“Ultraman: Rising” Creators Talk Bringing the Legacy Home

It’s interesting to think about the idea of “legacy” when it comes to superheroes. In the United States, since 1940 – between Marvel and DC we were and are chockablock with enviable super powered faves. In the UK, Doctor Who has reigned supreme since 1963 – that’s over 60 years! These heroes have shaped children who became adults and had children of their own and Japan is no exception with Ultraman!

Ultraman has interesting roots as the hero was envisioned first in a TV program with comics not arriving until 1993 when they were published by Nemesis, and more manga coming much later in 2011. Tsuburaya even eventually paired with Marvel to create a line of comics in 2019 and several Marvel artists have credited Ultraman as inspiration for their styles. Started by Tsuburaya Productions (created by Eiji Tsuburaya), Ultraman Q ran for a mere 39 episodes, but through several variations, Alternative Universe (AU) takes, and ever-changing Ultramen, the character has grown into a sort of national treasure. 

Normally the films and TV shows are live action, but in 2019 Netflix  created an anime based on an Ultraman manga series by Eiichi Shimizu and artist Tomohiro Shimoguchi. The series ran for 3 years on Netflix and was well received despite being more of an AU take on Ultraman and changing many items from the source material. When it was time to revisit the idea of Ultraman as a film, co-directors Shannon Tindle and (cinematographer) John Aoshima decided to go back to basics, bringing back many of the characteristics of Ultraman while bringing forth a modern take on the man inside. 

Voice actors include Christopher Sean as Ken Sato aka Ultraman, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young and many more. It’s a fantastic production that’s full of passionate creators at the helm who just wanted to bring the magic back to the well-honed Ultraman universe. 

On a recent trip to Industrial Light & Magic and Lucasfilm, Awards Buzz had the pleasure of speaking with Tindle and Aoshima, and Composer Scot Stafford and VFX Supervisor guru Hayden Jones. 

With Tindle and Aoshima we talked a lot about the idea of legacy and representation on screen. Tindle talked about the ways his daughter influenced Emi and how dear the character was to his heart. Aoshima spoke about how much he was able to guide the production when it came to representing various aspects of Japanese culture, especially from the point of view of someone who was raised in the US and returned to Japan with the need to prove themselves. 

In Ultraman Rising we follow Ken Sato – first as a young man in Japan who idolizes his father Professor Sato (Watanabe) who just happens to be an Ultraman – a hero that protects the city from Kaiju or monsters in the area. Ken leaves Japan with his mother Mina (Tomita) and returns after his mother mysteriously dies. He’s also picking up the torch of Ultraman as his now estranged father is now elderly and unable to keep it going. 

While in the states, Ken became a professional baseball player. Now that he’s back he’s attempting to play baseball, prove himself to intrepid reporter, Ami (Julia Harriman), protect the city from Kaiju as Ultraman, and figure out exactly what to do about this Kaiju child that’s suddenly in his care! He’s going through a lot and we see his story told deftly by Tindle and Aoshima. 

We also get a chance to talk to VFX master Hayden Jones who created the visual feast for the film, and to Scot Stafford who made it sound lived in and lovely. 

Ultraman: Rising is available to watch now on Netflix.