Tsuburaya Productions
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Tsuburaya Productions (円谷プロダクション Tsuburaya Purodakushon) 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 TV 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, 51% of the company is controlled by Tsuburaya Fields Holdings (the parent company of the Fields Corporation), with the other 49% controlled by Bandai Namco Holdings (the parent company of Bandai, Bandai Namco, etc.). Bandai's Ultraman products have been prominently featured in every Ultra Series installment since 2013's Ultraman Ginga.
Selected television and web series
1960s
- Ultra Q (1966)
- Ultraman (1966-67)
- Monster Booska (1966-67)
- Ultraseven (1967-68)
- Mighty Jack (1968)
- Operation: Mystery (1968-69)
- Fight! Mighty Jack (1968)
1970s
- Chibira (1970-71)
- Ultra Fight (1970-71)
- Return of Ultraman (1971-72)
- Mirror Man (1971-72)
- Redman (1972)
- Ultraman Ace (1972-73)
- Emergency 10-4, 10-10 (1972)
- Triple Fighter (1972)
- The Unbalance Zone (1973)
- Jumborg Ace (1973)
- Magma Man (1973)
- Ultraman Taro (1973-74)
- Mirror Fight (1974)
- Ultraman Leo (1974-75)
- Army of the Apes (1974-75)
- Born Free (1976-77)
- Aztekizer (1976-77)
- Aizenborg (1977-78)
- Space Wolf (1978)
- Koseidon (1978-79)
- The Ultraman (1979-80)
1980s
- Ultraman 80 (1980-81)
- Andromelos (1983)
- Ultraman Kids (1986)
- Ultra Monster Encyclopedia (1988-90)
1990s
- Ultraman M715 (1990-91)
- Ultraman: Towards the Future (1990-91)
- Ultraman M715 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)
- Ultra Super Fight (1994)
- Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero (1995)
- Ultraman M730 Shuwatch! English (1994-95)
- Ultraman M730 Ultra Monster Data Bank (1995-96)
- Ultraman Land M730 (1996-97)
- Moon Spiral (1996)
- Ultraman Tiga (1996-97)
- Ultraman Dyna (1997-98)
- Cyberbeauties Telomere (1998)
- Ultraman Gaia (1998-99)
- Booska! Booska!! (1999-2000)
- Barasa de Booska! (1999)
- Ultraman Nice (1999-2000)
2000s
- Ultraman Neos (2000-01)
- Ultraman Cosmos (2001-02)
- Ultra Intelligence Agency (2002-11)
- Ultraman Boy's Ultra Coliseum (2003)
- Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy (2004)
- Ultraman Nexus (2004-05)
- Ultraman Max (2005-06)
- Ultraman Mebius (2006-07)
- Bio Planet WoO (2006)
- Operation: Mystery - Second File (2007)
- Ultraseven X (2007)
- Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle (2007-08)
- Kanegon Kanegon (2008-09)
- Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle: Never Ending Odyssey (2008-09)
2010s
- Ultraman Retsuden (2011-16)
- Ultra Zone (2011-12)
- Ultra Zero Fight (2012)
- Neo Ultra Q (2013)
- New Ultraman Retsuden (2013-16)
- Ultraman Ginga (2013)
- Giant Monster Rush: Ultra Frontier (2013-14)
- Kaiki Daisakusen: Mystery File (2013)
- Ultraman Ginga S (2014)
- Ultra Fight Victory (2015)
- Kaiju Sakaba Kanpai! (2015)
- Ultraman X (2015)
- Ultraman Orb (2016)
- Kaiju Girls (2016-18)
- Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga (2016-17)
- Ultraman Zero: The Chronicle (2017)
- Ultra Fight Orb (2017)
- Ultraman Geed (2017)
- Ultraman Orb: The Chronicle (2018)
- Ultraman R/B (2018)
- SSSS.GRIDMAN (2018) [with Studio Trigger]
- Ultraman New Generation Chronicle (2019)
- ULTRAMAN (2019-23)
- Ultraman Taiga (2019)
2020s
- Ultraman Chronicle Zero & Geed (2020)
- Ultraman Z (2020)
- Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy (2020-2021)
- Ultraman Chronicle Z: Heroes' Odyssey (2021)
- SSSS.DYNAZENON (2021) [with Studio Trigger]
- Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga (2021-2022)
- Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad (2021-2023)
- Ultraman Chronicle D (2022)
- Shin Ultra Fight (2022) [with Toho and khara]
- Ultraman Decker (2022-2023)
- Ultraman Blazar (2023-2024)
- Ultraman Arc (TV 2024-)
Selected 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]
- Mirror Man (1972) [compilation film]
- Return of Ultraman: Jiro Rides a Monster (1972) [compilation film]
- Mirror Man: Dinosaur Aroza Reanimated (1972) [compilation film]
- Daigoro vs. Goliath (1972) [Toho co-production]
- Jumborg Ace and Giant (1974) [Chaiyo co-production]
- Six Ultra Brothers vs. The Monster Army (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
- The Ivory Ape (1980) [Rankin/Bass co-production]
- 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
- Ultraman: The Alien Invasion (1990) [compilation film]
- Ultraman: The Battle for Earth (1990) [compilation film]
- Ultraman Forever (1996)
- Ultraman Company (1996)
- Ultraman Zearth (1996)
- Ultraman Zearth 2 (1997)
- Ultra Meow (1997)
- Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Dyna (1998)
- Ultra Meow 2 (1998)
- Ultraman Gaia: The Battle in Hyperspace (1999)
- Ultraman: M-78 Theater (1999)
2000s
- Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey (2000)
- Ultraman Tiga: Revival of the Ancient Giant (2001)
- Ultraman Dyna: The Return of Hanejiro (2001)
- Ultraman Gaia: Once Again Gaia (2001)
- Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact (2001)
- Ultraman Cosmos 2: The Blue Planet (2002)
- New Century Ultraman Legend (2002)
- Ultraman Cosmos vs. Ultraman Justice: The Final Battle (2003)
- New Century Ultraman Legend 2: The King's Jubilee (2003)
- Ultraman: The Next (2004)
- Ultraman Mebius & Ultraman Brothers (2006)
- Superior 8 Ultraman Brothers (2008)
- Mega Monster Battle Ultra Galaxy The Movie (2009)
2010s
- Ultraman Zero The Movie: The Revenge of Belial (2010)
- Ultraman Zero Side Story: Killer the Beatstar (2011)
- Ultraman Saga (2012)
- Ultraman Ginga Special (2013)
- Ultraman Ginga Special: Ultra Monsters vs. Ultra Heroes (2014)
- Ultraman Ginga S The Movie (2015)
- Ultraman X The Movie (2016)
- Ultraman Orb The Movie (2017)
- Ultraman Geed The Movie: Connect the Wishes! (2018)
- Ultraman R/B The Movie ～ Select! The Crystal of Bond (2019)
2020s
- Ultraman Taiga The Movie: New Generation Climax (2020)
- Kaiju Decode (2021) [with Toei Animation]
- Kaiju Decode: First Contact (2021) [with Toei Animation]
- Ultraman Trigger Episode Z (2022)
- Shin Ultraman (2022) [with Toho and khara]
- Ultraman Decker Finale: Journey to Beyond (2023)
- Ultraman Blazar The Movie: Tokyo Kaiju Showdown (2024)
- Ultraman: Rising (2024) [with Netflix Animation]
Selected TV specials
1960s
- The Birth of Ultraman (1966)
1990s
- The World of Ultra Q (1990)
- Ultraman vs. Kamen Rider (1993)
- Ultra Seven: Operation Solar Energy (1994)
- Ultra Seven: Planet of the Earthlings (1994)
Selected direct-to-video specials
1990s
- Ultraman Graffiti (1990)
- Ultra Seven (1998)
- Ultra Seven 99 (1999)
- Ultra Seven Evolution (2002)
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 Jirahs, Baragon became Pagos, Neronga, Magular, and Gabora, Maguma became Todola, the Giant Octopus became Sudar, King Kong became Goro, and Manda became the Kai Dragon;the United Nations VTOL props used in Gorath were also modified to become the SSSP's Jet VTOL and Space VTOL fleet.
- 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), Haruo Nakajima (suit actor for numerous monsters in Ultra Q, Ultraman and Ultraseven), Kenji Sahara (Jun Manjome in Ultra Q), and Akihiko Hirata (Chief Hanazawa in Ultra Q, Professor Iwamoto in Ultraman, and Staff Officer Yanagawa in Ultraseven).
External links
- Official website
- Official website (in English)
- Official YouTube channel
- Official Facebook page
- Official Twitter page
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