultraman's host Masami Nagasawa   as   Hiroko Asami, SSSP intelligence analyst Hidetoshi Nishijima   as   Kimio Tamura, SSSP team captain Daiki Arioka   as   Akihisa Taki, SSSP unparticle physicist Akari Hayami   as   Yumi Funaberi, SSSP biologist Tetsushi Tanaka   as   Tatsuhiko Munakata, SSSP Chief Ryo Iwamatsu   as   Hajime Komuro, Disaster Prevention Agency Minister Kyusaku Shimada   as   Prime Minister Taishi Okuma Keishi Nagatsuka   as   Hayasaka Toru Masuoka   as   Kunihiko Kariba, Minister of Defense Hajime Yamazaki   as   Seiichi Nakanishi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Masami Horiuchi   as   Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan Go Riju   as   Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Soko Wada   as   Kagami Yutaka Takenouchi   as   Government official Katsuya Kobayashi Yukio Tsukamoto Masaaki Akahori Asahi Yoshida Nobuyoshi Hisamatsu Shoken Kunimoto Eiji Yokota Yasumasa Oba Yashiki Ayako Kentaro Shimazu Naoto Kaji Daisuke Hibi Seigo Nishihara Tetsu Hirahara Junichiro Nakano Shingo Murakami Mikiya Sanada Yoshihiro Kasuya Yohei Hosokawa Ryo Yoshida Yusaku Mori Yuta Inoue Shota Miyazaki TERU Akihisa Muramoto Yoshinori Miyata Tatsuya Ito Satoshi Iwago Taihei Nishi Takahiro Araki Yoshihiro Yamanaka Isao Nakazawa Shintaro Yonemoto Kazuya Shiraishi

Nobuyuki Fukuda Kota Taga Yuta Motozawa Daiki Kikuchi Weigo Ikeuchi Hideki Ebisawa Toru Hirayama Gotaro Koike Ryo Ozone Kei Maina Kazuhiko Otomo Yuki Fujiyama Ken Komamizu Kenji Miyamoto Seitoku Fujitani Atsushi Ideo Mitsuo Sakai Kota Iwase Kenta Tanabe Tatsuya Onodera Naoki Hasegawa Ryumi Shiga Toyoda Ondai Nana Okazaki Keiji Inada Yuki Arisawa Erika Sugihara Shoko Hotta Yoto Honda Kota Hosoi Rento Oyama Yuki Terauchi Minoru Shimozawa Yoshiko Ikunuma Chinao Kato Naoki Nakamura Sekkaku Onoda Taichi Abe Noriyoshi Saito Masahiko Fujiwara Taiji Hitana Koji Nagato Nobuyuki Naito Hiroyuki Furuta Muneto Yuda Koji Yamamoto   as   Mefilas Bin Furuya, Hideaki Anno   as   Ultraman (motion capture) Issei Takahashi   as   Ultraman (voice) Koichi Yamadera   as   Zōffy (voice) Kenjiro Tsuda   as   Zarab (voice)

English dub

• Chris Hackney   as   Shinji Kaminaga
• Dawn M. Bennett   as   Hiroko Asami
• John Burgmeier   as   Kimio Tamura
• Brandon McInnis   as   Akihisa Taki
• Emily Frongillo   as   Yumi Funaberi
• Brook Chalmers   as   Tatsuhiko Munakata
• Charlie Campbell   as   Prime Minister Taishi Okuma
• Matt Shipman   as   Kagami
• Jim Foronda   as   Government official
• Frank Todaro   as   male foreign affairs officer
• Yussef Benelbar, Madeline Dorroh, Landon McDonald, Christopher Sabat, Christian Thorsen   as   Additional voices
• Jordan Woolleen   as   Mefilas
• Kellen Goff   as   Zarab
• Theo Devaney   as   Zōffy

Appearances

Extraterrestrials Ultraman Zarab Imit-Ultraman Mefilas Zōffy S-Class Species Gomess Mammoth Flower Peguila Larugeus Kaigel Pagos Neronga Gabora Other monsters Zetton Giant Hiroko Asami Godzilla (mentioned in title screen) Kyubey (coffee mug)

Weapons, vehicles, races, and organizations Disaster Prevention Agency (DPA) S-Class Species Suppression Protocol Enforcement Unit (SSSP) Beta Capsule Beta Box Kawasaki CH-47J Chinook Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit Type 87 ARV M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System JS Teruzuki (Akizuki-class destroyer) Type 16 maneuver combat vehicle Type 82 Command and Communication Vehicle Mitsubishi UH60-JA Boeing 787 Dreamliner Mighty-Go (model; computer wallpaper; manga cover) Gohten (model) Alpha (model) Black Shark (model) The Mole (model) FAB 1 (model) Fireflash (model) Thunderbird 1 (model) Thunderbird 2 (model) Thunderbird 3 (model) Thunderbird 4 (model) Thunderbird 5 (model) USS Enterprise (model)

Development

On August 1, 2019, Tsuburaya Productions announced that an Ultraman film helmed by Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno was in the works, produced in association with Toho and khara and set for a 2021 release. Anno had already completed the first draft of the script on February 5. The film will star Takumi Saitoh, Masami Nagasawa, and Hidetoshi Nishijima. A later report from Japanese news outlet Natalie, which featured comments from Higuchi, Saito, Nagasawa, Nishijima, Tsuburaya chairman Takayuki Tsukagoshi, and Toho president Minami Ichikawa, revealed Saito's role as Ultraman's human host, with Nagasawa playing his partner. In his statement, Higuchi remarked that "A baton has been entrusted to me that has been shining ever since I was a small child. I will solemnly strive to fulfill my responsibility to pass on that heavy, radiant baton created by my seniors." On September 25, ten additional cast members were revealed, including names such as Daiki Arioka, Akari Hayami, and Tetsushi Tanaka.

Kenjiro Tsuda was announced as part of the cast on April 25, 2022, providing the voice of the extraterrestrial Zarab.

Production

A casting call for the film was posted on August 20, 2019, with filming set to begin sometime in the fall. Shinji Higuchi made a surprise appearance at the 2nd Atami Kaiju Film Festival on November 23, announcing that shooting of the film had concluded.

Marketing

Ultraman's design was revealed during the opening ceremony of Tsuburaya Convention 2019 on December 13. Though largely identical to the character's traditional look, it removed his Color Timer, reflecting Tohl Narita's original concept. On November 2, 2020, Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi showed off a new, much larger Ultraman statue outside the Sukagawa Archive Center, and confirmed an early summer release for the film. A teaser trailer was released on January 28, 2021, featuring first looks at veteran kaiju Neronga and Gabora.

On March 26, Tsuburaya, Toho, and khara announced the film's release would be postponed from the summer of 2021 to an unspecified later date, citing "delays in the production schedule caused by COVID-19." During Tsuburaya Convention 2021, Shin Ultraman's release date was revealed to be May 13, 2022. Additionally, a short teaser of Ultraman using his Specium Beam was unveiled. On March 16, 2022, a key poster and promotional banner were revealed. A third teaser trailer was released on April 15, with a longer preview playing exclusively in movie theaters and at the Hideaki Anno Exhibition at the Abeno Harukas Art Museum in Osaka. The aforementioned extended trailer would later be released online on April 17.

A "special video" was released on April 22, featuring short behind-the-scenes clips as well as comments from select staff and cast members.

Gallery

Main article: Shin Ultraman/Gallery.

Soundtrack

Main article: Shin Ultraman/Soundtrack.

Alternate titles

• Shin Ultraman: A Fantasy Tokusatsu Film (シン・ウルトラマン空想特撮映画,   Shin Urutoraman Kūsō Tokusatsu Eiga, full Japanese title)

Theatrical releases

• Japan - May 13, 2022
• Switzerland - July 2, 2022 (Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival)
• Canada - July 21, 2022 (Fantasia Festival)
• United States - July 23, 2022 (New York Asian Film Festival); January 11, 2023
• Singapore - September 3, 2022 (Odex Film Festival)
• United Arab Emirates - September 15, 2022
• Taiwan - September 16, 2022
• Thailand - September 22, 2022 (Paragon Cineplex)
• India - September 23, 2022
• Malaysia - October 6, 2022
• Hong Kong - October 13, 2022
• Australia - August 24, 2023
• New Zealand - August 24, 2023

On August 5, 2022, Tsuburaya Productions announced plans to release the films in "37 countries and regions in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa," as well as North America, South America, and Europe.

U.S. release

Shin Ultraman premiered in the United States at the New York Asian Film Festival on July 23, 2022. A screening in Hawaii followed on November 13 as part of the 42nd Hawaii International Film Festival. The film was brought to theaters nationwide by Fathom Events on January 11 and 12, 2023, screening with English subtitles on the first day and dubbed into English on the second. It was re-released in 12 Alamo Drafthouse locations from May 26 to June 1, 2023.

Following a digital release by 1091Picture corresponding to the subtitled version of the film shown in theaters, Cleopatra Entertainment issued Shin Ultraman on Blu-ray and DVD on July 11, 2023. These releases drew criticism for not translating any on-screen Japanese text, HTML tags visible in the subtitles, and a script that corresponded to the English dub instead of properly translating the Japanese dialogue. In response, Cleopatra instituted a disc replacement program; these replacements added text translations and removed the HTML tags, but neglected to include a proper subtitle translation. Customers also observed visual glitches during the film. Cleopatra authored a third version of the releases to address these complaints, but was criticized again for not sending this version to customers who had already received the first replacement disc.

Box office

Shin Ultraman debuted at #1 at the Japanese box office, grossing ¥730 million in its opening weekend with a three-day total of ¥993 million. By its third day of release, it had become the highest-grossing Ultraman film, surpassing Superior 8 Ultraman Brothers. The film had grossed ¥4.44 billion by the end of its theatrical release in Japan.

Awards

Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
35th Nikkan Sports Film Awards	Yujiro Ishihara Award	Shin Ultraman	Nominated
77th Mainichi Film Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Koji Yamamoto	Nominated
46th Japan Academy Film Prize	Best Cinematography	Osamu Ichikawa, Keizo Suzuki	Won
	Best Lighting Direction	Sosuke Yoshikado
	Best Art Direction	Yuji Hayashida, Eri Sakushima
	Picture of the Year	Shin Ultraman	Nominated
	Director of the Year	Shinji Higuchi
	Best Sound Recording	Hironobu Tanaka, Haru Yamada
	Best Film Editing	Yohei Kurihara, Hideaki Anno
	Newcomer of the Year	Daiki Arioka	Won
16th Asian Film Awards	Best Visual Effects	Atsuki Sato	Nominated

Potential sequel(s)

Hideaki Anno submitted a proposal to Tsuburaya Productions on February 17, 2018, for a film trilogy that would begin in 2020 with Shin Ultraman. It would be followed by a direct sequel titled Shin Ultraman Continued (続・シン・ウルトラマン,   Zoku Shin Urutoraman), to be written, directed, and produced by Anno and released in 2022 or later, and a third film based on the 1967-68 TV series Ultraseven, titled Shin Ultraseven (シン・ウルトラセブン,   Shin Urutorasebun), with an undecided staff team and release window of 2023 or later. On May 11, 2022, Tsuburaya Productions' parent company the Fields Corporation (presently Tsuburaya Fields Holdings) published its end-of-fiscal-year financial report along with plans for the future. Included in the document was a tentative production lineup, showing two upcoming Ultraman films scheduled for release in 2024-25 and 2026-27. However, as no information is given about these films, it is unclear whether they are related to Shin Ultraman. The next month, while speaking at a special 4K screening of select Ultraman episodes, original Ultraman suit actor and Shin Ultraman motion capture actor Bin Furuya commented, "I hope you will watch [Shin Ultraman] five or six times. There may even be talk of something like a Shin Ultraseven." Furuya added that, if such a film were made, he would want it to use tokusatsu instead of CGI, and would want to appear in it.

Video releases

TOHO Visual Entertainment 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray (April 12, 2023)

• Region: A (Blu-ray)
• Discs: 4
• Audio: Japanese (Dolby Atmos, 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, audio description)
• Subtitles: Japanese
• Special features: Trailers and TV spots, "M87" music video, event footage, three behind-the-scenes featurettes, Shin Ultra Fight

TOHO Visual Entertainment Blu-ray (April 12, 2023)

• Region: A
• Discs: 3 or 2
• Audio: Japanese (Dolby Atmos, 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, audio description)
• Subtitles: Japanese
• Special features: Trailers and TV spots, "M87" music video, event footage, three behind-the-scenes featurettes (3-disc edition only), Shin Ultra Fight (3-disc edition only)

TOHO Visual Entertainment DVD (April 12, 2023)

• Region: 2
• Discs: 2
• Audio: Japanese (5.1 Dolby Digital, 2.0 Dolby Digital, audio description)
• Subtitles: Japanese
• Special features: Trailers and TV spots, "M87" music video, event footage

Cleopatra Entertainment Blu-ray/DVD (July 11, 2023)

• Region: N/A
• Discs: 1
• Audio: Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0)
• Subtitles: English
• Special features: Trailers and photo gallery
• Notes: A disc replacement program is in effect for these releases; see the U.S. release section above for more information.

Madman Entertainment Blu-ray/DVD (October 4, 2023)

• Region: A and B (Blu-ray; C untested) or 4 (DVD)
• Discs: 1
• Audio: Japanese, English (Blu-ray: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Subtitles: English
• Special features: Unknown

Raven Banner Blu-ray (January 2024)

• Region: Unknown (A guaranteed)
• Discs: 1
• Audio: Japanese, English
• Subtitles: English
• Special features: Audio commentary by Alex Rushdy and Kevin Derendorf, video introduction by Alex Rushdy
• Notes: Uses a new English subtitle translation. O-Card art by Alex Chen.

Videos

Trailers

Japanese trailer Teaser trailer #1 Regraded teaser #1 Updated teaser #1 Teaser trailer #2 Teaser trailer #3 TV spot #1 TV spot #2 TV spot #3 Special video SSSP promotional video Mefilas spot Zarab spot Zōffy & Zetton spot

Miscellaneous

Takumi Saitoh and Shinji Higuchi reveal Ultraman maquettes at TsubuCon 2019 Full television special McDonald's tie-in commercial Kenshi Yonezu - M87 Music video Kenshi Yonezu - M87 × Shin-Ultraman VFX breakdown Shin Ultraman & Shin Godzilla's Connections

Trivia

• Shin Ultraman marks the first Ultra Series film to be produced by Toho; the company previously provided theatrical distribution for a number of TV episodes and compilation movies of the Ultra Series.
• Hideaki Anno is a longtime fan of the Ultraman franchise, and previously directed and starred in a 1983 parody of Tsuburaya Productions' Return of Ultraman. Shinji Higuchi first met Anno at a screening of his film.
• The film's first tagline was spoken by Zoffy in the final episode of Ultraman.
• Models of FAB 1, the Fireflash, the Mole, Thunderbird 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and other Pod Vehicles from the TV series Thunderbirds appear in the background of a shot of Taki. This series influenced Ultraseven and other entries in the Ultra Series.^{[citation needed]}
• The CG model of Gomess is a modified version of Godzilla's model in Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno's previous film Shin Godzilla. This is a reference to how Gomess was originally portrayed by a modified Godzilla suit in episode 1 of Ultra Q.
• The designs for Pagos, Neronga, and Gabora all share traits, referencing the use of the original 1965 Baragon suit to portray all three of them in Ultra Q and Ultraman.
• As was the case with Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman features an original score composed by Hideaki Anno's frequent collaborator Shiro Sagisu. Much like how Shin Godzilla featured extensive stock music from past Godzilla films composed by the late Akira Ifukube, who was credited as co-composer on the score, Shin Ultraman includes much of the late Kunio Miyauchi's score for the original Ultraman series. Miyauchi is even credited as the film's composer in front of Sagisu.
• The book Shin Ultraman Design Works states that, while the "worldviews" of Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman "may be somehow connected," copyright considerations prevented Shin Ultraman from being explicitly billed as a sequel. Some connections are still present in the film, however, such as an unnamed government official portrayed by Yutaka Takanouchi (Hideki Akasaka in Shin Godzilla), the use of the term "Giant Unidentified Lifeform" to describe the monsters, and the fictitious MOPII bombs dropped by a Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit. Still, the numbering of the monsters would seem to contradict Godzilla actually existing in the universe of Shin Ultraman.
  • The title sequence for Shin Ultraman also incorporates Shin Godzilla, with the title of the former exploding out of the title for the latter. This references the title sequence for the original Ultraman.
• The shots of M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems firing reuse footage from Shin Godzilla, although the scenery around the vehicles was altered.

External links

• Official site
• Twitter account
• Shin Ultraman on Ultraman Wiki
• Shin Ultraman on Japanese Wikipedia
• Kai-Group products

References

This is a list of references for Shin Ultraman. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: ^[1]

Bibliography

• Toho Stella, ed. (13 May 2022). Shin Ultraman (theater program). TOHO Visual Entertainment.
• Miyoshi, Kan, ed. (13 May 2022). Shin Ultraman Design Works. khara. ISBN 978-4-905033-28-8.
  • Anno, Hideaki (2022a). "Shin Ultraman Memo". In Miyoshi (2022), pp. 73-75.
  • Anno, Hideaki (2022b). "Tsuburaya Pro. Theatrical Trilogy Proposal". In Miyoshi (2022), p. 77.

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